Demo 09

Here's the list of companies presenting at Demo 09 next week
http://demo.com/


BitGravity, Inc.
Home-Account, Inc.
Zipadi Technologies, LLC
Billion People, Inc.7
Liquid Media, LLC
eFormic, Ltd.
Coveroo, Inc.
Promptu Systems Corp
HAM-IT, Inc.
Asurion Mobile Applications, Inc.
bluBuzz, LLC lol i think Mrs Blubaugh's Forth grade class might be getting a crap load of traffic to www.Blubuzz.com next week.
Skout, Inc.
Always Innovating, Inc.
Avaak, Inc.
Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, Inc.
Silverstone Solutions, Inc.
Ensembli, Ltd.
Evri, Inc.
Purewire, Inc.
Qubes, Inc.
Gazaro, Inc.
HowSimple, LLC
Primal Fusion, Inc.
Jadoos, Inc.
Xandros, Inc.
Symantec Corp.
Kutano Corp.
deskNET SA
AppZero Corp.
SmartyCard

A lot of the names on this list have absolutely zero web presence (yeh yeh i know the rules of demo etc)

Also some curious misfit names in there but also some great apps - any thoughts?


Cheers,
Dean

Also check out http://www.networkworld.com/podcasts/demo/2009/022609democast.html for some behind the scenes info.

AppStore

Yet another reason why I think Android is going to be bigger than iPhone
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/02/27/starplayr-bounced-by-app-store


Cheers,
Dean

Australian Clean Filter Scrapped

Freaking Fantastic
http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/biztech/web-censorship-plan-heads-towards-a-dead-end/2009/02/26/1235237810486.html

Now if only they could break the Telstra monopoly of last mile and implement competitive FTC I'd move home.


Cheers,
Dean

Qik Meets Photosynth

Wow;
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/02/24/microsoft-techfest-qik-meets-photosynth-with-impressive-panoramic-mobile-movies/

Wonder how many cameras it can incorporate?



Glad he asked about bandwidth issues - and what happens when different resolutions occur (though i think he skipped over the resolution answer a bit).

I also hope someone from Microsoft will be able to answer the question about licensing out the 'client' without the panorama functionality (hi MS - I'd like to see this function installed on my next handset which will be the HTC Touch Pro2).


Cheers,
Dean

Are you ready to pay for your web applications?

I was reading this post earlier today
http://davemorin.com/blog/hey-dopplr-make-me-pay/#comment-6586314

This quoted Jason Fried, of 37 Signals, who has made a call to the web community “Please start charging for your applications. Free is not the future.”

And it got me thinking, what web applications am I ready to pay for that i would shell out $20 a year for?

Would I pay for Blogger? possibly but i'm thinking about moving it to Wordpress to be hosted on my own server for better url support anyway.

Would I pay $20 a year for Skype? Probably but would the 50 or so contacts I have also pay $20, probably not all, and therefor would it retain the same value if they weren't there?

Would I pay $20 for Digg? a site I visit daily and love, nope, but only because it replicates content i would consume from elsewhere.

Would I pay $20 for Facebook - No, i find it's value falling and wonder about all the people who paid for and built facebook apps last year, did they see a return?

Would I pay $20 for http://my.live.com/ (my rss reader) - probably but I would also expect them to make a better product and ensure that they brought out a mobile version (which they've been promising forever...but never delivered) .

It's interesting that my view is changing because I'm 2 months away from launching my own web application that I look at advertising in a different light - is $5cpm sustainable (nope, i dont think it should really be any more than about $1-$2 for most sites) -can or even should most website apps be advertising supported?

(btw we will be launching advertising / freemium model that has upgraded features for paying customers).

So I put the question to you - what apps are you prepared to pay $20 a year for?


Cheers,
Dean

Cable Company strangle hold

Reading articles like this http://www.businessinsider.com/cable-companies-ganging-up-on-hulu-2009-2 and comments from Comcast http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/19/cable-internet-video-bandwidth-business-media_cable.html?feed=rss_business where on one hand they 'crow' about their new 60Mbs service they also state that no one will be able to download more than 250gb per month.

