Does Sony's PS3 movie service really need the other movie picture companies?

There has been some talk that Sony's plan to add movies to the PS3 is in trouble without the other movie companies on board. For instance, this was mentioned on the The Game Reviews blog where they state "it is obvious that Sony will need their support in order to give the service any real weight." I have to laugh at this type of concern. The reason is simple, look at all the other online movie services (ex. MovieLink, CinemaNow). If Sony can guarantee that their whole archive of movies will be available in HD (720p at least) over the internet, they won't need anybody else's archive of movies. Then the other movie companies will be desperate to get their content onto the system just like with iTunes.

However if this is going to be another half-baked service, then yes they need other companies to offer their own half-baked archive of movies too.

Access vs Ownership

In grade school kids often make a big deal about the things they own or think they own. The same goes for some adults as well. However, the future should largely rule this argument irrelevant. I'm betting the future will consist of content distributed based on access rights instead of ownership.

Movies (example: Netflix)
Renting and buying movies will likely no longer exist in the future. Netflix currently has the best example of the future model. If you subscribe to Netflix you can get unlimited access to movies online. Yes that's unlimited just the way it should be. This also means that streaming is the best solution, it also helps cut down on the illegal distribution problems. The only problem is that there aren't enough movies available at the moment, which I blame on the ignorant MPAA and the old-fashioned movie rental businesses like Blockbuster.

Games (example: OnLive, Gakai)
These services are still somewhat unproven but both present the best examples of the future and of what to expect years down the road.

Music (example: Rhapsody, Napster, Kazaa)
Most music retailers are moving to a DRM-free model, which is great and I totally appreciate the change, but in the end I still feel an unlimited-access subscription-based model will be the best bet. Even TechCrunch wisely states, "Streaming music may be the way of the future - especially when reliable and fast wireless technology becomes ubiquitous" which is totally in line with what I've been preaching.

Magazines / Newspapers
This is probably the only thing that doesn't really need streaming but the unlimited-access subscription model certainly still applies. In the case of magazines/newspapers, digital copies of all back issues should be available to subscribers and should also be easily searched. To this day Zinio is one of the most complete digital magazine services I've used.

Advantages of Streaming
- No worries about having enough storage space
- No worries about people stealing (sure I can record my computer screen but for games that's never gonna pass)
- Fewer worries about customers having the appropriate hardware
- More environmentally friendly
- If unlimited, no worries about usage issues

Companies back from the dead

Not to sound like a jerk but I really am surprised that these businesses are coming back to life. I tend to wonder what brings some businesses back to life, after all they failed don't most people like to throw insults and dance on the graves of failures? So anyway I know there are a couple other businesses that have risen from the dead recently which I can't remember (I'll add more as I come across them). So here are the ones that I can remember. The only reason I know Bolt is back again is only because they emailed me, otherwise I haven't heard any of the usual blogs (TechCrunch, Mashable) say a thing.

Nau
This company makes a lot of well designed apparel using environmentally friendly methods/materials. While their designs were great I always questioned their pricing. Perhaps now it'll be a bit different this time around. One other problem from before was the over-use of Flash for their website design, and unfortunately they are still over-using it on the new site. Seriously people stop with the Flash. I have always felt that Flash was great for promotional purposes and I still do. However, using it for your whole website is just crazy unless your website is some sort of elaborate Flash-based application (example: Pandora).

Bolt
Overall Bolt never really offered anything that amazed me much. Nothing really distinguishes it over other networking sites. Why does that matter? I'd say because there are already several good general-interest networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. I only get excited these days when I find a well done networking site that is focused on a niche that I care about.

Sharper Image
The brick-and-mortar stores annoyed me, but their website has actually been a regular resource for me to find things I'm searching for. If they stick with just the website this time around they should do fine but the stores were tacky. Now if only Brookstone would drop their retail act. (Oops nevermind Engadget is already reporting that they will live on as just a brand. Which is practically the worst possible thing they could do.)

