Sane advice here from Rod Boothby of InnovationCreators.com for anyone who a) works and b) blogs.

SciFi Channel just announced however just after last week's 200th episode, that they would not be re-upping the show for another season though spinoff Stargate Atlantis will continue. I've always liked Stargate SG-1.  It was one of those intelligent, yet sarcastic, not take itself too seriously shows that my wife and I have been watching since college.  Yes, it's been that long- the longest-running American SciFi TV program in history. 

It's not often I make predictions here, but yesterday I had an "aha" moment spurred by sites abuzz with Reuters report that SanDisk is launching the Sansa e280, an 8GB version of  their e2xxx series for $249.99.  This little device will hold about 2,000 songs, double the capacity of the similarly priced iPod Nano.  Meanwhile prices on their 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB models are being dropped an average of 30%. This may sound like just another product announcement, but I believe this is much more.  This is the equivalent of a shot across the bow of every MP3 player in the market and a new price war is underway. 

One of the reasons SanDisk can compete so well here is that they own and run their own NAND Flash memory fabrication plants in partnership with Toshiba. NAND or "Flash" memory has been popularized by everything from MP3 players to memory cards for cell phones and cameras; development of these memory products is one of SanDisk's core competencies.  Using economies of scale to their advantage, they're able to acquire large quantities at base price, and pass some savings on to customers, a competitive advantage few have. 

But the bigger question is will Apple emerge with a new flash based player ala Nano to compete or wait?  Part of the answer I believe lies in another quiet announcement made recently which hints at Apple's upcoming roadmap.

Where is the new iPod Nano? Read the NAND leaves.
Apple, being one of the largest purchasers (and by proxy best negotiators) of flash memory destined for MP3 devices, recognized this choke point in 2005. But rather than lay out the capital cost of building their own chipfab, the entered into a $500M agreement with Intel and Micron last November helping to form IM Flash Technologies. By paying out $250M each to Intel and Micron, they've secured first-mover access at unparalleled pricing for NAND+ products.  I call them NAND+ because IM Flash is already sampling the industry's first 50nm scale technology for manufacturing flash, a process 10x smaller than that of facilities just coming online now.

This got me to thinking about why we still haven't seen a new iPod released by Apple.  Are they relinquishing their perceptual first-mover's advantage? Not necessarily. My prediction is that they're waiting until their investment in cheaper, smaller, NAND technology is ready.  Smaller nm NAND flash offers higher capacities in a smaller space.  Today Apple sources Flash memory from other companies such as Samsung.  But production goes online in IM Flash's VA facility later this year albeit with limited production capacity until their Utah-based facility comes online in mid-2007. 

So what is Apple going to do? I'm going to make my own prediction: Apple will first start to integrate their new memory investments into an upcoming iPhone, which will have a smaller unit-volume requirement than a next-gen iPod Nano.  They'll release a phone with 16-32GB of flash memory to cater to the high-end market. In Q1/Q2, once IM Flash is ramping up, the new Nano/Nano replacement will come out, and a price battle will kick into overdrive. The smaller sized chips + lower price to Apple gives them an edge on size of device, capacity, and without a major price differential. 

SanDisk isn't going to slouch here though. They've started production on Fab3, their 3rd 500nm NAND production facility with Toshiba.  At 500nm though, these chips will be larger than the 50nm units that IM Flash is ramping up.  Either way, it will be interesting to see how the next round plays out.

Duncan tipped me off to a new video he just posted looking at mceAuction, an eBay add-in for Windows Media Center. Developed by long-time and highly respected Media Center developer Christoph Buenger of Scendix, this is a great example of the cool stuff you can do and winner of the, "eBay Star Developer Award 2006". 

New features include:

• Show item's location in Google Maps®
• Get notification when you got outbid, your watched auction end in a few minutes, ...
• Shows shipping costs, payment options, item's attributes, ...
• Shows all details for a seller (latest feedback, % feedback score, ...)
• List of other items from a seller
• List of auctions in "my eBay" that are ending soon.

I can't wait to see what Christoph and team comes up with using the Vista Media Center SDK and rumor has it he's working  on  a Windows Sidebar gadget or two.

