The 404 407: Where we pack Vienna Teng's lunch into the PS3 Slim box
SonyAt the top of the show, we do a little unboxing of the new PlayStation 3 Slim. While Vienna and Justin may not care too much about the game console, Jeff and Wilson don't particularly like its new finish.In almost all respects, however, it functions just like the original 80GB model that it replaces, plus it comes with a 120GB hard drive. (No Linux for those homebrew fans out there.)The star of the show is Vienna, a singer, songwriter, and pianist from the San Francisco Bay Area who graduated from Stanford University. Vienna later took up a job at Cisco as a computer programmer and made the leap to musician during her time there. We end the first half of the show with a track from her first album "Waking Hour," called"Gravity." The song is about the ups and downs of her roommate's relationship.On the second half of the show, we listen to her song "Radio" from her current album "Inland Territory." And we talk about how now one in four songs sold in the United States is through iTunes.Finally, we end the show with her song "Augustine."You can find her music on iTunes, Amazon, MySpace, Last.fm, and her own Web site. (Editor's note: Last.fm is a part of CBS Interactive, which also publishes CNET.)EPISODE 407PodcastYour browser does not support the audio element. Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) |Subscribe in RSS Audio |Subscribe in RSS Video This 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.PlayVienna Teng's Web siteVienna Teng's MySpaceVienna Teng's Last.fmVienna Teng's iTunesBuy "Inland Territory" on AmazonPlayStation 3 Slim videoFollow us on Twitter!The 404Jeff BakalarJustin YuWilson TangAdd us on Facebook!The 404 Fan PageThe 404 GroupJustin YuJeff BakalarWilson Tang
M-Go offers on-demand and UltraViolet on TVs, tablets
M-Go offers on-demand and UltraViolet on TVs, tablets
A new on-demand streaming video service called M-Go is coming to a TV or tablet near you and promises user-friendly features and UltraViolet support.M-Go offers movies and TV shows on a "pay per play" or download (SD/HD) basis and will be available from January 2013 on televisions from Samsung (2012/2013 models), Vizio, and LG (coming later in April), plus Samsung tablets (now) and most Web browsers. The service boasts content from most popular movie studios -- Paramount, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. -- with the exception of Disney, which just signed an exclusive deal with Netflix. However, M-Go's chief media officer, Ted Hong, said that this deal doesn't affect M-Go directly, as the company offers a transactional service, similar to DVD. Hong said that additional content deals with studios such as Lionsgate are in development.Uniquely, if M-ÂGo doesn't have the movie you are after, it will suggest other competing services that do, including Amazon, iTunes, Netflix, and Vudu.The user interface is quite stark, just purple "cards" on a white background, but Hong said this makes it "people-friendly.""One of the things we've differentiated ourselves on is a really clean, simple user interface; not just a wall of box art," Hong said.The service went live in a "public beta" as of January 4, but Hong said there will be no official launch as such."We think of ourselves as a service, not a store; the world doesn't need another store," Hong said. "We really want to be the hub and the starting point for all of your digital entertainment. Day one, it's about movies and TV shows for rent or purchase, but live TV is on the roadmap."Hong said M-Go uses the same technology that is behind Lovefilm in the U.K., as both were developed by M-Go's founder, Technicolor.Users of the service can create up to five additional profiles per account and include parental controls.Previously, the UltraViolet movie locker service was only available to select users, but M-ÂGo supports multiple digital lockers including UltraViolet. Other current services that include UV lockers are Vudu and Flixster.
A new on-demand streaming video service called M-Go is coming to a TV or tablet near you and promises user-friendly features and UltraViolet support.M-Go offers movies and TV shows on a "pay per play" or download (SD/HD) basis and will be available from January 2013 on televisions from Samsung (2012/2013 models), Vizio, and LG (coming later in April), plus Samsung tablets (now) and most Web browsers. The service boasts content from most popular movie studios -- Paramount, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. -- with the exception of Disney, which just signed an exclusive deal with Netflix. However, M-Go's chief media officer, Ted Hong, said that this deal doesn't affect M-Go directly, as the company offers a transactional service, similar to DVD. Hong said that additional content deals with studios such as Lionsgate are in development.Uniquely, if M-ÂGo doesn't have the movie you are after, it will suggest other competing services that do, including Amazon, iTunes, Netflix, and Vudu.The user interface is quite stark, just purple "cards" on a white background, but Hong said this makes it "people-friendly.""One of the things we've differentiated ourselves on is a really clean, simple user interface; not just a wall of box art," Hong said.The service went live in a "public beta" as of January 4, but Hong said there will be no official launch as such."We think of ourselves as a service, not a store; the world doesn't need another store," Hong said. "We really want to be the hub and the starting point for all of your digital entertainment. Day one, it's about movies and TV shows for rent or purchase, but live TV is on the roadmap."Hong said M-Go uses the same technology that is behind Lovefilm in the U.K., as both were developed by M-Go's founder, Technicolor.Users of the service can create up to five additional profiles per account and include parental controls.Previously, the UltraViolet movie locker service was only available to select users, but M-ÂGo supports multiple digital lockers including UltraViolet. Other current services that include UV lockers are Vudu and Flixster.
