Daily Techno-Babble

Looks like RIM is ready for a followup to the Blackberry 8100 (Blackberry Pearl) with the 8800 coming soon to Cingular and T-Mobile (maybe others also). Engadget has posted some information on the new model which features a new slimmer form factor, memory expansion, and no camera. With this featureset the 8800 seems clearly targeted at the usual crackberry addicts, business users. I still use my trusty 8700 daily but this new model might be just the upgrade I could use in a few months. I like the fact that this model has the full keyboard vs. the SureType of the Pearl. Details are still a bit sketchy right now but as soon as I know more you can be sure I will post it!

I know what you are thinking, why BMW? Well…why not! At least in the Boston area the BMW brand seems to have almost universal appeal. There are even studies out there that claim men who own BMW automobiles have significantly more luck in attracting members of the opposite sex. Sex appeal aside, it is my own personal opinion that BMW simply makes a superior automobile in comparison to most cars on the road today. Many of the BMW’s mentioned below can also be purchased for significantly less cash then you might think, if you know where to look

1. BMW 1 Series -
   If you live in Europe and you want (or is that a need…) a small car to use in town then the BMW One Series is the choice for you! Featuring a choice of either a four cylinder or six cylinder engine and all the extras you would expect from a BMW. All this for significantly less then you would expect.
2. BMW Z2 -
   Wish you could afford a Z4 but just don’t want to blow the cash on something that impractical? Featuring a starting price of less than 30 big ones the Z2 is just what you are looking for. Only recently announced, this new BMW won’t be in dealerships just yet but look for it sooner than you might think (rumors have it on dealers lots for 2009-2010 model year).
3. BMW 3 Series -
   There is no possible way I could explain why the BMW 3 Series is simply the best sports sedan that money can buy. You just need to try one for yourself. What I can say that my own experience with both a BMW 328i and a few years later a 325xi was very positive. Now with the introduction of the new 328i sedan and the almost overpowered 335i (twin-turbo, 300hp) sedan there are even more reasons to take a long hard look at the 3 Series.
4. BMW Z4 M Roadster -
   What do you get when you take a high output 330hp inline six cylinder engine and pop it into the sculpted body of a roadster? The BMW Z4 M roadster is what you get and trust me, it rocks! If you are in the market for a convertible that is a no-compromise solution then the Z4 is your roadster.
5. BMW X5 -
   Ok, I admit it, this was not the BMW I would have expected as number 5 on this list. But after driving the current BMW 5 Series sedan I was not impressed. The interior of the latest 5 Series sedan was just too “plastic” for my taste and on the local Boston roads the car had a almost “heavy” feel when compared to the latest generation 3 Series. Although the BMW X5 is not the *perfect* SUV it sure is good at being just what it is, a BMW. Handling is spot on and the fuel economy is not as bad as you might expect from a SUV (25mpg highway is common).
6. BMW 6 Series -
   Although not my favorite BMW the 6 Series coupe does have a significant appeal. Viewed from close up the coupe looks larger than it’s dimensions would have you think and the way the wheels bulge out in those curvaceous fender flares makes you just want to take this car out for some exercise. Many feel that the 6 Series coupe is the finest two door on the road today and I would be hard pressed to disagree.
7. BMW 7 Series -
   If you consider yourself a person of distinctive (and expensive) taste and always demand the best then the BMW 7 Series is exactly what you are looking for. You will not find a finer, more sophisticated, and polished automobile at any price. The latest generation 7 Series sets the standard with power, handling, and style that defines what it means to be a BMW.
8. BMW 8 Series -
   I had to think long and hard about putting this one on the list. I personally don’t think the 8 Series is quite the car some make it out to be but I can’t ignore the simple fact that even years after it has left the US market you can still find them selling on eBay for significant amounts of cash. The car just seems to have a strong following. Dealers will tell you the 6 Series has replaced it, but I suspect that it will take more than the (optional) 10 cylinder M6 to quell the folks who just can’t live without the 8 Series signature V12 found in the 850i.

Earlier today I took the time to read several interesting stories on CNN about technology. They made me realize that now, more than ever it is a great time to be alive. Never before in the history of the human race have we seen the pace of technological change this rapid. In the last 100 years (a insignificant amount of time) we have gone from a humble agrarian society to a globally interwoven web of both political and social networks resulting from the rapid adoption of information technology. We hold tiny computers in our hands that allow us to speak to (or text message!) anyone, anywhere, anytime. Those same devices allow us to receive and filter information from around the globe into small, easy to understand chunks important only to us. This ability brings new depth to how each individual can control and use the huge wealth of information available in today’s world.

