Velvet Cartel

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SAN JOSE – It’s entirely possible, and reasonable, that the controllerless Project Natal technology Microsoft is developing will replace a remote control on Xbox 360-powered TVs, Marc Whitten, the general manager responsible for Microsoft’s Xbox Live service, told attendees at the Streaming Media West show.

Whitten highlighted four areas – content, community, curation, and control – governing the evolution of the television and video content.

“I don’t believe we are currently in the golden age of the television or the golden age of the game console or the golden age of the Internet; frankly, five years from now I don’t know that you’ll be able to tell the difference between those worlds,” Whitten said.

Not surprisingly, Whitten used his talk to highlight recent additions to the Xbox 360 platform. With Netflix running on top of Xbox Live, consumers and gamers alike have access to hundreds of thousands of movies. Whitten called the shift between the Xbox 360 as a gaming platform and its evolution to a video platform as the “biggest surprise” of his job.

Microsoft implemented the Sky Player on the Xbox 360 in the U.K. in late October, adding Sky TV’s video content and on-demand programming for a subscription fee. While Whitten said that the service is now available to all, he also added that it was a “mistake” to launch the service as a full-fledged option, rather than roll it out on a limited basis. The service crashed three days after launch under an unexpectedly heavy bandwidth load.

It’s difficult to think of “community” as an addition to the service, Whitten said, since the Xbox originally launched as a matchmaking service allowing gamers to play and interact with each other over the Internet. In June, for example Microsoft signed deals to integrate Facebook, Twitter, and Last.fm, which the company recently rolled out.

In the areas of curation and control, however, Whitten looked more to the future than the recent past.

In the 1950s through the dawn of cable TV, Americans shared TV experiences, whether it be the network news or the annual viewing of The Wizard of Oz. Now, Whitten said, users have to think in terms of 2.1 million people watching a billion channels of experiences.

“It’s hard for me to think of that even in terms of a programming or channel guide,” Whitten said. “It’s hard for me to think of a channel 1 billion. I imagine you’d need a really good ‘up’ button on the remote control.”

In the future, content will be organized according to brand and/or user, Whitten said. When a user views a Nancy Grace or “The Daily Show” or a Bill O’Reilly, a user has a pretty good idea of what content will be associated with that particular name. But that direction will have to intersect with automated recommendations by Netflix and others.

“The context is not 1 billion channels, but one,” Whitten said. “One channel, with what I want, when I want it.”

And as Microsoft and its partners become more sophisticated about trying to determine what content users will be interested in, the methods of controlling or providing input to that content will become more sophisticated.

“With the flick of my wrist I can change a channel,” Whitten said. “With the power of my voice I can start a movie.”

Watching a movie is a passive input, but a TV should understand what you’re trying to do, Whitten added. “Laughter is an input,” he said. “Yelling at the TV when I know an answer on ‘Jeopardy’ is an input. Attention is an input. The number of people in the room at one time is an input.”

Microsoft’s goal is to make it easy and simple to find the content consumers want, and to share it with friends, Whitten said, and to enable experiences they care about. “It won’t be a remote control” that consumers use,” Whitten said. “A remote control is already too hard.”

Instead, Whitten said he envisions a future where Natal recognizes the users in the room, and their voices as well. Knowing the identity of the users will coalesce the content they’re interested in, and allow one of multiple users to control the interface. (In one recorded demonstration, Natal picked up on a user’s voice to control a game.)

“I believe that this will be the largest leap of TV experience since the remote control,” Whitten said of Natal.

by Chris Matyszczyk

It seems that Apple doesn’t respect Verizon’s Droid phone quite as much as it does Microsoft’s PCs. But two new ad spots, launching Monday evening, come as close as Apple has done thus far to directly attack the allegedly do-it-all robotphone.

The Droid, you see, went after Apple in its teaser campaign with some telling remarks and the hearty claim that Droid does what the iPhone doesn’t. Then Verizon decided it would be fun to knock both the iPhone and AT&T’s spotty 3G coverage with its “Misfit Toys” concept.

AT&T has already replied by hustling a hastily-dressed Luke Wilson into directing a few resentful pins at Verizon’s effigy. However these new ads, while entirely in keeping with the iPhone tone and style, end with a line that expressly assaults the doings of Droid–or rather, its alleged non-doings.

Both ads focus on the iPhone’s ability to allow you to use voice and data capabilities simultaneously over the AT&T network. By asking gently at the end of each spot “Can your phone and your network do that?” Apple is bursting what it sees as the inflated stealth bombing that accompanied the launch of the Droid.