Former Apple retail chief- 'I just didn't fit'
Former Apple retail chief: 'I just didn't fit'
Apple's former retail chief apparently harbors few hard feelings about his previous employer, and says his brief stint at the company was "probably the best thing" that happened to him."Apple is a truly fantastic business. The people are great. They've got great products. It's got a great culture. And I loved working there -- it's a fantastic business," John Browett said during an on-stage interview at the Retail Week Live conference earlier this week."The issue there was that I just didn't fit within the way they ran the business," he added. "For me, it was one of those shopping things where you're ejected for fit rather than competency."Apple originally hired Browett to replace Ron Johnson, who left to become CEO of JC Penney. His brief tenure brought both positive and negative publicity to Apple's retail empire, though much of the focus centered on reports of budget cuts, employee layoffs, and other scale-backs. Browett left the company just six months later, a move Apple tucked away within news of a management shuffle that also saw the departure of former iOS software chief Scott Forstall.Before Apple, Browett ran U.K.-based electronics retailer Dixons. Since his stint at Apple, Browett has landed at U.K.-based retail chain Monsoon Accessorize, as the company's CEO. Browett now oversees more than 1,000 stores, a fiefdom more than twice the size of Apple's retail empire, which is currently at 400 stores.Apple remains on the hunt for a new retail chief to replace Browett, though the company has not let on to progress on that effort. Here's a clip from the interview: (Via The Independent)
Apple's former retail chief apparently harbors few hard feelings about his previous employer, and says his brief stint at the company was "probably the best thing" that happened to him."Apple is a truly fantastic business. The people are great. They've got great products. It's got a great culture. And I loved working there -- it's a fantastic business," John Browett said during an on-stage interview at the Retail Week Live conference earlier this week."The issue there was that I just didn't fit within the way they ran the business," he added. "For me, it was one of those shopping things where you're ejected for fit rather than competency."Apple originally hired Browett to replace Ron Johnson, who left to become CEO of JC Penney. His brief tenure brought both positive and negative publicity to Apple's retail empire, though much of the focus centered on reports of budget cuts, employee layoffs, and other scale-backs. Browett left the company just six months later, a move Apple tucked away within news of a management shuffle that also saw the departure of former iOS software chief Scott Forstall.Before Apple, Browett ran U.K.-based electronics retailer Dixons. Since his stint at Apple, Browett has landed at U.K.-based retail chain Monsoon Accessorize, as the company's CEO. Browett now oversees more than 1,000 stores, a fiefdom more than twice the size of Apple's retail empire, which is currently at 400 stores.Apple remains on the hunt for a new retail chief to replace Browett, though the company has not let on to progress on that effort. Here's a clip from the interview: (Via The Independent)
Former Apple exec roping in old colleague at J.C. Penney
Former Apple exec roping in old colleague at J.C. Penney
Apple's former retail chief may be looking to get some of his old gang back together at his new gig.J.C. Penney CEO Ron Johnson, who officially left his post as Apple's senior vice president of retail operations this month, is now said to be in the process of trying to hire a former Apple executive he worked with while at the technology company.Citing sources, The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) that Johnson in trying to hire Michael Kramer, who was the chief financial officer of Apple's retail operations between 2000 and 2005. The Journal says Johnson is vying to get to get Kramer--who is currently the CEO of fashion company Kellwood Co.--to come on as J.C. Penney's chief operating officer. That's with the help of Daniel Walker, Apple's former chief talent officer, and the one who brought Johnson to Apple, the report says. Johnson decided to leave Apple for retailer J.C. Penney in June, having spent more than a decade working to build Apple's retail ambitions into an empire. Under Johnson's direction, Apple's stores became a major success, helping to fuel record sales and act as service stations for the company's growing product line. Johnson is credited both with the strategy of the stores, as well as much of the micromanaging that goes into the details, from materials used, all the way to the layout of each store. Apple has not yet announced a successor for Johnson's position. In a statement issued last week, the company said it was still searching for a replacement.