News and information flow freely around the world allowing groups of people to discover and integrate new ideas at a intense pace. In today’s world the classic development cycle no longer has any meaning. Products are developed, tested, and delivered to market in short deliberate cycles, each following on the heels of the last. Right about the time Apple Computer’s top product is announced, the company’s next big product enters the testing phase. If a scientist in one part of the world makes a discovery, a student may integrate that discovery into their own research only days later. Technology is being developed and adopted at a pace not unlike a car speeding down a windy road at night using only the parking lights to guide our way. Although we cannot see to far into our technological future, the rush of it all keeps us firmly in our seats, always bracing for the next turn in the road.

The special feature on CNN that talks about several new technologies claims that each hold great promise and therefore warrant special attention. After reading these stores I decided to make some comments on how I felt about what three of them had to say. So each in turn, below are the technologies both me and CNN found to be worthy of our attention:

Former Oracle exec: ‘We will destroy Oracle’ - This story talks about how Salesforce.com is changing how software developers are implementing business process software. Now I personally could care less about this but one interesting point made was how their efforts are going to put a thorn in the side of Oracle, which complete escapes my understanding since Oracle only markets databases (and related) software. I do feel that the comment itself is fundamentally correct, just not for the reasons they cite. Put simply, Oracle will die over time because it has no means to adapt to change. Sure, they could write a new version. But what exactly could they do with it? Think about it, why does anyone need a new database engine? My assessment is that they don’t and thus is why Oracle (and anyone else in that end of the business) should instead concentrate on what really matters today, wide area information management. Leave the business of storing data on physical hard drives to someone else (mySQL?).

Goodbye Wi-Fi: wireless signals get maximized - This one talks about how the new Wi-Max wireless broadband standard is going to take over the market. Sure, faster wireless is a good thing, but lets focus on the reality here. Wireless broadband is already a reality for many users thanks in part to two recent developments in technology. Less-than-gifted users who forget to secure their personal wireless networks and cell phone providers who are scrambling to implement faster wireless in order to lure more subscribers to their networks. If my cell phone gives me wireless broadband and the local Starbucks lets me leech their connection for free then I don’s see much of a market for anything else. Don’t get me wrong, for some this might be just-the-thing but mainstream adoption is unlikely.

Disrupting death - This was bound to happen, medial researchers are developing technologies to directly target cancer cells. Don’t know what that means? It’s very simple, program tiny nano-scale devices to seek out specific (cancer) cells, inject, then pee out the results (no more cancer). Scary, but not unexpected. This technology is only starting to be really developed now but has been widely predicted for almost 10 years. What this means in the long run is anyone’s guess but I would not rule out this technology becoming one of the great achievements of mankind, allowing for far more than just cancer treatment.

So there you have it, my latest mega-rant on technology!

As we enter into a new era of space exploration with all the private sector efforts in the last few years, it is important to take a moment to acknowledge the individuals who are making this all possible. Of particular note, sometime tomorrow Anousheh Ansari will become the first female space tourist by riding on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft into orbit for a week-long visit to the international space station. Those in the know will recognize the name Ansari, as in “Ansari X-Prize“. Anousheh Ansari was one of the principal financial backers of the X-Prize which was won by Scaled Composites with the SpaceShipOne design back in 2004. Now she is planning to do what the rest of us can only dream (myself included!) about by spending not just a few minutes in space but an entire week. I personally feel that we need more individuals like Anousheh, people who are not afraid to take risks to realize their dreams.

If you have the time, please check out her blog (which will be updated from space this week) at the following address:

http://spaceblog.xprize.org/

UPDATE: Anousheh Ansari has successfully reached orbit! CNN has the story here.

After reading lots of people’s initial impressions of the new iTunes 7 release on Tuesday I decided to write my own quick mini-review to talk about my own impressions of this major upgrade. Most of what I have read over the last few days seems overly critical and tells readers little about what new features they might actually like vs. those that get in the way.