These ads don’t mention the Droid or Verizon by name. But the fact that Apple has decided to address its rivals, however obliquely, suggests that one can look forward to more accusations, more bickering, and more attempted one-upmanship.

‘Tis the season of goodwill, after all.

From pastemagazine.com

The new Millennium got off to a great start where the world of gadgetry was concerned. For our 20 best we selected only actual gadgets—no websites like YouTube or Facebook, no software programs and no innovative companies like Netflix. From listening to music to trips to the lavatory, each of these gadgets has made life a little more enjoyable. Congrats to the inventors—now quit dawdling on the video-camera watch and the personal jetpack.

20. Jabra Bluetooth Earpiece (2000)
For months after Jabra’s bluetooth headset hit the market, we were all freaked out by the people wandering around in public talking to themselves. And while this advancement has certainly led to an increase in douchy behavior, it’s also probably saved countless lives, freeing hands for that all important thing called steering. Josh Jackson

19. Griffin iTrip (2003)
Soon after the iPod, there was the iTrip, wirelessly transmitting those early playlists to the car stereo via radio waves and with an Apple-worthy sleek design. Josh Jackson

18. Xlerator Hand Dryer (2003)
As mankind ventures further into the technological wonders of Tomorrowland, let us never forget that it’s the small things that matter most. Humans continue to streamline lavatory visits with as little hand contact as possible. It seems like it all started with the automatic paper towel dispenser, whirring out your hand-drying needs one, sometimes two sheets at a time. It didn’t take long before the rest of the restroom appliances caught on. Now toilets flush on their own, sinks spit out water with a finger’s flick and even soap dispensers need no button-pushing. But just when we thought a trip to the restroom couldn’t get any easier, along came the Xlerator, a super-powerful hand dryer that actually gets your hands dry, rather than making you wait 15 seconds before you give up and wipe them on your pants. Gage Henry

17. USB Flash Drive
The floppy disk of this decade, the USB flash drive is the most compact, portable data storage device used by PCs and Macs alike (and unlike many predecessors, no pre-formatting is necessary). The affordable and simple gadget has become one of the most essential computer tools that we use and is so ubiquitous you can buy it in any color or shape imaginable, including R2-D2, Predator or a replica human thumb. Emily Reimer

16. Bose QuietComfort Noise-Cancelling Headphones
While noise-canceling headphones have been available to pilots since the 1950s, this decade they finally fell into the hands of the consumer, providing a sonic refuge from the surrounding chaos. And since the headphones give listeners the ability to “turn down the noise” before turning up the volume, they also help prevent hearing damage—good news for music fans of all ages. Kevin Keller

15. Flip Video Ultra (2007)
Cheap enough that my 11-year-old daughter could save up for it herself and easy enough that she could make movies with it, the Flip video camera made a mockery of the $500 camcorder with which we filmed her childhood. Josh Jackson

14. Sonos Multi-Room Music System (2004)
Sonos changed what the term “home stereo” really meant, channeling your music to every nook where the mood for a little Mastodon might strike. Josh Jackson

13. Dyson Air Multiplier (2009)
The wow factor is still fresh in our minds for Dyson’s new magic-looking bladeless fan. Released just last month, it is superior to the bladed fan (what we used to just call “the fan”) in just about every way. Josh Jackson

12. Apple Airport Express (2004)
Steve Jobs first wowed us with the Airport in July of 1999, browsing the Internet from his laptop with no wires before a stunned MacWorld Expo crowd in New York. In 2004, the airport got an upgrade, letting you stream iTunes wirelessly through the house. And, because it was Apple, even your router looked sexy.

11. Sony Playstion 3/Blu-ray (2006)
Though Warner’s announcement that it would no longer release movies on HD-DVD effectively ended the decade’s biggest format war, Blu-ray’s victory also owes some credit to Sony’s latest-gen gaming device, which along with the XBox 360 ushered in an era of mind-blowing graphics. And with the price of 1080p HDTVs coming down, watching movies at home will never be the same. Josh Jackson

10. XBox (2002)
The reason the XBox and its 360 update get the nod over the Playstation 3 is for revolutionizing online gaming with the advent of XBox Live in 2002. Never before had you been able to meet foul-mouthed teenagers while playing video games without, you know, going to an arcade. Now if we could just stop those punks from quitting in the middle of a game when I’m beating them at FIFA 2010. Josh Jackson

