CX: Good sync product, doomed market
But Dropbox, SugarSync, CX, and all the rest are zombies. In a short time, I'd guess two years, the world won't need file sync software at all. Because the whole concept of using software to create and store files on a local machine is becoming anachronistic. More of the apps we use store their data in the cloud, so it can be retrieved by a user as he or she moves between computers and mobile devices. Look at productivity apps: Apple's apps (like Pages) sync via iCloud. Google Docs is all Web-based by nature. Even Microsoft's Office apps (like Word) can save to SkyDrive, and Microsoft's new Office 365 is a direct competitor to the Web-based Google Docs. For new files, who needs local storage for anything but cache and occasional disconnected use? Many great new productivity apps, like Evernote, don't even expose their local file storage to users at all (unless you dig). These apps--there are others--inherently store user data in Web servers, replicating it to local storage when needed.Other traditional apps, like Quicken, are aging out, being replaced by cloud-based services like Mint (from the same company, no less).The last data types to need local storage are media: books, music, photos, and videos. Books are already cloud-stored. Buy a Kindle, connect it to your account, and it downloads your books as you need them.Music is moving into the cloud rapidly. Apple's iTunes Match (when it finally launches) will go a long way towards freeing users from having to worry about storing their music. Furthermore, more users are moving to leasing access to streaming music libraries (look at Spotify and its competitors).Photos, then? Yes, you need local storage to keep a photo library. But maybe not for much longer. Again, Apple's leading the way for consumers: Take a photo on your iPhone, and it's synced automatically to all your Apple devices. Apple doesn't provide archival storage for photos yet, but give it a few years. Videos will be the last data type to tie consumers to local file systems, but I wouldn't bet against falling storage and bandwidth costs for very long. The whole idea of needing to manage local storage is dying.There will be holdout apps, of course. A lot of them will be products critical to business, like design and engineering apps. There is a big opportunity in providing cloud storage and local sync, at a system and API level, for these apps that don't have it already. Developers will need to revise apps that use old-style file storage systems to take advantage of cloud-based storage with local as-needed sync services. Fortunately, that's also the long-term vision for CX. "We're the grid," the CEO told me, when challenged on this topic. I believe the Bitcasa team also gets this; I know Dropbox's does. It's in building Internet-based file system back-ends where the interesting battle will be. But the market for end-user file sync and sharing, no matter how fast it grows in the next few years, is speeding straight into a brick wall.Rafe's rating: CX.comProduct quality: Four out of five stars. Strong, competitive file sync product with outstanding sharing tools. 10GB free storage, reasonable rates beyond that. iPhone, Android apps still in development, and no word on Linux support. Business quality: Two out of five. Despite a currently growing market for file sync tools,and even with good features, the steamroller of sync built-in to Web-centric and mobile apps will kill this market. There is potential for a business to be built around back-end file and sync services, but look to Amazon, Google, and current darling Dropbox to be serious competitors in this space.Note on the Rafe's Rating scores: These are solely my opinions, informed by my experience reviewing consumer technology products and covering startup companies over the last 20+ years.
Rumor Has It, Ep. 18- No, Samsung, we don't need a bigger Galaxy Tab (podcast)
Rumor Has It, Ep. 18: No, Samsung, we don't need a bigger Galaxy Tab (podcast)
To celebrate Mark Zuckerberg maybe possibly loosening his death grip on Facebook, Karyne and I give you a little Econ 101 lesson.Kidding! No we don't. All I learned in Econ 101 was that there is apparently no such thing as a free lunch (then what was that pizza I just found abandoned in the kitchen and ate, hmm?) and that the more scarce a thing is, the more money it will cost. But scarcity might explain why unvested stocks of Facebook have been some of the highest valued and most traded on SecondMarket--a market to trade stocks in private companies--until Zuck stopped letting Facebook be traded there this week, ostensibly because a proper IPO is about to be filed.Yadda, yadda, math, money, numbers! All I want to know about Facebook going public is this: if suddenly I can own a bit of the company, can I have a say in rolling back the wretched Timeline? Ugh! Let's all buy stock and then rise up and demand the old interface back!Other stuff we bet on this week: whether the new Xbox will drop in October of 2013; Samsung will bore us with an unnecessarily enormous new tablet at Mobile World Congress; and Nintendo will embarrass itself by changing the name of the Wii U to something much, much worse. Oh, also--almost forgot--the iPhone 5 could be coming this summer, and it may be waterproof. No biggie.EPISODE 18This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.PlaySubscribe:Â RSS (MP3) |Â RSS (320x180) |Â RSS (640x360) |Â iTunes (MP3) |Â iTunes (320x180) |Â iTunes (640x360)Listen nowYour browser does not support the audio element.Links from the show!New Xbox coming in fall 2013?New Xbox might SUCK! Microsoft phasing out Microsoft Points?Samsung Galaxy Tab 11.6-inch tablet incoming?Wii U might change its nameFacebook IPO filing could be around the cornerIs AT&T jockeying with FCC to take control of Dish's new wireless spectrum?Is Facebook run by sociopaths?Can Barnes & Noble save the bookstore?New Nook coming this springHeard a tech rumor you think we should cover?E-mail us at Rumorhasit [at] cnet.com, or directly at karyne.levy [at] cnet.com or emily.dreyfuss [at] cbsinteractive.com. And call and leave us a voice mail at 1-800-750-CNET!And don't forget to follow us on Twitter! @EmilyDreyfuss, @karynelevy, @RumorShow, @stephenbeacham.