Forget Mike's TechCrunch party last night.  The party to go to is tonight - Chris Pirillo, my neighbor Randy and I are going to see "Snakes on a Plane" tonight.  Chris has already seen it.  He's practicing lines right now.  My wife thinks I've been insufferable about this movie.  If you want to join us, 8:00pm showing at Lincoln Square in Bellevue, WA. Seriously, Chris is running lines...

Soa@(&#$&(@P!

This is a temporary post that was not deleted. Please delete this manually. (3cbe19fd-b90d-4741-b780-2e80c5baf97f)

I 'm a huge plane fanatic.  I saw the Blue Angels fly three days in a row.  My parents had to convince me to go to a traditional college instead of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University to become an air transport pilot.  I did reports and built models of the SR-71 Blackbird, Space Shuttle and more.  Getting at least my single-engine VFR rating is on my list of things to do before I die.  Last week, we got the Flight Simulator X demo to try out and WOW.  This week, Tina Wood  at On10.net has an interview with the leads of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner project - of the most comprehensive videos I've seen on the 787 project, including an interview with the head engineer.  Someday, I must get into the full-sized flight simulator there.

 John Porcaro has reiterated  over at the Gamerscore blog that there are no plans in the works to release game titles on HD-DVD using the upcoming add-on drive. 

Since announcing the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player accessory at E3 2006, we’ve been clear that it is designed exclusively for playing HD DVD movies.  It will not play games on HD DVD.

There you have it.  Time to move along now back to debating the cost of the HD-DVD player. ;)

It looks like a new site is up at www.notfornoobs.com. I snagged a screenshot of the "secret symbol" that shows up, a logo for the Razer brand of peripherals.  I have to admit, it's not the best I've seen- putting Microsoft logos into teaser programs is a no-no in my opinion.  But is this a tie-in with the soon to be smash-hit movie, "Snakes on a Plane"?  Gizmodo thinks it's a new game hardware product announcement.  

Even if I knew, I couldn't say. 
We'll just have to wait and see. ;)

Final Update: Early in the day I posted this, I had some concerns about authenticity which have since been cleared up – looking forward to when we all learn more <g>.

My boss made me do it.  Seriously.  My boss wants me to blog about the Aquagate, saying it's the coolest MP3 player he's ever seen.  It's annual review time at Microsoft so I will humor him.  Matteo Thun has partnered with Villeroy & Boch to bring this showering/steaming class cube that has been buzzing around the Internet. From their product material:

Thanks to the possibility of playing MP3-files or listening to your favourite radio programme, you can now relax and at the same time enjoy your favourite music during a refreshing shower or vitalising steam bath. Hot mist from above, cold mist at head-height, a ‘cool down’ programme that offers you coolness from top to toe, aroma and light therapy, a rain shower or a Scottish shower are all part of the extremely luxurious equipment level.

Aquagate™ is fitted with four delightful automatic programmes in which all functions are harmoniously combined. For a conscious and healthy life the Wake up, Relax, Fitness and Feel good programmes provide perfect relaxation at the right time of the day. The central gate of the Aquagate™ is available in the stylish materials teak-wood, pure Italian limestone and aluminium in a champagne-metallic colour. The cabin can be placed free-standing, but will also make an unprecedented impression as a design-icon in your bathroom against a wall or in a corner. The Aquagate™ is available in two spacious sizes: 90 x 100 cm and 100 x 130 cm. In our special Aquagate™ brochure you can read everything about the endless possibilities of the Aquagate™.

They had me at Steam shower, they lost me at Scottish shower.  But I like the way they spell "programme" so I'm happy enough.  An LCD display, USB port for loading MP3s.  Too bad there's no WiFi.  This thing would be bad-ass with WiFi enabled access to your music library.  Villeroy and Boch, I'm willing to beta test, just leave the Scotsman at home please. ;)

Like coke and pepsi, Windows or Mac, another heated debate is raging- XM or Sirius satellite radio. My wife wants a car that has XM, and already is talking about getting it because she thinks the playlist on Sirius' Broadway is too limited.  Of course, she never would have thought of this if not for my testing the Sirius S50.  I'm sheepishly admitting I'm a Howard Stern fan (for better or for worse- I'm from the NY area) so I like Sirius also for NPR, and Rolling Stones radio.  Fortunately for the rest of the unwashed masses, The Washington Post's Marc Fisher has a great, in-depth guide to picking between the two.  Now debate amongst yourselves :)

This week - a little bit crazy, a little bit soul, a little bit unleashed to make you whole.