Moviebeam - ADDED July 14, 2008
I was kind of happy when this company went under, mainly because it required purchasing another practically useless set-top-box. These things still use wires, ya know. I'd say the only set-top-box worth buying is either an Xbox or PS3, which are game consoles that double as many other things. What gets me though is that people are still trying to make money off boxes you plug into your TV. Talk about re-inventing the wheel, there's a box that already does everything it's called a computer. If more companies would integrate software like Splashtop, then I'd hear even more people agreeing with me.

Webcam Gesture Control & Security Software

These days almost everybody has a webcam integrated into their mobile computer, so why not find more uses for it right? Below are some great tools for using your webcam as a sort of mouse-like tool. Most of the programs will track your head movement, some track eye movement, and others (like CamSpace) track any object you tell it to.

So far I haven't tried any of these but as soon as I do I'll be sure to elaborate more on their functionality. So far I've signed up for the CamSpace beta, but haven't been invited yet.

GESTURE:
- CamSpace (in beta stage)
- EyeTwig
- Handsfree 3D
- Kubree - Virtual Viewpoint
- Mgestyk
- uMouse
- VR-Wear

SECURITY:
- Crime Catcher
- Dorgem (how-to)

Application Shortcuts (Windows Start menu, Mac OS X dock)

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that all operating systems have inefficient ideas about accessing applications.

Windows Start menu:
Take a look through the Program Files folder on your C: drive. Now take a look through your Windows Start menu Programs folder. Is one really any cleaner or more functional than the other? How could this be fixed? My belief is that the Start menu should access the Program Files folder directly. This means no more ridiculous shortcuts. Another possible solution is a kind of option that just searches your computer for any and all .exe files. I've had multiple occurrences where the Start menu shortcuts created more problems than they solved.

Mac OS dock:
Sure it's convenient, but only if it has just a few apps on it. Once you start adding shortcuts to everything you start making it's purpose redundant. Why not organize your apps folder into categories, which happens to be more easily done in Mac OS than it is in any other OS. Then put those folder/app categories in your dock and just like that no more shuffling stupid dock shortcuts. If you install a new application, guess what? You don't have to add another shortcut, hooray!

Overall my argument is about redundancies. Why recreate data or content constantly when you can just pull that data from somewhere else? After all it can't be any worse than out-right copying other's content.

Current Trends in Play

Below are just some of the technologies getting a lot of attention recently. Some things like GPUs are in a tight spot because of how the market is changing. Intel wants in on everybody else's turf (SSDs, WiFi/WiMax, GPUs) by bundling their own technologies with their processors. Meanwhile, companies like NVIDIA are getting pretty angry and firing back by partnering with competing CPU companies like Centaur Technology (owned by Via Technologies). NVIDIA may very well buyout Centaur Technology, so don't be surprised if some day your computer has "NVIDIA Inside" instead of Intel.

TRENDS:
- Alternative energy solutions
    - Algae fuel
    - Cellulosic ethanol
    - Solar concentrating PV
    - Solar thermal
    - Waves
- All-in-one (audio+GPU+CPU+physics) chipsets
- External GPUs
    - ATI - XGP
    - ASUS - ROG XG Station
    - MSI - Luxium
- High-Performance-Computing
    - NVIDIA - Tesla
    - ATI - Stream Computing
    - FASTRA
    - ClearSpeed
    - Tilera
    - SpursEngine
- Mobile GPU chipsets
    - ARM - Mali
    - ATI - Imageon
    - NVIDIA - Tegra
- Mobile gaming
    - StreamMyGame
    - Vollee
- Multi-Communication Processors
    - ASOCS
    - NXP - Nexperia PNX6910
- WiFi PAN
    - Ozmo Devices
    - TransferJet
- Instant-on / Web OS
    - Google - Chrome OS
    - Jolicloud
    - Moblin
    - Phoenix - HyperSpace
    - Splashtop
- Opensource smartphone OS
    - Android
    - OpenMoko

SecondLife on smartphones (Vollee, Second Life, StreamMyGame)

As of now, if you're lucky enough to own the right cellphone (darn no iPhone, oh like I care), you can play SecondLife on your cellphone simply by installing Vollee's client. If your skeptical, don't be this is using technology that has been tried before and really isn't that difficult to understand. Basically Vollee handles the rendering and processing while your cellphone or random mobile device acts as a client. No big deal, hell if you're really excited and don't own one of the phones required you can still try screwing around with another similar technology called StreamMyGame. The difference though is that with StreamMyGame you own the required equipment to offload the processing and you have to have already purchased/installed the games you want to play.

