Superbowl XLIV: One great game, many great gadget commercials
Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints, who played their hearts out in the second half tonight. Well done to the Colts as well, who helped to make this Superbowl one of the greats and not only from a sporting point of view…
Superbowls are famous for their commercials, which this year cost up to $3,000,000 (count those zeros) for 30 seconds (just one short zero there). Apart from various Budweiser spots and a funny Simpsons/Coca-Cola short, this year was notable for concentration of gadget commercials. As always some were better than others:
Flo TV
This was the first tech commercial and it was a biggie. It came as a bit of a shock in fact, similar to the effect of the Hulu spot last year. It was a solid production and clearly conveyed a message of how mobile TV could become embedded in everyday life.
Following that we saw, in no particular order…
Megan Fox playing with the Motorola Devour in a bathtub
A genius of a commercial. Android, Megan Fox in a bathtub and a comedy plot. 11/10.
Vizio internet enabled TV
I was on the receiving end of a demo of Vizio’s internet enabled TVs at CES in January. Vizio, like most other TV manufacturers, is serious about TV internet apps and this spot certainly got that message across, along with telling us about their 240Hz capability. Vizio is currently the number one player in the US market by a wide margin and their commercial was as slick as their recent TV designs. They’ve come a long way baby.
Prince of Persia movie
If you remember 1980s gaming, you probably remember the game. The movie trailer was pretty good and I know I’ll inevitably the movie out of nostalgia for the game…just like they planned.
Dante’s Inferno
A forthcoming console game, whose commercial looked pretty exciting.
Google search
I admit I saw this a day early, but hoped it would be more exciting live during a break in the game action. The spot showed screenshots of Google’s search engine being used very very quickly to find lots of information about places and people. There was cute a New York-Paris plot which ended in marriage and a baby. I like these practical demo commercials, which have been popularized by the iPhone. Hopefully we’ll see more from Google with demonstrations of less commonly used features.
Intel Core i-series processores
An short story about friendship and robotic betrayal. I really want to go to the Intel cafeteria now to see if those robots are wheeling around the floor.
GoDaddy.com
Certainly suggestive; I’m sure they got plenty of hits on their site as a result.
That’s all folks. Oh and by the way, I wasn’t joking about Megan Fox in the bathtub…
Neil Berman
New fragility vs used solidity: Part 2 – Dell Latitude E4300
This is the second part of this two piece article, looking at two laptops which make a lot of sense as used buys. In this final part we’ll look at Dell’s sleek Latitude E4300.
What’s awesome: Super-fast Intel 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo; magnesium alloy chassis feels very solid; exceptional keyboard action and optional backlit keyboard; optional Latitude ON instant boot.
What blows: Screen is bright but washes out quickly at vertical angles; refurbs with an integrated webcam are rare; six-cell battery provides four hours of varied use but sticks out.
Current retail price: Starting at approx $1,650 on Dell’s website and easily equipped at over $2,000, depending upon configuration.
eBay good or refurb condition: Approx $600-700
The second laptop I ever purchased was a used Dell Latitude. That was back in 1997 and it lasted for years; it would probably even turn on now if I knew where it was. Latitudes are typically manufactured to higher tolerances than Dell’s Inspiron and Vostro ranges and like their name, Latitudes are meant to withstand traversing the latitudes and longitudes of the globe.
What’s it got?
The E4300 keeps this tradition alive with a beautifully solid magnesium alloy chassis housing a superb keyboard and trackpad as well as a pointing stick. The E4300 comes with a couple of processor options. I’m looking at a unit here with Intel’s SP9400, which is a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo with a whopping 6MB of L2 cache. The E4300 is also available with a 2.26GHz processor if you need less power. Other specs on my unit include a 13 inch screen, 7200RPM hard drive with 160GB capacity, 3GB RAM and Intel’s current generation GMA4500MHD graphics chipset with hardware Mpeg-2 decoding. There’s also a DVD rewriter which slots into the side, Firewire, an SD card slot, USB 2.0 ports and crucially for multi-environment users, an anti-glare matte screen. Unbelievably the E4300 weighs only 3.8lbs including the six-cell battery in a pretty thin chassis. So now high retail price starts to make sense.