To celebrate Mark Zuckerberg maybe possibly loosening his death grip on Facebook, Karyne and I give you a little Econ 101 lesson.Kidding! No we don't. All I learned in Econ 101 was that there is apparently no such thing as a free lunch (then what was that pizza I just found abandoned in the kitchen and ate, hmm?) and that the more scarce a thing is, the more money it will cost. But scarcity might explain why unvested stocks of Facebook have been some of the highest valued and most traded on SecondMarket--a market to trade stocks in private companies--until Zuck stopped letting Facebook be traded there this week, ostensibly because a proper IPO is about to be filed.Yadda, yadda, math, money, numbers! All I want to know about Facebook going public is this: if suddenly I can own a bit of the company, can I have a say in rolling back the wretched Timeline? Ugh! Let's all buy stock and then rise up and demand the old interface back!Other stuff we bet on this week: whether the new Xbox will drop in October of 2013; Samsung will bore us with an unnecessarily enormous new tablet at Mobile World Congress; and Nintendo will embarrass itself by changing the name of the Wii U to something much, much worse. Oh, also--almost forgot--the iPhone 5 could be coming this summer, and it may be waterproof. No biggie.EPISODE 18This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.PlaySubscribe:Â RSS (MP3) |Â RSS (320x180) |Â RSS (640x360) |Â iTunes (MP3) |Â iTunes (320x180) |Â iTunes (640x360)Listen nowYour browser does not support the audio element.Links from the show!New Xbox coming in fall 2013?New Xbox might SUCK! Microsoft phasing out Microsoft Points?Samsung Galaxy Tab 11.6-inch tablet incoming?Wii U might change its nameFacebook IPO filing could be around the cornerIs AT&T jockeying with FCC to take control of Dish's new wireless spectrum?Is Facebook run by sociopaths?Can Barnes & Noble save the bookstore?New Nook coming this springHeard a tech rumor you think we should cover?E-mail us at Rumorhasit [at] cnet.com, or directly at karyne.levy [at] cnet.com or emily.dreyfuss [at] cbsinteractive.com. And call and leave us a voice mail at 1-800-750-CNET!And don't forget to follow us on Twitter! @EmilyDreyfuss, @karynelevy, @RumorShow, @stephenbeacham.
