Just arrived on the west coast for the live blogging even that is just hours away. Blogging to begin at about 12PM (GMT -8)

Anybody guess the event yet?

UPDATE: You guessed it, I’ll be snapping and blogging away at the Makers Faire!

Join us for a special event the afternoon of May 19th, you don’t want to miss it.

If the booming sales of web camera’s are any indicator, there is huge shift in the way people talk to each other. The folks at Ojo hope to ride the wave.

The Ojo personal video phone is a re-branded Motorola VoIP device that easily connects to a home-network router to deliver full duplex video phone calls (using standard the standard H.264 codec).

Although an Ojo device is required for both the caller and the recipient, setup couldn’t be easier. For a low monthly fee a live Ojo operator will help setup the device with you (which is as easy as plugging in an ethernet line), and registers the device to your phone number. To reach another Ojo user, just dial their landline phone number and you are connected. There are no standard voice functions included in the device, but the Ojo representative said a partnership with a VoIP provider may not be far off.

As far as the video quality, Ojo claims video at 30 frames per second but in the real world show demo it was closer to 15.

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If you missed Macworld after the jump is a complete full context recap of our awesome coverage, be warned it is a LONG page load.

Microsoft: A MacBlogger’s Best Friend

Macworld is a’wash with thousands of people roaming up and down the alleys of the Expo showfloor. Of these, hundreds of people are carrying laptops with them, which presents inherent problems when trying to blog, check email or just check up on slashdot.

Microsoft has been nice enough to purchase showroom floorspace for a lounge for bloggers. Outside the expo showroom are few electrical outlets, wireless networks that are jammed past capacity and won’t let any users on and the inevitable sitting on the floor hoping no one will knock into your laptop (borrowed from the bossman) and break it.

The Microsoft Blogger Lounge is filled with leather couches, ottomans, wired ethernet, a plethora of electrical outlets, iMacs and free drinks (to bloggers only….supposedly). Microsoft has provided a great service to the blogging community, and has brought a quote to mind ‘If you can’t beat them to a pulp, then provide them with post surroundings.’

Wet and Wild…with an iPod!

H2O Audio offers a innovative way to listen to your iPod, while getting wet. They offer two distinct product lines. One is for outdoor pursuit enthusiasts and is made of impact-resistant plastic. Their other line of iPod cases are for the iPod nano and 5th generation iPod video. Now, this product wouldn’t be complete if they didn’t offer waterproof headphones, as well.

H2O Audio also offers solutions for the 4th gen iPod, iPod mini and two iRiver models. The cases are waterproof up to 10ft (3 meters) and are marketed to people who ’surf, wake surf, wind surf and paddle,’ in addition to other outdoor sports. Prices start at $40 for the rugged outdoor case and $80 for the waterproof model.

MacMod- Not to be Confused with ModBook

MacMod.com is an online community of mac users who LOVE to modify their macs. Their showing at Macworld displayed many projects which their users have worked on. Their weblog shows all the difficulty that they had had in filling up their booth, with a lot of unexpected problems popping up all the time.  Their website has very useful information on how one would go about modding their computer, including photos, how to’s and a forum to discuss modding experiences.

This was called the ‘Necromac II’ and has been an ongoing project shown on MacMod in episode segments called Modcasts.

This PowerMac G4 case is a project being worked on by each and every person who stops by the booth, lending validity that truly anyone can be a modder.

The Future of Home Entertainment

As the battle heats up once again over television technology, Plasma vs LCD and the new comer SED out this summer it seems that all the hype is in BIGGER, lower power usage and better color. Enter the MyVu ‘personal media viewer.’ This small Gordi LaForge Vosir style piece is light weight and simulates a large format screen for your viewing pleasure.

From their website:

“The lightweight eyewear contains built-in video viewing and audio systems. Extend your viewing time with an ultra-thin battery pack that enables an incredible eight hours of video watching and doubles as a hard protective case for your iPod. A small pendant provides easy access to playback and brightness controls. Premium travel case with room for your iPod. With AC and car adapters for charging.”

In using their product at Macworld I can say that it is a cool product. It works by having two small high resolution LCD screens built into the sides of the glasses arms. By using mirrors, the image is reflected and bounced into each eye individually, with no cross-eye reaction, unlike other competing products.

They hope to increase the virtual screen size in the near future and have high asperations. Personally, I think that if they cna bring such items to different media besides iPods, then much space and wasted electricity can be conserved.