This new version of iTunes sports a brand new look which closely matches the direction seen with the OSX 10.5 preview show a few weeks ago. Clearly Apple is trying to start the process of moving to this new, smoother and (in my opinion) refined look. Past iTunes users will be right at home since no major components have been moved (at least not very far!). One notable addition to the interface is the very sexy graphical method Apple added to browse content. On my Mac Mini the album browser was smooth and quick to load each of the album images. Although this feature works great on the Mac, PC users have reported some issues and to be completely fair I did notice the effect was not as smooth on the PC as the Mac. Another change was the order and content of the sidebar. Items are now grouped in (once again, my opinion) a much more logical order. I found I was able to very quickly sift through my collection of TV episodes much faster than in the previous version.

So lets talk about speed, how fast is this new version? The quick answer is, not very. Unfortunately it seems that this version does indeed use a bit more memory and system resources (especially on the PC) which ultimately translates into possible performance anxiety for those with only the base 512mb ram (Mac Mini). Those who have 1gb or more of system memory I think will find performance to be at least on par with previous versions.

Overall I feel the new version of iTunes is a worthy download and with the new addition of movies, a real challenger to long standing pay-per-month services such as HBO and Showtime (once more content is added).

NOTE: Many users have reported that this new version of iTunes has significant bugs, even to the point of possible data loss. Over the course of the last few days and even during some limited testing I experienced no crashes or major bugs….

What better to cook off a new *updated* blog format than an ultra-cool Apple event! If you don’t already know, Apple Computer is rumored to be announcing some new products tomorrow that are already being called “blockbuster” in scale. The event, only by invitation, is scheduled to take place 10am PST and hopefully will be uploaded to the Apple website later in the day. Of course all the news and rumor sites are going nuts trying to predict what might be released and my blog will be no exception. Here is my personal prediction on what we will see…..

1. Movies! Yes, we will finally see the announcement that the ITunes store now carries movies. At this point I won’t get into details on which studios will be on the guest list but so far Disney is a shoo-in.

2. Wireless Video Streaming! Ok, this might take some explaining. The whole idea behind a product that streams video is that it bridges the gap between consumers who use a computer to playback video on a projector or HDTV and those who would rather just use their Ipod or similar device. Most consumers like the idea of video streamed off the internet but don’t have a clue who to get it onto their TV, this new device will make it simple (Apple Style).

3. New Video Ipod? This one is a maybe, since it would really make sense to release a larger screen device along with the movie store but I don’t give it a huge chance since the other two are huge in themselves.

So there you have it. My semi-official predictions for the Apple “Showtime” event for tomorrow. No matter what Apple has in store it’s always fun to sit on the edge of my seat to find out!

UPDATE!!!

Apple did make several interesting product announcements, new iPods, Itunes movies and the much anticipated iTV device (wireless streaming video). Although the iTV device announcement was just a sneak preview, it was well worth sitting through the “stevenote” to get a glimpse of this trendsetting device.

Every once in a while I run across a web site or resource that is just plain cool. I was on the prowl for a new source of desktop backgrounds (the BMW web site has not posted anything new in a while) and I ran across this site. This great site called Interfacelift.com has tons of high quality backgrounds and icons for both Windows and Mac! Check it out.

Saw a new story about how the Apple cell phone / smart phone is close to production! Let the speculation begin….opps too late! (See previous posts) I sure hope Apple releases something that is far more than “just” a cell phone meets Ipod. Many of you out there are like me, seeking a digital device that lets us combine a PDA, Ipod and basic cell phone so we can concentrate on more important issues (such as why in God’s name to old people leave the blinker on….).

Yes, I know…this post has nothing to do with technology…or does it? About six months ago I purchased my first property, a small condo. Initially I was excited about going through the process since most people I had talked to said owning your own home was a rewarding process in itself. Boy did I have a lot to learn. Turns out the process was a total pain in the ass with the biggest headache being the Real Estate broker. Even though a I had retained the services of a buyer’s agent I still got run around over prices and since I was not buying something worth millions of dollars I got minimal service from both sides. So, after three months of basically doing my own research I finally found a nice place that fit my criteria. Now, after the initial purchase has passed and I have had some time to settle into my new place I can look back on the process with a bit less emotion but I sill can’t even imagine doing it all over again. So what does this rant have to do with technology? Quite a bit….

You see, I was doing some random surfing and ran across this story about how traditional Real Estate brokers are starting to feel threatened by online broker services such as Redfin. GOOD! Bout time they stated to fell the heat! 6% commission? Not anymore, now they will have to start being more “customer focused” or bad things may happen. Just like the music industry, it’s now time to make some changes and focus on the future before they get steamrolled by some new technology (like Redfin).