In use
Without a doubt the E4300 has the best keyboard I’ve used on any laptop, with key presses that have perfect feedback in my opinion. It’s even better than my ThinkPad T61. The pointing stick can execute a single click, the trackpad supports scroll and zoom, and there is a third mouse button. These are all nice touches in a world of disappearing buttons. Some E4300s have a backlit keyboard which is perfect for using in a dark room or on a night flight. There’s also an ambient light sensor which dims the screen, saving you from tired eyes and prolonging battery life.
The 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, makes the E4300 extremely snappy in Windows 7 64-bit. From menial tasks to audio editing the E4300 feels like a full power desktop replacement in an ultralight package. I produced podcasts on it and yet it is 
light enough to hold in one hand as a netbook replacement. High definition video played without a hitch, remember this has Intel’s onboard graphics chipset with the hardware HD decoder so the processor is able to laze around which watching most videos. But even when watching high definition Flash content on YouTube there was no stuttering.
Dell has added some thoughtful power saving features to the E4300. It can be set to switch off a variety of peripherals when running on battery, such as the DVD drive and network ports. With the six-cell battery fitted this beast was good for around four to five hours of use with WiFi, when web surfing and performing general tasks. There’s also a five point gauge on the exterior of the battery so you can see roughly how much charge is remaining, Bear in mind that used laptops tend to have used batteries, so ensure you have enough spare cash for a new battery just in case the current one is in bad shape.
Choices choices
As an option, the E4300 can be configured from new to be Latitude ON ready. Latitude ON is a fast loading linux based operating environment. There are two levels of functionality; ON Reader gives basic access to email on the laptop but no internet access. The full ON implementation is a system-on-a-chip offering internet access and days of battery life according to Dell. Some units are simply ON ready, which means they neither have ON Reader nor ON, but can be upgraded later. I haven’t tried an E4300 with the full ON implementation, and the feature only recently debuted on the Latitude Z.
On the downside the integrated webcam and backlit keyboard are options rather than standard fittings, so be careful if you’re buying a used machine. The screen, while very bright, fades out quickly at vertical angles. Also, the six-cell battery protrudes from the rear of the laptop, similar to designs from other manufacturers, which spoils an otherwise sleek look.
Is it a worthwhile contender for your cash?
On balance the E4300 is an unbelievable deal at current eBay prices. It feels solid and yet it’s extremely light and has a faster processor than the base model. It also crushes the Acer Timeline series in performance and build quality. Of course there’s more risk with buying a used laptop than a new one, so do your research and test before you buy if you can. If you can live with that risk and if you get lucky , the E4300 is an amazing bargain. I put my money where my mouth is on this one and so far it’s the best laptop I’ve ever owned.
Neil Berman
Traveling without a laptop is Citrix’s Nirvana
Laptops are a great invention, but aren’t we just always looking for something a bit more handy? Like perhaps freeing up a hand by carrying a computer in your pocket instead of in a laptop bag? Well Citrix and OK Labs have been making some noise about their Nirvana project recently which aims to do exactly that.
In a world where desktops are done and smartphones are encroaching upon laptops, Nirvana turns the smartphone paradigm into a go-anywhere conduit for a Xen virtual desktop. What does this mean?
Citrix’s Xen Desktop allows a client to run a virtual desktop with full Windows functionality, which actually resides on a remote server. The client is normally a thin client, laptop or desktop but with Nirvana the client is a pocket smartphone. When you want to work, just sit at a screen and plug in. How cool is that!
A Nirvana smartphone would need VGA connectivity for a monitor and bluetooth & USB 2.0 host connectivity for a keyboard connection. A 528MHz processor and 192MB of RAM are also in the guidelines, so all of this is possible today in modern smartphones.
I’m envisioning a scenario where offices have no need for local computers, because you will just pop your smartphone down on your desk and connect to your virtual session. Many enterprises already have mass deployments of virtual desktops, but they currently have to support an army of local clients along with smartphones for their staff.
Take out the local clients and you’re just left with one device to support, the smartphone, providing thin client connectivity. Of course the user continues to benefit from the smartphone’s traditional voice, email and internet services when away from a desk.
