I’m giving a talk today at the Association of Online Publishers as part of a session on podcasting, and in particular I’ll be talking about the business case for podcasting and about what we are doing at VNU to develop the Computing Podcast and other podcasting skews.
Other speakers at the event include podcasters from the BBC, Guardian Unlimited, The Telegraph, New Scientist and advertising airtime buyer Quantum Media.
You can download my presentation here.
My latest Computing Podcast is online over at computing.co.uk/podcasts. In this episode I am joined by several studio guests to discuss the hot technology stories and issues. We discuss the announcements from Macworld Expo in San Francisco, and look at what impact Apple’s partnership with Intel will have on users and the PC industry as a whole.
We also look at how supermarket chain Waitrose is struggling to implement Chip-and-PIN payment services ahead of the 14 February deadline, how US anti-spam laws are landing massive fines and prison sentences on spammers, and how the educational Janet network is set to benefit from a multi-million pound investment.
You can download it and subscribe to the RSS feed for this and all future episodes at http://feeds.feedburner.com/computingpodcast
…….and it’s my best one yet - I’m really pleased with it.
Check back here or go to computing.co.uk/podcasts to download it.
If you find yourself at another loose end with another 20 minutes to kill, you might fancy downloading the third of my podcasts for Computing Magazine.
In our first podcast of 2006, I look at the New Year IT news, how phone boxes are being converted into WiFi hotspots, and I take a look at some of the news coming out of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, one of the world’s largest technology events showcasing all that is new and popular in computing and home electronics.
You can download it and subscribe to the RSS feed for this and all future episodes at http://feeds.feedburner.com/computingpodcast
In a fraction over 24 hours from the time I posted this entry, Macworld Expo in San Francisco will spring to life with the usuall opening keynote from Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
At last year’s Expo, Jobs unveiled iLife 05, the company’s digitlal lifestyle bundle comprising iTunes 6, iPhoto 5, iMovie HD, iDVD 5 and GarageBand 2. iLife 06 will be launched during the keynote. We know this thanks to a goof by Apple’s web monkeys, who inadvertly let slip a new support page early, which contained brief details of a new app - iWeb - which we suspect to be a WYSIWYG web page creator, probably linked to an updated .Mac service, which itself is due for an update on Tuesday while the keynote takes place.
Also highly likely is the announcement of a new iPod to replace the iPod Shuffle. The two iPod Shuffle models have not been updated since they were launched one year ago at Macworld Expo 2005, and the 512MB and 1GB screenless players are looking tired, though still selling well. Expect to see both axed and replaced with a single offering, which will either be a 1GB or 2GB flash-based device with a very basic screen. If the device is a 2GB unit, expect to also see the iPod Nanos boosted to 4GB and 6-8GB respectively.
No new information regarding the future plans for Front Row. We had hoped it would be bundled into iLife, but the web siste cock-up made no reference to it as part of the iLife 06 line-up, only the new web app. Apple may extend the bundling to other devices, most likely the Mac Mini, but for the moment, sadly, existing users may have to continue to make do with illegal hacked downloads.
Finally - did someone say new, Intel-based Mac? If we take Steve’s statements at the WWDC as fixed, then we will not see the first retail Intel-based machine until at least June. My money is on one Intel-based machine announcement on Tuesday. The machine ripe for update is the Mac Mini, which has had no offcial processor bump since its laucnh at Macworld Expo last year.
Other rumours include larger cinema displays, a move into HDTV sets and the release of a Mac Mini-based home media centre. Little evidence has emerged to support any of these, but don’t rule them out. HP and Dell have both launched large HD-ready displays and the home media role is an obvious one for the Mac Mini.
FYI: As I write this, all Mac models, 512MB iPod Shuffle, 2GB iPod Nano, Cinema Displays and iLife 05 are showing as 24-hour dispatch. The 1GB Shuffle, 4GB iPod Nano are on 1-2 day shipping. Extended shipping times ahead of a keynote are often a good indicator of a product that is about to be refreshed or axed.
