The Microsoft Zune 2006-2006: Penny Arcade on the Zune and the announcement of the iPhone: “I can hardly look at it now, it’s like holding a dead squirrel. On its 4:3 screen – the exact ratio of obsolescence – I can see destroyed futures.”
Cisco sues Apple over iPhone name: I wondered how long it’d take for this to happen. One day, it appears.
Steve Jobs has announced the development of the Apple iPhone in his Keynote speech at Macworld 2007, which incorporates:
Now, I’m not particularly interested in this Apple phone as it’s won’t be released for months — if at all — in the US alone, has a sub-standard 2 megapixel camera, is locked to one network provider and has no 3G capability (this will have to be included for the European version) and too little storage space to replace my iPod as an MP3 player (quite how 4Gb is enough for a movie player I don’t know). I am, however, interested to see the new interface incorporated into a future generation iPod — one with a decent-sized hard drive storage space. I’ll also be interested to hear if any games are being developed for it; the touch screen would work wonders for many games — something the Nintendo DS has already proved.
Also announced/confirmed were Apple TV, a set-top box for streaming stuff from iTunes to your TV, the AirPort Extreme wifi base station, movies from Paramount for iTunes, some deals with Yahoo! and some other crap like a couple of new TV commercials.
More details of the keynote speech at Engadget and MacRumours.
Update: A couple of interesting comparison articles here. Kottke mocks up an iPhone out of card and compares it to other, familiar, devices for size and TNL compare some current phone specs to Apple’s offering. They use an odd choice of Nokia phone for comparison purposes, though; wouldn’t an N80 have been more appropriate?
Update 2: The curse of Apple first-generation hardware. Kottke has a run down on all the recent feedback on the interweb over the iPhone.
Have you been wanting to race against (and generally gloat about how much fitter you are than) your friends, but don’t have a pair of those expensive Nike running shoes with the hole in the bottom? Fear not, SwitchEasy have introduced the RunAway AnyShoe Adaptor for just 6 quid. You’ll still need to bring your own iPod Nano and Nike+ kit though.
The 10 Gadgets that Changed the World: “The wheel. The plow. The gun. The electric light. The radio. The chip. The untidy march of human ingenuity and innovation has led you here, to our list of the 10 most life-altering devices of the modern era.”
An Apple video game console? ‘A distinct possibility’, apparently.
I just saw a Zune, and guess what? Its a piece of shit: “Zune manages to take the very few features of the iPod and over complicate or ruin them. For example, the navigation copies the iPod’s in the way it looks, and for absolutely no reason, because the way the navigation works does not require the scroll wheel design. This tell tale sign of unergonomic design is known to product designers as a skeuomorph, it’s why cheap hifi equipment has lots of flashing lights to look ‘pro’.
I’ve spent a week setting this thing up and using it, and the overall experience is about as pleasant as having an airbag deploy in your face.”
Sci Fi Tech also has an article on “Why the Zune won’t steal Christmas“.
Sony admits to buying grey goods from Lik-Sang “but only for investigatory purposes.” and “Sony denies that its actions had anything to do with the closure of the Lik-Sang website.”
Lik-Sang.com Out of Business due to Multiple Sony Lawsuits: “the popular gaming retailer from Hong Kong, has today announced that it is forced to close down due to multiple legal actions brought against it by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.”
I’ve just read about this on IGN, and I’ve got to say that Sony really aren’t doing themselves any favours. After yesterday’s news of them blocking imports of the Playstation 3 into Europe I honestly believe they’re digging their own grave. I certainly won’t be buying the vastly overpriced console when it’s released, and neither will many others.
If there’s a Sony boycott happening, I’m in.