I don't post enough to merit a bunch of stand-alone blogs..
kamali.co
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
More thoughts on the Kindle Fire
I had posted some initial thoughts the first day: Kindle Fire. Good, bad, evil.
Now that I've played with it for a week, it still largely feels hobbled as a tablet, and not the eReader I'd use. One of these days I'll get a Kindle with the eInk screen-- so much easier on the eyes for "books".
The inability to access the Google app store is a pain, but I've found most of what I've wanted on apktop.com, like Google Maps, YouTube, and the Dolphin browser--since I don't like Amazon being in the middle of all my browsing. Notable exceptions, the apps I'd like, and/or better webapps --
Now that I've played with it for a week, it still largely feels hobbled as a tablet, and not the eReader I'd use. One of these days I'll get a Kindle with the eInk screen-- so much easier on the eyes for "books".
The inability to access the Google app store is a pain, but I've found most of what I've wanted on apktop.com, like Google Maps, YouTube, and the Dolphin browser--since I don't like Amazon being in the middle of all my browsing. Notable exceptions, the apps I'd like, and/or better webapps --
- Facebook. Though the mobile webapp works pretty well, except for photos.
- Gmail. Again mobile webapp works ok
- Twitter. Did download Uber Social though
I actually don't mind the 7" screen now-- it's often handy to cup the whole thing with one hand, which you can't do with a 10" tablet. Watching PPV movies and shows from Amazon works well-- easier than Amazon on the Roku and the web. A nice alternative when our TV is tied up. I think they're onto something with making money from videos on these. Not sure about music; I haven't used it for music at all. The reported Amazon phone seems a better fit for that.
The device survived a dropping onto the pavement, with barely noticeable scratches. Probably lucky how it fell, but a good sign that the screen didn't crack.
A couple nits: The power button on the bottom is awkward-- I'm always turning off the screen by mistake. Second, the screen does not go dim enough for me. Finally, you can not save browser bookmarks to the desktop/homescreen, which really bugs me. E.g. I want to save a bookmark to access mobile.nytimes.com with one click, but can't. Seems like they want to discourage the web in favor of buying/apps and subscriptions.
Despite the shortcomings, it has proved useful/fun. Perhaps I'm more sold now on using a tablet than on this device in particular.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Kindle Fire. Good, bad, evil
The Good:
* Nice, simple packaging (see photo below)
* Same power plug as the Nexus
* Bright crisp screen
* Borrowing books (Prime Members) is cool, and free Prime videos work well. (Amazon Prime is an unbelievable deal.)
* Scrolling through Recent Apps/Pages on the homescreen is slick, as are the Favorite App shelves
* Of course the price. Nice device for $200.
The Bad:
* No Mic or Camera
* Volume buttons would be handy
* The screen can't be made very dark-- can't imagine reading a book on this.
* 7" feels like an awkward in-between size, at first at least.
* Videos you copy over don't show up under "Videos" on the home screen, only under the Gallery app. (Music you copy does show up under "Music" though)
* Not the standard Gmail Android app.
The Evil:
* Amazon's Silk browser caches/routes everything through their servers for "enhanced performance". (I installed Dolphin to avoid this.)
* Any attempts to access Google's market.android.com open up the Amazon App Store app, which is much more limited. Same thing with installing from AppBrain, GetJar etc.
I understand Amazon's installing only their own app store. And I have no beef with their wanting to sell movies and music via these devices-- Amazon's my media store of choice. But actively hamstringing the device to restrict the apps you can install is evil. It's especially evil to block Google, as they provided Amazon the OS for free.
There are ways around this blockade like "side-loading" via your PC, or you can do direct downloads of APK files from some sites like apktop. (First, change Settings > Device > Allow Installation of Applications to "On".) Of course, installing software from a site you'd never heard of before today may not be the wisest move.. And some APKs--for standard Google apps like Maps, Gmail, YouTube--are hard to come by on these sites.
Hoping Amazon eases up the tight control with time.
* Nice, simple packaging (see photo below)
* Same power plug as the Nexus
* Bright crisp screen
* Borrowing books (Prime Members) is cool, and free Prime videos work well. (Amazon Prime is an unbelievable deal.)
* Scrolling through Recent Apps/Pages on the homescreen is slick, as are the Favorite App shelves
* Of course the price. Nice device for $200.
The Bad:
* No Mic or Camera
* Volume buttons would be handy
* The screen can't be made very dark-- can't imagine reading a book on this.
* 7" feels like an awkward in-between size, at first at least.
* Videos you copy over don't show up under "Videos" on the home screen, only under the Gallery app. (Music you copy does show up under "Music" though)
* Not the standard Gmail Android app.
The Evil:
* Amazon's Silk browser caches/routes everything through their servers for "enhanced performance". (I installed Dolphin to avoid this.)