Well my fellow New Yorker friends…..I hate to say this but I think it’s time for me to move to the West Coast. I just found out Paxio is offering residential internet at 1GB/s upstream and downstream for only $245 per month.

http://www.paxio.net/home.php?link=Internet

Yes that is 1,000Mbps both upstream and downstream with no usage limits unlike the crap that TimeWarner and Comcast are proposing with us locally.

If you think you would like to sign up for a service like that here in Manhattan then can I suggest you send the email I pasted below showing them your support. Lets break the New York cable company monopoly and get on with using the internet the way it was meant to be used.


Regards,
Dean Collins




sales@paxio.com

Hi, I just found out about your residential 1,000Mbs internet access for $245.00
Can you please tell me when you are coming to New York as I would love to sign up for this service and finally be done with my cable company.

Yours Hopefully,
Dean Collins

Asterisk/Skype update

Asterisk/Skype update available here - http://blogs.digium.com/2009/02/23/skype-for-asterisk-update

…. It’s definitely an update that updates absolutely nothing :) , more news at 11 :P


Cheers,
Dean

Imagine on a iPhone

As much as i hate iPhones because of their closed mentality, it's really nice to see them being used this way.

It was a nice way to start the week so thought I'd share it with you.


Cheers,
Dean

#m4change - Android observations

I was at Mobile Barcamp for Social Change today.

Was an interesting day, less tech than I would have liked – lots of dogooders running around saying lets change the world….without any solutions – lol, I say that with love :)

……But seriously techie barcamps are organized way better – At BarcampNYC people who want to talk about similar topics merge into shared groups in 5 mins or less. Some times I was looking at the board with despair when 3 or 4 of the topics in the time slot were pretty much the same concept.

Having said that I did get to learn at least 5 really interesting points and met at least that many interesting people to keep in touch with after the event so was worth the effort.

On another note, one of the most interesting quotes I heard all day was from an Android developer

“My application does 4 things....all of which are not possible on the iphone”

Basically his entire application couldn’t be built for or even run on the iPhone and that’s even assuming that Apple would actually approve and pass his application. I think the winds of change are coming, it might take a while because of distributed application stores and multiple handset manufacturers but all the really cool apps you are going to see will be built on the Android platform and the uncool kids will be left using iPhones.


Cheers,
Dean

Boxee/Hulu

Am I wrong?
http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2009/02/the-valentines-day-breakup.html?disqus_reply=6393834#comment-6393834


Cheers,
Dean

BS marketing

Is it just me or does there seem to be a lot more BS marketing in the last few months?

I dont know if i'm just noticing it more and i cant really recall any specifics but i was reading newsweek.com today when i saw this advertisement come up.

I mean whoever photoshopped this should be taken out the back of the office and shot.

We all know that there is no truth in advertising but this is just ridiculous, 'class action' legal case anyone?

Cheers,
Dean

Talking Puddles

This isn’t tech but thought this article would interest some people.
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=100319

I met with some of the Taxi 2 people when consulting to Traction Platform a few years ago, seemed like a great bunch of people.
Playtime begins once a shopper steps on a puddle. Each colorful image, representing a droplet of soda, makes a different sound. Young and old shoppers alike interacted with puddles that made ouch or bouncing sounds.


What a great concept and innovative use of 'existing technologies'

Cheers,
Dean

My Facebook Social Network map

Neat social networking application - shows you links between all of your Facebook contacts and their sublinks.

It's not perfect but still pretty cool.


You can get more information by viewing the actual application on this link here.
http://nexus.ludios.net/view/Dean_Collins/D34LW4kkPw1Q/?dark=1&sel=0&x=-1025&y=-1210&groupMode=1&zoom=382

Check out http://apps.facebook.com/_nexus_/ for a map of your own social network


Cheers,
Dean

BAM Brooklyn

Went to see "The Winters Tale" last night at BAM Brooklyn, was pretty good (not great though, but a couple of the actors were standout, ethan hawke's role was cute but not the very best of the night, Simon Russell Beale absolutely knocked it out of the park and was sensational).
http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=809

The interesting part though is WTF is with those seats?

we were in the very last row of the upper balcony and although the view was unobstructed and great, they have these really weird bar stools that are about 4 ft off the ground so it's like you are perched on the edge of a 100ft drop looking down onto the stage.

lol Jodie was holding onto the arm of her chair for the first 10 minutes before she got used to it.


