Steve Jobs and Apple

I've never really been a big Apple/Jobs follower (I was firmly in the "hate Apple" camp until about 2005) but this article is a nice reminder of where product innovation is today. It's a bit scary to think where we might be without this man's influence.

His most lasting influence? Building a set of product (iPod/iPhone) with enough momentum to crack the power / control superstructure of the Music / Video / Wireless carriers. Apple's devices are too big to ignore and therefore these industries are being forced to adapt 10 years faster than they would have on their own.

Their ugly, fragmented demise has been inevitable for 20 years. We have Steve Jobs to thank for ensuring it didn't take 30-40 years.

Silverlight 4 - Using Modern Tools to Enhance the Shopper Experience (SX)

Podo is using Silverlight to drive our Shopper Analytics dashboard. The forthcoming capabilities are truly exciting.

Microsoft (and others) have built a foundation set of tools that is going to make a "video-game-like" experience an affordable reality for retailers.

Video of Podo's Dynamic Dashboard after the break...

Twitter - Customer Feedback Response

Sunglasses for My Next Bike Ride

I've been waiting on this for several years.

iPod Stand for Long Flights

Now if someone will just build a contraption to snap it onto the treadmill I'll be a happy camper.

16gb mini USB key

I want go there.

I still have a similarly sized key in my wallet. I think it hold 256mb. No, I never remember to use it.

Open source projects never cease to amaze me

Open source ERP? No, I haven't even tried it but the fact that someone would tackle such an audacious project is impressive (or foolish). I'm assuming the former.

Device Convergence

I'm not currently in the market for another ipod/speaker dock but if I were I'd seriously consider one of these (assuming the device can display photos which are stored on my iPod).  Digital photo frames aren't going to go mass market until they find an easy way to allow customers to move their images from their hard drive to the screen.

An iPod could be just what the doctor ordered...

Kindle vs. Nook - very simple - I want a keyboard

I was speaking to a pilot friend last night and he mentioned buying a Kindle (DX) to use primarily for instrument charts.  While this is an obviously wonderful use of an eReader it struck me that navigating without a keyboard would be monotonous is not downright unsafe on a Nook.

The Nook might be great but a device without QWERTY is just another device-that's-as-painful-to-use-as-an-iphone.    I think I'll probably go with the Kindle.

Apple - Tablet or Ereader forthcoming?

I've been carrying a Sony eReader for years.  Let me rephrase that:  I've OWNED a Sony eReader for years.  How many books have I read on it?  Zero.

Too slow.  Too difficult to delete books.  Too difficult to add material.  No PDFs.  And the list goes on...

Yesterday I perused the forthcoming Barnes and Noble Nook which appears it will a worthy competitor to the Kindle (and probably the only one).

But what do I really want?  A device that can do it all...