The 404 907- Where we 'stiL be making bank' (podcast)
The 404 907: Where we 'stiL be making bank' (podcast)
We're also looking forward to Facebook's F8 developers conference on Thursday, during which the company is rumored to announce its hyped-up media streaming platform as part of a "major" profile redesign.Like it or not, Facebook is pushing more for e-commerce and TechCrunch's Leena Rao thinks we'll see more buttons popping up to give users more specific sentiments like "Listened," "Watched," "Read," and maybe even "Want."Along with a story about girls not using BitTorrent, we'll also report on a story update from three years ago about Heinz's new "Dip and Squeeze" ketchup packet.Since everyone consumes ketchup differently, Heinz developed a packet that lets the consumer decide whether to squeeze out all the ketchup, or peel back the lid for dipping. And with three times more ketchup per packet than the old design, it might be a sign that Heinz could care less about this country's fight with obesity.But at least this country earns the top spot in something. We finish the show with a group groan about our country's dismal Internet speeds. According to an article in "The New York Times" last week, the U.S. dropped to 25th in the global ranking of Internet speeds, just behind Romania and the Czech Republic. It could be worse for New Yorkers, however--the report also blasts Idaho for its 318 Kbps "speeds."Enjoy today's show, and leave us a voice mail at 1-866-404-CNET--we're running low!The 404 Digest for Episode 907DragCloseThis content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Twitter's Qwikster wants money from Netflix.Talk of 'major' redesign of Facebook profiles as F8 nears.Facebook to launch Read, Listened, Watched, and Want buttons.Button fatigue settling in at Facebook.Welcome to your Hungarian Internet.For Idaho and the Internet, life in the slow lane.Old Ketchup packet heads for trash.Girls are not into The Pirate Bay, or BitTorrent.Bathroom break video of the day: Flying lawnmower.Episode 907PodcastYour browser does not support the audio element. Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video  Follow us on Twitter!The 404Jeff BakalarJustin YuWilson TangAdd us on Facebook!The 404 Fan PageThe 404 GroupJustin YuJeff BakalarWilson Tang
We're also looking forward to Facebook's F8 developers conference on Thursday, during which the company is rumored to announce its hyped-up media streaming platform as part of a "major" profile redesign.Like it or not, Facebook is pushing more for e-commerce and TechCrunch's Leena Rao thinks we'll see more buttons popping up to give users more specific sentiments like "Listened," "Watched," "Read," and maybe even "Want."Along with a story about girls not using BitTorrent, we'll also report on a story update from three years ago about Heinz's new "Dip and Squeeze" ketchup packet.Since everyone consumes ketchup differently, Heinz developed a packet that lets the consumer decide whether to squeeze out all the ketchup, or peel back the lid for dipping. And with three times more ketchup per packet than the old design, it might be a sign that Heinz could care less about this country's fight with obesity.But at least this country earns the top spot in something. We finish the show with a group groan about our country's dismal Internet speeds. According to an article in "The New York Times" last week, the U.S. dropped to 25th in the global ranking of Internet speeds, just behind Romania and the Czech Republic. It could be worse for New Yorkers, however--the report also blasts Idaho for its 318 Kbps "speeds."Enjoy today's show, and leave us a voice mail at 1-866-404-CNET--we're running low!The 404 Digest for Episode 907DragCloseThis content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Twitter's Qwikster wants money from Netflix.Talk of 'major' redesign of Facebook profiles as F8 nears.Facebook to launch Read, Listened, Watched, and Want buttons.Button fatigue settling in at Facebook.Welcome to your Hungarian Internet.For Idaho and the Internet, life in the slow lane.Old Ketchup packet heads for trash.Girls are not into The Pirate Bay, or BitTorrent.Bathroom break video of the day: Flying lawnmower.Episode 907PodcastYour browser does not support the audio element. Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video  Follow us on Twitter!The 404Jeff BakalarJustin YuWilson TangAdd us on Facebook!The 404 Fan PageThe 404 GroupJustin YuJeff BakalarWilson Tang
Pocket God- Tribal torment for iPhone
Pocket God: Tribal torment for iPhone
Admit it â€" we've all wanted to have our sadistic whims satisfied by tormenting a tribe of tiny people at some point or another, and Pocket God allows you to do just that. This god-sim places you in the position of a malicious god who (apparently) takes pleasure in the suffering of his creations, allowing you to visit lightning strikes, cyclones, piranhas, meteors, giant dinosaurs and many more disasters on your own personal tribe of cute little playthings. If you want to get a little more involved in the fun, you can flick the little fellas into active volcanoes, burn them with giant magnifying glasses or dangle them in front of hungry sharks. One of the greatest things about Pocket God is that its developer, Bolt Creative, regularly updates its creation with new episodes, adding new functionality to the game and a myriad of new and exciting ways to terrorise your island of cute little native islanders.Bolt Creative isn't messing around with adding new content either â€" 17 episodes have been added within the first four months of release, at no additional charge.While some may view our enjoyment of this game as yet another sign of our imminent psychosis, we'd like to take this opportunity to remind you that being a Pocket God is really, really fun â€" surely that makes up for it.On the other end of the universe-dominating spectrum is Galcon. If you've ever wanted to take over the universe, this just may be the game for you. Using the touchscreen, you send forth dozens of triangular fighters to dominate neutral or enemy planets in an attempt to capture it. The game has 10 difficulty levels and six game types, including online multiplayer and a ranking system if you choose to play online, so you shouldn't get bored any time soon. The AI is fiendishly intelligent for a game this simple in premise; we found that our armies were regularly outmanoeuvred and overwhelmed on the higher difficulties, but the game keeps up a fast and tense pace regardless of the difficulty you play on. If you're looking for a strategic challenge, Galcon delivers in spades; however, the downside is that the game is so irritatingly addictive.Available from iTunes for the iPhone and iPod Touch, Galcon can be purchased for AU$3.99, with a free demo also available, whilst Pocket God is available for only AU$1.19.