9. Blackberry (2002)
By mid-decade, this series of smartphones from Canadian company Research in Motion had become known as “crackberries,” and they’d become as indispensable in business as the briefcase used to be. Josh Jackson

8. Slingbox (2005)
This genius device gives viewers access to their cable television programming anywhere with a computer and high-speed internet connection. While initially hailed as a solution for dorm-dwellers without space for a television, the slingbox has become a favorite of travelers who can’t miss their favorite shows or games just because they’re away from home. Kevin Keller

7. iPhone (2007)
When Apple launched it’s portable media player/web browser/gaming console/GPS, the phone application seemed the least of its concerns (after all, it partnered with AT&T for actual reception). But even as a phone, it added visual voicemail. And with new thousands of new apps, it’s the gadget that gets better every day. Josh Jackson

6. Amazon Kindle (2007)
Travelers need no longer preserve their novels’ final chapters for the plane ride home. The online superstore Amazon introduced its peculiar literary instrument in 2007, compacting the book and the bookstore into a single, grayscale device. The Kindle married an unlikely couple: literature and the electronic. It will remain one of the few gadgets to be never criticized for its brain-melting capabilities. And best of all, thanks to digital ink, it reads just like paper. Gage Henry

5. Wii Remote (2006)
All those arguments about video games turning children into lazy, pudgy zombies were met head on by Nintendo with the advent of the Wii, whose handheld controller could sense the boxing punch, tennis volley or basketball shot the player mimicked. Even my octogenarian friend Marty got in on the action, bowling with my nephew on Christmas day. Josh Jackson

4. Vodafone 3G Datacard (2004)
You are your own hotspot. It’s as simple as that. Laptops were meant to be mobile, so the Internet should be, too. When you can whip out your laptop in a moving car, any airport, on the bus, in the woods or in Starbucks (without paying “$9.99 for an hour”), well, that’s true Internet freedom. Others have since followed, but Vodaphone led the way. Nick Purdy

3. Garmin GPS (2000)
When judging new technologies, you have to remember what they replaced. And is there any vestigial remnant from the 20th century we’ll miss less than the fold-out car map? The first automotive navigation system was developed in the early ‘80s, but it wasn’t until an executive order eliminated the intentional margin of error the military had insisted for commercial use on May 2, 2000, that the dashboard GPS became more accurate and widely available. Now you can navigate with voice directions from Homer Simpson, Gary Busey or Kim Cattrall. And you never have to try to fold those maps again. Josh Jackson

2. TiVo DVR (1999)
That little black-and-silver box revolutionized the television experience, shifting power to the audience in an unprecedented fashion. No longer do you have to plan your schedule around your favorite shows. Had to work late, caught a ballgame or met friends for a drink instead? You can still watch your Lost (or whatever your jam is) when you get home without having to worry about blank VCR tapes. And, of course, you don’t have to suffer all those obnoxious commercial interruptions. But even beyond the more obvious benefits, TiVo inspires a sense of discovery with its recommendations function, learning your tastes based on what you already like, and helping you find great programming you might otherwise have missed. And though some units did ship in 1999, we certainly consider it an artifact of the 2000s. Steve LaBate

1. iPod (2001)
Digital music was already swinging when Apple introduced its signature device in 2001, but the iPod (enabled by its software buddy, iTunes, with its grandma-friendly syncing) mainstreamed and legalized the revolution. Who needed a shelf full of CDs when you could carry all of pop culture—first music, then TV and movies—in your pocket, accessing everything with ridiculous ease? Filling a need we didn’t know we had, the little beveled box hit the sweet spot of form and function. It drove two of the decade’s biggest obsessions: portability and personalization. And there was nothing on it that we didn’t want on it—beauty is in the iPod of the beholder. In its early days, the gadget was an instant icon of cool. Then everybody from the Pope to your dad got one, and those white earbuds were no longer the hip fashion accessory they had been in ’03—the iPod had transitioned from a cult object to an essential accoutrement of modern life. Not having a pod was like not having a microwave: unthinkable. In The Perfect Thing, Steven Levy’s book about how the iPod conquered the world, John Mayer said the device “changed the chemistry of listening.” With the shuffle feature and easy skipping, it’s all one big celestial jukebox. There are no boundaries, only playlists. Five years into the pod’s reign, a research firm polled college students about the top “in thing” on campus. The iPod was #1. Tied for #2? Facebook and beer. Phil Kloer