Nintendo is smart...

Pundits are sounding the death knell for Nintendo on the introduction of the PSP. I think they underestimate Nintendo. If you want to understand how they operate, read the book :

Game Over : How Nintendo Zapped an American Industry, Captured Your Dollars, and EnslavedYour Children
by DAVID SHEFF

Read the section in the book about their response to MGM when threatened with a lawsuit over Donkey Kong. Their laywer flies across the country to tell the MGM president that they wouldn't settle. In person. The case never made it to trial; it was thrown out by the judge

Look at the GameBoy, the most popular handheld gaming system ever. Their newest system, the DS, will play all your old (and inexpensive to buy) GameBoy Advance titles, plus the new titles. The DS has two slots, a GBA slot and a DS slot.

The DS comes in a clamshell configuration, so the screen is protected from incidental damage. No such protection with the PSP.

PSP...Entertainment without boundaries?

I just went to the Sony website to get a link to the PSP page for a link, and discovered the slogan for the PSP :

Entertainment Without Boundaries

????

The PSP looks like something designed by a company with dueling hardware and entertainment divisions. It's as locked down as any media device on the market.

The PSP :
- is too expensive
- is too easy to break
- is too big to carry everywhere
- is crippled with proprietary UMD media
- requires an expensive memory stick
- games cost fifty dollars with no budget titles
- has no backwardly compatible media

If I want to get in some recreational video, I'll do it on my Nokia 3650. I can pull it out unobtrusively.

If you want a Nintendo solution, wait for the Nintendo branded $50 game cart that will play MPEG-4 files from a Secure Digital memory card. A movie theatre in your pocket.

If you've read this and still want a PSP, they have plenty of them at the store.

Music Thing is The Thing

I love MusicThing. Music Thing is a blog about musical technology. If you are into 70s and 80s analog synths, software synths, anything musically electronic. It is the place to be

The Nokia 3650 Essentials

I set up my sisters' Nokia 3650 this afternoon. Here is what I did :

• Put the memory card into a reader
  
• Create a "installs" and a "video" folder
  
• Copy some Jonny Quest 3gp files (or whatever you like) into the "videos" folder
  
• Copy the following apps into the "installs" folder :
  
  
  
  • Helix player - for MPEG 4 video. The Helix player supports more video formats than the Real Player that ships with the phone.
    
  • ReadM - ebook reader. Reads any text file. Even plays mp3s..
    
  • Calcium - Nice, easy to use calculator
    
  • Agile Messenger - fantastic, free, IM client
    
  • Card Deck - Free solitaire game from Nokia
    
  • Forward - moves INBOX messages to arbitrary files. Very useful.
    
  • Keyboard - Driver for Pocketop folding IR keyboard
    
  • Torch - Turns the backlight on. Yes, your phone is now a flashlight.
    
  
  
• Remember, when you start installing, everything goes on the memory card
  
• Put the card back in the phone and power up. I like to keep a installable copy of all apps that I regularly use on the memory card in the phone. The Nokia "Manager" installer application only installs SIS files that are sent to the phone via email or Bluetooth. To solve this. I sent FExplorer to her phone via Bluetooth, and installed it. Once FExplorer was in place, applications could be installed from the "installs" folder.
  
• Install all the apps by selecting the SIS files in the "installs" directory with FExplorer. The Helix player is installed in 3 parts, in order.
  

Transparent technology

My friend Rod has a Sony-Ericcson T616 phone, which he hates. One day, the phone made a loud screeching noise while next to his ear. He complained that the phone was difficult to use; I would agree as my wife has one. I chose that phone for her because it had a camera and supported Bluetooth.

Unfortunately, the pictures are lousy and the menus are puzzling (to me at least). It's like going to a movie and watching the projector

I offered him the use of a Nokia 3390, which I picked up at a flea market. What a wonderful phone this is. Excellent reception, crystal clear audio, and very easy to use.

I would describe this as transparent technology. With this phone, you just use the phone. Simple, uncluttered, intuitive.

Rod is using the phone until his contract expires in March. But I am getting it back :-)

Radio is dead....

...they just haven't buried the body yet. I was in my van this evening, listening to "Coverville" a podcast from "www.coverville.com" on the iPod. A 30 minute show that is not broadcast via radio anywhere in this country. At that point it hit me : Radio is dead. Noone needs it anymore.