Admit it â€" we've all wanted to have our sadistic whims satisfied by tormenting a tribe of tiny people at some point or another, and Pocket God allows you to do just that. This god-sim places you in the position of a malicious god who (apparently) takes pleasure in the suffering of his creations, allowing you to visit lightning strikes, cyclones, piranhas, meteors, giant dinosaurs and many more disasters on your own personal tribe of cute little playthings. If you want to get a little more involved in the fun, you can flick the little fellas into active volcanoes, burn them with giant magnifying glasses or dangle them in front of hungry sharks. One of the greatest things about Pocket God is that its developer, Bolt Creative, regularly updates its creation with new episodes, adding new functionality to the game and a myriad of new and exciting ways to terrorise your island of cute little native islanders.Bolt Creative isn't messing around with adding new content either â€" 17 episodes have been added within the first four months of release, at no additional charge.While some may view our enjoyment of this game as yet another sign of our imminent psychosis, we'd like to take this opportunity to remind you that being a Pocket God is really, really fun â€" surely that makes up for it.On the other end of the universe-dominating spectrum is Galcon. If you've ever wanted to take over the universe, this just may be the game for you. Using the touchscreen, you send forth dozens of triangular fighters to dominate neutral or enemy planets in an attempt to capture it. The game has 10 difficulty levels and six game types, including online multiplayer and a ranking system if you choose to play online, so you shouldn't get bored any time soon. The AI is fiendishly intelligent for a game this simple in premise; we found that our armies were regularly outmanoeuvred and overwhelmed on the higher difficulties, but the game keeps up a fast and tense pace regardless of the difficulty you play on. If you're looking for a strategic challenge, Galcon delivers in spades; however, the downside is that the game is so irritatingly addictive.Available from iTunes for the iPhone and iPod Touch, Galcon can be purchased for AU$3.99, with a free demo also available, whilst Pocket God is available for only AU$1.19.
Pandora- iTunes Radio will be great -- for Pandora
Pandora: iTunes Radio will be great -- for Pandora
"We've yet to see any direct-licensing deal internationally that's financially viable," he said, referring to how competitors have gone about international expansion. He added that in Australia and New Zealand, associations of songwriters and performers were willing to set rates that made the economics of entering there work for Pandora. The company is "hoping to do a couple things there" that prove its bona fides abroad and how Pandora's entry in the market "is beneficial for the artists," Herring said. "If we do that there, then we'll be able to have those conversations in the rest of the world," he said. Pandora, as the biggest Internet radio service, has come under fire from musicians in the past for how little they're paid to be played on Pandora. Pandora has said it's still paying artists much more than FM radio, which broadcasts music for free. Even at a level of royalties that artists have grumbled about, licensing costs still take up roughly two-thirds of Pandora's revenue, which is mainly driven by ads.
"We've yet to see any direct-licensing deal internationally that's financially viable," he said, referring to how competitors have gone about international expansion. He added that in Australia and New Zealand, associations of songwriters and performers were willing to set rates that made the economics of entering there work for Pandora. The company is "hoping to do a couple things there" that prove its bona fides abroad and how Pandora's entry in the market "is beneficial for the artists," Herring said. "If we do that there, then we'll be able to have those conversations in the rest of the world," he said. Pandora, as the biggest Internet radio service, has come under fire from musicians in the past for how little they're paid to be played on Pandora. Pandora has said it's still paying artists much more than FM radio, which broadcasts music for free. Even at a level of royalties that artists have grumbled about, licensing costs still take up roughly two-thirds of Pandora's revenue, which is mainly driven by ads.
Paris Apple Store robbed of more than $1 million in goods
Paris Apple Store robbed of more than $1 million in goods
Armed robbers broke into the Apple Store in Paris on New Year's Eve and made off with more than a million dollars' worth of merchandise, according to reports. Masked suspects wielding handguns forced their way into the store through an employee entrance as a janitor was leaving, about three hours after the store's 6 p.m. closing time, England's Telegraph reported. The janitor was "lightly injured," the news outlet said. The Wall Street Journal cited French reports and said a security guard had also been overpowered by the thieves.The Journal said two suspects forced their way in, and the Telegraph reported that four or five suspects total were involved in the robbery.The thieves ignored display items and grabbed boxes of goods, loading them onto a truck. The whole operation took about 40 minutes, the Telegraph reported.The total value of the stolen goods was estimated at about 1 million euros, or $1.32 million. But the exact total is not yet known, as an inventory is still being taken, the Telegraph reported.