• National Lampoon's Animal House (Universal)
• Ray (Universal)
• Unleashed (Universal)

courtesy High-Def Digest

Sometimes a mashup of two existing ideas just makes sense.  For example, let's mash up two of the most popular Windows Sidebar Gadgets (or Widgets) - a clock and a photo sideshow.  After seeing The Human Clock on Time's Top 50 Web Sites it's occurred to me that this would make a great Gadget for Windows Sidebar with a human element.  Imagine a clock that shows original pictures from around the world, each incorporating the time in a unique way.  It should be super-simple to write (I'm just a little busy with other projects right now <g>).  Anyone want to write it (with the author's permission of course).

Chris Pirillo and a group of TechTV alums are reviving the show concept as "UndoTV" as reported today at Wired News.  Taking a page from the YouTube nation, expect to see original content from a geographically dispersed set of our favorite on-air hosts.  Leo Laporte and others have already signed on. Chris and I were talking about his plans to roll this out at a social event a few weeks ago.  Glad to see this happening.

Source: Wired News: TechTV Reborn as 'UndoTV'

As the Sirius S50 continues to shine on the list of Top 10 Most Wanted on eBay, apparently Crutchfield has published details about the truly portable Sirius Stiletto 100.  Here are the latest details from OrbitCast:

• True Portability. The Sirius Stiletto will have a built-in antenna that allows reception of Sirius' signal without the need for an external car-dock or home-dock.
• Antenna/headphones included. For supplemental reception, you get a Sirius antenna strapped to your noggin - included with the Stiletto.
• 100 hours of Storage. The Sirius Stiletto handles MP3/WMA, and allows you to intermingle Sirius content with your own digital music collection. The Stiletto supports Microsoft's PlaysForSure protocol.
• WiFi Capability. The interface (pictured to your right) looks very similar to the Zing interface as SBS points out. I'd it's not too far of a guess to say that the Stiletto is using the Zing's WiFi technology - allowing you to stream Sirius online when you're in a hotspot.
• Battery Life. Two batteries are included with the packaging. One standard, and one extended life, which offers 4 hours of live SIRIUS reception, 14 hours of WiFi reception, and 22 hours of stored playback time. (The wording is a little fuzzy here - are these numbers from the standard battery? extended battery? or both?)
• Cost. The Sirius Stiletto will MSRP for $399.99.

I suspect this device, like the Sirius S50 may be based upon a PortalPlayer design. Portal also provides the innards for the iPod as well as other players on the market.  The implementation of course, is largely up to the end-manufacturer of the product.  To me, it looks like an S50 and a Sansa got sensual and forgot to wear protection. ;)

Update0: According to Anything but iPod, CNet reports this device is powered by Zing.

Courtesy OrbitCast and Sirius Backstage

THANK YOU to maverick Mark Cuban and C|Net's Blogma for ranting about a topic I've also been on the warpath over for years- product packaging that makes the customer the enemy.  We've all experienced it- tough plastic-molded around the product we just bought, the knives, the scissors, the bloody incisions on our fingers.  One brand name these are known under in the business is "Thermoform".  Thermal molded plastics.  I call it "The Polycoffin".

But the blame doesn't rest solely with the manufacturer.  Retailers are playing a larger part in detailing packaging requirements, threatening not to "assort" products that do not use the packaging.  They claim that a high likelihood of theft is the reason why they do this.  The risk to the manufacturer is lost shelf space at retail, lost sale in the store (due to lack of shelf or floor space), both of which are crucial to success for many CE manufacturers.  Smaller CE manufacturers don't have the retail power (read: $$$) to fund their own retail programs in-store so they're over a barrel. So the retailer wants to reduce their cost of doing business and passes the buck to the retailer in one direction, the customer in the other; knowing the customer will blame the manufacturer, not the retailer for the situation.  Mail-order products are also affected because the manufacturer cannot afford to keep inventory of products in multiple packaging types. 

