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June 26, 2007
iPhone mania strikes America...
... at an alarming rate. the iPhone had it's first campers as of Monday. They took up camp in front of Apple's flagship store in NY. But that's not even the tip of the iceberg.
- The first wave of iPhones were delivered from planes to FedEx via armed gaurd
- AT&T has posted an iPhone finder to their website that allows campers to know in advance which stores will be carrying the iPhone
- Though the iPhone hasn't yet launched it already has more design knock-offs than the Motorola RAZR
- AT&T Wireless stores have sent memos to their landlords in anticipation of a huge number of campers near launch-day waiting for the phone's release.
I just thought I would use this opportunity to also include an UnSpun list I created some time ago polling Spunners for what software they would like most to see on the iPhone:
... oh, and btw, Dell and Microsoft announced some stuff this week. LOL, why even bother trying to compete with the iPhone. Just let the week go, and start fresh next month.
Posted by Decemberice at 11:44 PM | Comments (0)
June 23, 2007
I've got the worst headache...
... I remember ever having. But that's ok because I have Kyle XY on my TiVo and I love me some Kyle XY. Matt Dallas is so insanely hot. At any rate, yesterday was Zoso's birthday. I had fun, we went on a spending spree at Target and EB games.
Austin is having/has had surgery. I forget the exact date. I just wanted to wish him luck and tell him that I'll be thinking of him. Let me know when you are feeling up to it man and I'll come visit!
There's not really much else to say so I will check out! Later!
Posted by Decemberice at 12:04 PM | Comments (0)
June 18, 2007
My thoughts on why the iPod...
... sales so much better than it's competitors.
At this point the iPod will outsell simply because it has the broadest installed user base jukebox-wise with iTunes.
I think it's success was largely due to styling in the early days though. The iPods mini, Nano, and Shuffle have all certainly been all about style. The iPhone is no exception. These are very slick devices and very few have come close to matching the physical styling.
That's what drew customers in.
Past that, a core set of features that are easy and approachable sold it further. My mom uses an iPod. She can figure it out. I still have trouble understanding all of the capabilities of my MiniDisc player all these years later. I love it to death, but when it comes to ease of use, the iPod has it beat hands down.
Finally, when iTunes drove iPod sales, and the iPod was well embraced, the accessories started to flow like a creative river. We now have designer cases for the iPod, Bose speaker systems, factory installed charging systems in several vehicles... the 3rd-party support is certainly not lacking when it comes to the iPod.
Next, Apple backed the phenomenon that is the iPod with constant innovation. They realized that one model wasn't right for everybody, but they were still very select about how they appraoched new model lines, and what features they did and didn't add. Making a very carefully developed device with a strong feature set that people actually use.
So let's take a look at what else is out there. There are really only 2 strong alternatives. Microsoft's Zune, and Creative's Zen Vision M. Zune got styling down. It's safe to say that the Zune is even sleeker looking than the iPod. It's a little less compact but it utilizes the space better. This might have stolen the market if it were a little quicker out the gates. Microsoft stumbles with Zune in several key areas though. First off, the software had a rocky launch. Nobody is quite sure why Microsoft didn't just utilzie it's existing Windows Media Player platform for Zune. They have recently, but at first they insisted on giving the Zune it's own "Zune Music Store." The software bricked devices, crashed computers... so on... It quickly earned a bad reputuation. Microsoft also missed an opportunity to support a diverse set of file types which could have helped it compete against the iPod considering the iPod has a very limited set of compatable file types.
Last but not least, the Zune fails to account for the high-end user who ONLY purchases TV shows, movies, and music online. They put out a single device in a single size. 30gb. 30gb goes quick folks.
So Microsoft got style down with the Zune, but lacked the software, mult-format support, and size options to make it a success, we have the exact opposite story with Creative's Zen. They bombed style. This thing is chubby, with a cheap plasticy white back and a uni-touch surface that moreso tilts in the direction you push it than actually depresses. It's a poorly designed brick to be dumping that much money on. On the other hand, it's fomat support is there. It's available in 30 and 60gb sizes (the iPod is still wining the size war at 80gb, but at least the Zen makes an effort), and the Zen works with or without a multitude of softwares because you can simply drag and drop things to it.
When are we going to see the complete package from a company other than Apple? The market belongs to the iPod because no one has actually created competition yet. Whereas Apple took this potential market and ran with it, other manufacturers seem to just want a chunk of it and really don't care to put effort into product design and software to back it up.
