Posts Tagged ‘iPhone’

The iPad Ushering in the Cloud

February 2nd, 2010 No Comments

There were a lot of mixed reviews when Apple introduced its new iPad device. Some people liked it; others hated it. After initially believing that the iPad was nothing new, upon reflection I think that it will bring about a few things that will change computing and technology forever.

For starters, there are cloud-based services. Remember Apple’s acquisition of Lala? I think it’s fairly obvious, that Apple is going to be putting your music in the cloud in a future iTunes update.

All your media, anytime, anywhere.

For example, when you buy a song from iTunes, you’ll be able to download it to your device, but also access it over the Internet. So it won’t really matter if you have an iPhone or iPad with just 8 or 16GB of storage. You will be able to access all of your music over the Internet. And hopefully, even all your videos, photos, etc., through MobileMe.

All of your media, anytime, anywhere. That’s the promise of Internet-based services.

The second thing that will change is the availability of Internet-enabled Computers. Having Wi-Fi on a laptop is great, but it’s not the same as having 24/7 access to the Internet.

I learned this after visiting my parents in NYC two weeks ago. I had my iPhone and my MacBook Pro but my parents don’t have broadband Internet. So I had no Wi-Fi network and no Internet on my laptop. I was able to access the Internet via my iPhone, but my laptop felt pretty useless. I never realized how small my iPhone really was compared to my 15″ laptop.

In fact, I’ve found myself constantly searching for Wi-Fi hotspots, whereever I go. If I’m driving in a new neighborhood, I always look for cafes and wonder if they have free (or even low-cost) Wi-Fi. Looking for a Wi-Fi hotspot is a lot like looking for a phone booth. It’s inconvenient, hard to find, and you need to pay extra. Having 24/7 Internet on my iPhone is great, but I also want it on my laptop. Sure, it would be better if AT&T allowed me to tether my iPhone with my laptop, but having a built-in 3G connection is even better.

I’ve been pricing broadband USB cards for my laptop, and they generally are the same price no matter which provider you choose (Sprint or Verizon). In particular, I think the Mi-Fi device is the way to go, since it uses the wireless 3G signal and creates your own personal Wi-Fi zone for up to 5 devices. Prices for the Mi-Fi box is anywhere from free, to $99, while monthly service is about $60.

Conceivably, the price of computers may come down if they are subsidized by wireless carriers like AT&T and Verizon. Plus, paying for your laptop’s 3G service can be expensive, but I think prices will come down over time.

So, I think the iPad is beginning the trend of Internet-enabled computers. The iPad’s usefulness drop about 50% without an Internet connection. Same with any other laptop.

Posted in Apple, iPhone Tags: , , , , ,

I Just Rickrolled Myself

December 10th, 2008 No Comments

You know what getting Rickrolled is, right? It’s a bait and switch tactic, where people believe they are clicking on a legitimate link that someone sent them, but instead you see the video for Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up“.

In essence, geting Rickrolled is a mix of great expectations and utter disappointment. And, of course, a really cheesy 80s song. 

For those new to Rickrolling, I beseech you to read the Wikipedia entry because it has some fun factoids (18 million people have been Rickrolled so far!), and other examples of real life Rick Rolls. (For example, the New York Mets held an online contest to vote on the new song for 7th inning stretch, and of course, Rick Astley’s song came up the winner)

Anyway, how I came to Rickroll myself.

I was playing around with the Ocarina, a flute-like instrument on my iPhone. In order to play it, you have to blow into the iPhone mic and use the touch screen to open and close “holes” to play notes. It’s relatively easy to play, but since I’m just a music amateur, I decided to visit the company’s forums in order to find some new songs to play.

Since the forums are a community, most songs are transcribed by regular Ocarina users. So far, I’ve found gems like the Star Wars theme, Moon River, and El Condor Pasa, an old Andean song. The forums are busy and it’s all user-generated songs, so you have to rely on the generosity of others

So I found a song to play. And I’m not proud of the song choice. It was “My Heart Will Go On“, the song from the movie Titanic. Ok, I realize it’s not the greatest song in the world, but I was really interested in playing the intro to the song, since the original was a flute solo.

I settled in front of computer, grabbed my iPhone Ocarina and started to play the song. Very quickly, I was stymied. The notes I was playing didn’t sound like the flute intro. But I kept on hitting the notes as transcribed.

As I was about halfway into the song, I finally was able to put together what song it really was.

It was “Never Gonna Give You Up”. I was Rickrolled! Worse, I Rickrolled myself! Argh!

Although I stopped to laugh at myself, and this new way to RIckRoll, I finished playing the song, really got into it and am now trying to learn how to play it from memory. So there!

Posted in Online music, iPhone Tags: , , , , ,
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