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How Else Do You Think We’ll Get to Star Trek?

Aviv — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:06:46 +0000

Forget everything you’ve heard about the iPad. Put aside all the caveats and seemingly major flaws that people are floating around, and think about what Apple’s really doing here. If you don’t quite get it, don’t worry, it’ll eventually click.

A tablet computer, a beefed up iPhone, a touch screen slate, the iPad, whatever you call it, this device’s magnitude won’t be entirely realized for a few years to come. The ambition behind this single device is huge. What Apple’s trying to do here is momentous, it’s unmatched and whether you like it or not, it’s going to change the way you compute.

When you watch movies like Star Trek or recent phenomenons like Avatar, you see conceptually magnificent user interfaces. You see rich and robust screens and characters interacting with them in ways we could only dream of. With the swipe of a finger, the flick of a wrist, or some motion in your arms, you have the power of a fully embraced suite of technologies. This is conceptual immersive computing that we have never experienced as a species, let alone something we can begin to understand, comprehend or imagine being worked into our daily lives.

It’s no secret that Steve Jobs loves Star Trek. When asked about the future of computer input on stage at the All Things Digital conference in 2007, Jobs responded with, “Ya know, just give me Star Trek.” He was talking about the way the characters interacted so fluidly with the technology around them. The way that technology interfaces and responds elegantly with the people controlling it. Computers are depicted as natural elements, organic structures baked into the core of any room or ship. Quite the opposite from the desk, mouse, keyboard and monitor combinations we currently use.

If you don’t think Apple is trying to make Star Trek or Avatar style computing a reality, then you haven’t fully grasped what the iPad brings with it.

Let’s get one thing straight. As it currently stands, only one company has the potential to invent, deliver and actually execute these high-level, infinitely complex scenarios. No other company on earth has multi-touch technology like Apple’s, let alone the ability to combine that software with highly optimized hardware and now custom silicon. This is the trifecta of the future.

The iPad is Apple’s first attempt at bringing this technology outside of a handheld device and into general computing. We’re talking about extremely powerful gestures, motions and finger swipes to accomplish tasks that had previously only been done through the combination of a keyboard and a mouse.

Just like the old saying goes, “You can’t build Rome in a day.” For Apple, the iPad is the first brick in this Star Trek-like Colosseum of technology. Imagine the iPhone as the gravel, and now you’re beginning to grasp how monumental this device is. We still have a very long way to go, but this is the foundation. It can’t be rushed, it can’t be hurried and you can bet Apple is going to make billions of dollars while increasing the company’s bottom line along the way.

A completely immersive computing experience. As conceptually realized by James Cameron in the film Avatar.

It’s impossible to go from where we are today, to a fully immersive world of touch-screen technology. The general public would be lost, and the most technically savvy computer users would feel alienated by such a rapid change in computing. It would never happen, it can’t happen, and if it did, it would be by one of Apple’s competitors as a rush to beat the competition. However, Apple knows that this is extremely valuable. It’s the holy grail of computing as far as we can see it today. This absolutely cannot turn into Windows Mobile. For all the proprietary downfalls that the company brings with it, the way they get behind open standards (banning flash from nearly everything they do), should come as a relief to the general public. For the people that actual develop applications and pieces of software for our computing platforms, open standards are a way of life. We live and die by them. If Apple wasn’t the largest player in the paradigm shift to touch computing, I’d feel a bit nervous, anxious and kind of unsettled to not know what’s coming. With Apple, we know we’re in good hands. They value healthy competition, and it’ll be done right.

To the nay-sayers, give it some time. Just pretend this is the first iPhone and keep whining about copy-and-paste.

iPhone 3GS: Some Pit-falls Revolving Search, Photos and Videos

Aviv — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:43:28 +0000

I’ve had roughly 7 hands on hours with the iPhone 3GS. While the device performs entirely like a newer, faster, more powerful iPhone, a few pit-falls regarding searching and tagging leave me a tad confused.

Undoubtedly, the video recording feature is absolutely phenomenal. I’ve already been recording everything around me for the fun of it, and within a few hours, I managed to capture roughly 20 different videos. Alongside this, with the new auto-focus photography feature I found myself taking more pictures. Situations where images would’ve shown up blurry or dark in the past, now have been given a nice enhancement, which inevitably increases my confidence in the iPhone’s camera, which means more photos.

