Engadget Podcast 072 - 03.07.06
posted March 7th 2006 3:41PM
We've been a little while since our last podcast, but we're back, and just in time, too. After last week's Apple non-announcements, we got some blockbuster business news: RIM and NTP finally settled? AT&T buying BellSouth (and thus the controlling stake of Cingular) for 67 billion dollars? Microsoft learns how to launch a buzz campaign with Origami? And if that wasn't enough Engadget turned two years old last Thursday. It's been loads of fun, but we're only getting started. Also, be sure to phone, Gizmo, or email in your usual questions and comments -- and especially your tech support horror stories for our support nightmare podcast later this week. Thanks for the last couple of years, here's to a couple more!Get the podcast
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Hosts
Peter Rojas and Ryan Block
Producer
Randall Bennett
Music
J J J - 'Suits' in Japan
Format
1:26:10, 39.7 MB, MP3
Program
01:48 - Engadget turns two!
06:16 - Steve Jobs Keynote
11:47 - Intel Mac Mini
12:14 - iPod Hi-Fi
15:28 - Microsoft's Oragami
27:26 - AT&T buys BellSouth, Ma Bell is back
35:11 - RIM & NTP settle for $612 million
40:59 - Former Gizmondo executive's wrecked Ferrari
47:34 - ROKR E3 exclusive
52:18 - Listener Voicemail
84:43 - SXSW, and the week ahead
LISTEN (MP3)
LISTEN (AAC)
LISTEN (OGG)
Contact the podcast: 1-888-ENGADGET, Engadget (Gizmo Project) or podcast at engadget dot com
Great, cant wait to get this on my ipod.
I think there's a problem with your MP3 version. Either that, or it's REALLY short. My download was over in about 1 second, and I was left with a 400KB file.
The iTunes one is 1:52 long
Should be working, please let us know if you're still experiencing problems!
Best, Ryan
hm
itunes version = 41:49 minutes
gonna try again
Thanks again guys!
You are doing a fantastic job with the site and the Podcast! Thanks to the whole engadget staff! :)
Listening to this podcast, I am left with the impression that you do not understand the significance of Apple updating Front Row with Bonjour compatibility packaged with the new Mac minis. Do you remember how he paused (for effect) after saying that you can even hook it up to a tv in a completely serious voice as he stared directly at one individual. Quite telling where they are now moving into, don't you think!?!
Now we understand how Apple plans to proceed with their media strategy. The 2 year wait for Apple to enter the living room has ended and the mini will play back HD content in its multiple resolutions. You have your choice of using DVI, HDMI, or VGA to display video and it even includes SPDIF in and out so you can enjoy 5.1 sound. Heck, they even include an overscan adjustment built into the display preferences.
This, to me, is not to be underestimated. In one foul swoop, they have trumped Microsoft's 2+ year effort in the living room.
The new Mac mini IS NOW a media center and you didn't get it one mention. You just trash talked the event which Apple purposely planned, small in size, and low key in a decidedly different nature for Apple.
We understand it just fine, but Apple putting Front Row on the Mac mini was something we expected, not something that was a surprise. I know it's hard to believe, but the Mac mini is just getting stuff that a lot of Media Center PCs have had for a long time. Yes, this "reveals" Apple's strategy, but is this really anything we didn't already know about the direction they're headed?
THink it's something wrong. Have tried to download the .ogg version 4-5 times now but it stops after 20 MB. Tried to download it with Getright in 4 segments and that worked :)
"Should be working, please let us know if you're still experiencing problems!"
No sir I am not! Wow! Not only was the new file a logical 40MB, but somehow I was downloading it at 1200Kbps! I've never downloaded anything on this computer faster than 400Kbps! Did you guys sprinkle some fairy dust on this one or something? Did you maybe store it on my company's servers? :)
While I agree that Apple wants there to be excitement about it's product announcements ... I think the blogosphere and stock analysts were responsible for setting expectations so high ... not Apple.
Hey,
We've got all the problems ironed out. If you've got an incomplete file, try refreshing your RSS reader or re-download the podcast.
