Tag: technology

Thought Typing

Post ImageI’m sure you’ve heard of “touch typing” but have you ever heard of “thought typing”? Imagine being able to control the computer simply by thinking it. The technology has been developed, and the latest demonstration took place at CeBit in Hanover, Germany this week:

The Berlin Brain-Computer Interface (BBCI) – dubbed the “mental typewriter” – was created by researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute in Berlin and Charité, the medical school of Berlin Humboldt University in Germany.

The machine makes it possible to type messages onto a computer screen by mentally controlling the movement of a cursor. A user must wear a cap containing electrodes that measure electrical activity inside the brain, known as an electroencephalogram (EEG) signal, and imagine moving their left or right arm in order to manoeuvre the cursor around.

Apparently it only takes about 20 minutes to “train” the device. Obviously, there are many huge benefits to technology like this, benefits that go well beyond typing without having to touch the keyboard. Medical uses are the most obvious and will likely be the first applications of such technology. Longer term though, this could lead to new interfaces for games, automobiles, just about anything that can be hooked up to a computer (and really, that’s almost everything these days).

I’d love to try something like this out. The great thing about it is that it’s non-invasive. I bet the experience is still pretty crazy though!

Read: New Scientist

Meet the Ultra-Mobile PC

Post ImageThe picture is now pretty clear on what Origami is and isn’t, and what the goals for the project are. Judging from some of the comments out in the blogosphere, lots of people are disappointed after the device was so well-hyped. I guess that was to be expected – the hype was almost at “Apple levels”! I am just disappointed with the battery life, but otherwise, Origami seems pretty cool. First, Engadget explains what Origami is:

Origami is a term originated from [Microsoft’s Otto] Berkes that doesn’t necessarily refer to a device or specific hardware specification, per se, but to an ultramobile PC running Windows Tablet (or Vista, later) and enhanced Microsoft Touch Pack (a suite of apps and utilities meant to optimize using Windows by touch, and not necessarily only by stylus).

Sounds like the official name of the device is “Ultra-Mobile PC” (or UMPC), which now has a website up at Microsoft.com. So what the heck is an Ultra-Mobile PC? Here’s how Microsoft describes it:

The Ultra-Mobile PC is a new kind of computer. It combines the power of Windows XP with mobile-ready technologies that make it easy to access and use your software on the go.

With small, lightweight, carry-everywhere hardware designs, you can connect and communicate, accomplish any task anywhere and at any time, and be entertained and informed wherever life takes you.

Marketing fluff yes, but also helpful in trying to understand the goal. Seems to me that the UMPC is sort of the evolution and merger of the laptop, the tablet pc, and the pocket pc. Actually, I think the UMPC is a replacement for the Pocket PC more than anything. The fact is, I’d much rather have my tablet with me than a pocket computer, because I can do anything on my tablet. The UMPC changes things, giving me a smaller form factor without sacrificing capability.

Basically, I think the UMPC is a great idea. If it had better battery life, ran Windows Vista, and was cheaper, I’d definitely be trying to get one. Hopefully the devices improve over the next year or so. Not everyone thinks the UMPC is a great idea though, like Om Malik:

So finally Microsoft Origami (or what it would be) has been brought to light… and my first reaction, for crying out loud, yet another digital device?

My view on any new digital and mobile device is that – both Microsoft and Intel – should stop thinking Windows and try developing a new platform.

I don’t know, Windows has done pretty darn well as a platform so far! Let’s hope Vista will really deliver in the mobile and power areas to make these devices even better.

If you want to see the device in action, Channel 9 has a 37 minute video with the architect. Jupiter Research analyst Michael Gartenberg has a really good early review up too. Oh, and if you were keeping track of the Origami website, week 3 is now up and they have a new community site too.

Google GDrive

Post ImageIf a company provided the ability to store all of your data online, would you use it? Would you choose to allow your computer to be essentially just a local cache of your data stored elsewhere? Google thinks you might:

Google is preparing to offer online storage to Web users, creating a mirror image of data stored on consumer hard drives, according to company documents that were mistakenly released on the Web.

“With infinite storage, we can house all user files, including emails, web history, pictures, bookmarks, etc and make it accessible from anywhere (any device, any platform, etc),” the notes in the original Google presentation state.

Chief Executive Eric Schmidt in his presentation made a cryptic comment that one goal of Google was to “store 100 percent” of consumer information.

Personally, I don’t think I’d use such a service, at least not for all of my data. Maybe an array of services, from different companies, in different locations, so that the potential for abuse or data loss is reduced. I realize I make that statement in 2006, when in five years things may be very different and it would seem natural to store things primarily online. I still can’t quite fathom everyone using only one service though.

Read: CNET News.com

My kids don't know what a DVD is!

[Obviously I don’t have any kids, so play along would you?]

