Happy New Year!

Just quickly dropping a line to everybody to have an excellent New Year's celebration! Don't forget to set some positive New Year's Resolutions for 2006 ... and of course, enjoy the night responsibily but have loads of fun!

I have brought back a few bottles of Absinthe for friends and family ... the Green Fairy should wreck some havoc tonight in the Sea-Tac area for sure! ;-)

All the best in 2006!

David Stennett

Ipod Nano Misery Continues...

The misery doesn't stop -- to add photos to the Nano, I must now install yet ANOTHER application -- iPhoto, just to add freak'n photos to my Ipod -- how retarded is that? What if I go to my friend's house, and want to take some pics from his computer to add them to my device? Sure, I can, but I have to install iPhoto on his computer -- if that's not retarded, then I don't know what is. So, I have to install to large, processor hungry applications, iTunes, iPhoto, just to manage my Ipod? Am I the ONLY ONE??? that finds this tedious? My old Creative device -- plug it into the USB, open, drag/drop, unplug ... go ...

I was under the impression Apple was supposed to be all about usability -- guess not. They're worse than Microsoft now ... I almost feel like taking the Nano back! (it does play music well, though ... I give it that much)

Hey, Apple, let me copy/drag/paste into the Ipod, and I'll give you some props ...

I sold out to Apple ...

I have just purchased an Ipod Nano (2GB) ... I was VERY set on not buying Apple's products, mainly because they're more proprietary than than anyone else on the planet ... but, that "Best Buy" giftcard I received for Xmas helped me knock the price down to where I figured I'd just give it away if it sucked. It's most certainly living up to "sucking" status -- gotta install iTunes, Quicktime, iPhoto, iThis or iThat just to get the freaking thing working (as of writing this, I still don't have it working). Doesn't seem I can just copy/paste music into the damn thing -- I have to use the software ... this is just silly. Damn you Apple, damn you to hell!

It does look nice and is small (why I got it -- iRiver charges too much for 512mb devices ...) ... I wanted something I could use at the gym, and Apple has filled a nice market niche -- but this setup deal sucks ...

Back in the USSA ... you don't know how lucky you are, boy!

Well, I've been quiet for quite a while, mainly because I was doing lots of last minute work before my trip back to the states. I've been back for a week already, and I managed to make it to a Seattle Mobile meet-n-greet, where I met some pretty savy mobile cats, that included the Seattle Mobile founders David and Mario. I've already made quite a few trips up and down the PACNW, hitting up the big malls, and having some low-key meetings with mall property managers about deploying Jellingspot. My first thought that comes to mind is that mobile has come a LONG way in the US since I first returned from Europe back in 1999 for a visit. Back that, analog phones were still all the rage ... now, it seems, most people are using GSM or some varient, where you can send SMSs (Texting, as in the UK, it's called here in the US). I've even manged to con some girls I know into "texting" me mainly (I hate phone calls generally, as they're intrusive). They're getting hooked.

However, there is still a LONG way to go. While a lot of people are wearing Bluetooth headsets, I see that Motorola still maintains a large monopoly on the phones being sold at carriers, and these phones straight suck. There is a commerical on TV or the radio every 2 seconds for the Motorola Razor, but that phone stinks. You can't do much with (from a Jellingspot, or just Java/Flash perspective) ... it's being pitched as the next best thing next to sliced bread, but man, it's a laughing stock in Europe. I briefly tested the Razor for a few days (psuedo tester for a friend), and I couldn't stand the phone. I've been lucky enough to be carrying around and testing a new HTC Wizard, and that's a real phone (although Pocket PC Windows Mobile edition is straight buggy and lacks a lot of features ... can't even Bluetooth a picture to a friend -- have to use IrDA or MMS/Email -- stupid) compared to the Razor. In fact, it's light-years ahead of anything else out there really, minus the few Nokia Series 60 phones floating around out there. Motorola must have a monopoly on the network equipment sales to the carriers, and so they're pushing their crappy phones via this blackmail method -- that sucks. :(

Whatever the case, hang in there USA -- things are getting better ... rumor has it that Nokia is gonna start aggressively pushing their products there (not sure how...) ... and Sony-Ericsson is eye-balling the US market more aggressively, too. Let's hope -- because Motorola hasn't impressed me at all thus far and the US mobile market is suffering because of it!