Commercial radio in this country is pathetic. The big radio chains (Infinity, Clear Channel) have consolidated their programming into mush. Predictable playlists. Stupid DJ stunts. Their short term strategy of buying up radio stations and turning them into carbon coies of each other is coming back to bite them.

In increasing numbers, America is tuning them out. Viacom, the owner of Infinity, posted an 18 billion dollar loss this quarter, most of it due to lost radio advertising revenue. There are just too many alternatives to broadcast radio. Internet streaming. Portable music players like the iPod.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Something different....the Midibox SID

Though I administer computers and write software for a living, I have alwaye enjoyed working with electronics. Among my accomplishments....transplanting the logic board from a 5 gig iPod into a 20 gig iPod. And it actually worked. But I digress....

I recently started reading online about the SID chip. This was the chip that generated the sound in the Commodore 64. There is a Midibox SID project.

The Midibox SID project uses the SID chip as a sound generation device, but operates it under computer control from a dedicated microcontroller. This allows sounds to be generated that were never possible with the original SID.

It consists of a core processor board, a SID module and a DIN module, which provides for digital inputs to the SID, either rotary encoders (like a digital volume control) or switches. Combine this with a 24 character, 2 line display, this provides the ability to control the SID in real time interactively from the front panel.

I recieved the parts a few weeks ago and have started assembling the boards. More fun to come

The Nokia 3650 ages well

The Nokia 3650 is the most useful device I have owned. Almost two years later, Nokia is still selling basically the same phone (3660 and 3620). It has aged well.

• It's small enough to go anywhere
  
• It keeps my calendar, address book and to do list
  
• It syncs almost flawlessly via Bluetooth with my Macs (iBook, G5 tower)
  
• It plays MPEG4 movies
  
• With an IR keyboard, it can take notes
  
• Becomes a servicable flashlight with "Torch" software
  
• It takes pictures (pretty decent ones)
  
• Content is easily added or removed with a simple flash reader
  (I keep a SanDisk Cruzer flash reader in my pocket)
  
• Lots of free software
  

Downsides

• not enough internal memory
  
• only supports 128 meg flash cards (with current firmware)
  
• Bet you thought I was going to say "the %%^&** keyboard". Actually, I don't mind it.
  

My sister and brother-in-law are now 3650 owners.

Bluetooth Annoyances

I have a Nokia 3650 phone, which I use with two different computers at work via Bluetooth. My main desktop system, an Apple G5, keeps my address book and calendar. My Dell PC is used for Bluetooth Serial Port access, so I can sync AvantGo without having to pay 2 cents/KB to do so.

Every time I move from the Mac to the PC or from the PC to the Mac, I have to re-pair the phone with the computer, or nothing works.

Now I just need to wait for Apple to add Bluetooth Serial Port support to OS X. Doh.

Activision Anthology for Game Boy Advance

I just bought Activision Anthology for the GameBoy Advance. It include 55 Atari 2600 games including selections published by Activision plus some demo titles and games written long after the 2600 had left the scene.

It is especially nice that the Activision titles are the focus here. Activision was one of the most innovative 2600 developers. They made the 2600 hardware do things that is was not supposed to be able to do. The games are in general, a notch above the others.

The cart runs the well known Stella 2600 emulator. I know this because Bradford Mott is the lead emulator developer for the cart and he wrote Stella.

It completely rocks. Enduro, Spider Fighter, Megamania, Chopper Command, Air Raid, Pitfall...all the great ones are there.

It saves best scores, and rewards you with cheats that change the games. Scans of the cart label, box art and instructions are included in the game. A steal for $29.

The iPod mini

All the latest kvetching is about how the iPod Mini was a complete screw up by Apple. I don't agree. The main argument is that for $50 more, one could buy a 15 gig iPod.

This assumes that everyone bases their decision only on price. If this was the case, we would all be driving Yugos because they are so cheap.

If someone is in the market for a small MP3 player, there are a number of flash-based players for around $200. Most of these have a max capacity of about 256 megs. If I am a buyer who is considering these, now I have a choice where I can spend $50 more and get 4 gigs of storage.

If I am willing to carry around a bigger MP3 player, the regular iPod is the obvious choice.

Just over one year later, I find it amusing that Apple can barely keep the mini in stock, it is so popular.