Thanks,
Randall
Thanks Randall! :)
>8. We understand it just fine, but Apple putting Front Row on the
>Mac mini was something we expected, not something that was a
>surprise. I know it's hard to believe, but the Mac mini is just getting
>stuff that a lot of Media Center PCs have had for a long time. Yes,
>this "reveals" Apple's strategy, but is this really anything we didn't
>already know about the direction they're headed?
You are telling me that you expected Apple to introduce Front Row (M$ doesn't have a simple interface that even approaches this - to complicated) on a machine that easily fits next to your tv, vcr or receiver (can't do this with a M$ Media Center PC - to big) which can wirelessly stream content from/to any other Mac on the network (M$ Media Center PCs lock content to one individual machine)... AND Front Row can EVEN stream content from a M$ machine!!!
I know you have a great deal of connections and know a great deal more about these things than I do... so now I am admitting that I had no idea Apple plannned on incorporating SPDIF, Front Row File sharing (including wireless streaming of movies), the inclussion of interlaced RAM in a computer as small as the mini for speedy display of those videos AND cross-platform interoperability with M$ Windows machines. Are you going to admit it too?
roj.as is alright but how's this for a cool URL, steve.jobs ?
Come on Apple fanboys, it's only 450 bucks.
OK! I'm done. Now back to listening to your podcast. I think it's worth mentioning at this point that I do enjoy it.
Thank you
Ron,
I don't think we're really disagreeing with each other here, but a few things:
1. There are plenty of Media Center PCs that are about the size of Mac mini -- and that can function as a DVR, something the Mac mini cannot do (at least not without an external third-party add-on).
2. I don't think anyone was too surprised that Apple improved the multimedia connectors and functionality on the Mac mini -- as you may recall, it seemed odd that some of those features weren't included in the Mac mini the first time around. Is the Mac mini a nice little box for your living room? Sure. But is it some gigantic leap forward? Not really, and it is just the latest step in a direction almost everyone agreed that Apple was moving in (for example, it would have been absolutely shocking if Apple DIDN'T put Front Row in the new Mac mini given that they put it in the MacBook Pro).
Thanks for the kind words, glad you're enjoying the podcast. It's a lot of fun to record each week!
Rojas is right here. Apple just did what was expected.
Great podcast, listen to it every week. I had problems with a 'short' mp3 file, ill try again now.
You guys ever listen to the Ricky Gervais podcast?
It has really nice features like artwork that changes when the next segment is reached.
You guys are spose to be cutting edge? Its a pain when you are talking about the 'xsv-8740i'you have to check the site to see what you are talking about. You guys should do it.
ps i think i started the complaints about the 'hard house' soundtrack. Glad to hear its gone.
EZ
I'll be around for SXSW Music, but not Interactive. It would have been good to catch you there. Oh well.
New Zealand Nick--
Download the Enhanced AAC version of the podcast and you'll find what you're looking for -- we've been offering this enhanced version for a while now. We'll also have a feed for it soon, there are just some annoying issues on our end that we're trying to work out first.
In the podcast, you said that you wondered what car Steve Jobs drives. I remembered seeing his car on Flickr a while back, so I found it again for you. It looks like a Mercedes AMG, and Steve Jobs don't need no stinkin' license plate!
Steve's car in Apple parking lot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46281582@N00/61490613/
On the road after an Apple Store opening: http://www.flickr.com/photos/osakasteve/7274131/
Read the comments about the lack of a license plate: http://www.digg.com/apple/Steve_Jobs:_No_License_Plates_
Ryan i feel with you, turning up so early for the apple announcement *tear* it was quite dissapointing what they released though.
The swedish what ?
maffia?
im born in sweden, have lived in sweden for my whole life. and if there is some kind of swedish maffia here. GIVE ME THEIR NUMBER, I WANT IN!
ha, Peter, you really showed that Ryan Block dude a thing or two there. Sometimes you just gotta remind him who's the co-founder, and that he so did NOT start in the second month of Engadget. The guy can write, sure, but sometimes he needs a soft slapping down to remind him not to get too cocky.
Hey Peter and Ryan, are you going to be around for the whole SXSW? You should whip up an engadget reader meeting for the Austinites! Great podcast btw, glad to see they're back.
Peter Rojas.
Is it possible to offer a .ogg-feed?