DOWNLOADS:
- Vollee - SecondLife Client
- StreamMyGame

What Microsoft should add to Windows 7

As usual, I'm just gonna list these things.

FEATURES:
- Applications should be managed in layers (example: Sandboxie)
- Windows Lite install option without: Windows Mail, Windows Calendar, etc. (example: vLite)
- Virtualized browser security (example: ZoneAlarm - ForceField, TrustWare - BufferZone)
- More complete Add/Remove software utility (example: Microsoft - Windows Installer CleanUp Utility)
- Advanced multi-core support and management options (example: SMP Seesaw)
- Disable the wake via mouse feature on mobile computers (by default)
- Improve the User Account Control system (example: Norton - User Account Control tool)
- More dynamic/intelligent screensaver options (example: Electric Sheep, Twingly, Beautiful Earth Wallpaper and Screen Saver)
- PrtSc key should create screencaptures (example: Purrint)
- Stop forcing restarts (example: ShutdownGuard)

(REGISTRATION KEY / SERIAL CODE) RETRIEVAL:
- Easy Microsoft serial code / product key retrieval (example: Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder)
- Easy game key retrieval (example: Game Key Revealer)
- Easy software key retrieval (example: SoftKey Revealer)

DESKTOP / WALLPAPER:
- Panoramic wallpaper options (example: 360desktop)
- Earth wallpaper options with weather (example: Beautiful Earth Wallpaper and Screen Saver, Desktop Earth)
- Animated wallpaper options (example: Stardock - DeskScapes)
- Simplified user-friendly ejecting of USB drives (example: USB Disk Ejector)
- Auto-mounting of external-drives on the desktop (Mac OS already has this, example: Desk Drive)
- Wallpaper rotation, RSS subscription options (example Desktoptopia, NuonSoft - Wallpaper Cycler)
- Integrate a smart desktop option, not another "Active Desktop" please (example: uvLayer, BumpTop)
- Add the option to display desktop icons in small list mode (example: IconLayOut)

SHELL:
- Advanced scroll-bar options (like how Mac OS has jump-to, so wherever you click is where the scrollbar repositions, example: Popup Scrollbar Concept, WizMouse)
- Enhanced look & functionality (example: Cairo)
- PDF print save option (example: CutePDF Writer)
- Unified system font (example: Chris Pirillo's (Segoe Font) Registry Patch)
- Volume adjustable via mouse scrollwheel (example: NirSoft - Volumouse / VolumeTouch)
- Automatic window resizing (example: PowerResizer, AeroSnap)

WINDOWS START MENU / TASKBAR:
- "Start" menu should access the real "Program Files" folder
- "Start" menu should have an organizer tool (example: Winstep Start Menu Organizer)
- Minimizing windows should reduce them to the tasktray, unless minimized by clicking the application on the taskbar (example: XNeat Windows Manager, ShellEnhancer)
- Similar taskbar & tasktray items should be auto-grouped (example: XNeat Windows Manager, Taskbar Shuffle)
- Taskbar & tasktray items should movable (example: Taskbar Shuffle)
- Tasktray items should have the option to be hidden without creating any noticeable difference (example: SysTrayX)

UPDATES:
- Automatic system-wide software updates (Linux already has this)
- Automatic system-wide driver updates (example: Driver Detective)

WINDOWS EXPLORER:
- Quick-and-easy disabling of the Windows Media Player integration
- Stay-on-top window option (example: XNeat Windows Manager)
- Tabbed Windows Explorer interface
- Open-with suggestion guide for unknown file formats (example: Openwith.org)

RELATED NEWS:
- OSNews - Rethinking the Taskbar
- CNET - E-mail, photo programs stripped from Windows 7
- GadgetZone - 20 things Windows 7 MUST include

Web 3.0 - Interconnected Services

Some may argue with my view on Web3.0 but I firmly believe there to be dramatic differences between Web2.0 and Web3.0. In my perspective DataPortability.org is a great example of Web3.0 because it offers a lot that Web2.0 lacks. It also could be described as something that came about as a result of the Web2.0 experiences on both the programmer side and user side. For people like me who have an almost addictive tendency to sign up to brand new web2.0 companies, it would be great to keep all these services connected in some way.