Using the Nokia 3650 with the Pocketop keyboard

I'm happy to say that the Nokia 3650/Pocketop keyboard combo is quite usable. I used it yesterday in the server room at work to take notes. Significantly faster than using the numeric keyboard.

Gigantic : A Tale of Two Johns

This is a new documentary just out on DVD. It is about the band "They Might Be Giants". The band is brilliant and the DVD is awesome. See more at http://www.giganticfilm.com.

Keyboard drivers for Nokia 3650

Someone else has written an IR keyboard driver for the Nokia 3650. It works with both the Pocketop and Palm Wireless Keyboard. It appears to function properly with my 3650 and Pocketop (also sold as "The Wireless Link" by Micro Innovations.)

Tekno Dinkie

I have this strange little robot on my desk. It is a "Tekno Dinkie" made by Tecno. I got it at a yard sale. The woman insisted that I take it. She wanted it out of the house. It starts jabbering at random times. It will go for days without making a sound, then suddenly start up.

My Life with Bluetooth

I just ordered a new phone and service for Kerry; a Sony-Ericcson T616 with AT&T Wireless. I have had service with them since July and generally am pleased.

This phone continues my love/hate relationship with Bluetooth. I got the upgraded model so that I could use iSync to keep the address book and calendar updated in the phone. The "free" A226 is crippled, IMHO. No IR and no Bluetooth. No way to get data in or out without a $40 cable. I'd rather spend $50 and gain a camera and Bluetooth and IR.

Back to Bluetooth. When it works well, it is very nice. When it acts up, it drives me nuts.

- Every time I change from using the Mac connection to using the PC connection, I have to re-pair the phone and computer. The PC tells me that I have to pair the devices. The Mac just hangs in iSync.

- I use the Bluetooth Serial Port connection on my PC so that I can sync AvantGo on my 3650 without having to pay for data transmission. Every time I activate the port, I get an error that the Bluetooth connection has failed. But then it works anyway. So to disconnect, I have to "connect" because the PC thinks the connection has been broken already. Then it disconnects. Still with me?

- I have a borrowed Belkin Bluetooth Access point on my desk. I can't get it to work with my phones. Supposedly it works with Bluetooth equipped PDAs.

- On the good side, some stuff just works right. I can send an SMS message from my Address Book in OS X and the SMS is routed through the phone.

I have heard that the Bluetooth specification is 1500 pages long. I am not surprised.

Pocketop and Symbian

I discovered that Pocketop , maker of an IR folding keyboard, has removed the Series 60 drivers from their website and replaced them with a mysterious message that refers me to Symbian.com for the drivers. They were apparently removed as Symbian's request. I wonder what's up?

More N-Gage stories

I was at my sons taekwando class this evening, and the one of the instructors noticed my N-Gage baseball cap (A friend at EB Games gave it to me). Someone at the local EB Games told her that they have only sold ONE N-Gage since the release. By the way the conversation was going, I could tell that she realized that it was doomed. This is someone who does not work in technology, but teaches taekwando for a living.

We joked that we might be able to buy one cheap soon :-)

THQ Games - Amazing customer service

I'm picking up games for my GameBoy Advance SP. I was looking for pinball games and discovered "Pinball Of The Dead" by THQ Games. Combine House of the Dead and a pinball machine, and this is what you get. I checked out the ratings at Metacritic, where they cross reference game review sites. Very useful. Ratings were good.

Unfortunately, the game is no longer in print and all the used copies have no instructions. So I send an email to THQ Customer Support asking how I could get a copy of the manual.

Within 30 minutes, they had responded by mailing me a PDF of the manual.

I was pleased and amazed. This is how you get and keep customers.

Nokia 3650 and iSync : It's alive!

I upgraded iSync to version 1.2.1 and iCal to version 1.5. After :
- cleaning up Calendar on Nokia 3650 (see last post)
- deleting the 3650 device in iSync
- adding the 3650 back to iSync
- deleting and re-pairing the Bluetooth devices from the computer side

I got my 3650, iCal and Address Book to sync!

Right after the sync, the calendar initially wouldn't allow me to add new events (said the calendar was read only). I fiddled with the Publish command and now it works (I wish I remember what I did.)

It's amazing that this stuff works for anybody. Technology manufacturers have a long way to go. These devices need to be as easy to operate as a toaster before they will gain wide acceptance.