UPDATED: I will be doing some media appearances over the next 48 hours:
I will update this post with details of any other media bits I am doing.
If you find yourself at another loose end with another 30 minutes to kill, you might fancy downloading the second of my podcasts for Computing Magazine.
This is the second part of my documentary looking at podcasting and portable digital media, and features a keynote presentation from the Podcast and Portable Media Expo by Robert Spier of US public broadcaster NPR and an interview with Rob from Podcast411.
You can download it and subscribe to the RSS feed for this and all future episodes at http://feeds.feedburner.com/computingpodcast
If you find yourself at a loose end with 30 minutes to kill, you might fancy downloading the first of my podcasts for Computing Magazine.
This is the first of a two part documentary looking at podcasting and portable digital media, and features interviews with the vice president of communications at Audible.com and with UK journalist and podcaster Ewan Spence.
You can download it and subscribe to the RSS feed for this and all future episodes at http://feeds.feedburner.com/computingpodcast
It seems the iPod Nano is not the only small iPod in hot demand this Christmas. Despite the fact that the iPod Mini was replaced with, in my opinion, the far more seductive iPod Nano three months ago, such is the demand for the now ‘retro’ Mini that the remaining new and even good condition second hand models are selling for astronomical prices on eBay and similar sites.
At the time of writing this post, a silver 4GB Mini (yep, not even the always big-selling pink model) was one of several going for over £235 - a clear £100 more than is retail price back in early September before it was axed.
Maybe some people are being put off the Nano by how easily they scratch (and they really do scratch at the slightest touch - a problem the very robust Mini never had), or by the problem with a batch of duff LCD displays in an early batch of Nano units - but to pay £325+ for a 4GB iPod Mini, even a new one, is just silly.
My advice - buy a 4GB iPod Nano, buy this case from PDair (easiest place to get it from is from any of the multitude of eBay sellers that are currently offering them new), and you’ll still have change from £200, and you’ll save even more if you can buy your Nano stateside like I did (at the time of writing, its $1.76 to the £pound - thats really good for us Brits when we are visiting the colonists across the pond).
I’ve finally diven in to temptation and bought a video iPod. After initally hating this device, I have slowly been won over by it and the associated video offerings from Apple and numerous video podcasters, and so while in Ontario, California last week at the Podcast and Portable Media Expo, I had Amazon.com ship a 60GB unito to my hotel.
Having now logged some serious play time with the new iPod on the flight home and last night while failing to sleep, I can say that it is a definite technology success. The video playback quality is very impressive, thanks to the use of hardware video decoding over software-based, the audio playback is equally impressive, though still not as good as my iRiver H320, and the enlarged screen is bright, sharp and much better suited to viewing long playlists and the podcasts subfolder.
So far I have only added a couple of music videos, a Pixar short, and a few episodes of the excellent video podcast Rocketboom to the device, but I am sure that come the weekend, I’ll have this baby fully stocked with content.
More on the Podcast and Portable Media Expo later, once I have had a chance to shake off the jetlag.
When Apple announced the Video iPod, I was somewhat disappointed with the device. While it does an excellent job of playing video, I was disappointed that Apple opted for crowbarring a 2.5inch screen into the existing form factor, rather than redesigning the device to accommodate a much larger, widescreen display.
I was also disappointed that the new iPod only ships in 30GB and 60GB configurations, with no 80GB or 100GB option - lets face it, with video content now coming thick and fast in the form of music videos, tv shows, movie shorts, video podcasts and iPod porn - the more storage available the better!
However, the more I play with the device the more I warm to it - I am still disappointed by the lack of a bigger unit than the 60GB one, but I am starting to come to terms with the small screen - it really is OK to watch for a prolonged period.
One has to wonder how long it will be before I sell my 4GB Nano and 3G 40Gb iPod and invest in a 60GB Video iPod.
An annual horror film festival in London’s Leicester Suqare. This year’s event takes place from August 25-29 2011 at the Empire Leicester Square cinema on the north side of the Square
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