If you think this is all a bit crazy, here’s video demo to bring it all to life…
Neil Berman
New fragility vs used solidity: Part 1 – Lenovo U110
Oh the netbook craze! I’ve been through a few of them and they’ve all been great. It goes without saying that they have their limitations though and are challenged by anything requiring decent horsepower, like playing HD video. The new Intel ULV powered ultra-portables in the $500-700 range are a step up, but even they aren’t powerhouses if you create media as much as you consume it. They’re also sometimes a little fragile compared to some premium offerings.
So I’m going show you two full power premium ultraportables at ULV prices when purchased used. It goes without saying that if you do choose a used laptop then ensure it is in good working order before you hand over your hard earned cash.
This will be a two part article; in this first part we’ll look at the award winning Lenovo Ideapad U110.
What’s awesome: Fast Intel 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo flies along; stunning design won Best of CES Computers & Hardware award in 2008; feels as solid as a Lenovo ThinkPad.
What blows: It shipped with a slow 4200rpm hard drive which can be replaced with reasonably priced solid state drive; integrated X3100 graphics are the same as the first-gen MacBook Air – there’s a reason the second-gen Air got the Nvidia 9400.
Original retail price: $1,899 (now discontinued)
eBay refurb or good condition: Approx. $600-700
This beautiful ultralight wowed onlookers at its CES 2008 launch with it’s elegant lid design and powerful features. Lenovo achieved a major coup by getting a 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo (a la MacBook Air) into a tiny chassis weighing half a pound less than its Apple competitor when fitted with its four cell battery.
Speaking of accessories the U110 actually shipped with two batteries, a featherweight four cell giving the overall package a weight of just 2.4lbs and a larger seven cell which gave around four hours of usage in my tests of balanced usage with WiFi on. The U110 also shipped with an external DVD rewriter drive, which is rare for a modern ultralight.
Of course Lenovo knows a thing or two about making laptops having taken over IBM’s ThinkPad division a few years ago. The resulting U110 is a quality mashup of design, power and solidity in a small frame. The 11.1 inch screen is fine for traveling and lap use and it handles Flash video well. The confidence-inspiring feel of the U110 also gives the impression that a well looked after used unit would still have a healthy life ahead of it.
The U110 also does an amazing job of heat dissipation given its shallow depth. The base of the computer remained remarkably cool during my usage with hot air being vented out the side, even at 80% CPU load.
On the downside, like so many modern laptops it has a glossy screen, which causes distractions as lights bounce annoyingly off its surface.
Similar to the first-gen MacBook Air the Lenovo has a slow 4200rpm hard drive and Intel’s previous generation X3100 integrated graphics. Neither of these are showstoppers as the processor is so quick, but they’re worth bearing in mind in case your primary purpose is to edit HD video (in which case you might want to consider something with a bigger screen anyway).
Overall the U110 smacks of solidity, quality and design prowess, which it should do given its original $1,899 price tag. There are also still some new units out there as the U110 was only recently discontinued. At current eBay prices it’s a unique, individual choice if its fits your requirements.
Neil Berman
iPad, Flash and HTML5: What’s it all about?
Since the iPad announcement last week, much discussion has focused upon the iPad’s lack of Flash support. So what is Flash and why are people getting so upset?
What is Flash?
Flash is a hugely popular a software technology which many websites use for animations, video and other multimedia services like music streaming. According to its producer, Adobe, Flash is used by almost 99% of all internet users and if you don’t recall loading it directly, that’s because it tends to sit in the background minding its own business until you load a site which makes it spring into action. If you’ve ever watched a video on YouTube, Hulu, Vimeo or BBC’s iPlayer, visited CNN or the New York Times or listened to music on Pandora or Lala then chances are you’ve used Flash. It’s central to the internet multimedia experience.
Recapping the iPad story
During Steve Jobs’ iPad demo on Wednesday, he navigated to the New York Times and there was a gaping hole in the page where the Flash graphic would have been on a netbook, laptop or most other internet devices. That’s because the iPad, along with the iPhone and iPod Touch don’t support Flash. This is forgivable on a small screened cellphone but will probably spoil the internet experience on the large 9.7″ screen of the iPad. You get the gist of why this has upset some people.