So what should Web3.0 be able to do, I already kind of explained that in an earlier post. However, I didn't mention in that earlier post what level of interconnectedness should exist. It's my belief that competing web services should basically act as different front-ends to the same data. Amazon's S3 service is in some ways a great example of this, because multiple web services are hosted by them and the individual web companies don't have to worry about maintaining a complex server structure.

One thing that may sound hard to relate is Web3.0 to Virtual Worlds. Since companies have already been talking about allowing avatars to transfer from one virtual world to another, this goes right in line with what I'm saying.

WEB 3.0:
- Transferable user information (instead of signing up you just allow a new website to access your data)
- Data-synced among multiple web services (instead of re-adding images, friends, videos, and profile information it'll all be synced-up)
- User-names should be consolidated so as to lessen confusion (currently going from site-to-site means re-learning who is who)

Examples in the News:
- CNET News - Zoho to integrate with Google sign-on
- CenterNetworks - StandoutJobs Partners With Scribd

Beta Virtual Worlds (Twinity, Vivaty)

I recently got invited to two new virtual worlds. I should be more clear about that though one is called Vivaty which is less of a virtual world and more of a virtual location. The other one is Twinity, which I confused with Twine when I got the invitation email.

Twinity (download, Facebook)
When you start Twinity up it'll go through a number of updates and you'll see a map of the earth in the background. Once you get logged in it takes a little getting use to. The boxes you see everywhere labeled with the Twinity logo are more than just boxes. If you stand around long enough or if your internet is fast enough they'll load into objects like furniture. The controls are a tad problematic and navigating your avatar around objects is challenging since I ended up getting stuck between a coffee table and a chair. Another problem is that the camera is a bit awkward and doesn't automatically re-align itself behind the avatar. As for the outdoor environments, Twinity explains that they'll work more on that later hence the reason looking outside seems pretty bland.

Graphics (anti-aliasing capapable):
The graphics in Twinity are pretty decent (I saw steam coming off the water in the bathtub) and, just like with the new Release Candidate of SecondLife, you can enable anti-aliasing so the graphics aren't jagged. As for the character animation, um well watch your avatar's eyes. They don't blink properly but I'm sure it's just a temporary bug in the system, if you're wondering the eyes bulge out like bug eyes then go back to normal.

Vivaty (download, Facebook, Facebook App)
Right now the only place I've used this is on my Facebook profile. However you can also use it as a desktop application. I'm definitely interested in the in-browser aspect. Once you get signed up you get to choose from a variety of different scenes which are mainly different apartment/housing styles. You also get to choose from a couple avatar styles. If you're expecting to personalize your avatar you can forget about it, it may be possible I just haven't seen the option anywhere. The controls are a tad better than those in Twinity. For instance, if you click and drag the mouse the avatar starts moving and the farther you drag the mouse away from the avatar the faster you move. There's a problem with the camera though just like with Twinity, it doesn't re-align itself so if you start panning around your avatar to get a different look and then start walking it'll stay in that position.

Graphics (anti-aliasing capable):
The avatar walking animation is slightly out of step with the actual movement of the avatar which can be a tad irritating. Not only that but when you switch to the first-person view you can tell it's not really first-person, it only appears to only be. Screw around enough with the camera and you'll know what I'm talking about. Otherwise the environment is well done and you have fairly large selection of decent stuff to populate your scene with.

Ulteo, one of the most promising online desktops?