Sometime in the not too distant future…

The strangest thing happened today! My daughter came home from school and started telling us all about her exciting day in the first grade. Then out of nowhere, she asked what a DVD was! I guess her class had been learning about how the screens in their desks work and the teacher made a reference to DVDs. I did my best to explain that in the old days, we needed to have a small, round disc in order to get a movie or something to play. She couldn’t quite wrap her head around the idea – it was kind of like me when I learned about record players. She’s used to having everything appear automatically – the lessons, videos and assignments all appear in her desk, “like magic” she tells me. Having physical media is such a thing of the past, and thank goodness for that too!

I can’t imagine what she’ll think when I explain to her that wireless wasn’t always everywhere and we’d have to disconnect and reconnect to different hotspots!

Back to the present…

It’s going to happen, it’s only a matter of time. The time when we download everything is coming, and it’s coming sooner than you think. Physical media is dying.

As Engadget noted the other day, Blu-Ray stuff is going to start shipping near the end of May. The format war between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD is pretty much useless though. Do we really need a new format? I think the advantages offered are not as great as those offered by DVD when compared to VHS, so people likely won’t upgrade in mass numbers. I think that’s why the Xbox 360 shipped with a good old fashioned DVD drive – people are going to start downloading content more and more.

Think about it for a second. A small percentage of online music sales are online right now, but the number is growing. The big networks like NBC and ABC have started selling downloadable video, a trend that is expected to continue. Millions of people have satellite TV or digital cable services that let them download new content all the time. Broadband connections are extremely popular around the world, and the United States is finally starting to catch up. And when we do finally have wireless everywhere (we’re getting closer) there will be no need for discs. Instead, everything will be accessed online.

Sure things will be difficult at first. What we really want is the concept of download once, play anywhere. That will take some time, but it is definitely achievable, and has already begun with devices like the Windows Media Center PC. Wifi is spreading throughout homes – how long until we see televisions with built in wireless connections so they can access content from devices around the house? These are the kinds of things that will become commonplace.

My brother and sister buy DVD’s all the time, and I have lots of friends who buy CDs, but I haven’t bought any for quite some time now (don’t have time to watch a lot of movies). If I could get entire Xbox 360 games off Xbox Live instead of just demos, I’d probably do that too.

I can already see the headlines – “DVD format disappears almost as quickly as it came!”. Never before has a format been so widely adopted so quickly. Maybe downloading will come almost as quickly? I for one think the download party is going to get much bigger in the next few years.

Office 2007 Announced

Post ImageMicrosoft announced yesterday some new details on Office 12, which will officially be named Office 2007. Most interestingly, pricing will not change significantly, and the Student & Teacher edition is being replaced by a Home and Student edition. There are lots of new features in Office 12, which is probably why Microsoft’s Parri Munsell described it as “the most significant advance in over a decade.”

Munsell said the new Office will offer a bevy of new features, including an all-new user interface and new XML-based file formats.

Microsoft released an initial beta of Office 2007 in November, with a second beta planned for this spring.

I can see why people think Microsoft has confusing marketing. They describe both Vista and Office 2007 as the most significant releases in a decade, yet they don’t qualify that. Office 2007 is a significant release in terms of user interface, but not too much else (XML file formats aside). Vista on the other hand is a significant release in terms of “under the hood” (despite the new 3D capabilities, it looks more or less like Windows XP).

You’ve got to pay attention with Microsoft lately, they seem to throw around the cliches and superlatives like there’s no tomorrow!

Read: CNET News.com

Notes from the Geek Out panel

Post ImageHere are some notes from the Geek Out session administered by Robert Scoble, Will Pate and Kevin Marks:

  • Sounds like they have some topics to discuss at first, followed by some good questions at the end.
  • Kevin is talking about microformats, specifically tagging. We’re also getting a demo of the Blog Finder and Explore features on Technorati. Microformats can be used for tags, events, names, addresses, etc.
  • Kevin just entered “canada” into the Explore feature, and every post on the page was from my blog. Something cool about seeing your blog appear on the big screen in a presentation 🙂
  • Scoble is talking now, about sharing information through del.icio.us and using other Firefox extensions.
  • We’re going around the room sharing favorite Firefox extensions, some of which include: Session Saver, Fangs, PDF Download, Download Status, Signatures, Fasterfox, Web Developer, Firebug, etc.
  • Will Pate is talking now about his blog, and how he uses Drupal for customization. Specifically he is focusing on the aggregation of content capabilities.
  • Kevin just showed an awesome animated graph of the long tail of posts in response to a question about the A list and how to break in. Basically if you get a single inbound link, you’re above average!
  • Scoble reiterates that he’s interested in mapping, and thinks that within a year someone will have “put this room up on a map”. He’s talking about taking the basic mapping capabilities and making them extremely relevant and useful.
  • Will wants better tools for “normal” people, things like posting from within Microsoft Word, etc. He also says user interface is very important!
  • Scoble is interested in the photo sites like Riya and Bubbleshare.
  • Someone asked about Web 2.0 and all of the new products we’re seeing, and both Scoble and Will seem to think we won’t really see a slowdown of new ideas, even though the big three pick up companies along the way.
  • Scoble says the new advertising based business model will allow a lot of new companies to grow. Sounds a lot like the idea behind Live.com if you ask me!