Cheers,
Dean

Piece Out

There is something just so freaking clever with Kenneth Cole.

Doesn't matter how many times i walk past their window they always have the wittiest most though provoking statements I've ever seen in a retail window.

Very New York'ish'

Cheers,
Dean

Satellite Crash

http://www.cellular-news.com/story/35984.php

Getting busy up there :)


Cheers,
Dean

Coder gold rush

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/02/shoot-is-iphone.html

I'd be interested in knowing what percentage of these apps get less than 100 downloads :)

Or how many coders have quit their day jobs only to go back to work after 3 months because their bills aren't being paid.

On a more serious note i noticed that Google Android 'paid for' store launched this week. Anyone reading this tried porting their Apple applications over to Android? how much effort is involved? what are the issues?

Is there money to be made by building an application that automatically ports all iPhone apps over to Android?


Cheers,
Dean

Peter Pham startup advice video

Great video with some really valuable advice for startups. Some of them seem really simple but i cant tell you how many times I've seen startups fail on even the basics discussed here.



My favorite piece of advice from this video is 'mockups', do the work for your clients to make it easy for them to 'pass it around internally'.

I hate working for clients where when i ask for a mockup to be made they say we dont have the time.

If you dont have the skills internally to customise mockups, throw up a quick request on http://www.99designs.com/ or something like that. For $50 you can have a mockup in under 24-48 hours that will blow your clients away (obviously there is nothing but a visual wireframe so you better have the skills to replicate it and deliver on your vapourware promise).

I know some of the points in this video will sound basic but the successful ones keep harping on this so makes sense to spend 10 mins listening.


Cheers,
Dean

ConnectU gets settlement of $65m

http://www.businessinsider.com/2009/2/facebook-paid-65-million-settlement-in-connectu-case

Shows you better be careful when you hand over development work contracts (or you do development work that you may want to implement a derivate from).

Cheers,
Dean

IBM now exporting 'people' overseas

Reading this seems a lot of people are against it;
http://infotech.indiatimes.com/News/IBM_to_laid-off_staff_Go_to_India/articleshow/4085361.cms

My thoughts are it’s actually not a bad idea. No perfect for every employee (eg parents with school age kids) but think about it, if you are open to a new experience what harm could come from going to live in Vietnam or Czech Republic for a couple of years.

Your cost of living would go way down, you get to experience a new culture. Living in Malaysia I found that you can get used to having staff cook, clean, take care of your house etc and it costs much less so you can actually end up saving money even though you might be being paid less therefore enabling IBM to reduce their overheads.

I’ve often said there is no real need for me to live in Manhattan for my work, may as well be in Colorado or Antigua for all it really matters.

Thoughts?


Cheers,
Dean

In the Valley of Elah

Just watched "In the Valley of Elah" with Tommy Lee Jones
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478134

Extremely worthwhile film, not overtly political but says a lot about the state of the nation.


Cheers,
Dean

Obama and Hollywood

Will be interesting to see how Obama handles Hollywood.

You dont know it but the lobbying to take away your rights has already begun.....
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/02/sony-not-giving-up-on-selectable-output-control.ars


Cheers,
Dean

Amazon Flexible Payment System - micropayments finally cracked?

Amazon have just announced they are finally opening up their API's to their credit card processing platform
https://payments-sandbox.amazon.com/sdui/sdui/business?sn=devfps/o

So does this mean that micropayments have finally been cracked?

It certainly helps out users because you can easily process a transaction without entering in credit card details (it uses the credit card details you have stored on your amazon account) and for content providers the transaction fees are finally reasonable to low cost content access.