But after a few hours, my photo and video library is full, and finding a specific video or photo couldn’t be more of a time suck. I have to basically choose between a list of different thumbnails. Why do I still need to do things this way when Apple’s baked in Spotlight Search into the OS? Why can’t I flick my homescreen to the right and search for my videos based on a title or a few tags I’ve given them? At that rate, why can’t I title and tag my videos or photos? With 16 and 32GB flavors of the new iPhone, we’re talking mountains more memory than competing devices. Yes, we know it’s an iPod too, but we can actually search for music in that iPod much in the same way we should be able to search for photos and videos.

Search is an absolutely phenomenal thing to focus an OS around. If done right, everything, at anytime, from anywhere inside the OS, can be found by typing in the desired result. But it doesn’t work if things aren’t indexed, like the iPhone’s photos and videos.

As an iPhone owner, I’d like to be able to give my photos and videos a title, description and some tags. Obviously, this could be worked into the entire user experience in a very elegant way, and would be entirely optional for the end user. However, as the memory in my device increases, so will the amount of media on it, and so will the need for me to alter, edit, include and omit things from my search results.

In a nutshell, Apple, if you’re going to give us Search, don’t half-ass it, let us tag and label our media so that we can find it. And in the meantime, if Apple doesn’t respond, or care, maybe an iPhone developer wants to whip up a solution for organizing your photos and videos, then making them available in search. I’d buy the a copy for me and all my friends.

Apple Playing Both Sides of the CDN Fence

Aviv — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:51:06 +0000

As Apple’s digital content offerings grow, Content Delivery Network Limelight Networks has managed to swipe some of Apple’s business away from rival CDN, and long time Apple partner Akamai Technologies.

Apple pushes huge amounts of digital content over the internet. From Mac OS X updates, iPhone apps, videos, music, software and everything in between. When delivering so much content to users around the world, using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) is crucial for stability and making sure downloads and heavy, large files come through without a glitch. MacBlogz is actually hosted on the Mosso Cloud, which has a CDN API available, which we have been considering for quite some time. Because we don’t get that many image hotlinks, or push large videos and images, it’s not so necessary right now. But as any site begins to grow in size and visibility beyond what general servers, or hosting grids can offer, CDN’s provide content delivery at up to 3 times the speed and stability.

Akamai Technologies is an incredibly high profile company that delivers content through its CDN to customers like KickApps, MySpace, Adobe, MTV, Verizon, The NBA, Apple and more. They have been delivering content for Apple for quite a while. Depending on what browser you’re using and what page of Apple’s website you’re visiting, sometimes you can spot an Akamai domain or metrics sub-domain in the loading progress as the page loads.

Back in 2006, Akamai sued Limelight over some patent disputes. In respect to both companies, there’s some really high-level proprietary technology in place that is probably fairly similar to the others, so a lawsuit was not that surprising. Especially when Limelight secured major customers like Youtube and Brightcove, CBS, and Microsoft’s XBox live. “MIT and Akamai allege that Limelight is infringing on Patent # 6,108,703 and patent # 6,553,413. Both patents were issued to MIT and are licensed exclusively to Akamai,” the court documents read. Akamai went on to prevail in court and win a sizable amount of money (specifics are here).

Interestingly, as Silicon Alley Insider’s Dan Frommer notes, Limelight Networks has recently been able to snatch up some of Apple’s business away from its arch-rival Akamai Technologies. CDN industry watcher Dan Rayburn explains, “I don’t know what parameters Apple uses to decide how they redirect a user’s request to one CDN over another, but it appears much of it could be based on the geographic location the user is coming from as I also noticed this exact same QuickTime update getting delivered from Akamai depending on what city the user was located in.”

A big perk of using CDN’s is the ability to redundantly serve out thousands of versions of a particular piece of content depending on where a user accesses it from geographically. Rayburn also saw this happening with “OSX updates, application downloads from the Apple.com site (like the iLife trial) iPhones software updates and some apps for the iPhone app store.” The changes started taking place in November, as the Limelight domain name “llnw.net” wasn’t spotted prior. Also, around the holiday season Limelight’s domains were spotted pushing out HD video along with other other high demand content.