Yahoo buying Digg?

Post ImageYahoo keeps going further and further down the acquisition path lately – or at least generating rumors that they are. The newest rumor is that they are set to purchase Digg.com for nearly $30 million. Since the rumor first appeared there have been a number of updates that dispute such an acquisition, but it’s interesting to consider nonetheless. From Kevin Burton’s Feed Blog:

Update 2: The Digg blog officially denies the acquisition. Jeremy was smart enough to have “no comment“… Next time there’s a Digg acquisition rumor you’ll know you’re on to something 🙂

I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out to be true. Digg would be an excellent addition to the growing stable of apps under the Yahoo umbrella, including del.icio.us and Flickr among others. The other factor to consider in this rumor, which Kevin does a good job of pointing out, is that Digg has insane amounts of traffic, and is going to need either more investment or a suitor with lots of resources to keep pace.

Read: Kevin Burton

Laptop data worth millions

Symantec released a report today containing research that attempts to determine how much the content on a typical laptop is worth. Even if the numbers haven’t been seen before, the lessons are not new – back up your data and be cautious when it comes to security.

[The report] suggests that an ordinary notebook holds content valued at 550,000 pounds ($972,000), and that some could store as much as 5 million pounds–or $8.8 million–in commercially sensitive data and intellectual property.

The same research, commissioned by Symantec, shows that only 42 percent of companies automatically back up employees’ e-mails, where much of this critical data is stored, and 45 percent leave it to the individual to do so.

I wonder how they came to those valuations, because I’d be interested in determining how much my content is worth. Not for any real reason I suppose, just curiousity.

Read: CNET News.com

What the hell Yahoo?

Post ImageOne interesting item floating around the blogosphere today is that Yahoo has decided to give up in the search industry, essentially conceding defeat to Google. Yes, you read that correctly – sickening isn’t it?

“We don’t think it’s reasonable to assume we’re going to gain a lot of share from Google,” Chief Financial Officer Susan Decker said in an interview. “It’s not our goal to be No. 1 in Internet search. We would be very happy to maintain our market share.”

I think it’s incredibly sad and disappointing that they have made such a decision. And I really have to disagree with Henry Blodget:

Yahoo! has finally read the writing on the wall that everyone else (except Microsoft) has been reading for three years: The search game is over and Google has won.

If there is anything Google has taught us, it’s that search is important! While Yahoo and Excite and everyone was ignoring search, Google improved it, and look where they are now (definitely read John Battelle’s book The Search, it covers this in great detail). Search is not even close to perfect – there is so much left to be done! I think it’s a mistake to give up, and I don’t think there’s any “writing on the wall” either.

Thank goodness we have Microsoft! Instead of giving up, they’ve decided to pour oodles of money into search to try and improve the experience far beyond Google. Of course we won’t know how successful they are for a while, but that’s not the point. The point is that they did not give up, they continue to try and innovate, and in the end, it will result in better search for all of us (as Google is forced to further innovate as well).

Yahoo was looking really good lately, with their string of strategic “Web 2.0” acquisitions, then they go and make a statement like this. I’m kind of baffled, really. Certainly Yahoo’s business is not entirely search, but if they don’t think that search is and will continue to be a big part of their business, even indirectly, then I think they’re making a big mistake.

Read: seattlepi.com

ID3 Podcast Magazine

Post ImageA pretty interesting development happened in the podcasting world in the last couple days – a magazine was announced! Yes, a real, printed magazine all about podcasting. Here’s what ID3 Podcast Magazine is all about:

After months of many milestones, we’re adding another to the list – the unveiling of ID3 Podcast Magazine. Named after the podcast data tag (an insider’s term for an insider’s magazine), the international trade publication will be dedicated solely to serving podcasters with extensive editorial coverage about all things podcasting.

Starting with the first May/June issue, ID3 Podcast Magazine will be delivered bimonthly to subscribers in four formats – online, electronic (PDF), podcast, and/or print. Yes, print! It’s about time podcasters have a full-color print magazine they can call their own – a magazine that packages all the excitement and fascination we’ve discovered in podcasting.

I’m less concerned with having something physical to hold, but it’ll be neat nonetheless. I assume most of the content will not be “news” as things happen too frequently, but I’d love to read some interviews with people from the industry.

I don’t know that much about publishing a magazine, but I am willing to bet that such an undertaking is not cheap, so I hope this actually does get off the ground.

Read: ID3 Podcast Magazine