(Digital) Whiteboards vs Blackboards

Macworld isn’t only an Expo for all things Apple related, there are many other companies and services here to change the status quo, just like Apple has in the past (and just a few days ago). The debate rages on, should many schools go digital in the hopes that a digital and interactive board in front of the classroom will make a difference, or whether the tried and true blackboard we all grew up with is the way to go.

Over 80% of K-12 classrooms in the UK use digital whiteboards, in the US the market penetration is minimal at best. From talking with many at the expo the major block is in perceived cost. Many people in the education industry in the US think it would cost over $3,000 per board per classroom. Yet because many classrooms already have at least one computer and a projector, the price is closer to $1,000 per classroom.

I won’t debate which one is better for a classroom learning environment, but I feel that at this point these are luxury items, and when public school teachers don’t have to pay for classroom goods out of their own pocket in many areas these might actually help kids learn in a more interactive way.

iClip4 Resolution- Hallajulla!

I happened upon the iClip kiosk at Macworld and asked the representative (I am assuming he was actually a programmer on the project) what the deal was- as I had a previous problem with actually getting the software to run. He said that they had recieved many emails with people reporting the same problem and said that there is a workaround until they fix the software (it was supposed to be released yesterday, but had been pulled because of the bug).

The workaround is to move the dock to a different part of the screen before loading the program and then moving it back once the program has loaded.

I think that this program is really cool and extremely helpful for one who is always making clippings and copying things to the clipboard, and realizing I needed them later on.

Day 2: Unique Product Winner

Walking around the expo showfloor you see a lot of the same thing. Take iPod cases, for instance. They are EVERYWHERE; everyone and their mother is making iPod cases. Leather, silicone and plastic hard shell, they are everywhere in every shape, color and size. But once in a while you see true thought put into design. LaCie has come out with two products by the designer brand Ora-Ito (company website is down) and they do not disappoint.

The first product is an innovative hub that uses USB2, Firewire, a USB Fan and USB LED light. At first glance it looks like a flowerpot, but it’s connectivity seems quite useful. I think that this is part of the era we are now in where computers and electronics are going to stop having utilitarian forms, but ones that are ascetically pleasing. The hub has 8 LEDs that show through it’s plastic shell to denote which devices are connected. These should be available soon for $79 US.

The second LaCie product are external drives by LaCie, also designed by Ora-Ito. They were designed with a few things in mind; stackability, functionality and most of all something friendly and fun looking. These resemble Lego blocks because it is a easy way to stack drives safely. Each color denotes different drive capacities; 160GB (white), 250GB (red), 300GB (blue) and 500GB (red). (Yes, two reds…?) Price for the 500GB model is $229 US on their website- not bad for a external drive that is designer.

Apple+Money=Fun!…Or so You Thought

Since Mac computers have become mainstream and more and more home users and businesses are using the platform, large software companies have taken notice. A few booths at Macworld are dedicated to actual responsibility and not fun where being fiscally sound is paramount. -Reality Check Begins Here-
Hit the jump for more MacTax fun!

One such vendor is Intuit, who makes a suite of programs that force the user to be fiscally accountable. TurboTax is a tax program that enables users to file their taxes (Federal and State) electronically. The vendors were nice enough to have given me a free copy, as I am young and they ‘wanted my first tax software to be theirs’. Qucken is a program designed for personal accounting and keeping track of personal accounts, credit cards, etc..

Another company that has gotten into the mac software realm has been H&R Block, who do brick and mortar tax returns with the ability to obtain your tax return in advance from them. Their program, TaxCut basically does your taxes for you.

Finally, what kind of part can start with out the accountant showing up? AcctVantage is an “accounting software application for small business. With AcctVantage, you can easily manage your company’s entire operation in one simple package.”

Oh the Humanity – RIP Computers

Displaying computers that have perished a most certainly painful death, DriveSavers hopes to bring to people the reality of how their computer might end up. I think this is a powerful message that we never know what will happen to us, and we have thanks that there are companies out there that are able to recover data so well.This computer was evidently in a fire. The card reads: 1st call: Fire Department. 2nd call: Drivesavers.

“This user didn’t have a backup when he back-upped over his laptop’

This Powerbook was in a sunken boat in the Amazon for two days before being recovered.

“It is not a matter of when…Spinning up to 15,000 rpm, at some point all drives will fail.

Roxio *heart* Tivo

The Roxio booth was a’buzz with small plush TiVo toys and raffles for new TiVo’s with lifetime subscriptions, EyeTV Hybrids and their own new Toast 8 software.

