Stan's List

The update is not available, but the buzz has been hugh. Gear Live broke the news and had a slide show which immediately received accusations that the photos were fixed. They subsequently have done a video which should prove the its validity.

The update is beta, at best, as it crashed during the demo.

So far it will include:

Moving home page icons to where ever you want, including the four main icons or pagination to another page. You can still have only 4 icons at the bottom.

Google cell phone triangulation (mentioned here before)

Send SMS to multiple users

Still on my want list: Flash and Java

A Rolling Stone blog delves in what many consider a subjective area (just read the comments). Has the move to mobile music invited a less than high fidelity sound. Music has been subject to the “loudness war” where the engineers raise the sound levels to compensate for the less quality expected from portable music players and computer stereo speakers. What are the alternatives? MP3 in 256 kbps is considered to be close to CD quality. A very interesting article. More …

Read the comments from mostly producers and artists, there is some mud slinging, but lots of information. Some will sound like my comments below.

I extracted the audio source “California Hotel” from the Eagles “Hell Freezes Over” video DVD. I exported it to a 44.1 KHz .aiff file. This created an outstanding sounding file, and without a doubt, at least, true CD quality. It is one single song, 70.3 MB, and too large to burn to a normal CD, without compression. Fortunately that is not necessary, as my iPod and IPhone play it close to true quality. The iPod, in its cradle, is often connected to a soon to be replaced, but adequate Gemini PA-7000 pre-amp (the previous crashed and burned), a Soundcraftsmen PM-840 amplifier and Bose 901 Series 1 speakers. I have had the amplifier and speakers for 30 years. There is no doubt analog output is warmer and more dynamic with high fidelity equipment. Even CD’s and the iPod are clearer and silent parts (mainly classical music) are so quiet. I love to listen.

The fault is the engineers presuming to know what we want to hear. This is also a plausible cause for the reduction in CD buying. CD quality is very poor.

This video explains why dynamic range matters
There is anther YouTube example of the “loudness wars”

Bloomberg reports AOL is no longer supporting Netscape which was acquired by them in 1999 for $9.8 million. Netscape once had 80 of the web market and can be credited with demonstrating the validity of the web. AOL can no longer provide the necessary resources to improve Netscape. More …

Apple has applied for a patent describing methods to buy most anything in a store with a wireless connection with a cell phone. Any doubt Apple is thinking about one particular mobile phone? A Forbes article has a number of examples where this technology could be used. Most are retail and appears to be aimed at avoiding lines. One advantage would be ordering your Starbucks’ coffee while on the way, or in the back of the line. More …

“I can’t believe I am in the first row”

Wait, if you generally order the coffee of the day, you still have to wait in line to hand them your re-usable coffee mug.

Showing how popular Wal-Mart’s online was, not till Gizmodo got a tip, did anyone notice.

The store’s sudden death actually isn’t too surprising even though it was less than a year old and the first one to sport content from the “big six” studios. Who thinks “Wal-Mart” when they think “video downloads,” and wants to deal with a … of DRM, WMV files and Windows and IE-only compatibility? More …

Expect this to be announced at Macworld. According to MarketWatch Apple and Fox have signed a deal for a video on demand service.

Fox and potentially other studios are coming around to the idea that there is nobody out there to challenge iTunes,” said Jonathan Weitz, IBB Consulting. “This deal is a sign that media mobility is coming to the mainstream.

The agreement will allow consumers to rent the latest Fox DVD releases and download them via iTunes, according to an unnamed source. Titles will be playable for a limited time. More …

www.xak.com reports on iPhone owners using features not normally accessed with cell phones. The iPhone is a sub-set of a Mac and users are taking advantage. According to the article iPhone users are accessing data at an unprecedented rate. Make it easy to use, and guess what? More …

With a decibel chart comparing a typical iPod volume with everyday noises, Telegraph.co.uk analyses Apple’s recent patent filing in the context of its potential compared with the moral issues. More …

Does Apple have the right to prevent you from damaging your hearing?

This reminds of the timeless argument of whether someone should prevent you from crossing a bridge that is known as hazardous.

With 9 contenders for the crown held by iTunes, what is it that keeps on top? E-Commerce News answered this question by becoming a member of the 9 contenders. I found it surprising what some providers consider enough to reel you, and they likely fail to see why they are at the bottom of the heap. More …

Have you either googled your friends, fellow employees, your loved ones or yourself? Googling either, particularly yourselves, is growing. The New York Times has some interesting demographic data. Is their concern about how the information might be used? Those that are warned about the use of information are most reluctant to share it. The greater use of Google is to find companies. I use Google at work to find successors for lenders. I can do this by name, address and sometimes, telephone numbers. More …