As a pure expression of the limits of mobile hardware and industrial design, the Droid X is kind of a beautiful thing. But that’s about the only good thing about the Droid X.
The software — a discordant melange of the not-so-fresh Android 2.1 and various bits of the Blur “social networking” interface from Motorola’s lower-end Android phones — is the shudder-inducing poster child for the horrors that can occur when most hardware companies try to make software. It’s ugly, scattershot, and confusing. It feels almost malicious.
I keep hearing over and over that patents stifle innovation. That it is the iteration of innovation that creates new innovation. I’m sorry, but I really don’t think that’s true. The mark of true innovation is something that is truly innovative, not some mere iteration of someone else’s idea. Take, for example, the iPad. I would wager that no one would call the device innovative—after all, it’s just a giant iPod touch. But wait, it’s more than that. It’s an iteration of the technology used to make the iPod touch and iPhone. But it is far from innovative.
Innovation happens when someone breaks the mold. It happens when something new is created where there wasn’t something before. The original iPhone was an innovation in this regard. And, to those who hold up Apple’s past “transgressions” as proof that stealing ideas is ok, I also put forward the claim that the original Macintosh was an innovation. Sure, it used bits and pieces of different technologies that were already there. But, it put them together in a wholly new and innovative way.
Compare the story of the Mac’s creation with, say, the HTC phones that supposedly violate Apple’s patents. These devices aren’t taking what the iPhone started and making something new with them—they’re still just phones. I think Apple has every right to demand that HTC actually come up with something innovative rather than the derivative drivel that they’re pushing today.
No, not a blog post about Windows 7. Rather, a blog post from Windows 7 and more specifically Windows Live Writer running on Windows 7. I’ve always thought that Live Writer is a nice, easy way to compose blog posts. I especially like how it “previews” the post as you’re composing it—right now I’m staring at the green background of my blog as I type this.
But, I’m still at a loss as to how to edit previous posts or if that functionality is even available. I’d think that any well-thought-out blog publishing app would make a feature as essential as the editing of past posts integral to the interface but as I scan the pleasant-looking toolbars and sidebars of Live Writer I don’t see any apparent way to do this. While composing new posts is fun (and editing old posts should be kept to a minimum), I’d still like the ability to make tweaks here and there.
Besides my qualms about Live Writer, I’ve found my experience with Windows 7 thus far to be just fine. It’s faster and smoother than Vista and more robust and modern than XP (plus who wants to use such an ancient operating system). I’m still an OS X guy but 7 looks like it’ll present a reasonable alternative for a lot of folks.
Just trying it out really – seeing what all the fuss is about. Well, not fuss really, just some decent buzz. Time to sleep now – another long day tomorrow!
If you follow my Twitter (or Plurk or anything else) or saw a recent post to this very blog, you’d know that I ordered a Røde PSA-1 Studio Arm from B&H Photo in New York. I received the boom arm and was extremely excited to get it set up and working. I took it out of the box and noticed I was missing a part that was advertised on the box: a 3/8″ thread adaptor. So unable to mount my Blue Snowball on the arm as I’d originally planned, I got it all set up and realized that the arm would only stay extended; it would not retain it’s position. Naturally I was very upset about this – the point of the boom is to position the microphone so as to be more convenient. I immediatley e-mailed Røde technical support as well as the retailer. A non-position-able boom arm is not what I was hoping to get. I quickly got a response from Røde which made me happy but I didn’t quite like his answer:
Hi Ben, there isn’t anything wrong with your PSA-1. It is designed to work with the PodCaster microphone. The microphone acts as a counterbalance that stabilizes the PSA-1. You will need a mic that has a comparable weight to the PodCaster which weights about 21.5oz.
Ok great. Now he wants me to buy a Podcaster which starts at over $200. I was under the impression that the PSA-1 would work with any mountable microphone. Hmm. Well, I decided to test his theory and approximated the weight of a Podcaster microphone. It worked. Then I got the brilliant idea to hang my Blue Snowball from the boom arm using a velcro strap. Also works. Here’s a video of the hanging Snowball in action:
The nice man at Røde Support (Michael is his name) offered to mail me the adaptor that was missing from the box. Thanks! Hopefully when that comes the hanging Snowball will be no more…but for right now it seems to be working fine.
