Last Year of the Dog - for Sony Aibo

The popular and cult-following of Sony's Aibo robot dogs will be no more. Sony has announced it will discontinue the Aibo according to this article from the New York Times. Oh that's too bad, I really liked the Aibo robot dogs, I've never actually played with one though, but they were cool. With Wi-Fi on the Aibo, you can have your own mobile access point whereever you go, just follow the Aibo! The reason for Aibo's demise, Sony says is because of its financial restructuring.

GadgetMan's blog featured in BlogTO

My blog is featured this week on the Blogerati files in Toronto's blog site, BlogTO!



Come and have a look!

Konica Minolta exits out of camera business

This was a shocker this morning as I read this. Konica Minolta is getting out of the camera business and is transferring their assets to Sony, as of March 31, 2006. So that means, all support for Konica Minolta will be through Sony, and Konica Minolta and Sony will joint develop technologies for digital cameras. I bought a Konica Minolta camera, the G500 which I find is a pretty good camera, except I had to service it twice. The repairs were pretty quick so I was quite satisfied, even when my warranty expired, they managed to service it for free which was really great!

According to this article, Zoomtron will take over the camera repairs for Konica Minolta and they have a branch in Mississauga, so it's nice to know that if my camera has any problems again, I can service it. Of course, I'll probably get an even better digital camera when that time comes! So, Konica Minolta is out of Canada, at least for their camera business.

My thoughts? Well, I really liked Konica Minolta, I had a film camera and a digital camera. They were a well respected camera company so I trusted them. Now, Sony is just getting bigger and bigger, they are becoming the Microsoft of photo and digital camera and imaging I think.

Read Chapter 3 of Naked Conversations book

This chapter is appropriately worded, blogging is indeed “word of mouth on steroids”. The authors provide 3 examples of companies that have used blogging to spread adoption of their product. In fact, it is word of mouth and conversations that through social networks of friends that have catapulted software products like ICQ, Firefox and Skype to ubiquitous use by both techies and non-techies alike. I didn’t know that ICQ started out from Israel and was started by two youngsters and their dad who funded them with 10,000 and in less than 60 years they achieved global acceptance around the world. It’s interesting that they contrast that with other brands that have come from Israel, namely the Bible, and Christianity. The stats are mind boggling, it took 2700 years for the Bible to gain recognition and acceptance, it took 2000 years for Christianity, yet it took less than 10 years. And what about blogging? Blogging has shattered ICQ’s record, that’s for sure.

At first, I was skeptical about blogging, I was like so what? I write something and post, I can do that with a web site and display it publicly. But what I didn’t realize was not the blog itself, but the impact that a blog can have and how its structure and use can hugely influence opinions and become viral in nature, as the authors have mentioned. If you have something interesting to say, people will naturally be curious about it, and read, and comment. That’s all part of conversation, and all part of human nature. And what makes blogging even more powerful is how much it can reach others. This can’t even compare with direct marketing, where for TV ads they say, it reaches a lot of people, but only like less than 2% will respond positively to the ads, say for buying products. And the TV ads cost so much to make and produce. What about blogging? How much does it cost to make a blog post? Nothing, zilch, nada, zero! So you do the math, what would you use to reach your customers if you had an interesting product or idea??? Blogs have also the meme concept, which is viral, you say something, someone reads and then links to you, and then others link to that person, and so forth, and next you know, in less than say 1 day, you could make or break a company.

So, why is it then that still not many traditional companies don’t use blogs? All new companies especially those that are startups, use all the newest and Internet technologies to spread their word. Just like Firefox which has a web site called SpreadFirefox.com. And if you want to get recognition and credibility, the chapter explained an example where a GM vice president read a person’s blog, and even linked it! That is huge, you start having impact on the big-wigs! Isn’t that what you want for your idea or product? Blogs allow for one to many conversations, and the thing is that it’s not forced down your throat. The tone of blogs is natural like you would talk to someone, there’s no hidden agenda, like there is when you do traditional marketing or campaigning like for the recent Canadian election. You talk straight out, and most of the time you would be honest in doing so, because your credibility is on the line.

In fact, I am writing this blog entry on the train coming back from school, after reading Chapter 3 of the book, because if I don’t, I’ll forget. I want to jot my thoughts down and if I do have something interesting to say, I hope that others in the blogosphere will read this, comment, and spur conversation.

Bill Buxton at Microsoft Research

Bill Buxton, who was a former CS professor at the University of Toronto, famous for his ubiquitous computing and user interface research and his work at Alias (an inspiration to all Canadian HCI researchers, with another mention being Ron Baecker), is now working at Microsoft Research according to this article from IT Business Canada. Thanks to KMDI for posting this in their newsletter which I just read tonight!