And, tbh. I think it's strange that Apple iPod doesn't support .ogg-files. Must be easy to implement. The MP3-era has ended, it's .ogg-from now on.
#24 LoooooooooL :D
Noo, we love Ryan Block too :)
The Apple announcement was not a "Steve keynote" -- I apologize if I am mistaken, but I don't recall the invitation even indicating Steve Jobs himself was going to be announcing anything. Moreover, it was certainly not a "keynote" -- it was just a tiny event for a few journalists to introduce some "fun" products. WHAT is so wrong about that?
The media is backlashing because the media feels like fools for creating hype where none existed. It is easier to blame Apple than blame themselves. Should Apple have countered all of the media's delusional rumor-mongering with a "hey guys, the products we are announcing are actually gonna suck, so don't get too excited."
Apple is not going to ever be a "quietly introduce press releases" kind of company, nor should they be. Maybe if Samsung or Creative were more creative in their product announcements, then people would actually know they have products out there.
The Cook Islands registry is through this crowd, is this who you were using Ryan? http://www.oyster.net.ck/about/index.php?about=domain
It seems that all of the Engadget RIM vs. NTP coverage has been very one sided toward RIM. Other reporters have provided coverage about RIM arrogance allowing this to reach the courts in the first place, RIM courtroom shenanigans, RIM political pressure on the USPTO and others, and the large RIM PR campaign. I rarely hear other reporters place the "patent troll" tag on NTP. NTP origins and patents are based on real products from a "real engineer". NTPs transition to a large patent law firm and investors only came about when RIM attempted to bury the original two person NTP with legal fees. While my personal opinion is that RIM should not have "gotten off" for $600M+, I do feel there are certainly two sides to the story. With regret, your complete lack of mentioning the NTP side of the story raises credibility concerns with me.
I do hope NTP continues with the patent appeal process. I for one would certainly like to know how RIM got the USPTO to move so fast when so many others have tried and failed in the past. I also would like to see the process play out to see if the strongly worded rejections from the USPTO are merited.
Next time one of you is on the road, you might want to try the Keith and the Girl method. Chemda, the girl, often is on tour as she's a singer. She will take the laptop and a mic. Keith is still in the studio, calls her on the phone, and they start recording, talking both into the phone and into the mic, recording two seperate tracks, as it were. Chemda emails her track to Keith, who combines both tracks, compresses it, etc. You cannot tell they aren't in the same room unless they tell you. Low tech, high quality.
Just thought I'd share.
>I don't think we're really disagreeing with each other here, but a
>few things:
>
>1. There are plenty of Media Center PCs that are about the size
>of Mac mini -- and that can function as a DVR, something the Mac
>mini cannot do (at least not without an external third-party add-on).
It is not that the Mac mini can't act as DVR, it is just that the DVR is not a good model. I believe that Apple will provide their own solution. A different solution.
Although, I must say, I find it quite difficult to imagine Apple improving upon the eyeTV 500 along with eyeTV v2.0. Absolutely seamless. BUT, that is a DVR solution.
>2. I don't think anyone was too surprised that Apple improved the
>multimedia connectors and functionality on the Mac mini -- as you
>may recall, it seemed odd that some of those features weren't included
>in the Mac mini the first time around.
I DON'T recall this at all. Apple presented this machine as a low-cost Mac. They incorporated a previous generation of processor and used nothing but old technology. They made it as cheap as possible. They even billed it as a "BYODKM" machine, bring your own display, keyboard and mouse, so as not to drive the price up unnecessarily. This fit in nicely with Apple's other marketing angle: that of a switcher machine. A low cost way of trying out an alternative to Windows. It was also a machine that would be purchased for those that may want a second, seperate machine to provide basic tasks like checking e-mail, checking the web, checking your calendar, etc. BUT IN NO WAY did Apple present this as a multimedia center. It just happened to be a device that was approximately the size of a set-top box soooo... people projected the idea of using a set-top box ONTO the Mac mini; and, even in some cases, scolded Apple for missing the mark in designing "this" set-top box known as the Mac mini.
