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What Happened to that RIM Apple TV Rival?

Don Reisinger, Oct 13th 2011 Discuss [10]

Over the summer, some reports cropped up suggesting RIM was working on a set-top box that would compete against devices like the Apple TV. Dubbed “BlackBerry Cyclone,” the product would reportedly include Netflix streaming, YouTube content, and all kinds of other features.

Soon after that report surfaced, I took to SlashGear to discuss why I believed the device would fail miserably. I told readers that as an enterprise-focused mobile company, it wouldn’t make any sense for RIM to release such a device. And many of you agreed.

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Columns

Does Microsoft Scare Anyone Anymore?

Don Reisinger, Oct 10th 2011 Discuss [66]

Earlier this week, I was having a conversation with a friend about Microsoft. We were talking about Windows, Office, and the Xbox 360, and discussing why we felt the software giant has been so successful over the years.

Towards the end of the conversation, my friend change the topic a bit, saying Microsoft still wields too much power in the industry and has changed little since its heyday as the so-called “Evil Empire.”

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Columns

It’s the Early-90s All Over Again with iOS Gaming

Don Reisinger, Oct 7th 2011 Discuss [16]

At the iPhone event held earlier this week in Cupertino, Calif., Apple showed off how the iPhone 4S could deliver a level of gaming that so far, has been unmatched in the mobile space. And developers, hoping to capitalize on the new technology, have already sounded off on how impressed and excited they are to start developing for the device.

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Columns

Can Little Companies Still Get Ahead?

Don Reisinger, Oct 1st 2011 Discuss [12]

When we think about the state of home entertainment today, we typically talk about companies like Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, Sony, and others. After all, they’re the firms that are performing so well in the space right now, and they’re the companies that, at least for the time being, will continue to set the benchmark by which all others are judged.

But all that talk of big companies seems to leave out smaller firms that have some unique ideas but don’t seem to be able to get ahead.

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Columns

Watch out iPad: Even indirect Fire can cook Apples

Chris Davies, Sep 30th 2011 Discuss [68]

Analysts and pundits are queuing up to point out the Kindle Fire‘s shortcomings, and how Amazon’s entrant to the tablet market is “not a true iPad competitor.” Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster went so far as to estimate Amazon was swallowing fifty bucks loss on each Kindle Fire sold, crossing its fingers that multimedia sales would make up for it, and highlighted the slate’s lacking storage, absent cameras and non-existent 3G option. The idea, it seems, is that because Amazon hasn’t photocopied Apple’s strategy – or, indeed, followed Android tablet manufacturers in trying to compete on specifications alone – and since the Kindle Fire’s price is thus less than half that of the iPad, they “target different segments” and the iPad is in the clear. That seems pretty short-sighted.

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Columns

What Console Could You Not Live Without?

Don Reisinger, Sep 29th 2011 Discuss [47]

Over the weekend, I was getting ready to play Gears of War 3 on my Xbox 360, and looked at my selection of game consoles, including the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii, in addition to Microsoft’s hardware. After thinking about all the benefits of those devices, I asked myself a simple question: “which one of those could I simply not live without?”

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Columns

Avid Reader? Kindle Fire’s not for you

Chris Davies, Sep 28th 2011 Discuss [31]

In just a few hours time, Amazon is expected to reveal its latest Kindle model, the Kindle Fire, a tablety-take on what the megaretailer thinks will claw iPad buyers away from Apple’s clutches. To do that, it’s reportedly readying every aspect of its not-inconsiderable might: multimedia, cloud storage, and the ability to squeeze margins out of content rights-holders like juice from a blood orange. Don’t let the Kindle part of the name fool you, however; if you’re the avid reader that has so far been Amazon’s target customer, the Kindle Fire isn’t the product for you.

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Is Apple preparing an iPhone 5 LTE demo?

Chris Davies, Sep 26th 2011 Discuss [13]

Apple’s rumored plans to hold the iPhone 5 launch, tipped to take place next week, at the company’s Cupertino campus could be an LTE strategy decision, with the company looking to tightly control a 4G demonstration of the new smartphone. While Apple’s usual iPhone launch venue, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, is known to be booked up on October 4, it’s also possible that the company had no intention of revealing an LTE-equipped iPhone 5 anywhere but on its home turf.

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Columns

No Matter Who Owns Blockbuster, It’s a Joke

Don Reisinger, Sep 25th 2011 Discuss [28]

Like many others, I’ve been extremely critical of Blockbuster over the years. I’ve felt that the company has failed to see the changing times, and has generally lost all sense of what consumers are after.

So, when Dish acquired Blockbuster earlier this year, I thought it might be a good thing for the formerly dominant rental firm. I thought that Dish could find a way to revive Blockbuster’s ailing business model, and return it to a place where it would no longer be viewed as a joke.

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Columns

Facebook Timeline and The Cult Of Me

Chris Davies, Sep 23rd 2011 Discuss [4]

Mark Zuckerberg is a clever man. Facebook’s f8 expo was as all-singing – with Spotify – and all-dancing – with Hulu – as we could’ve hoped, but at its core it was All About Me. Timeline may be the natural evolution of each user’s profile page, but it’s also the perfect stage for our self-obsessed times. Don’t just tell people where you are now, but let them scroll back through the years to see how you got there.

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Columns

Netflix’s Qwikster: A Bad Name and a Bad Idea

Don Reisinger, Sep 22nd 2011 Discuss [11]

Netflix finds itself in a rather unsettling position. The company is having trouble convincing all the major content providers to jump on its streaming service — as evidenced by its recent troubles with Starz — and its CEO Reed Hastings’ recent apology didn’t go over well. All the while, shareholders are jumping ship at an alarming rate over concerns that the future might not be so bright for the company.

But Netflix believes it has a trump card ready to go. And that trump card is named Qwikster.

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Columns

Nokia’s CTO swap could be its turning point

Chris Davies, Sep 22nd 2011 Discuss [16]

The decision to make Henry Tirri Nokia’s new Chief Technology Officer is arguably more important for the company’s future than its deal with Microsoft over Windows Phone. Executive-level shuffles aren’t often worth much more than a casual footnote, but Tirri’s promotion – in the context of Nokia’s fading star in the smartphone league – could prove a legitimate turning point for the Finns. Tirri could well be the vital link between Nokia’s flourishing imagination and its floundering production.