Armed robbers broke into the Apple Store in Paris on New Year's Eve and made off with more than a million dollars' worth of merchandise, according to reports. Masked suspects wielding handguns forced their way into the store through an employee entrance as a janitor was leaving, about three hours after the store's 6 p.m. closing time, England's Telegraph reported. The janitor was "lightly injured," the news outlet said. The Wall Street Journal cited French reports and said a security guard had also been overpowered by the thieves.The Journal said two suspects forced their way in, and the Telegraph reported that four or five suspects total were involved in the robbery.The thieves ignored display items and grabbed boxes of goods, loading them onto a truck. The whole operation took about 40 minutes, the Telegraph reported.The total value of the stolen goods was estimated at about 1 million euros, or $1.32 million. But the exact total is not yet known, as an inventory is still being taken, the Telegraph reported.
Tiny Wings 2 lands, free upgrade for existing game
Tiny Wings 2 lands, free upgrade for existing game
The game comes with some pretty sweet treats for Tiny Wings fans.The first is that if you already have Tiny Wings for iPhone, rather than having to buy a new game, all you have to do is update your existing game. The HD version is a separate download, coming in at AU$2.99, but the iPhone version is still AU$0.99, and you pay nothing further if you've already purchased it.As well as the Day Trip mode we know and love â€" where the aim is to get as far as you can within a timeframe â€" the game comes with two additional modes.Split-screen multiplayer(Screenshot by Michelle Starr/CNET Australia)The first is a race mode, called Flight School, where you race a baby bird against three AI opponents across 15 levels, racing to get the biggest fish from Mama Bird â€" who just happens to be the bird from the original game.The second mode is two-person split-screen multiplayer, where you race another player on some actually pretty tricky courses.As far as sequels go, it really rounds out the Tiny Wings gameplay magnificently â€" and well done to app maker Andreas Illiger for opting to make it a free update for existing owners.Tiny Wings (AU$0.99)Tiny Wings HD (AU$2.99)
The game comes with some pretty sweet treats for Tiny Wings fans.The first is that if you already have Tiny Wings for iPhone, rather than having to buy a new game, all you have to do is update your existing game. The HD version is a separate download, coming in at AU$2.99, but the iPhone version is still AU$0.99, and you pay nothing further if you've already purchased it.As well as the Day Trip mode we know and love â€" where the aim is to get as far as you can within a timeframe â€" the game comes with two additional modes.Split-screen multiplayer(Screenshot by Michelle Starr/CNET Australia)The first is a race mode, called Flight School, where you race a baby bird against three AI opponents across 15 levels, racing to get the biggest fish from Mama Bird â€" who just happens to be the bird from the original game.The second mode is two-person split-screen multiplayer, where you race another player on some actually pretty tricky courses.As far as sequels go, it really rounds out the Tiny Wings gameplay magnificently â€" and well done to app maker Andreas Illiger for opting to make it a free update for existing owners.Tiny Wings (AU$0.99)Tiny Wings HD (AU$2.99)
Thumbplay music app coming to desktops and smartphones
Thumbplay music app coming to desktops and smartphones
Since there's no such thing as too many music apps, Thumbplay has announced at CES its plan to turn its song and ringtone e-store into a downloadable, cloud-based, on-demand music player for desktops and smartphones.Thumbplay Music launches on Thursday as an invitation-only beta for Windows, Mac, and select BlackBerry smartphones. A single Adobe AIR app will run Thumbplay Music on Windows and Mac. At launch, the app supports BlackBerry Tour (9630), Bold (9000), and Curve (8900) phones. Compatibility with a greater number of BlackBerry models, and apps for iPhone and Android, are next on Thumbplay's road map.Thumbplay is modeling its nascent app on a subscription service that touts unlimited on-demand playback for artists and albums, a search feature, favorites that can synchronize between the smartphone and desktop app, and an offline playback mode. Thumbplay Music also supports iTunes playlists and playlists of your own creation on both the desktop and phone versions. A music discovery element similar to Pandora additionally seeks out tunes based on songs you already like.Already an online presence, Thumbplay's repertoire includes songs from Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, EMI Music, and independent labels like CD Baby, INgrooves, and IODA. Although the apps themselves are free, Thumbplay will adopt a subscription-based pricing model for the service once the apps become generally available in early 2010. After a free, three-day trial, the on-demand music service will cost $9.99 per month. The private beta, however, lets you try it out now for free. You can sign up on the Thumbplay Music site.