This is somehow not a compilation of my various Tweets and Plurks but rather an independent compendium of what happened today.
Finally received my highly anticipated Rode PSA 1 Studio Arm. It doesn’t work. I’m either going to send it back to B&H or deal with Rode. Sending it back requires paying return postage but to me if it’s defective it should be free. Right?
My disappointment over the studio arm is almost tempered by the highly anticipated release of iPhone 2.2 software. Podcast downloads, here I come! Oh and the Google Street View sounds cool too.
Scheduled to podcast a murder mystery dinner on Saturday. I have a long history with such events (as a performer) so it will be interesting to be on the “other side.”
I feel I’ve been neglecting Luminary Blur for a while. Normally I’d blame it on procrastination or disinterest or really good TV shows (how about that Lost finale). This time, however, I’ve got some good reasons.
Building a podcast network. Yes, a network. “Doesn’t a network require more than one podcast,” you ask. Indeed it does, and I’m proud to say that the Kwinix Podcast Network now features two regularly produced podcasts. The first is The Switchcast, which amazingly is up to four episodes with the fifth coming any day now. Mac vs. PC, OS X vs. Windows, iPhone vs. Windows Mobile. It’s always a lively debate and I anticipate more intense discussions as the launch of the 3G iPhone is almost here. The newest addition to the network is Dinner Voyeur, a fine dining podcast featuring Scot T. Kokandy. While the first episode was a solo effort, Scot is looking forward to bringing more collaborators into the mix to create some lively discussions around the finest restaurants in Chicago (and beyond). In fact, if you know of any establishment that begs for Scot’s podcast treatment, send him an e-mail. Finally, to create a more “unified” feel to the network, I’ve created an intro that identifies our shows as belonging to the Kwinix Podcast Network. I’ve embedded it below for your listening pleasure—don’t worry, it’s only eight seconds long. Kwinix Podcast Network Intro
Building a website. This is something I used to do a lot and wouldn’t mind doing it more often. I’ve become quite a Joomla expert (I’m currently building a new version of my mom’s Pella Community Day Care site) so when my old college roommate asked me if I was interested in deploying a site for Gonzales Regal Miniature Dachshunds, I jumped at the chance. The site is done for the most part and the first litter has arrived.
I guess that isn’t too much but these two projects have really taken up a lot of my time for the last few weeks. I hope to continue to develop both my podcasting prowess as well as my website development expertise. Thanks for journeying with me.
For all your Microsoft fanboys out there, I just had to excerpt this Paul Thurrott rant from the latest episode of Windows Weekly with Leo Laporte. I laughed the whole way through because it’s so true. So very very true. And it’s linked (and playable) below for your listening enjoyment.
Yes, I’ve finally decided to actually do an audio podcast as a compliment to my wildly successful video podcast, The Ben Show. It’s called The Switchcast and is essentially a podcast about Apple vs. Microsoft, OS X vs. Windows, iPhone vs. the rest of the phones, etc. I’m serving as the resident Apple evangelist and my cousin Tim Wachowiak is providing the alternative, Microsoft-oriented viewpoint. So far we’ve got one episode up although it’s so far off from what we intend the podcast to eventually become that I haven’t even assigned it a number—it’s just a “feed test.” I’ve included a link below that will allow you to play it inline if you so choose.
Tim and I had originally settled on a weekly Friday evening recording schedule but we’ve already missed our first Friday so I’m not sure what will happen at this point. Maybe tomorrow we’ll get around to recording Episode 001. The hardest part about a regular show—as I’m sure veteran podcasters can attest to—is finding enough stuff to talk about. I’m trying to come up with a set of “features” that we’ll have every episode. Borrowing from Leo Laporte, I’d like to have a “tip of the week” for both the Mac and Windows listeners. i’d also like to highlight something each of us has found useful in the past week, whether that’s a new app, a web service, or some sort of gadget. I’m entertaining ideas for other segments so if there are any suggestions out there please send them to switchcast@gmail.com.