However the deal is arranged, it’s clear that Apple trusts both companies with delivering equally crucial content. The dual arrangement isn’t new, and it’s not a stab towards either particular company. If Apple feels that both Limelight and Akamai can help them deliver their digital data over the web, then redundancy and stability is most likely the key element at play here. Web-based services and digital content delivery can be tricky, costly and leave a bad stain on the industry as more and more companies evolve into the digital age. What Apple users experienced in the summer of 2008 with Mobile Me, was a prime example of a company shocking its users with the notion of “cloud computing.” Apple is focused on increasing stability, speed and reliability however it can. Rolling out the iWork.com beta for free, and with a “beta” tag shows that they’ve learned. Utilizing two powerful CDN’s to push their content around shows that they care.

Note: Sorry about the previous typos, a previous version of the post snuck through. All better now.

The Importance Of Backing Up and the Increasing Virus Threat

Michael Rosenthal — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:25:17 +0000

Do Mac users need to lose sleep over the malware that plagues our PC using friends? Do we need to load up on antivirus and antispyware and antirootkit software? Probably not. There is a better solution: bootable clones.

The more knowledgeable PC users know that the greatest vulvernability to malware assault resides in user habits, opening email attachments and clicking at inappropriate sites. The best PC antimalware publishers often have trouble keeping up with the lastest that the evildoers have produced. There are several new viruses released into the wild daily. Their number is approaching 200K. None of them has any effect on the Apple platform.

Symptoms of a Virus Infection

When the day arrives that Mac users experience abnormal computer behavior resulting from malware, such as alarming notices or impaired function of applications, they will notice that their antiimalware and firewall have been disabled. Some of the most recent malware disables the abillity of the user to uninstall the new arrival. In short, the most sophisticated malware disables all known defenses, before it gets down to business. Then the hard drive usually becomes very sluggish or unusable. It is often possible to offload data before reformatting and reinstalling the operating system; followed by installing applications, settings, passwords and data. Much is usually lost along the way, along with hours or days of time.

Viruses versus Spyware versus Rootkits

For a long time it has been possible to think of viruses as malware that could place irritating little notices on your computer or permanently disable it. Spyware has a more commercial intent. It inveigles its way onto your hard drive and recruits your computer into an army of robots (“bots”) that can be called upon to forward spam. It is often downloaded with Kazaa, Limewire or other freeware that enabled questionable activity. The most common symptom of spyware presence is pronounced slowing of all computer activity. Today, the distinction between the two is blurred. Some spyware can be as malignant as a virus.

Rootkits are a relatively new class of malware that get themselves installed so deeply into the system that they are not detectable by normal antimalware tools. They enable remote control of a machine for evil intent.

The Elegant Solution: Bootable Clones

Enterprise IT pros, photographers and videographers who live by their digital product have long known of the importance of backup; usually making multiple copies. These are generally data or file backups. Ted Landau, developer of MacFixIt and a member of the first generation of Mac columnists, has famously said that you have not backed up until you have done it twice. He relates how in a couple of clicks he erased his hard drive and, in a momentary lapse, his only backup drive, as well.

The rationale behind data backup was orginally being prepared for the failure of your computer’s drive. Leopard’s Time Machine does an admirable job of backup, but neither of these methods is a complete solution to a corrupted drive. Bootable clones are.

A clone is a bit-for-bit copy. When you have cloned your computer’s hard drive to an external drive you have an alternative to boot from, generally using using the Start Up Preference Panel or Target Mode, if connected by Firewire. (Pre-Intel Macs can can only boot through a Firewire connection. Intel Macs can boot from an external drive connected with USB 2 or Firewire.)

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Google Unveils SearchWiki, Customizable Search Results

Aviv — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:20:05 +0000

Google has introduced a major interface change to their search results interface called SearchWiki. The search giant has implemented functionality that allows users to vote their search results up and down, as well as comment on each result.

The ultimate conceptual goal here is for search results to become increasingly dynamic and personalized. “We have been testing bits and pieces of SearchWiki for some time through live experiments, and we incorporated much of our learnings into this release,” Google explains. However, their is definitely a chance that SearchWiki could backfire (though unlikely).