Since there's no such thing as too many music apps, Thumbplay has announced at CES its plan to turn its song and ringtone e-store into a downloadable, cloud-based, on-demand music player for desktops and smartphones.Thumbplay Music launches on Thursday as an invitation-only beta for Windows, Mac, and select BlackBerry smartphones. A single Adobe AIR app will run Thumbplay Music on Windows and Mac. At launch, the app supports BlackBerry Tour (9630), Bold (9000), and Curve (8900) phones. Compatibility with a greater number of BlackBerry models, and apps for iPhone and Android, are next on Thumbplay's road map.Thumbplay is modeling its nascent app on a subscription service that touts unlimited on-demand playback for artists and albums, a search feature, favorites that can synchronize between the smartphone and desktop app, and an offline playback mode. Thumbplay Music also supports iTunes playlists and playlists of your own creation on both the desktop and phone versions. A music discovery element similar to Pandora additionally seeks out tunes based on songs you already like.Already an online presence, Thumbplay's repertoire includes songs from Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, EMI Music, and independent labels like CD Baby, INgrooves, and IODA. Although the apps themselves are free, Thumbplay will adopt a subscription-based pricing model for the service once the apps become generally available in early 2010. After a free, three-day trial, the on-demand music service will cost $9.99 per month. The private beta, however, lets you try it out now for free. You can sign up on the Thumbplay Music site.
ThisIsMyJam offers intelligent mash-up creation
ThisIsMyJam offers intelligent mash-up creation
Most of us remember mix tapes as those carefully curated cassettes that collected our favorite music together into one 90-minute playlist. Ask a DJ about mix tapes, however, and you'll hear about a whole other side to the art, involving matched beats, seamless crossfades, and other nuances of literally mixing music together. If you're looking for an alternative to mix tape sites such as Muxtapeand Mixwit, ThisIsMyJam offers people a way to create mix tapes that emphasize the science of blending songs together.Based off of the Musical Brain API, ThisIsMyJam allows you to create interwoven music mixes that take into account song attributes such as tempo, key, timbre, genre, and more. There are plenty of drawbacks, such as a limited selection of music, no direct song uploads, and a maximum song playback duration of 20 seconds, but despite these limitations, ThisIsMyJam illustrates a novel approach. Surprisingly, we found the appeal of ThisIsMyJam to be its degree of difficulty. It's one thing to throw together an iTunes playlist, but creating an overlapping mix of music requires some trial and error. It took us more than a few tries to come up with a mix that didn't make us cringe during discordant song transitions, but the process of reexamining the mix, removing duds, and adding new songs made the final result feel more creative than simply throwing a playlist together and hitting enter.At the end of the two-step ThisIsMyJam process, the resulting mix comes with its own static URL, a dynamic "Latest Mix" URL, and code for embedding the mix into your own Web site (illustrated above). Via CreateDigitalMusic.
Most of us remember mix tapes as those carefully curated cassettes that collected our favorite music together into one 90-minute playlist. Ask a DJ about mix tapes, however, and you'll hear about a whole other side to the art, involving matched beats, seamless crossfades, and other nuances of literally mixing music together. If you're looking for an alternative to mix tape sites such as Muxtapeand Mixwit, ThisIsMyJam offers people a way to create mix tapes that emphasize the science of blending songs together.Based off of the Musical Brain API, ThisIsMyJam allows you to create interwoven music mixes that take into account song attributes such as tempo, key, timbre, genre, and more. There are plenty of drawbacks, such as a limited selection of music, no direct song uploads, and a maximum song playback duration of 20 seconds, but despite these limitations, ThisIsMyJam illustrates a novel approach. Surprisingly, we found the appeal of ThisIsMyJam to be its degree of difficulty. It's one thing to throw together an iTunes playlist, but creating an overlapping mix of music requires some trial and error. It took us more than a few tries to come up with a mix that didn't make us cringe during discordant song transitions, but the process of reexamining the mix, removing duds, and adding new songs made the final result feel more creative than simply throwing a playlist together and hitting enter.At the end of the two-step ThisIsMyJam process, the resulting mix comes with its own static URL, a dynamic "Latest Mix" URL, and code for embedding the mix into your own Web site (illustrated above). Via CreateDigitalMusic.