>Is the Mac mini a nice little box
>for your living room? Sure. But is it some gigantic leap forward? Not
>really, and it is just the latest step in a direction almost everyone
>agreed that Apple was moving in
I can understand your point if you are referring to Apple offering the portable videos for the iPod which can obviously also be viewed on any desktop or laptop Mac. But beyond that, It was my impression that the majority of consumers were not sure what direction Apple was moving in. Were they even going to design a set top media box? Consumers were certainly hopeful it seemed. Was Apple going to rely on wireless technologies and third-party box manufacturers? Were they going to design their own tvs? Were they going to partner with people like Sony to be assured of a well matched and interoperable screen? Would the Mac still be a "digital hub"? Would they focus on the iPod as content delivery device with a dock that hooked up to the TV? There were a great number of questions; but only now is the picture clearer.
I think it was a rather large step forward. (I'll state here that Apple has technologies like QuickTime, Bonjour and iTunes installed on a great number of Windows machines.) After this latest announcement, we see Apple moving in on Microsoft's supposedly staked-out territory by using their established high numbers of Windows machines to work with and support the Mac mini as (NOW - finally) a set-top box. That is an ingenius (yet sneaky) feat.
You may ask what I mean by Windows machines supporting the Apple media center? When I say this, I am refering to the ability to simply plug in a Mac mini to your television and, without the need of buying a seperate Microsoft Media Center, you are able to pull content (like music and movies) from that Windows machine. Content like purchased songs and videos but also stuff like DIVX. This I know without a doubt because I am doing it right now.
Regardless, we now realize that Apple wants OS X along WITH a Mac to be the set-top box (although, there is yet another piece they will be adding quite soon). And we now realize how this will be done. Now our questions are answered.
Yes, you are correct in that I would have been shocked if the new mini did not come with Front Row, BUT I am pleasantly surprised in the new capabilities they added with this new version of Front Row that they are bundling with the Mac mini. and how they have now enabled it to be used as a set-top box unlike Front Row with the iMac and the MacBook Pro.
Heck, Steve Jobs even stuck with the idea of keeping computers (turning your mind on) seperate from TVs (turning your mind off) up until The Wall Street Journals last E! conference and he was quite verbal about it, so I'm not sure why people would think any differently.
Although as an explanation as to why he eventually changed his mind, one could look at the Delphi method which is an obvious methodology that Steve relies on. Basically, that of popular opinion. If the majority of people think Beethoven is the greatest composer on earth, then that is what Steve Jobs thinks too.
Could you guys PLEASE fix the fricken podcast so it works properly on PSP's. People have been asking for this for weeks and it's still broken.
Hey guys, where's Podcast 073 ??? Some of us rely on some sort of schedule with these things (my daughter and I generally hang out in the car and listen in on Wednesdays while my wife takes our little guy to his toddler art class). Is this a new trend, this sporadic casting thing?
I too miss the 3/14 podcast. What happened? Is this podcasting or pod-semicasting pod-we'll do it whenever we darn well decide to do it-casting?
Just curious :)
Yeah, what happened to this week's podcast? lol the lost episode?
Where's this week's podcast? Please don't tell me I have to wait yet another week for my next dose.....
i need my fix man, do i have to send the swedish mafia out there to get the podcast done?
Dude, 2 weeks skipped? This sucks! Where you at? Ryan lose his voice? Peter's voice peter out? :)
Yeah, WTF?
Don't get me wrong- we appreciate the fact that you guys come through with a quality podcast for us week after week etc..., but a little heads up on the 2 week hiatus would have been nice. Even a short "Hey guys, we are taking 2 weeks off, so chill" would have done the trick.
I think they've been kept busy with the charades going on over at digg - the whole "OMG Engadget compiles its news from other sources!!!one!" thing
Yeah I am really starting to miss it. A heads up would be nice just so we know what's going on at the engadget mansion.
Hey Im feeling neglected.. pining for my weekly dose of the sweet sweet Engadget love.
Come on.. bring it!
Yeah, jp, they are probably still recovering from the stomping they got over the DAPreview thing.
No, Engadget was sold to Google and the guys are in italy trying out those new Enzo's they bought for the cash.
But seriously som post on the front page would be nice, so I dont have to check my feeder evry 10 min or so.
Hey--I'm Jones'n for the next Podcast!
What...the...hell?
jeeze! where my tech fix dudes? hope you're ok.