Apple's former retail chief may be looking to get some of his old gang back together at his new gig.J.C. Penney CEO Ron Johnson, who officially left his post as Apple's senior vice president of retail operations this month, is now said to be in the process of trying to hire a former Apple executive he worked with while at the technology company.Citing sources, The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) that Johnson in trying to hire Michael Kramer, who was the chief financial officer of Apple's retail operations between 2000 and 2005. The Journal says Johnson is vying to get to get Kramer--who is currently the CEO of fashion company Kellwood Co.--to come on as J.C. Penney's chief operating officer. That's with the help of Daniel Walker, Apple's former chief talent officer, and the one who brought Johnson to Apple, the report says. Johnson decided to leave Apple for retailer J.C. Penney in June, having spent more than a decade working to build Apple's retail ambitions into an empire. Under Johnson's direction, Apple's stores became a major success, helping to fuel record sales and act as service stations for the company's growing product line. Johnson is credited both with the strategy of the stores, as well as much of the micromanaging that goes into the details, from materials used, all the way to the layout of each store. Apple has not yet announced a successor for Johnson's position. In a statement issued last week, the company said it was still searching for a replacement.
Former Apple exec- PC 'in its twilight'
Former Apple exec: PC 'in its twilight'
Jean-Louis Gassée, a former Apple executive and now a general partner for Allegis Capital,wrote in his "Monday Note" blog that the PC market is in its death throes.His comments come after a rumor Web site claimed that Apple will abandon Intel processors in favor of processors based on the power-frugal ARM chip architecture."Now that the PC market is in its twilight, with mobile devices proliferating and stealing growth from the PC, surely Intel has to get into the race," Gassée wrote.While not mentioning Intel's power-efficient Atom processor by name, Gassée had harsh words for Intel's lack of competitiveness in the smartphone world--where its Atom chip is intended to compete. "Let's consider Intel's complete absence from the mobile scene. Not a single smartphone contains an x86 processor," he wrote.Gassée continues. "For the past four years, Intel has told us we'd see [Intel] x86 mobile devices Real Soon Now. The company developed its own mobile version of Linux, MobLin, and they made a big deal of joining forces with Nokia's Maemo to create MeeGo. But Nokia's new CEO, Stephen Elop, kicked Meego to the [curb]," he wrote.Gassée goes on to write that ARM continues to out-maneuver Intel on the power-efficiency front.He also cast doubt on the significance of Intel's 3D transistor announcement last week."Will this be enough to unseat ARM? Most observers doubt it. The big news was received with an equally big yawn...We've been here before: The 'product' of the announcement is the announcement. (And there's the suspicion that 'breakthrough' revelations are an attempt to mask a lack of spanking new products.)," he wrote.
Jean-Louis Gassée, a former Apple executive and now a general partner for Allegis Capital,wrote in his "Monday Note" blog that the PC market is in its death throes.His comments come after a rumor Web site claimed that Apple will abandon Intel processors in favor of processors based on the power-frugal ARM chip architecture."Now that the PC market is in its twilight, with mobile devices proliferating and stealing growth from the PC, surely Intel has to get into the race," Gassée wrote.While not mentioning Intel's power-efficient Atom processor by name, Gassée had harsh words for Intel's lack of competitiveness in the smartphone world--where its Atom chip is intended to compete. "Let's consider Intel's complete absence from the mobile scene. Not a single smartphone contains an x86 processor," he wrote.Gassée continues. "For the past four years, Intel has told us we'd see [Intel] x86 mobile devices Real Soon Now. The company developed its own mobile version of Linux, MobLin, and they made a big deal of joining forces with Nokia's Maemo to create MeeGo. But Nokia's new CEO, Stephen Elop, kicked Meego to the [curb]," he wrote.Gassée goes on to write that ARM continues to out-maneuver Intel on the power-efficiency front.He also cast doubt on the significance of Intel's 3D transistor announcement last week."Will this be enough to unseat ARM? Most observers doubt it. The big news was received with an equally big yawn...We've been here before: The 'product' of the announcement is the announcement. (And there's the suspicion that 'breakthrough' revelations are an attempt to mask a lack of spanking new products.)," he wrote.