Interesting that Bill Buxton wrote to Rick Rashid of Microsoft Research that he wanted to work there, he didn't even apply, just asked Rick that he wanted to do something at Microsoft Research and said let's make it happen. And it did. So what's Bill working on at Microsoft? Apparently, not much yet, he wants to learn the culture at Microsoft. In fact, he feels that Microsoft can be a better company by leveraging on the existing assets and talent in the company, rather than getting new people. He points to Microsoft's competitor Apple, whom he admires, and how they turned their business around, by focussing on their existing talent and not really creating anything new, but rather, a new cultural shift and perspective. Which brought the iPod and iMac, and now Apple, is as popular and successful as ever (now Apple has the MacBook Pro and the Intel-based Macs).

Bill also talks about having a chief design officer, how design should be a separate discipline, and how design is so important in the product development cycle, but is often done poorly or ignored. Which leads to frustrating user interfaces, poor products, lots of customer complaints, upgrades of products, and projects that become way over budget and over time. Bill is also a very outdoors person and like to go ice-climbing. In fact, he gets many of his design inspirations from nature. So, maybe that's what perhaps Computer Science needs to be, not just straight programming and technical, but also add the creativity, artistic and design flavours. In fact, isn't this what ubiquitous computing should be, an aura of it works but it's pleasant and it's useful?

Also in the KMDI newsletter, there is a blurb about Blogs Canada (a web site directory of Canadian blogs), and free wireless access in Toronto and where from Wireless Toronto.

Started reading Naked Conversations book

I've started reading the Naked Conversations book which I posted about here. I read the foreword while I was riding the bicycle in the gym this morning, and I read the first 2 chapters coming back from the train. It's interesting that Robert Scoble (one of the authors of the book) got recruited by Microsoft to work on the Channel 9 web site and blog (since Microsoft looked very closely at Scoble's blog, and he used to work at NEC).

The Channel 9 site actually started from Lenn Pryor who joined Microsoft in 1998 as Microsoft's technology evangelist. In dealings with customers, he had this feeling that customers didn't like Microsoft and said bad things about them and were bad mouthing Microsoft. He wanted to know why that was the case, and apparently the customers found him to be a very nice guy, easy to talk to, not like what they thought Microsoft would be (I'm sure many of us still think of Microsoft as the bully in grade school). Microsoft wanted to change their image to have a better relationship with customers, and be more open. So apparently that was the job of Pryor. And how did Channel 9 come about, since Microsoft wanted to explain themselves and what they do with no holds barred and be public and open, they named their blog and site Channel 9 after a public voice channel on United Airlines, where passengers can hear the pilots talking. Pryor wanted to some kind of reality TV show of Microsoft, to make the public hear what Microsoft is talking, and to change the image of Microsoft as a bully or the devil. And that's when Pryor recruited Scoble.

Microsoft is an example of how blogging can work in businesses, to improve business culture and relations with customers. Why? According to Scoble and Israel in Chapter 1 and 2, it's because blogging brings the human side up front. It's not like e-mail or instant messaging, where these technologies allow you to communicate, but the conversations are private, rather than public. Blogging is public, and blogging is public conversation. And they bet that blogging will be the norm, and if you as a company, are not into blogging, you will miss out.

I believe that blogs provides the social aspect to pervasive computing, which we so much need. Mark Weiser's vision was for computers to become a part of our lives, well blogs can become part of our lives. In fact, blogging has become a part of my life. Right now, I am blogging about what I just read today from the book. And if others are reading my blog right now, they can link to it and write comments (are there any who have already have the book?). Also, the book came about from the authors' own blog on Naked Conversations. So come join on the conversation about this book!

Naked Conversations

I just received this book called Naked Conversations: How blogs are changing the way businesses talk with customers by Robert Scoble (chief blogging officer at Microsoft) and Shel Israel.



The blog for this book is here. This book is part of my blogging research, I organized the Business of Blogging workshop at CASCON. I can't wait to start reading this book.

Mickey Mouse and Pixar?

Apparently, Disney is in talks that may indicate they may want to buy Pixar Animation studios, according to this article from the Associated Press. Pixar is the hugely successful animation studio that made Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, and the new Cars due out this year. This would make Jobs become part of Disney, and could have quite an influence on Disney's animated pictures. Jobs is currently CEO of Pixar and the successful Apple that have catapulted themselves from almost bankruptcy and elimination, to the newly hip company successful with the iPod and now the recently announced Intel Apple computers.

I think this would be huge and would cause a shakeup of the animation industry, Disney animation movies compete with Pixar animation movies, so now they would be one. What would this do to other animation companies? How would they react?

Yahoo hacks

If you're a technology buff like me, you like to use shortcuts or hacks to make your life easier. Here are some Yahoo hacks (note some of this is not really hacks, as so much as it's all published from the Yahoo Search API). It comes from the book, Yahoo Hacks, by Paul Bausch, who was the co-creator of this blogging software called Blogger!

Acura RDX Prototype

I did an earlier posting about the Honda Fit. Everybody wants to get at the Toyota Matrix. Now, Acura has come out with the RDX Prototype.