Think before you install
Think before you install
Short attention span syndrome strikes again. This practice, of trying to get people to install your software through coy tactics, has been going on for years. All the major IM vendors have tried it at one point or another. Yahoo faced an outrage in 2005 over the fact that its "standard" installation of a Yahoo Instant Messenger application included toolbars and this really obnoxious "live words" thing that directed people to Yahoo Search.Hell, Sony is actually charging people $50 to prevent software they don't want from being installed on their PCs.That doesn't mean Apple's move is any less annoying, but it's hardly ground-breaking. And in this case, at least you have options. Apple made Safari 3.1 a standalone update option, so you can choose to uncheck the box next to the title and download just the iTunes updates. The company tells you exactly what you're downloading, and offers a link to its site for more information.Had Apple bundled Safari with iTunes, the way they bundle Quicktime, I can see where Windows users would have more of a complaint. Being forced to install something you don't want just to get updates for something you do want is not cool. You can download standalone versions of QuickTime or iTunes on Apple's site, but sometimes they appear bundled in Software Update and people don't realize they have other options.But that's not what's happening with Safari. If you don't want Safari, don't click "install."It seems that at some point people became conditioned to downloading anything that shows up from an official source, like Microsoft, Apple, AOL, Yahoo, or whoever. Remember, it's your PC; spend your installation capital wisely.
Short attention span syndrome strikes again. This practice, of trying to get people to install your software through coy tactics, has been going on for years. All the major IM vendors have tried it at one point or another. Yahoo faced an outrage in 2005 over the fact that its "standard" installation of a Yahoo Instant Messenger application included toolbars and this really obnoxious "live words" thing that directed people to Yahoo Search.Hell, Sony is actually charging people $50 to prevent software they don't want from being installed on their PCs.That doesn't mean Apple's move is any less annoying, but it's hardly ground-breaking. And in this case, at least you have options. Apple made Safari 3.1 a standalone update option, so you can choose to uncheck the box next to the title and download just the iTunes updates. The company tells you exactly what you're downloading, and offers a link to its site for more information.Had Apple bundled Safari with iTunes, the way they bundle Quicktime, I can see where Windows users would have more of a complaint. Being forced to install something you don't want just to get updates for something you do want is not cool. You can download standalone versions of QuickTime or iTunes on Apple's site, but sometimes they appear bundled in Software Update and people don't realize they have other options.But that's not what's happening with Safari. If you don't want Safari, don't click "install."It seems that at some point people became conditioned to downloading anything that shows up from an official source, like Microsoft, Apple, AOL, Yahoo, or whoever. Remember, it's your PC; spend your installation capital wisely.
The Room Two arrives for iPad
The Room Two arrives for iPad
BAFTA award-winning, Apple game of the year-winning, all-round CNET Australia favourite The Room has been teasing a sequel for months now â€" and it's just quietly landed on our local iTunes Store.The first game, launched in September 2012 for iOS and March 2013 for Android, saw you willed mysterious puzzle boxes after the death of a relative. Each one presented a series of challenges, and you had to thoroughly examine each one for clues to solving the puzzles that would unlock it so that you could get to what was inside.Of course, what was inside was an even bigger mystery: it seems someone had been looking into figuring out a fifth element, beyond earth, water, air and fire: "Null". It was all very spooky and Lovecraftian.And the gameplay was utterly superb. With beautiful art, you really felt like you were manipulating a physical object: finding secret compartments, fixing broken machine parts, locating keys â€" all the while finding scraps of story on the way.The Room Two has been one of our most hotly anticipated games of this year, so we're going to stop talking and get to playing it. You should, too.If you haven't played the first game, you can grab it from iTunes for free and Google Play for AU$1.99. The Room Two for iPad can be found for AU$5.49 on the iTunes App Store.
BAFTA award-winning, Apple game of the year-winning, all-round CNET Australia favourite The Room has been teasing a sequel for months now â€" and it's just quietly landed on our local iTunes Store.The first game, launched in September 2012 for iOS and March 2013 for Android, saw you willed mysterious puzzle boxes after the death of a relative. Each one presented a series of challenges, and you had to thoroughly examine each one for clues to solving the puzzles that would unlock it so that you could get to what was inside.Of course, what was inside was an even bigger mystery: it seems someone had been looking into figuring out a fifth element, beyond earth, water, air and fire: "Null". It was all very spooky and Lovecraftian.And the gameplay was utterly superb. With beautiful art, you really felt like you were manipulating a physical object: finding secret compartments, fixing broken machine parts, locating keys â€" all the while finding scraps of story on the way.The Room Two has been one of our most hotly anticipated games of this year, so we're going to stop talking and get to playing it. You should, too.If you haven't played the first game, you can grab it from iTunes for free and Google Play for AU$1.99. The Room Two for iPad can be found for AU$5.49 on the iTunes App Store.
