Apple TV update is positive change

With news coming last week that Toshiba, the main proponent of HD-DVD, had conceded victory to Blu-ray in the high-definition DVD format war, the time is ripe to jump on board the high-definition DVD bandwagon. The best Blu-ray player on the market is Sony's Playstation 3. For $399, you get a Blu-ray player and a gaming platform built in to one.

The main benefit of the PS3 over standalone players is the upgradeability. As Blu-ray adds new features to its specification, Sony can update the software that powers the PS3 to match.

Now that the high-definition format war is behind us, I'm looking ahead to the next generation of movie distribution and liking what I see.

Apple recently released a major update to its Apple TV set-top box ($229) to include support for movie rentals and direct purchasing from the device. The original Apple TV was released last year to little fanfare and fewer sales. It allowed users to synchronize the music, photos and video stored in iTunes to their television. Unfortunately, it didn't offer consumers a way to purchase content while sitting in front of a television, and the selection of movies available on iTunes prior to rentals was pathetic at best.

The situation has been remedied with the new Apple TV software update. Apple signed all the major studios to provide digital movie rentals through both iTunes and the Apple TV. While the studios were hesitant to offer digital sales of their movies, they have no problem with offering their films for time-limited rental online.

The rental conditions are similar to that of Amazon Unbox and the Xbox Video Marketplace: 30 days to start watching a movie and 24 hours to finish it once you hit Play.

Apple offers standard-definition and high-definition versions for rent. New releases run $3.99 for standard definition and a buck more for high definition. Catalog titles are $2.99 for standard definition. The quality of both types of movies is good, but obviously not as good as an uncompressed Blu-ray DVD.

The instant gratification of the process is what makes it click. Having to choose between requesting a movie on Netflix's Web site, waiting two days and then picking it up from the mailbox versus sitting in bed, clicking the Rent button and watching a movie within 10 minutes is a no-brainer.

Until multiple terabyte hard drives are more affordable, digital downloads aren't going to replace going into Best Buy and purchasing a DVD, but services such as Netflix should be worried.

Apple still needs to build its catalog of movies beyond the initial 1,000 currently offered. If it can offer a back catalog rivaling that of Netflix, I can see many casual movie viewers shifting to Apple TV and iTunes for their movie rentals.

Video chat still hasn't replaced IM or phone

Futurists have always seen video conferencing as the future of communication. In the 1989 movie "Back to the Future II," the elder Marty McFly was fired from his job via a giant video screen in his living room. More recently, TV shows such as Fox's "24" have shown government agents conversing with each other over a video-based phone system.

In fictional worlds, video conferencing is mainstream. Back in reality, however, the promise of having cameras and microphones replacing telephones has fallen flat.

Video's adoption failure is not for a lack of effort by technology companies. On the software side, AIM, MSN and Yahoo have added support for audio and video chat to their clients. Voice Over IP services such as Skype have also added support for the technology to their audio offerings.

With regard to hardware, PC manufacturers such as Sony are embedding video cameras into some of their laptops, and Logitech has always marketed USB-based cameras to the rest of the market. Apple takes it a step further and has a built-in camera in all of its machines, save for the headless Mac Pro and Mac mini.

One reason video chats have not made an impact in our lives is that they're just plain awkward. I was testing a new service by Yahoo called Y! Live (http://live.yahoo.com/) that allows users to broadcast from their webcam and interact with other viewers with minimal setup. I joined multiple rooms and mostly saw people sitting in their bedrooms with a camera on them while they browsed the Internet or work. It's not exactly "Cloverfield."

There were a few interesting channels. For instance, each night a DJ would broadcast a set on the service while 15 or so onlookers watched from their bedrooms.

The other leading reason the technology hasn't sparked interest in the mainstream is that we are too self-conscious.

Americans do not like it when people invade personal space during face-to-face chats, and a video conference is similar to that. The camera is a close-up of two faces.

Video chat is also an invitation into someone else's home. I am not the type of person who would invite just anyone into my home — especially without cleaning up first. Although a video chat gives only a glimpse of how a person lives, it can be discomforting for neat freaks and private people.

An instant message, or phone call for that matter, is a more protected and indirect connection between two people. With instant messaging, I can talk to three people at the same time while also surfing the Internet or checking my e-mail. There is no obligation to direct your undivided attention to an instant message.

Even though instant messaging is still the king, video is not without its place. Video is a great way for families spread out around the country to see one another. It is also useful to quickly show a friend or colleague something when words just won't do.

I just don't see a day when it is going to replace instant messaging or the phone as our primary form of Internet communication.

Justin Williams is a local blogger and the owner of Second Gear, a local Web and software development firm. He can be reached at justin@secondgearllc.com.

Originally published in The Evansville Courier & Press

Social networking sites help you make contact with world

People are often shocked when I tell them all of the social networking sites I use daily. Twitter, Pownce, MySpace, Flickr, Facebook, LinkedIn ... you get the point.