It looks really nice, maybe I might consider looking at the RDX Prototype.

Technorati tags: RDX, Acura

Just submitted PhD advisory committee

I've completed another checkpoint in my PhD timeline. I submitted my PhD advisory committee form stating who is on my PhD committee. The next items in the agenda are the presentation of the research paper and the depth oral.

Apple's new announcements at MacWorld!

What did Steve Jobs roll up his sleeve at MacWorld yesterday? He unveilled the finally awaited Intel-based Mac computers (Intel-based iMac and Intel-based MacBook Pro), but there were no new iPods. Well, I mean they came out with the video iPod back in November. More information can be found from CNet.


CNet quoted the following:

Today, Apple added Intel processors to an existing Mac desktop and an entirely new laptop, updated Mac OS X and iLife, and introduced an FM tuner/remote control for the iPod. Not a bad day's work. Steve Jobs brought Intel CEO Paul Otellini onstage during his keynote to introduce the new Intel-based iMac, which will feature Intel's new Centrino Duo processor.

On the mobile side, the PowerBook is being retired in favor of the MacBook Pro, Apple's new high-end laptop that also features Centrino Duo.

Auto gadgets from Detroit Auto Show

As a gadget fanatic, I'm also interested in the newest concept or production cars that are presented at yearly North American Auto show in Detroit. I just found out from CNet about Honda's new car, the Fit as illustrated below.

Here's the front:


Here's the back:


And then something popped into my mind, doesn't this look similar to the Toyota Matrix?



I think this is Honda's answer to the Toyota Matrix which started the trendy sports type mini-van kind of car. It was started by Toyota, then Pontiac came out with a version like it called the Vibe (which in my opinion is a really bad design and doesn't come as close in style to the Matrix). But the Honda Fit looks pretty nice, interesting to see how it will compete with the Toyota Matrix.

Riding America on a Segway

Two guys have made a documentary of their travels riding across the United States on a Segway. Check out the trailer here. What's next, maybe a Segway racing contest? A Segway reality TV show, now that would be interesting, maybe the Amazing Race: Segway Edition?

Gates has a Palm!

Yes, from the interview from Engadget of Bill Gates at CES, Gates revealed that he's carrying the Treo 700w from Palm, the first Windows Mobile Palm smartphone. Other things in the interview, he revealed how he played games on the XBox 360, where others totally beat him out, he mentions about the new services that Microsoft has unveilled like PlaysForSure, a music service with MTV, his reaction to him and his wife Melinda being Time Magazine's people of the year along with Bono from U2.

Back to school today!

It's back to school today, back to research and back to real life! I'm applying now for research summer internships for this year from May to August 2006. If you know of any good possible research summer internship positions or are interested in my qualifications, please see my CV and research statement.

Also, I've updated my web site, so have a look!

The iPod: Dangerous to your health?

I've read an article and heard today on CBC News about how the iPod can be dangerous to your hearing. It has to deal with listening to music at a loud volume and that the headphones that are included with the iPod act as amplifiers that can amplify and absorb the noise, which can cause damage to your hearing. The remedy? Apparently, to listen to the music at a comfortable volume so that nobody else can listen to it, as well as perhaps switching to a different earphones.



I certainly like the iPod headphones because they're small and fit right in my ear, and it doesn't look so wierd. I've tried other headphones that are foldable and go over the ear (from Sony) and even though they are good, they just are too big and don't feel so comfortable than the earbuds. Of course, the disadvantages with the earbuds (which has happened to me numerous times), is that the soft covering of the earbuds can easily come off or rip.

So what do people think about this? I think it's just not the iPod, there's been many articles about how listening to loud music is dangerous to your hearing. It just so happens that this becomes big because it refers to the iPod which is the ubiquitous music device out there (I have the iPod mini).

Consumer Electronics Show 2006

Yes, it's the new year, and guess what, new gadgets! It's all happening at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas from January 5 to January 8.



Last night, Bill Gates gives the keynote and talks about Windows Vista, the next upgrade to Windows, touting better security, as well as the new Internet Explorer 7 which will allow for blocking of sites. Hmm, Mozilla Firefox already has these features for a while now, and now Microsoft starts getting on the bandwagon. Will there be a revival war between Microsoft and Mozilla Firefox (now that Netscape is gone and has been reincarnated by AOL).

There's lots of keynotes from big wigs like Howard Stringer from Sony, Paul Ottelini from Intel, Terry Semel from Yahoo, and Larry Page from Google. CES is always a crowd wow pleaser showing all the newest gadgets, I would most certainly like to be there, but it's expensive to book a hotel and register. So the next thing, is to witness it online with video, web updates, and podcasting.

For more information on CES and reviews from the show floor, check out CNET.

Happy New Year!

It's a new year and this is my first post for 2006. After a relaxing and joyful holidays, it's back to work. So I'd like to wish everyone a successful new year in your work and personal life.