Roxio has recently released an upgrade to their software, Toast. It features any enhancements, paramount upon those is supporting Blu-ray Discs, having spotlight integration, built in realtime previews for photos, videos and music in their new ‘floating browser.’ It allows for burning a disc that have two sets of information, those for PC and those for Mac. Each can show information that the other doesn’t. For instance, once disc may show certain files to those who only have a mac, but the same CD wouldn’t have those files available to a windows computer reading the same exact disc. It also allows for ‘disc spanning’ which allows files larger than one CD or DVD to be place on multiple discs and re-compiled into one unit on the end user computer. The program now sports compatibility with TiVo series 2 boxes so one can burn an entire season of a show to DVD’s (or blu-ray) and have them set up like a DVD with menus- theoretically having an entire season (or 2) of a show on one Blu-ray disc.
On the music side of burning (does anyone burn music anymore?) they enabled custom crossfades for music tracks on one CD which can be adjusted for optimal fade volume. In addition DVD music discs may be burned, having menus -DVD style-being able to be played in a standard DVD player. What is included now is SpinDoctor which allows recording of analog sources such as tapes and records into a digital format.

ModBook = Apple Tablet

It seems like one company has jumped in where Apple has not wanted to tread- the tablet PC market. The Modbook by Axiotron and sold through OtherWorldComputing. This is basically a modified white macbook, yet overlayed with a outward facing touch screen.

Speaking to the representatives I have gleamed this information from them:

• They replaced the original screen with a Toshiba panel that has a wider viewing angle
• A glass WACOM pane has been overlayed and it is chemically treated to be scratch resistant
• A version comes with a GPS module for $100 US additional and the software details have yet to be worked out.
• The iSight camera still works

I asked if they had considered the medical field as a possible market. They said that they had not previously considered it but had been asked many questions by medical staff who had visited their booth over the last day. In addition I heard a very happy corporate guy telling one of the booth workers that yesterday that had done about .5 million in projected sales yesterday.

This is truly the year of touch screen Apple products.

This is a closeup of drawing using the ModBook

This closeup shows a power button in addition to a ‘USB Reset.’ Apparently the touch screen is connected using an internally connected USB interface and because tablets in general get ‘wonky’ sometimes they need to be unplugged and re-plugged in. This button dispenses with such an impossibility on a integrated tablet.

iPhone: The Morning After

Well, the iPhone was all over CNN, the NYTimes and the majority of traditional mass media outlets, in addition to the entire blogosphere having been set ablaze with the prospect of a revolutionary phone. The New York Times has this article on the iPhone listed under ‘Technology’ and ‘Business.’ CNN’s article has a more in-depth reporting of the features and functions of the iPhone.
Local newspapers have reported thusly:

Among the features that have not been publicized as much as other are:

• The ability to use the built-in GPS and Googlemaps features to locate where you are
• Visual Voicemail- where you can see a list of your voicemail messages, like emails and even fast froward or rewind them while listening.
• The ability to use Bluetooth peripherals such as keyboards and mice for input.
• Judging from Steve Jobs’ presentation foresee video out capabilities
• Possibility of using Skype for phone calls through wifi (especially when abroad)
• Motion sensing ability – portrait vs landscape and proximity sensor for when phone is put against face.

UNEASY@ MacBreak Weekly Macworld Afterparty

UNEASYSilence, in order to bring you complete Macworld coverage, attended the MacBreak Weekly (Podcast) get-together at the ’21st Amendment’ pub in San Francisco. Here is the MP3 from last night’s live podcast. If you fast forward to 34:45 you should get the beginning UNEASY’s Q and A with the Macbreak team. (I wish I would have known to basically hump the microphone for it to pick up my voice).

The real question “Has Apple brought sexy back?”

Day 1: Unique Product Winner

Walking around the Macworld Expo, here in San Francisco, one sees old products, new products, old products made to look new and everything in between. I stopped by the JBL/Harmon Kardon booth (it was more like a full two floor showroom) and saw a really innovative design for a subwoofer/speaker computer system. It seems, that the colored aluminum that Apple has made an item of cult status has migrated into other product lines: JBL Spot.

Macworld: The Odd

I have made a small collection of things at Macworld that seemed very odd to me. Here goes:

This is from a company called Atech Flash Technology. Remember when people installed phones in their bathrooms before the age of cordless phones? Well if you do, this is a throwback to simpler times. I noted that it isn’t any special anti-bacterial plastic, just plain old plastic (score 1 for the bacteria!). It features 2 tweeters, 2 woofers and four speakers. It is compatible with everyipod except the 2nd gen shuffle (you’d have to use the base station)

Next we have two smart marketing schemes by Maxtor. The first is basically re-wrapped ‘Lifesavers’ candies, but with Maxtor labeling. I thought it was quite comical.