Why is this happening?
The story goes something like this: We all want Flash on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, and it would appear that Adobe wants to give it to us. Cue venomous spat between Apple and Adobe in which Adobe claims that Apple is inhibiting innovation by not allowing Flash to be installed on iPhone OS devices. Meanwhile Steve Jobs allegedly claimed in a company town hall that whenever a Mac crashes more often than not it’s because of Flash. (Wow. Mac and crashes…Two words I’m surprised to hear Steve Jobs mentioning in connection with each other.)
So there’s quite the war a’brewin and Apple seems to be hoping that something is going to replace Flash.
Are there alternatives?
Competing technologies have recently emerged such as Silverlight, which NBC used to live-stream the 2008 Olympics. Netflix also streams its content using Silverlight and its a great player. Silverlight can be run effectively on less powerful computers compared to Flash.
The other competitor gaining column inches recently is HTML5, which is an emerging technology being piloted by YouTube and Vimeo alongside their Flash players. However HTML5 is only supported by some web browsers and notably Internet Explorer is not one of them. Since the majority of web users use Internet Explorer and almost 99% use Flash, I would say it may be at least a couple of years before we see any meaningful figures of significant HTML5 penetration across web users worldwide.
What’s wrong with Flash?
Some enthusiasts want this change to happen sooner because Flash can be very demanding of computer resources. It typically runs slower than HTML5 and Silverlight on low power machines like netbooks. The reason for this is that Flash only engages the main processor when it does its magic rather than engaging the computer’s graphics processor as well. This results in computers slowing to a crawl because the main processor becomes so occupied and is the cause of YouTube videos sometimes looking jerky when played on slow computers.
Adobe is aware of this problem and announced a few months ago that it will release a new version of Flash this year which will use graphics hardware acceleration to decode HD Flash videos. Not all devices will see a benefit, just those with a modern graphics chipset such as Intel’s GMA4500 which is now commonly found in many mainstream laptops. The net effect should be more smoother playback and happier CPUs.
Is Flash going anywhere soon?
I expect this hardware acceleration will strengthen Flash’s position at the expense of both HTML5 and Silverlight. Some people might say “Okay, but what about mobile devices which don’t have hardware HD decoders?”. I say, in 2009 the standard smartphone had a 500-600MHz processor, in 2010 that benchmark increases to 1GHz. High end smartphones like the Nokia N900 are Flash capable and I expect forthcoming generations to even be Flash HD capable.
While there are certainly more efficient solutions available, Flash is too deeply embedded in the daily workings of the internet and its users for its dominance to be meaningfully challenged anytime soon. That means in my view it will be a long time before the iPad becomes a compelling internet device, if Apple pins its hoped upon HTML5 supplanting Flash anytime soon. When you produce for the masses, you need to give the masses what they want.
Neil Berman
Lenovo ThinkPad X100e Hands-on Review
There are people out there who swear by affordable enterprise class hardware. I’m one of them. I use lots of gadgets in my everyday life but when it comes to the school of hard knocks I would sooner depend upon the likes of a Lenovo ThinkPad or Dell Latitude than a consumer laptop.
Problem is, they’re normally way more expensive than comparably priced retail consumer equivalents because they’re built to a higher standard. A well specified ThinkPad X301 or Latitude E4300 can easily push beyond $2,000, (although I’ll tell you how to get your hands on one for less in an upcoming post). So I was intrigued when Lenovo recently announced its affordable X100e ultraportable would be part of the ThinkPad range. While Lenovo has enjoyed success with its S series netbooks, I felt they were built to meet a price benchmark rather than a quality one.
Looking around
Outwardly the X100e resembles a scaled down ThinkPad. It packs an 11.6 inch anti-glare (yay!) screen and the ThinkPad family’s flat edged black chassis. There’s a single core AMD Neo processor under the hood and an integrated ATI Radeon HD3200 graphics chipset to help out with HD video playback. So although its not a powerhouse, it is more capable than a netbook. The most surprising X100e spec is its price; it starts at only $449. I played with the 2GB RAM, 250GB hard drive version which sells for $549 with a 6-cell battery.