Market Explanation:
In most cases web-based desktops are just lots of ridiculous graphics and poorly designed applications that pretend to offer you what you already have on your real desktop. However, for people handling business over a secure network (say at work or in a university lab) web-based desktops seem pretty novel. For instance, in some cases they allow you to install your own set of applications. One particular gray area, more of a moral gray area, though is how anonymous your internet activity becomes while browsing through a JAVA remote-access desktop. For the most part, if you're using a computer with JAVA and want to browse a website that is being blocked by the network you can get around it with a remote-desktop since it uses someone else's internet access and processor.

Overview:
A number of web-based desktops have come and gone over the years even before the whole web 2.0 thing. Some are made of Flash while other more advanced ones use JAVA. Ulteo is one of those more advanced ones that uses JAVA and Linux. Once you sign up you get a whole Linux based OS to toy around with from inside of your web-browser. Provided with the Linux OS are a couple of standard applications like Firefox and OpenOffice, granted they are slightly dated versions of those applications.

Synchronization:
Something Ulteo just did that makes this service much more meaningful is how they now have something called the Ulteo Document Synchonizer. Obviously from the name it's a synchronization tool for editing files off of your original desktop environment, apparently you can even pick multiple desktops in case you have a number of computers that need to be synced. At the moment this particular utility is only available to Windows users.

Speed:
Ulteo is surprisingly quick especially with that dated OpenOffice 2.3. Additionally browsing the internet through the installed Firefox is a surprisingly pleasant experience. I'd even go so far as to say it's possibly faster than my own internet access. The thing I like most about browsing the internet through Ulteo though is how everything loads. Loading webpages in my Firefox browser on Windows Vista loads things in chunks so the page rearranges while it loads. However, using Firefox through Ulteo creates this nice illusion that the page loads in one fluid movement.

LINKS:
- Ulteo
- Ulteo - Document Synchonizer
- Del.ico.us - web_based desktop links

Targeted Virtual Worlds (AWOMO, vSide)

I previously mentioned a couple new virtual worlds and it's pretty clear there some big differences in the strategies pursued by each of them.

A WORLD OF MY OWN (AWOMO) - gaming oriented
To start with AWOMO is a very unique platform. You could describe it as an advanced interactive version of Gametap. With AWOMO you are able to access regular PC games without having to manage any optical media or lengthy installations (website says revolutionary streaming technology) so in many ways its just like Gametap. Visually the appearance of AWOMO actually reminds me of an early virtual world called Omikron which to some people might be an unappealing connection. So far I like what I see and the idea of this as an advanced gaming platform for accessing and networking seems like a great idea not to mention timely given the competition brought on by the consoles.

PAYMENT OPTIONS OF AWOMO:
- Pay-per play
- Unlimited-play monthly subscription

vSide - music oriented
Another virtual world with a targeted approach is vSide. This virtual world mainly consists of nightclubs, places for shopping, and music that plays constantly in the background. Don't be fooled though, the way vSide integrates music is very well done. While your walking from store to store the music will transition from station to station and a pop-up will tell you the names of the songs you heard or are hearing. The shopping aspect of vSide is probably one of the most interesting from the aspect of enjoying music. Visually the overall appearance of vSide is actually quite nice (even though avatars have a cell-shaded look which may look too childish to some) and that's where it gains relevance to someone like me. For me, the graphics and styling are what make a virtual world worth exploring and vSide does a good job. Getting started in vSide is easy and they even give money to begin with so you can get started personalizing your avatar.

Virtual Worlds (List)

Image from WikipediaJust thought I'd do a quick write up on the upcoming advances in the area of virtual worlds. Currently the one I use most is Second Life but there are some new ones that look just as good. What's interesting though is that there seems to be a lot of talk about these worlds becoming interconnected so avatars can transfer from one world to another.