The marketing technique used by Maxtor was to simulate how much infromation actually gets lost if you don’t backup your computer early and often. It is quite striking to actually see how much some people have on their computers in real-world terms.

Next was another throwback to simpler times. I can’t imagine who would actually want an actual Jukebox iPod speaker system. The idea is interesting, but it just seems impracticable.

The last odd thing (for today) was a handout I received from ‘FastMac’. It was quite funny, take a gander:

Inital Impressions- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Another Stevenote has passed with Apple, inc. (Notice the name change from Apple Computer, inc?) introducing products that will soon take over your life with their multimedia capabilities and functionality. Introduced was the iPhone with a 2mp camers, 4 or 8GB of storage and bringing new meaning to ’smartphone’ on a Cingular network near you in June. In addition the ‘iTV’ was renamed AppleTV and will have a 40GB hard drive and various HD outputs (HDMI and Component). Little attention is being paid to the new Airport Extreme.

Apple’s new iPhone

This new smartphone reinvents the idea of what a multimedia device should be and how user-friendly all hardware can be. It sports a minimized version of Mac OS X, complete with widgets, a photo program, a calendar program and much more. The exciting hardware features are wifi and bluetooth built in, 4 or 8GB of flash memory, GSM compatibility, a large front display (3.5″ widescreen) that covers the entire face (Except a home button) and a complete UI based phone experience (NO physical buttons). The battery life stands at 16 hours of audio in addition to 5 hours for video and cell phone talk time. A full safari web browser is built in and the phone can be paired to various bluetooth devices, like mice and keyboards. The prices will be $499 and $599 for the two models and will be available in June in the US. Europe will have to wait a little longer and Asia will have to wait until 2008. (Didn’t it just become 2007?)

iTV –> AppleTV

This device inaugurated Apple becoming an integral part of your TV experience. It will connect through HDMI or Component cables and RCA audio out (and an optical audio out as well). It syncs to your primary computer using 802.11N and includes an Apple IR remote. It connects to TVs that are 480p, 576p, 720p and 1080i.

Summation:

Although Apple released 2 amazing, long awaited products, I was expecting there to be a ‘One More Thing’ that knock my socks off.

More iPhone pr0n courtesy of tnkgrl mobile here

Intels Booth had to be the most impressive at CES, It was huge and glitzy! But with all booths there are the gitchy little showy things that make you go WTF. Intel, in this edition of ‘Things that make people in ties do strange things’, setup a green screen that buyers, and vendors can dance in front of to create their own version of the ‘Multiply’ ads. Of course as with Karaoke, this attracted everyone that had no talent whatsoever but it provided me with a much needed laugh and break from electronic radiation.

One more image of Intel’s booth after the jump

CES is the year of the look-a-likes. Motorola and LG have independently created long lost twin phones. The Rizr and the LG Shine seem to be very similar but so the similarities only go skin deep? They both sport a similar feature set, and both work on the GSM network, launched on the same day.

No word on carrier availability, and when the devices will be released. Comparative pictures after the jump

IO Gear, who is typically known for their KVM devices, has produced a competitor to the Logitech DiNovo keyboard with a twist. This baby is thin and good looking, but after a double take it seems to resemble the previous design of its rival. Hmmmmm.

But, IO Gear has added a Titanium Dioxide and Silver ‘nano-particle’ coating to the keyboard and mouse combo to help kill any germs or bacteria that gets on the device so you can be sexy and germ free too. Connects via USB, and works on both Macs and PC’s.

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So, LG finally committed to the hybrid Blu-Ray HD-DVD player, how do you promote it? Get one of those new HUGE TV’s to showcase those beautiful HD movies? Give product demo’s? Gratuitous booth babes? How about hire horrible Blues Brother performers to change the words of classic songs to include the words(Are they really words?) Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. Nothing like having “Soul Man” push products.

Sing along “I’m a Blu Man…”

Over in the AMD booth (and not in a starving improvised nation) the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) laptop was out and available for all to touch.

Although the press on the device has been impressive it is important to note that the OS was not finished, most of the applications didn’t work, most of the IO didn’t work and AMD said they have begun shipping a bunch of units. Hmmmmmmm.

When asked what poor nations needed more: Laptops or Food, there was no answer from AMD’s lead PR person. And for the question of why the US will not have access to the Laptop for our poor and needy families, no answers.

Overall opinion of the product: Excellent idea in a utopian world, poor execution.