But the problem is that thermoform is so cheap now thanks to economies of scale that even low-priced products - kids toys, tools, and blank DV-camera tapes are being put in thermaform.  It's a retail addiction.

So what can we, the measly consumers do about this?  I firmly believe the manufacturers take their cues from the retailers.  Here are a few ideas on how to take back the packaging and put the customer first!

1. Require the Retailer remove the packaging at point of sale.  Let them know that the product you're holding will not be purchased because it is in thermoform.  Offer an alternative - tell them if they're willing to, "Remove your anti-theft packaging from the product after purchase", then you'll buy it.  You wouldn't buy clothing with an ink-tag anti-theft device still attached and they don't expect you to remove it.  Same should go for thermoform. Make it their time and effort that's wasted.  Unfortunately this doesn't work for gifted items :(
2. Mail the Thermoform back to the retailer's HQ care of the CEO. This takes up more of your time, but include a politely worded letter that you don't appreciate being subjected to physical harm in exchange for your purchasing dollars and will be returning their anti-theft device.  This requires a lot of people to do in order to be useful.
3. Speak to the Manager; boycott the product. If they are unable or unwilling to remove the packaging, ask to speak to a manager.  Explain that you will be sending said plastic along with his/her name in a letter to the CEO to the company.
4. Liability. I'm not a lawyer, nor do I pretend to be and generally think our society has become too litigious.  But I am just waiting for someone, somewhere to get sliced by one of these packages bad enough to do a)nerve damage,  b)require stitches, or c)contract a severe infection that spawns a class action lawsuit. 
5. Blog About it. (Thank you Jeremy).  Bloggers and professional reviewers should consider packaging a part of the criteria as well in their evaluation of products.  It's all about cognitive dissonance.  Buyer's remorse is amplified by bad packaging. 

It's time to end the addiction to thermoform plastic packaging and put the customer first again.  We need a better solution to anti-theft.

Back when the Xbox 360 was announced, J. Allard and Robbie Bach also talked about a new development platform called "XNA", designed to make it easier to build games Xbox and Windows PCs, sharing much of the same high performance code.  A series of tools announcements were made and then frankly, we didn't hear much more in the general tech 'sphere.  Until now.

XNA Game Studio Express will be unveiled today at Gamefest, an annual event Microsoft holds.  Until we have a public demonstration, here's a little snippet about XNA Game Studio:

XNA Game Studio Express will democratize game development by delivering the necessary tools to hobbyists, students, indie developers and studios alike to help them bring their creative game ideas to life while nurturing game development talent, collaboration and sharing that will benefit the entire industry.

Stripping away the PR-speak, these tools are being developed specifically with Game developers in mind.  The Express moniker is also used in Microsoft developer tools such as Visual Studio Express and SQL Express to denote fully functional but slightly less industrial-grade versions focused on students, hobbyists, and the like. 

Some call it "democratization of the game platform". Ick. What's cool about this announce is that the same way YouTube and GarageBand.com are opening up the doors to indie video, film, and music creators, this will do the same for gaming for the first time.  Up until now, you had to be a game publisher paying thousands of dollars just to get your foot in the door to do serious development for game consoles.  It will be a trickle at first, but this is a disruptive technology that has the potential to revolutionize game development similar to when a few hard-core enthusiasts built a little game called, "Doom".  Think about all the games that could be developed that never would have seen the light of day because, "some suit" said it didn't test well in a focus group. I think the flood gates have just opened. 

Update0: The XNA team has posted their blog here.  More details to come soon ;)

Back from camping (pictures to follow) and I can finally talk about what I and many other Microsoft bloggers have been quietly beta testing for some time now: Windows Live Writer.  A simple WYSIWYG editor with powerful features for blogging, I'm just starting to scratch the surface.  The ability to add watermarks and frame effects to images alone is reason for me to use Writer.  It also helps me avoid the dreaded situation where I write an entry in a browser window and another application grabs that instance and redirects, which under DasBlog would make me lose the entire post.  I'm also interested to see the Plug-in model once the links are up and running.

Congrats to the Windows Live Writer team.  Here's to hoping for more to come.

Download Windows Live Writer Beta