I feel that it is my duty to try to embrace as many of these services as possible. Some of them stick, while I dismiss others after only a few hours of use. Some sites are innovative and can enrich your life. Others are puzzling and their usefulness questionable.

Social networks are no longer just a way for teenagers and college students to pass the time. Social networking is a great way to connect with business colleagues and to establish new relationships.

These are the five sites I use daily.

The major player in social networking both today and in the future is Facebook. Facebook allows users to create a profile with personal contact information. Users can also connect with friends, leave messages and track what is going on in their lives.

LinkedIn is the business professional's Facebook. LinkedIn's focus is on keeping up-to-date contact information for your business contacts. LinkedIn focuses on prior work history and allows connections to recommend your work. It is an online resume and reference tool more than anything.

Once a user connects with his professional colleagues on LinkedIn, he has the opportunity to be introduced to other contacts through those connections.

The grandfather of all the social networks is MySpace. While I question the usefulness of MySpace versus other services these days, it's hard to ignore the sheer amount of users who are on the service.

Bands and businesses are joining MySpace because it's a great advertising platform. I use the service to point out articles I publish on ItsEvansville.com.

Many of my MySpace friends will then come to the site and read what was posted. Unless you have something to promote, I've yet to find the usefulness of MySpace.

Many people have the same feeling for Twitter.

Twitter is the micro-blogging service that allows users to post what they are doing via the Web or mobile phone. The key to Twitter is that your posts are limited to 140 characters: the maximum message length for SMS text messages.

Twitter is a great way to track what friends and colleagues. I look at Twitter like a chat room among friends. Many times during the day there will be an ongoing dialogue about politics, new technology or the news of the day. Each person chimes in with an opinion.

Twitter can also work as news wire service. When Heath Ledger passed away last month, I first heard it from one of my friends on Twitter, who published a link to the story.

Social networking is an excellent way to keep up with classmates, friends and professional colleagues. It's also just fun. I don't know how I waited for a table at a restaurant before Twitter, Facebook and the iPhone existed.

Justin Williams is a local blogger and the owner of Second Gear, a local Web and software development firm. He can be reached at justin@secondgearllc.com.

Originally published in The Evansville Courier & Press

Yahoo bid is Microsoft effort to stay relevant

A $44.6 billion offer for Yahoo is Microsoft's latest attempt to keep itself relevant in the new Internet economy and puts to bed any speculation on whether it is scared of Google's success. It is terrified.

The 1990s were good to Microsoft. It spent the decade being the darling of the tech industry and revolutionized how we used computers with Windows and Microsoft Office. The delays and lack of success of Windows Vista were some of the first signs that Microsoft isn't what it used to be.

The Internet has defined this decade, and Google has dominated. The dominance began when Google took over as the de facto search destination over Yahoo and AltaVista and has been followed up with its successes in the online advertising space.

Online advertising is a $20 billion-a-year business, and where Google has amassed most of its fortune. Beyond just offering advertising in its search results and on other properties, such as Gmail, it allows third-party publishers to embed Google Ads on their sites and share the revenue.

With more software becoming Web-based instead of desktop-based, Microsoft has tried tried to for years to gain a piece of the online advertising pie. It has sunk billions of dollars into various incarnations of MSN Search and its own online advertising solutions, but it has little market share to show for it.

Rather than innovate, it seems the new mantra in Redmond is to just throw money at successful properties and hope to piggyback on their success. Microsoft recently made a $240 million investment in Facebook, the popular online social network that makes them an exclusive advertising partner on the site. While the deal was a win for Facebook, it's done little to improve Microsoft's stature.

By purchasing Yahoo and its search and advertising market share, Microsoft would become an instant No. 2 behind Google and gain instant credibility where it has previously just grasped at straws.

I have little doubt that Microsoft will pursue the deal whether Yahoo comes on board willingly or not. Sources inside Yahoo told Kara Swisher of The Wall Street Journal that Microsoft made its offer after Yahoo's dismal quarterly earnings report.

The offer came with a note that the company had 48 hours to respond or Microsoft would go public with it. When Yahoo balked at the heavy-handed tactic, Microsoft went public.

Yahoo does have some recourse if Microsoft were to attempt a hostile takeover. Sources claim that Yahoo's main rival, Google, has stepped forward and offered to form an alliance between the two companies as a way to rebuff Microsoft's acquisition attempts.

Microsoft's attempts at claiming a piece of the search and advertising space through innovation have seemingly failed. So, $44.6 billion is the only way it can think of to gain ground in a market now dominated by their biggest competitor, Google.

If you can't beat 'em, buy 'em.

Justin Williams is a local blogger and the owner of Second Gear, a local Web and software development firm. He can be reached at justin@secondgearllc.com.

Originally published in the Evansville Courier & Press