ThinkPad traditions
Around the sides are the usual array of USB, VGA, ethernet and memory card ports, while the screen has an integrated webcam. ThinkPad fans will be happy to see Lenovo’s TrackPoint navigation system which means there is both a pointing stick and trackpad each with its own set of buttons. The trackpad supports multitouch gestures.
Speaking of ThinkPad fans, they’re often fiercely attached to the laptop family’s awesome keyboards and this is where the X100e breaks with tradition. While ThinkPads typically sport deep keys with lots of travel, the X100e adopts more of a chicklet style most likely due to its shallow chassis. I regularly use a T61 and feared this would be the X100e’s weak spot but my concerns were allayed after just a few sentences.
In use
While key travel is indeed minimal, there’s great solidity and feedback when typing; I am impressed by how well Lenovo’s engineers dealt with a design challenge inherent to all shallow laptops. It doesn’t beat my T61 but I would happily use it as a daily driver.
The X100e felt perfectly snappy around Windows 7 Professional. As expected it responded quicker than a netbook, and while it’s no crazy number cruncher there’s definitely enough power for everyday media/internet/productivity tasks. Lenovo claims up to five hours of battery life from the 6-cell battery but you should expect three to four in general use, which is sub-par for this category of laptop.
A worthy bearer of the family crest?
Does the X100e respect its ThinkPad family traditions? Definitely yes, although the cost of its quality place its pricing slightly above the competition, such as Acer’s 1810t which is quicker and has more storage for about the same price. However I feel the quality of the X100e easily justifies its higher price, especially since the differential is nowhere near as large as with some of the higher end ThinkPad models. I expect Lenovo is going to sell bucketloads of these.
Neil Berman
Thanko charger is for the ultimate gadget lover
Is this 1) a curious Lego Technic accessory, 2) a post-modernist fridge magnet or 3) the answer to the uncharged masses of cellphones in your desk drawer?
To all who answered 1 or 2, you could easily have been right; we’ve never seen anything quite like this before. For people who have more charging needs than 99% of the population, Thanko has announced this eighty port USB charger.
So if you rent out smartphones by the day or just can’t control your wallet each time HTC releases its latest creation, this may well be the charging solution of your dreams.
Neil Berman
Teknica episode 3: A closer looks at the Apple iPad
In this week’s Teknica I take a closer look at Apple’s new iPad, talk about Windows 7 sales and there’s some news about Dell’s upcoming Mini 5 Andoid tablet phone.
Neil Berman
Apple iPad: A well-priced compromise, but should you buy one?
Today I found myself following a now familiar pattern for Apple press events. Full of anticipation at the start, perhaps even fear of how I might feel if the event ends up being a letdown. Anticipation building further during the introduction and megadownloadfiguresfinancialshyperbole etc. Product announcement YAY! Features look great, I’m pretty sure I want one. Price way better than expected, definitely want one NOW. Presentation ends. The dust settles and reality starts to kick in; my 100% enthusiasm starts to get tempered. Seriously if the iPad had been live in the online store immediately after the announcement I would now be waiting for UPS. After a few hours of thinking it over here’s how I feel about the iPad…
Most importantly the price feels right, given that this is a limited functionality computer. The iPad is not a fully-featured tablet computer, we are going to see devices from PC manufacturers this year which can do more. What kind of more? Multitasking for one thing (pun intended). Desktop-class application choice for another (no Photoshop right now on the iPad or any other native OSX apps) and better connectivity options (no SD card slot or webcam on the iPad). Given these limitations the entry price of $499 seems fair.
Although it has a thick screen surround, it looks great and is as super thin as we would expect. The promised battery life of ten hours is extremely encouraging and suggests an efficient processor design, I wonder how that will be affected by full-on 3G usage…The downside of the energy efficiency is that the graphics did not look particularly impressive, but we need to give developers time over the coming months to learn and exploit the new hardware.
iBooks was nice but I can’t get too excited about ebook software. While it will definitely grow in popularity it’s not going to take the world by storm in the same way as digital music. We don’t hear about industry problems of people trying to illegally download books unlike the environment which preceded mass digital music adoption. With digital music there was a mass market ready and waiting to be tapped by a legal download service, which is what iTunes did so effectively. With ebooks the mass market needs to be educated and developed further for it to become a cash cow. Also the iPad’s glossy backlit screen may not be so comfortable to focus upon for extended periods compared to the Kindle’s e-ink screen, especially outdoors. I expect however that most people will overlook this limitation, if they are even aware of it, and be drawn to the wider appeal of the iPad.
