If there’s one consistent sight on my commute all these years it’s brickbreaker on the Blackberry… And apparently those days are about to end. I suppose there’s always Angry Birds.
Great profile in GQ… I really hope Netflix evolves and succeeds in their mission to bring first party content direct to consumers. I don’t even watch much TV but really want the model to change so we have better options for the things we do choose to view.
interesting piece in yesterday’s WSJ on how lower income families are using the free online access via McDonald’s or other locations for school work. While many of us may have scoffed at McDonald’s having Wifi, it’s become an important “third place” for kids who need to get online for their school-work thanks to the limits of the digital divide. My kids are still too young to really need online access for school work and we also don’t have to worry about connectivity, but I really empathize here and would love to see a bigger initiative to provide real internet connectivity as a baseline utility rather than privilege as it is now. McDonald’s is not an ideal place to do school work … though I appreciate as well that in some cases it may actually be less chaotic than at home.
via WSJ.com.
Photo Credit Shawnblog on Flickr
While the general statement “there’s an app for that” tends to be around iphone it applies even more so to Android. One simple way this applies is to customization.
Take today for example … I woke up early and since im staying in a hotel with my family, I opted to quietly use my phone until it’s time to really get going. Unfortunately, the Galaxy Note II is ridiculously bright even at the lowest setting. After a quick moment of clarity, I realized there was probably a way to address that and found Super Dimmer Pro. Boom problem solved.
I know that’s a really simple example but I find the power simple and excellent to have.
www.remixofthecentury.com/
I love hearing that there’s a new industry standard being sorted by YouTube and Netflix to promote a more open second screen experience. Right now it’s a bit of a mess and you either go all in with Apple (AppleTV + Airplay + iOS) which only works in certain instances – though absolutely works, or you’ve got a set of considerably more limited options. The DIAL Protocol could really offer a very new opportunity for enhanced viewing and app utilization in the living room which is very exciting.
But there are other areas where DIAL actually goes beyond AirPlay’s capabilities. First, the obvious: AirPlay can’t launch any apps on your Apple TV. DIAL will also be able to detect whether an app is installed, and redirect a user to a smart TV’s app store in case it’s missing. Also cool: DIAL will be able to launch web apps on your TV, if the device supports it, which should add a whole lot of new functionality to connected devices.via GigaOm.
Even more interesting is that it’s apparently already out in market, though quietly and waiting to be awakened … I’m surprised there wasn’t more (or any) noise at CES this year … Sony, Samsung, GoogleTV, YouTube and Netflix are a strong start.