Auto Spectator

2010 Kia Soul Auto Spectator An uncluttered dashboard with a three-dial instrument cluster, LCD illumination and floating center stack design is the key visual feature and offers enticing access to the AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system outfitted with SIRIUS Satellite Radio capabilities ...

Related posts

• XM Nabs Willie Nelson (0)
• USA Today Bearish On SIRIUS Stock (0)
• UK Gets On The Go Downloads (0)
• SIRIUS Subscriber Growth Outpaces XM (0)
• Sirius CEO reveals portable receiver/DAP (0)

Monocircuit Audio has released Kick-Pack! a lot of 117 free mono kicks. The kicks fall on the side of the weird and unusual. Site registration is required. More information on Monocircuit Audio’s Kick-Pack!.

Related posts

• XM Applies For New Patent (0)
• What’s a Netlabel? (0)
• The New Music Equation, Part 2 (0)
• The New Layaways Album (0)
• The Future of Free (0)

Image by christophercarfi via Flickr

Chris 'LongTail & Free' Anderson has dished up another great op-ed in the WSJ. Note: this link keeps having problems... maybe try this one, instead, or this. Below are some of the best snippets - and my comments.

Chris writes: "Gratis can be a good business. How? Pretty simple: The minority of customers who pay subsidize the majority who do not. Sometimes that's two different sets of customers, as in the traditional media model: A few advertisers pay for content so lots of consumers can get it cheap or free..."

Back in late 2008, I wrote something very closely related to what Chris is saying, here: "To me, the bottom line is that most of what used to work just fine in a disconnected world of 'totally segregated consumers and producers' will simply not work in the future". In other words, the traditional media model will not work in Online Media, going forward - the mechanics are entirely different. And this is where Free or Freemium plays a crucial role - and it's a huge mission to figure out how this ecosystem will generate rivers of cash, not just data. And it will involve Collaboration between content companies and creators, telecoms, social networks, search engines and device makers.

Chris goes on: "With physical stuff, samples must be doled out sparingly -- there are real costs to be paid. With bits, the free versions are too cheap to meter and can be spread far and wide. That's why so many people businesses (expensive!) are turning into software businesses (cheap!), which is why your cranky tax accountant has morphed into free TurboTax online, your stockbroker is now a trading Web site and your travel agent is more likely a glorified search engine..."

Yes, indeed: this is why I think that the content business - starting with music - is turning into a software business, too - witness the explosion of app stores for mobile devices, and how much $$ people are paying for iPhone apps. Now imagine that content (starting with music) will be bundled into such apps, and people will perceive it as BUYING SOFTWARE or buying a cool app for their phone but in fact the content is included (yet paid for  i.e. packaged).  I think that if permitted by the rights-holders Pandora could easily sell a mobile device application that could include video, audio, feeds and images - I am dead certain people will pay for that.  I will have a separate post on this sometime later this week. 

Chris then hits the nail on the head:  "Expect the shift toward open source software (which is free) and Web-based productivity tools such as Google Docs (also free) to accelerate". 

Totally. Then, Chris warns (and I agree - that's why I am also hard at work on next-generation advertising models): "The standard business model for Web companies that don't actually have a business model is advertising...Two problems have emerged with that model: the price of online ads and click-through rates. Facebook is an amazingly popular service, but it also an amazingly ineffective advertising platform..."

And I also like his conclusion (and this is the first time that I see it spelled out like this, from Chris):  "Does this mean that Free will retreat in a down economy? Probably not... "Free" has as much power over the consumer psyche as ever. But it does mean that Free is not enough. It also has to be matched with Paid. Just as King Gillette's free razors only made business sense paired with expensive blades, so will today's Web entrepreneurs have to not just invent products that people love, but also those that they will pay for. Not all of the people or even most of them -- free is still great marketing and bits are still too cheap to meter -- but enough to pay the bills. Free may be the best price, but it can't be the only one"

I call this challenge the '21st century content economics' challenge (yes... borrowed from Umair Hague's brilliant post on this topic), and it's the main topic for my work this year. If we can figure out how to generate many new revenue streams based on Feels Like Free access to content, then we can start modeling the business plans for the next 5 years. More soon!  But what do you think? Comment below.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Futurist Gerd Leonhard "Open is King" CMW 2008 Keynote (youtube.com)
• Should software face the flat-rate music future? (Gerd quoted in CNET News) (mediafuturist.com)
• The Future Of Media And Content Gerd Leonhard at TIME 08 Istanbul (slideshare.net)

Related posts

• Marketing Music, 2.0: the declining importance of traditional Air-Play (Radio) versus Net-Play (0)
• Meet me in San Francisco, March 4: Presentation on The Future of Content & Telecoms: Flat Rate Content Bundle & Social Media? – eComm2009 Conference (0)
• Compensation not Control – The Future of Music: video & audio versions of my presentation at MidemNet 2009 (*one of my best ;) (0)
• Retail experience draws women to AAPL? (0)
• Google Latitude: location-sharing is here. Think. Again. And Again. (0)

Copyright © 2009 PatrickJ. Visit the original article at http://justanotheriphoneblog.com/wordpress/2009/02/15/doh-homer-simpson-app-hits-app-store-gets-nixed-by-fox/.