The old fashioned 4:3 screen aspect is a peculiar choice given that one of today’s demos was a movie which is best viewed in 16:9 or 16:10 widescreen. While a clear use-case of the iPad is as a media device, watching modern releases will almost always result in black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.
The lack of Flash support is simply stunning. While Apple describes the iPad as the best way to experience the web, I’m not convinced. The lack of Flash support on small screens is forgiveable, but on a media-centric large screen device it just seems like a glaring omission. This means no Hulu on the iPad and many popular sites will have elements which will not work.
Wide on-screen keyboards are pretty difficult to type on because the middle keys are a stretch, so the keyboard dock with screen support makes sense. I think I was the only person out there who CALLED THIS ONE! I like the idea of iWork on the iPad, but only with an external keyboard. I do feel that once you get a hardware keyboard going you want a mouse as well so you don’t have to raise your arm every two seconds to manipulate the screen. Unfortunately the iPad does not support mice, so get ready for some arm exercise if you’re sitting with the iPad mounted on a stand in front of you.
Bottom line, will the iPad be a popular device? Probably yes, because I expect people in the market for a high end $300-400 ebook reader like a Kindle DX could be tempted to stretch to $499 for something offering useful internet, media and email functionality. The price point will also win over some netbook shoppers. However I think that Apple’s description of the iPad as being “magical and revolutionary” over-compensates hype in place of some of the device’s deficiencies. Evolutionary sure, insofar as this device is upscaled from the existing iPhone software and hardware paradigm. At a lower price point netbooks are able to do basic tasks that the iPad can’t; like making video calls, accepting memory cards and handling Flash. Fortunately for the sales figures most people probably believe the hype and will be happy with a $499 device which can only run one application at once. It’s in a way ironic that the media criticized PC manufacturers and Microsoft for shipping Windows 7 Starter on some low end netbooks, which is limited to only run three applications simultaneously, yet I’ve seen minimal comment on the iPad’s limitation of only being able to run one app.
The wider question is whether Main Street needs a secondary or tertiary internet device, when many people have already invested in a netbook or iPhone to supplement their everyday computer. And while I said earlier I believe the entry price of $499 is fair, it’s certainly not an impulse buy. The range extends to $829 for a 64GB model with 3G capability; AT&T unlimited data connectivity adds another $30 per month on top of that. This takes the first year cost of an $829 iPad with unlimited data to around $1,189. Fundamentally though, if you already have an iPhone, how likely are you really to buy an iPad? I’d say it would be a tough sell because the iPhone already has the core away-from-home functionality in a more convenient size and weight. Perhaps the basic $499 version might make sense to use at home if you love the iPhone OS, since you can bring your iPhone apps onto the iPad.
Am I going to buy one? I’ve gone from 100% yes to 60% yes 50% over the course of the five nine hours since the announcement and I’m stabilizing, so I think it’s probable possible. I wouldn’t need a lot of storage in a device like this so personally I’d go for the 16GB model with 3G and just pray for AT&T to improve its network. Still three months to go until the 3G model is available though and I have a feeling a lot of tablets will be announced between now and then…
Neil Berman
McGraw-Hill CEO outs Apple Tablet one day early
Earlier today, McGraw-Hill’s CEO talked about Apple’s tablet in a CNBC interview. He mentioned that his company’s text books would be available on the tablet and said of Apple “they’ll make their announcement tomorrow“. He went on to say that his company has “worked with Apple for quite a while” and “the tablet is going to be based on the iPhone operating system“. The interviewer ended the conversation saying, “I’m glad I went to school when I did, I like to smell my textbooks.” If the public at large feels the same way, Apple could have a bumpy ride with this one depending on how they price it.
Neil Berman
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