While Google has unveiled the new feature to most users, the added functionality can be negatively shocking when dealing with such a critical part of people’s routine internet “workflows.” Perhaps a business owner can negatively comment on his competitor’s company (and search listing) resulting in lost sales and potential lawsuits. Also, many believe the far cries begging Google to increase people’s privacy options are not being heard or addressed with SearchWiki. As Google explains, “The changes you make only affect your own searches.” However, simply click on the “See all notes for this SearchWiki” link and you’ll be able to see what the rest of the community has to say about a particular search result.

Today we’re launching SearchWiki, a way for you to customize search by re-ranking, deleting, adding, and commenting on search results. With just a single click you can move the results you like to the top or add a new site. You can also write notes attached to a particular site and remove results that you don’t feel belong. These modifications will be shown to you every time you do the same search in the future. SearchWiki is available to signed-in Google users. We store your changes in your Google Account. If you are wondering if you are signed in, you can always check by noting if your username appears in the upper right-hand side of the page.

Even though the addition brings an incredibly dynamic environment to search, some might say that it’s perhaps too sensitive of an area for such a drastic change. Google claims the new functionality has been unveiled for all users, but some people are reporting that they haven’t seen anything thus far.

Google’s lead engineer, Amay, demonstrates a few ways to use SearchWiki.

Apple Releases iTunes 8.0.2, Minor Update and Fixes

Aviv — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:28:00 +0000

Apple has released an update for iTunes to version 8.0.2. The 60.3MB update is available from Apple’s website or via Mac OS X Software Update.

iTunes 8.0.2 improves stability and performance and provides a number of important bug fixes, including:
• Addresses a quality issue creating MP3s on some computers.
• Fixes a connectivity issue with the iTunes Store when using some Internet proxies with Mac OS X.
• Improves accessibility with VoiceOver.

As MacRumors points out, this update comes just one day prior to the release of iPhone Firmware 2.2 update.

Apple Releases Software Update 2.3 for Apple TV

Aviv — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:43:32 +0000

Apple has released an update for the Apple TV. The update is accessible through the Apple TV’s settings menu, and navigating to General then Software Update.

Apple has listed the new features and fixes found in Software Update 2.3:

AirTunes Streaming from Apple TV: Music can be streamed via AirTunes to Airport Express speakers or other Apple TVs in your house.
Third-party Remote Controls: Apple TV can now learn other remote controls and use them in addition to the Apple Remote.
Playlists: Playlists in iTunes that contain Movies, TV Shows, Podcasts, and Music Videos can now be seen on Apple TV.
Music Volume Control: Support for volume control in Music.

As MacRumors explains, the last update the Apple TV saw was in early October when Genius Playlists and native HD TV show downloads were added to the device. Additionally, if you have modded or hacked your device — with the Boxee mod for example — you should hold off on upgrading.

All I Want For The Holidays Are App Store Development Guidelines

Aviv — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:04:05 +0000

Apple’s App Store has changed the way mobile developers can reach their audience. By setting up a fast, secure environment for developers and game publishers to distribute their games and applications, Apple is attempting to bridge a major gap between the industry. However, some setbacks remain and the environment still needs some attention.

One of Apple’s major attractions with the App Store is the fact that developers can distribute their games and applications fast and in a secure environment. Once a particular game or app is approved and pushed through to the App Store, millions of people instantly have access to the title, and with the right buzz online, it can generate literally millions of downloads.

While Apple’s App Store has been subject to extremely harsh criticism, primarily focused around harsh rejections and an overall lack of communication. It’s important to remember how big of a push Apple has made with the App Store. Not only was the iPhone earth shattering in terms of user experience and making mobile data accessible, but Apple’s long-term goals in turning the device into a development platform have been more than realized. The speed in which a game or application can be downloaded and distributed through the app store is enough to send any aspiring developer into a cerebral tailspin about what iPhone users potentially need.

However, since the launch of the App Store, countless stories about very useful applications being rejected have sent shivers down most developer’s spines. Without a clear set of development guidelines, developers are taking an enormous gamble in cultivating a game or application on the iPhone platform. While it may seem reasonable for larger more established companies to devote time, money and general resources to hoping their applications get approved. Many smaller teams, producing extremely useful applications are not as lucky. A quote from a colleague of mine who develops for the iPhone explains it well:

“Without development guidelines, there is no way to know for certain if an application or game you are spending your time on, will get approved by Apple. In which case, you can organically appeal the decision and hope the community picks up your story, in which case word gets around to Apple that people are angered and they reverse the decision. Or perhaps they will realize that they made a mistake in rejecting your application/game and reverse the decision. Either way, Apple’s communication thus far has not been comforting to say the least.”