Doh, and oops. I had just been looking at the new (and already soon to be deceased) iHomer iPhone app tonight, and wondering whether it was ‘legal’ or would be allowed to fly by the makers of The Simpsons. Looks like that would be a big NO. The screencap above is from the home page of the app developers’ site (the one listed on its App Store page).

This app provide classic quotes from Homer Simpson - some as just text, and some with audio. Something that would prove immensely popular probably. But it looks like its creators didn’t get their ducks in a row in terms of permissions to use the content included in it. Shame, hopefully Homer will get to the App Store for keeps sometime soon …

 

---

© PatrickJ for Just Another iPhone Blog, 2009. | Permalink | | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: app store, banned apps, iHomer

Related posts

• Recommended: Newbie iPhone Dev’s App Store Tale from the Trenches (0)
• New: Teaser Video for Tap Tap Revenge 2 (0)
• How Do You Shop for Apps – Help an iPhone Publisher Learn More About Your Habits & Preferences (0)
• Turn-by-Turn Voice Directions Coming Soon to (jailbroken) iPhones (0)
• RSS Player Test Drive (free version) Is Out (0)

The iPhone, like the iPod before it (well, at least since the 3rd-gen iPod, when Apple switched from FireWire), uses a proprietary connector called the dock for charging, syncing, video and audio-out, and multiple other functions. A broad port with 30 pins for many purposes, having a proprietary connector gives Apple a lot of flexibility, but also — through their licensing program — a lot of control over who can make peripherals and what can be done with them.

During our last edition of the iPhone Live! podcast, Dieter flat-out stated that Apple needed to dump the dock. He pointed out that countries like China and regions like the EU are, or may be, making universal connectors like USB a legal requirement. One charger, one port, to rule them all. (HTC is already replacing the 3.5mm headphone jack, folding it into the mini-USB-like ExtUSB on devices like the Android G1).

The dock connector originally allowed Apple to keep FireWire compatibility and add USB when it entered the PC market. Over time, Apple has moved over to USB, and now with the iPhone 3G and later iPod’s, FireWire is gone completely and charging can only occur via USB. Since USB already provides power, provides data exchange, and technology like DisplayLink (which connects external displays via USB) show that an increasingly large range of connection types are becoming possible.

So, as technology marches on, as backwards compatibility is shed, and as standards like USB 2.0 (and in the future, USB 3.0) grow faster and more capable, is it time for Apple to dump the dock and go with the same port most everyone else is using (including Apple with the Mac)?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Is it Time for Apple to Switch From Dock Connector to USB?

Related posts

• Around SPE for February 15, 2009 (0)
• The iPhone Blog Week in Review for February 16, 2009 (0)
• How to Guides Galore: Jailbreaking iPhone 2.2.1 (0)
• My comments on “The Economics of Giving It Away” (Chris Anderson in the WSJ) (0)
• Apple Says Netbooks Cramped, Terrible, Junky, Not Mac-Worthy — Buy an iPhone Instead! (0)

Filed under: Software, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

With apologies to Steve Jobs, who pretty much implied reading was dead, there are more and more applications coming to the iPhone/iPod touch to allow people to do just that -- read books.

Today, Traveling Classics has released several public domain titles that you download as applications. A voice reads the book to you while the text stays in sync.

The books are narrated by volunteer readers from the Librivox Project, who record the complete text and release their narration into the public domain. It is a bit like open source for books.

Among the titles are: (click on them for their App Store links)

* Treasure Island
* Art of War
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
* The Tell-Tale Heart
* The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
* The Gospel of John
* Pride and Prejudice

All the books are US $0.99 until February 20th, then they are all $1.99.The Gospel of John is free. I tried two of the books, The Art of War, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Both presentations sounded professional. The text did scroll along with the spoken words. You could exit the book, and when re-starting you are given the option to resume where you left off. That worked well. Audio quality was quite good on headphones, and clear enough through the iPhone speaker, but I don't think that is the preferred way to listen.