VIRTUAL WORLDS:
- 9you - GTown
- Blue Mars
- Eitaro Soft - Lamity
- Football Superstars
- HiPiHi
- Kaneva
- LEGO Universe
- LivePlace
- Music Mogul
- Novoking
- Nurien
- Openlife Grid
- Planet Michael
- Playstation Home
- Second Life
- There
- Twinity
- Utherverse
- vSide

MUSIC:
- Loudcrowd
- Music Mogul
- Planet Michael
- vMTV
- vSide

DATING:
- Utherverse
- Weopia

EMAIL & SPACE:
- 3D Mailbox
- Celestia
- Copernic

RELIGION:
- Muxlim
- VivaConnect

WEB-BASED / IN-BROWSER (RANDOM VW STUFF):
- 3DXplorer
- ExitReality
- Journeys
- Just Leap In
- Kickfly
- LivePlace
- Loudcrowd
- Meez
- Muxlim
- NewLively
- PlaYce
- SceneCaster
- SmallWorlds
- sMeet
- Sosauce
- VivaConnect
- Vivaty
- WebFlock
- WeeWorld
- Yoowalk

VIRTUAL-WORLD CHATROOMS:
- Club Cooee
- ExitReality
- hangout.net
- IMVU
- Journeys
- Just Leap In
- Kickfly
- Loudcrowd
- Meez
- Multiverse Places
- Muxlim
- NewLively
- Onverse
- SceneCaster
- SmallWorlds
- sMeet
- Sosauce
- Taatu
- vMTV
- VivaConnect
- Vivaty
- WebFlock
- WeeWorld

SOCIAL-NETWORKING EXTENSIONS: (social-networks with virtual-worlds)
- ExitReality
- IMVU
- Kaneva
- Kickfly
- Loudcrowd
- Meez
- NewLively
- SceneCaster
- Sosauce
- Twinity
- Vivaty
- vSide
- WeeWorld

VIRTUAL BUSINESS-NETWORKING:
- 3DXplorer
- Prototerra
- Unisfair

VIRTUAL TOURISM:
- Amazing Worlds
- GeoSim (example: GeoSimPHILLY)
- Google - Earth
- Journeys
- Microsoft - Virtual Earth
- PlaYce
- The Forbidden City: Beyond Space and Time
- Twinity

VIRTUAL WORLD PLATFORMS:
- Blink 3D
- Croquet
- ExitReality
- RealXtend
- OpenSim
- Metaplace
- Multiverse
- Near
- Ogoglio
- Simurban
- VastPark
- Virtual Heroes
- web.alive

STANDARDS:
- MetaWSS
- MOGBox
- OpenSocial
- VastServer / IMML

RESOURCES:
- 2008 METAVERSE TOUR - THE SOCIAL VIRTUAL WORLD'S A STAGE
- Virtual Worlds Management - $184 MILLION INVESTED IN 23 VIRTUAL WORLDS-RELATED COMPANIES IN Q1 2008

Yaaay! Devicescape now on Slacker devices

Image from WikipediaFor those not in the know, Devicescape is an awesome way to simplify dealing with various WiFi networks especially those managed by places like Starbucks and airports. I really don't think Devicescape has gotten the attention it deserves considering how painless it makes using different WiFi networks.

RELATED NEWS:
Gearlog - Slacker Gets More Mobile

Browser Add-ons for Google

In general it's hard to believe anybody could offer something that improves upon Google but sure enough even Google is lacking various features. Whether or not you actually value the features these add-ons offer is something you'll have to find out for yourself. However, most of these services will likely be assimilated or made irrelevant in the future.

Google Reader: AideRSS
This is a rather well integrated way of ranking the bombardment of news that floods your Google Reader. Currently Google Reader has no built-in features for filtering news, so for now this is as close as I've seen anybody get to offering an integrated solution. Another less attractive alternative is available via a GreaseMonkey script, I tried to use it but I think it required more tweaking than I was willing to put up with.

Gmail: Xoopit
I'm not really one for explaining things so you'll probably have to visit the website yourself to understand this. However in my words, it's a way of expanding the Google Mail interface so you can view photos/attachments without digging through your emails.

Google Blogger: Zemanta
Zemanta basically scans what you're typing and offers relevant news articles or links to reference sources like Wikipedia. Another thing that is pretty cool for amateurs like myself is that it helps dig up images that are fair-game or free to use.