Forget the iTV, Steve Jobs wanted an iCar
Forget the iTV, Steve Jobs wanted an iCar
Televisions weren't the only product late Steve Jobs wanted to revamp. According to one of Apple's current board members, Jobs was eyeing automobiles too.That tidbit came during an interview with J. Crew CEO and Apple board member Mickey Drexler at Fast Company's Innovation Uncensored conference in New York last month. The outlet released a video of the interview late yesterday. "Look at the car industry; it's a tragedy in America. Who is designing the cars?" Drexler said. "Steve's dream before he died was to design an iCar."Drexler suggested that automobile "would've been probably 50 percent of the market," and that Jobs "never did design it." The project joins a short list of others that did not come to fruition ahead of Jobs' death last October, but have since been revealed. Per a conversation noted in Walter Isaacson's biography of Jobs last year, the CEO and inventor was also eyeing a TV set, which Apple is rumored to still be working on. Jobs had also worked with French designer Philippe Starck to architect the interior design of a yacht, a project that has since been taken over by Jobs' wife.Related storiesThe 'Starck' truth about Apple's 'revolutionary' productApple TV: Did Steve Jobs crack the code?Draft Steve Jobs to run GM? Why not?Apple has historically been hands-off in developing any specific technologies for automobiles, though during the iPod's boom years the company dabbled in partnerships that more deeply integrated the device inside of automobiles. A more recent effort by Mercedes-Benz aims to integrate Siri, Apple's voice assistant for the iPhone 4S, in the company's A-Class cars.Here's the snippet from the interview:
Televisions weren't the only product late Steve Jobs wanted to revamp. According to one of Apple's current board members, Jobs was eyeing automobiles too.That tidbit came during an interview with J. Crew CEO and Apple board member Mickey Drexler at Fast Company's Innovation Uncensored conference in New York last month. The outlet released a video of the interview late yesterday. "Look at the car industry; it's a tragedy in America. Who is designing the cars?" Drexler said. "Steve's dream before he died was to design an iCar."Drexler suggested that automobile "would've been probably 50 percent of the market," and that Jobs "never did design it." The project joins a short list of others that did not come to fruition ahead of Jobs' death last October, but have since been revealed. Per a conversation noted in Walter Isaacson's biography of Jobs last year, the CEO and inventor was also eyeing a TV set, which Apple is rumored to still be working on. Jobs had also worked with French designer Philippe Starck to architect the interior design of a yacht, a project that has since been taken over by Jobs' wife.Related storiesThe 'Starck' truth about Apple's 'revolutionary' productApple TV: Did Steve Jobs crack the code?Draft Steve Jobs to run GM? Why not?Apple has historically been hands-off in developing any specific technologies for automobiles, though during the iPod's boom years the company dabbled in partnerships that more deeply integrated the device inside of automobiles. A more recent effort by Mercedes-Benz aims to integrate Siri, Apple's voice assistant for the iPhone 4S, in the company's A-Class cars.Here's the snippet from the interview:
For 99 cents, Amazon sells shows, Apple rents them
For 99 cents, Amazon sells shows, Apple rents them
As an eagle-eyed CNET reader noted, Amazon is selling some TV shows for the same price that Apple plans to charge for rentals.A number of ABC and Fox shows, including hits like "Glee," are available on Amazon's service for 99 cents per episode--the same price as Apple's coming rental option. But with Amazon, the episodes can be downloaded or streamed and do not expire.Other shows, such as AMC's Mad Men, still fetch $1.99 on Amazon's site.Here's what Amazon says of the rights that come with videos sold on its site, including the 99-cent TV shows."When you buy a video, your viewing rights do not expire (except as provided in our Terms of Use)," Amazon states. "You can watch a video you own online and download it to 2 locations (TiVo, DVRs, and Windows PCs). You can also transfer a video you own to 2 portable devices. Note: Some new release movies will become unavailable for viewing or downloading for an unspecified period of time due to licensing restrictions. You will be notified about this before we process your order."While Amazon only offers downloads to Windows machines and TiVo boxes, purchased shows can be streamed on a wider array of devices, including Macs, PCs or TVs connected to compatible devices from, among others, Samsung, Vizio, Sony, Panasonic, and Roku. Apple announced the 99-cent video rental option earlier on Wednesday. For now it is in the U.S. only and is limited to certain programs from Fox and ABC. Apple sells a much wider array of TV shows, typically charging $1.99 for standard-definition and $2.99 for HD episodes.
As an eagle-eyed CNET reader noted, Amazon is selling some TV shows for the same price that Apple plans to charge for rentals.A number of ABC and Fox shows, including hits like "Glee," are available on Amazon's service for 99 cents per episode--the same price as Apple's coming rental option. But with Amazon, the episodes can be downloaded or streamed and do not expire.Other shows, such as AMC's Mad Men, still fetch $1.99 on Amazon's site.Here's what Amazon says of the rights that come with videos sold on its site, including the 99-cent TV shows."When you buy a video, your viewing rights do not expire (except as provided in our Terms of Use)," Amazon states. "You can watch a video you own online and download it to 2 locations (TiVo, DVRs, and Windows PCs). You can also transfer a video you own to 2 portable devices. Note: Some new release movies will become unavailable for viewing or downloading for an unspecified period of time due to licensing restrictions. You will be notified about this before we process your order."While Amazon only offers downloads to Windows machines and TiVo boxes, purchased shows can be streamed on a wider array of devices, including Macs, PCs or TVs connected to compatible devices from, among others, Samsung, Vizio, Sony, Panasonic, and Roku. Apple announced the 99-cent video rental option earlier on Wednesday. For now it is in the U.S. only and is limited to certain programs from Fox and ABC. Apple sells a much wider array of TV shows, typically charging $1.99 for standard-definition and $2.99 for HD episodes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)