These books compare with other Audio Books available from the App Store, and are certainly cheaper than the same titles from Audibile.com, the iTunes Store or Amazon. On the other hand, those titles from other sources can be played back through a car audio system with an iPod adapter, or burned to a CD, where with the self contained books from Traveling Classics, you'd have to use the headphone jack to get access to the sound. Also, you can get current books from Audibile.com, but the Traveling Classics are just that -- Classics in the public domain.

There are other versions of almost all these books. There is, for example, a free version of The Art of War on the iTunes store, but it is text only, no narrator.

The Traveling Classics are a nice variation of the standard audio book that people started buying on cassettes years ago, then on CD, and now by downloading them from the Internet. This latest option will appeal to some, but many readers will stick with something they can download and use with other media players.

For those of us who like books, despite what Steve Jobs thinks about the market for them, having more to read, and more ways to read, can only be a good thing.

TUAWLetting the iPhone read to you originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Related posts

• Smule raises $3.9 million in funding (0)
• Nothing can go wrong…. Hal 9000 is on the iPhone (0)
• Magic for your iPhone (0)
• Google Docs adds spreadsheet editing on the iPhone (0)
• My first iPhone application (0)

The sky's the limit when it comes to hi-fi, and if you have $200,000 of loose change, you might like to take a closer look at NBS Audio Cables' latest E.V.A. and Butter/fly speaker systems.

This kit has an exotic design ...

Related posts

• Swap your old hi-fi for cash (0)
• Phiaton PS 200 Primal Series Earphones (0)
• 2010 Kia Soul – Auto Spectator (0)
• XM Applies For New Patent (0)
• Work for the Zune team on Xbox integration (0)

The Phiaton PS 200 Primal Series Earphones offer a stylish, durable design and balanced audio response, but the high price and subtle bass may turn off some potential listeners.

Related posts

• Swap your old hi-fi for cash (0)
• Exotic and ridiculously expensive loudspeakers (0)
• 2010 Kia Soul – Auto Spectator (0)
• XM Applies For New Patent (0)
• Work for the Zune team on Xbox integration (0)

Finally, here is the video and audio version of my presentation at MidemNet 2009, in Cannes France. I put a ton of work into this presentation and, well, honestly... I think it's one of the best I have ever done on this topic.  Hope you enjoy it - and please comment, below, and / or spread the word!  Thanks to the Midem organization for providing the DVD with this video.

The topics: why the music industry needs to license the Internet just like it has licensed Radio (i.e. with a collective license), why criminalizing the users & fans will not work - and why those efforts should be re-directed to the creation of a new 'Music 2.0' ecosystem that actually produces growing revenues, where those new revenues will come from, and how the music flat rate - aka music like water - would work. See my previous blog post for more details and the PDF of this presentation. The MidemNet blog is here. My free book, Music 2.0, is here, btw;)

Youtube versions here.  MP3 file download: Compensation not Control Futurist Gerd Leonhard MP3

Audio via Soundcloud, below  

Related articles by Zemanta

• Compensation not Control: Music 2.0 (my presentation at the MidemNet event in Cannes) (mediafuturist.com)
• Time for action: the music industry needs the same CHANGE that Obama brings to America (MIDEM 09 thoughts from 'the Utopian') (mediafuturist.com)

Related posts

• Marketing Music, 2.0: the declining importance of traditional Air-Play (Radio) versus Net-Play (0)
• My comments on “The Economics of Giving It Away” (Chris Anderson in the WSJ) (0)
• Gerd Leonhard Interview @ Los Angeles Music Blog (some good snippets) (0)
• Greatest Hits Compilation (0)
• Meet me in San Francisco, March 4: Presentation on The Future of Content & Telecoms: Flat Rate Content Bundle & Social Media? – eComm2009 Conference (0)

Filed under: Video, Freeware, Open Source

Miro, the open-source video client and podcatcher, has hit version 2.0. In addition to a revamped interface and various performance improvements in viewing and downloading, the new version also adds support for streaming shows on Hulu, CBS, etc. as well as audio podcasts.

As before Miro features a comprehensive content guide, YouTube downloading, and a built-in bittorrent client. Although you can cobble together most of Miro's functionality with other software, perhaps its biggest advantage is bringing together a bunch of disparate video sources from around the internet (many of them in HD) and putting them in a single, convenient interface.

Miro is a free download from the Participatory Culture Foundation.

TUAWMiro 2.0 revamps interface and improves performance originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Related posts

• Letting the iPhone read to you (0)
• Your ISP is the IFPI’s next target (0)
• Video vault: Macworld visit with Intelliscanner (0)
• My comments on “The Economics of Giving It Away” (Chris Anderson in the WSJ) (0)
• MobileMe Control Panel for Windows updated (0)