Fantastic Fest Buzz: Rockin' Unicorns, 'ABCs of Death 2' and One Helluva Crazy Food Fight
[all photos courtesy of Fantastic Fest/David Hill] Pictured above: Alamo Drafthouse CEO Tim League kicks off Fantastic Fest;s 10th anniversary in style, wearing an Adidas jumpsuit with a GoPro camera strapped to his chest. Also pictured: Tusk writer-director Kevin Smith and star Justin Long dressed in a walrus suit. Pictured below: You guess: Is this an image from the Fantastic Fest opening-night horror movie ABCs of Death 2, or is this just two people trapped in the middle of one helluva crazy food fight? WHAT IS FANTASTIC FEST? Pictured: Prior to the premiere of Kevin Smith;s Tusk, several people -- including Alamo Drafthouse CEO Tim League and filmmaker Nacho Vigalando -- perform a Fantastic Fest rap, complete with glitter, confetti, dancers and more. If you;ve never heard us sing the praises of this annual film festival before, then Fantastic Fest is, in a nutshell, the raddest, most badass genre-film festival in the country -- and maybe even the universe. Basically it;s a week full of some of the world;s best new genre movies (horror, sci-fi, weird stuff, gory stuff, crazy stuff) hosted by one of the country;s best theater chains, the Alamo Drafthouse. Here;s a preview of the Fantastic Fest movies we;re anticipating the most. In addition to all the great movies, the festival hosts a ton of events -- like a wild karaoke bash, nerdy games, a chili cook-off, and a series of debates where the debaters verbalize their arguments before putting on boxing gloves and beating the snot out of each other. Oh yes. They even make challenge videos ahead of time. Here;s one from Tim League, who;ll be debating -- and then fighting -- filmmaker Ti West (The Sacrament). And then -- and then! -- there;s the wild, legendary opening-night parties, where freakishly fantastic ideas thrown together on the backs of napkins come to life in the most exhilirating ways. After all, Fantastic Fest not only introduces us to cool movies -- it also makes you feel like you;re living the life of the 10-year-old cool kid you never were, if only for a few days. On that note... THIS YEAR;S OPENING NIGHT PARTY: A 10-YEAR-OLD;S LAME BIRTHDAY PARTY This year;s opening-night theme, according to Tim League, revolved around a 10-year-old;s lame birthday party. So they took things like costumed animals playing music (a la Chuck E. Cheese), a pinata, a magician, clowns, balloon animals and dancing, and then ran them through the Fantastic Fest blender. Here;s what came out: Your opening night band: a unicorn, an eagle and a dog on drums. With video: The human piñata... ...and yeah, it;s exactly what it sounds like. Random breakdancing competition? Why not. Of course every 10-year-old;s birthday party has to end with an epic food fight. So, at 2 a.m., Tim League led a conga line through the theater and onto the roof for one of the craziest food fights ever recorded. While we await video, here are some images. In case you;re curious about the kinds of food involved, we had mashed potatoes, spaghetti, chocolate sauce, tomatoes and more. WHAT ABOUT ABCs OF DEATH 2? The sequel to ABCs of Death -- in which 26 directors were assigned a letter of the alphabet and given $5,000 to create a short film around the letter that involved death -- definitely raises the bar in terms of quality and entertainment value, proving there;s desire, passion and purpose behind the comeback anthology movies are currently making on the big screen. We;ll have more regarding ABCs of Death 2 next month when it hits theaters, including interviews with the filmmakers responsible for the film;s two best shorts (in our opinion), but here;s what some of our friends thought: ABCs of Death 2 is leaps and bounds better than the first, by the way. Not all segments hit, but a surprising few completely miss. — Eric Vespe (@EricVespe) September 19, 2014 . @ABCsofDeath 2 has a better batting average than Part 1, and considerably less bodily grossness gags, too. I dig it. #FantasticFest — Scott Weinberg (@scottEweinberg) September 19, 2014 THE ABCS OF DEATH 2 is overall a big step-up from its predecessor, far fewer outright bad entries, & the good ones kill.#FantasticFest — James Marsh (@Marshy00) September 19, 2014 ABCS OF DEATH 2: much-improved hit ratio. @EVANLKATZ nails it, Chris Nash does mad body horror, Steve Kostanski destroys the He-Man concept. — Russ Fischer (@russfischer) September 19, 2014 And finally... no opening night recap is complete with video of yours truly butchering Young MC;s Bust a Move during a silly karaoke session. Check out more of our Fantastic Fest coverage here, and follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute reactions @moviesdotcom and @erikdavis.
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