For Transactions >= $10:
1.5% + $0.01 for Amazon Payments balance transfers
2.0% + $0.05 for bank account debits
2.9% + $0.30 for credit card transactions.

More importantly For Transactions < $10:
1.5% + $0.01 for Amazon Payments balance transfers
2.0% + $0.05 for bank account debits
5.0% + $0.05 for credit card


So lets say you want to sell a 24 hour access pass to your cartoon library content for 20c, thats a pretty reasonable charge for the consumer.

Up until now this transaction would not have been possible as the access fees would have been eaten up in transaction costs.

But using the Amazon FPS your fees would be ($0.20 x 5%) + $0.05= $0.06
This means the content provider would receive $0.14 for selling this 24 hour limited access license.

I don't know about you but that's probably way more than what they would have made in click throughs or display advertising.

There are some issues in that it requires a USA based credit card for content providers to collect money (hopefully this is a temporary issue for offshore web content providers) but it doesn’t look like there are any requirements for incorporation in the USA or IRS tax collection issues.

The API’s are well documented and easy enough for any competent web developer to get you started with under a few hours of development work.

What do you think?
Post your comments on the blog if you think this could change how you do some of your business.


Cheers,
Dean

Warren Buffet magic

Wow no wonder Warren Buffet is rich.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/business/worldbusiness/06swiss.html

Tell me where can I get 12% return, plus the upside of his convertible bonds actually making him a profit on his stock holding.

At the moment with Swiss Re trading at 26 francs (and his convertible price of 25 francs) he has made a 4% return on his potential conversion + the interest.

Easy to make money when people are throwing money at you on terms like that.


Cheers,
Dean

DTV transistion delay

This new DTV transistion delay to June is a huge waste of tax payers money.

The best suggestion i read around this was;


Stuart Henshall - Twitter
“DTV Delay Almost Official - cheapest notification would be 48 hours without TV and then four months. http://tinyurl.com/cvqz2b”


Will make sure those procrastinators get their act together.


Cheers,
Dean

Apple to Allow Background Tasks on iPhone.....maybe

Apple does not currently allow 3rd party iPhone applications to run as background processes. Instead, apps must shut down completely after use. Push notifications was Apple's solution to allow applications to receive notices while they are not the active application. Certain services, such as Instant Messaging, would benefit greatly from this feature.

http://www.macrumors.com/2009/02/03/apple-to-allow-background-tasks-on-iphone/

Certain services..... how about all services. Until Apple build a 'real' mobile OS that allows me the intelligence to choose any and all apps I want running at any one time.

Oh and i also want to be given the choice of 'what' apps i install rather than those deemed acceptable by the apple censors.


Cheers,
Dean

Madoff whistleblower

Watching Harry Markopolos (the Madoff whistleblower) testify in front of the house financial services committee is like "watching a rocket scientist teach a 4 year old to count".

http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/live-blogging-the-houses-madoff-hearing/

Some of the senators are showing how dumb and way out of touch they really are - whilst Mr Makopolos is complaining that the SEC is overstaffed with lawyers and not enough forensic accountants .... watching this interview is a clear example that the Senators "the people who supposedly make the laws" are so dumb and out of touch that it's surprising this doesn't happen more often.

Shows you pay peanuts you get monkeys. First thing i would do for every public official is triple their salary so that we can have actual smart people running the country.


Cheers,
Dean

What future for the USA

Watching a video like this;

....and then reading an article like this http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/02/02/152258 makes you wonder what the future is for the USA.

Cheers,
Dean

WiFi in SF BART subway

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/31/BA6015KD4C.DTL&type=tech
so what do you think guys, would this fly here in NY?

Also would you be a paying customer or would you prefer to use the free service with web ads?


Cheers,
Dean

Superbowl commercials

So what did you think? who won the Superbowl commercial competition?

For me the Avon commercial definitely had the strongest call to action.


The line in the commercial "I can never be laid off or fired" was speaking directly to an amazing cross section of the "community" who i'm sure tomorrow are responding.


Cheers,
Dean