Dropping the iPhone NDA was a step in the right direction. Actually, releasing the iPhone SDK was the first step towards a brighter future, however, the community needed to basically beg Apple to do both. Couldn’t Apple release a well documented set of guidelines, that developers could follow while developing their games and applications? I think this could be done with relative ease, and the impact would be substantial. Not only would would developers be given a clear set of rules to follow, but real-world, long-term companies could be founded. Companies that are interested in establishing roots in the industry, developing platforms of their own and contributing in ways we can’t imagine. These things can’t happen to their fullest potential until Apple opens up and comes clean with what is really driving app store rejections and approvals. No more guessing, hoping and praying that a response will be given, the iPhone development community deserves more. And the potential behind the technology is enough to transform the mobile market as we know it today.

Some setbacks remain, and until Apple releases a clear set of development guidelines, the App Store will still be considered an “application boutique.” Developers and game publishers will continue to devote energy and resources to developing great titles that may never see the light of day. But remember, the iPhone SDK wasn’t so easy to reason out of Cupertino. So what do you think Apple, maybe some official App Store development guidelines for the holidays?

Screenshots: iPhone OS 2.2 Adds App Store Sorting

Aviv — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 03:44:29 +0000

Fresh off the heels of rumors that iPhone OS 2.2 will be landing within ten days, Boy Genius Report posts a few screen shots of Apple’s unreleased iPhone OS 2.2 Firmware. The new images show new App Store “sorting” functionality not present in any iPhone Firmware build to date.

…you can sort the categories themselves by “Top Paid”, “Top Free” and “Release Date”. In addition to that, each category gets a cute little icon instead of just text-based lists, and you can finally browse through all the application screen shots, BGR explains.

What this means is that instead of looking at just text-based lists, you can now browse through the applications screenshots, just like in iTunes. As previously mentioned, rumors that came in today point to November 21st as a release date for iPhone OS 2.2, though it is still unconfirmed.

Netflix ‘Watch Instantly’ Beta Available for Mac Users, Play Instantly

Aviv — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:42:25 +0000

Netflix has officially launched a version of their ‘Watch Instantly’ program for mac users. By simply opting into the beta program, downloading Microsoft Silverlight, and creating an account, you’ll have access to Netflix’s content library.

If you are dying to get away from iTunes and the way Apple does media business, perhaps you’d be interested in Netflix Watch Instantly. Netflix is passed the first phase of beta development, and they’ve decided to open up the new client to beta users.

Installing Microsoft Sliverlight 2.0 during the setup process.

With the availability of Watch Instantly, Netflix is trying to get a slice of Apple’s media content pie. Not only are they attempting to derail you from purchasing content via iTunes, they want you to ignore Quicktime and iTunes all together. Netflix has integrated Microsoft Silverlight technology into a custom client that sits in your web browser. Once you’ve installed the necessary components, navigating back to your Netflix account will show a ‘Play’ button next to your playable content.

When skimming through time, the content is broken in modules as shown above.

Be aware that there are known bugs, and Netflix is currently logging them (the client has made Firefox 3 crash twice on me already). As VentureBeat points out, the video quality is only decent, nothing special. When comparing it to content downloaded from iTunes, Netflix’s media looks just sub par. But the Xbox version of Netflix’s Watch Instantly will serve up content in HD.

The video quality is not great, which is disappointing.

Additionally, Netflix allows you to authorize up to six different devices. Not only different computers are counted as one of the six machines. Roku boxes, certain Blu-ray players, xBox’s and soon TiVo will also count as an authorized device.

“Forget about iTunes” is what Netflix trying to say. “Our subscription based business model is much better.” But as Apple CEO Steve Jobs has pointed out, the subscription based way of doing things leads to users being angry, frustrated and almost zero flexibility in business negotiations with studios, and exclusive content providers. That’s why Apple (with iTunes) has steered clear of a subscription based model, instead allowing pay as you go availability. Netflix, with Watch Instantly, is nearly the exact opposite. You pay monthly, and then have access to the library.

Read – Beta Program Opt-in Link
Read – Netflix Blog Announcement