As of Febraury of this year Apple had a 73+ marketshare. Zune was just under 3%. It's a sad sad world out there for Apple's competitors.
Posted by Decemberice at 11:05 PM | Comments (0)
June 16, 2007
I really think that Foamy has the right idea...
...when it comes to love:
Posted by Decemberice at 12:36 PM | Comments (0)
My friend sent me this picture...
...which thoroughly describes my childhood. It's never been truer that a picture is worth a thousand words:
Posted by Decemberice at 11:58 AM | Comments (0)
June 12, 2007
Prevent slavery by reading this blog...
... and making a donation to the International Justice Mission.
How much money do you make per hour at your job? Break it down, figure it out! Chances are you make at least a dollar in the time it would take you to read this blog and the associated links. Hopefully more right?
Here's the thing, kids are still sold as slaves in the modern world. People in general are still sold as slaves. Even more are forced laborers both children and adults. Who's guilty of it? It's not just in some place in the farthest reaches of India... it's right next door in some cases. Countries that do little or nothing to stop human trafficking include Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Malaysia. China and India are even noted as being deficient in making attempts to stop this appalling act. Almost a million people are trafficked as slaves each and every year.
What if you were being sold or forced to work for free? I know several of my friends complain that they don't make enough for what they do as it is. Imagine if you worked 10- 12-hour days with no weekends making nothing, zero, zilch! What if your country turned a blind eye to it, or become a world power because of the commerce that came their way due to the implementation of slavery or forced labor?
It defies one of the most basic human rights, but most people don't care. Unfortunately, Americans are more concerned with other problems.
What's your vice? Is it a Starbucks every morning? Is it a Snickers bar from the office vending machine on your break? Is it a pack of cigarettes? A Coke every day?
Alright then, I know everybody has their vices, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Yet, is it something you could give up for a day so that you could focus that minor expense on rescuing an enslaved child?
Could you have focused the same amount of time you spent reading this on showing less fortunate people how much you care and want to ease their suffering? If it was your child, sister, brother, mom, dad in this situation would you care?
Of course you would!
There's an organization called the IJM or International Justice Mission. They work at freeing those enslaved as mentioned above. They are a non-profit organization that gets annually reviewed by a third-party accounting firm on how their money is spent. You even get a tax break for donating! How often do you get to make a difference in the life of somebody who's been enslaved and save a little money out of the deal. They accept as little as a dollar. That's right folks, a dollar!
If you can't do it now, keep it in the back of your mind for your next payday! You'll find the link below, but it has also been added to my blog's "Recommended Links" section at right in case you need it later.
Click here to read more about the International Justice Mission
Click here to learn more about giving to the International Justice Mission
Read more about the human trafficking happening right now on CNN or The Washington Post
Read the US Department of State's Annual Report on the worst human trafficking offenders
Posted by Decemberice at 11:21 PM | Comments (0)
June 03, 2007
Where to begin...
...with this one. OK, so I've been working at rekindling an old flame. I hate that phrase too, but I have to communicate the concept somehow. It was an extremely long ordeal this weekend, but it's done. He's going to be applying to work with me, possibly in the same department because he has a degree, management experience, and customer service experience similar to my own.
I rescued him from a rather hateful situation this weekend and it basically got me in hot water with a lot of my friends because they hate himi. I feel a little like Juliet. Point is, he makes me happy and I really don't care who does or doesn't like him.
But then it got complicated. The plan was that he would stay with mutual friends in this area. At 10 this morning we still couldn't get ahold of them. They finally responded that they weren't going to be able to house him... no reason... just said that and hung up.
I'm fuming over the ordeal because I am still living with my remaining parent who is hell bent on not letting him stay here. I haven't even asked because we've had this conversation before. So... I am paying for him to stay in a hotel.
At this rate, it's going to be less expensive for me to get an apartment for him and just pray that he gets hired somewhere soon.
It's kind of funny how mellow I've been, given the situation, since he got here though. I feel whole with him back in my life. Problems don't feel so insurrmountable because I know I'm not going to be alone in it... oh yeah... and he's still as freakin' hot as ever!
We dissagreed on a lot of things, alcahol, partying... but we've both agreed that this city is a far cry from where we used to live where those things were a big problem... it remains to be seen.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, he's an Apple computer nerd like I am! His arrival here was synonymous with the confirmation that the iPhone would be released this month! It truly is a big month for me!
Posted by Decemberice at 10:34 PM | Comments (1)