* Any attempts to access Google's market.android.com open up the Amazon App Store app, which is much more limited. Same thing with installing from AppBrain, GetJar etc.
I understand Amazon's installing only their own app store. And I have no beef with their wanting to sell movies and music via these devices-- Amazon's my media store of choice. But actively hamstringing the device to restrict the apps you can install is evil. It's especially evil to block Google, as they provided Amazon the OS for free.
There are ways around this blockade like "side-loading" via your PC, or you can do direct downloads of APK files from some sites like apktop. (First, change Settings > Device > Allow Installation of Applications to "On".) Of course, installing software from a site you'd never heard of before today may not be the wisest move.. And some APKs--for standard Google apps like Maps, Gmail, YouTube--are hard to come by on these sites.
Hoping Amazon eases up the tight control with time.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Brief thoughts: Google Wallet, Amazon's tablet, Google+
Google Wallet - payments via your smart phone
Other than groceries, still not sure the whole checkout process is that painful now for consumers. Typical big box buys are going to get squeezed out by the likes of Amazon in the long term. Something like Fresh Direct, or even an order online and pick up at the store model, seems like the real solution for groceries. So this feels like a tangential solution to a problem that will largely go away anyway.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/quickerbettertech/2011/09/26/google-launches-the-ultimate-jobs-killer/
Amazon's Kindle Fire to be presented tomorrow
Amazon forays into the tablet market tomorrow. The reported 7" screen is disappointing-- makes it feel more like a color book reader than a general table. Thought they'd have specs equivalent to the iPad, but at a couple hundred dollars less. Seems like selling a comparable device at a big loss, in order to make profits on the service and/or media, is the proven way to disrupt a hardware market.
http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/26/amazon-kindle-fire/
More thoughts on Google+
Still feels overly abstracted, a techie reductionist take. Is it a blogging medium? Not really. (Though still doesn't integrate with Blogger.). Is it a social network? Yeah, but you don't have friends-- you follow people and if they follow you back, I guess you're friends. Is it a micro blog medium (ie link sharing a la twitter)? Kinda, but it's not concise like your twitter stream. Are you supposed to follow thought leaders you don't know? I guess, but do you really want posts from your favorite VC blogger mixed in with pictures of your kids' playmates?
I am still really liking it as a photo sharing medium -- the Picasa integration and auto-upload are really nice. And, as a publisher, having a single place to post things to, that I could send out to multiple circles/services/brands is appealing. But as a consumer, I feel a little sad in my sparse stream. I'll keep at it-- at least the sparseness is nice compared to the FB and Twitter overload.
Other than groceries, still not sure the whole checkout process is that painful now for consumers. Typical big box buys are going to get squeezed out by the likes of Amazon in the long term. Something like Fresh Direct, or even an order online and pick up at the store model, seems like the real solution for groceries. So this feels like a tangential solution to a problem that will largely go away anyway.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/quickerbettertech/2011/09/26/google-launches-the-ultimate-jobs-killer/
Amazon's Kindle Fire to be presented tomorrow
Amazon forays into the tablet market tomorrow. The reported 7" screen is disappointing-- makes it feel more like a color book reader than a general table. Thought they'd have specs equivalent to the iPad, but at a couple hundred dollars less. Seems like selling a comparable device at a big loss, in order to make profits on the service and/or media, is the proven way to disrupt a hardware market.
http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/26/amazon-kindle-fire/
More thoughts on Google+
Still feels overly abstracted, a techie reductionist take. Is it a blogging medium? Not really. (Though still doesn't integrate with Blogger.). Is it a social network? Yeah, but you don't have friends-- you follow people and if they follow you back, I guess you're friends. Is it a micro blog medium (ie link sharing a la twitter)? Kinda, but it's not concise like your twitter stream. Are you supposed to follow thought leaders you don't know? I guess, but do you really want posts from your favorite VC blogger mixed in with pictures of your kids' playmates?
I am still really liking it as a photo sharing medium -- the Picasa integration and auto-upload are really nice. And, as a publisher, having a single place to post things to, that I could send out to multiple circles/services/brands is appealing. But as a consumer, I feel a little sad in my sparse stream. I'll keep at it-- at least the sparseness is nice compared to the FB and Twitter overload.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Blockbuster Movie Pass - Yawn
3,000 movies available for streaming + one boring launch announcement. Would be a double yawn if Netflix/Qwikster didn't go all schizo earlier this week.
Cost? "Value of at least $20 per month at minimum" so price will be at least $20, but $10 for Dish subscribers. So it may be worth it for existing dish customers, and seemingly will get rolled into the top tier dish plan. Not surprising, whole announcement muddled by the old cable/satellite model.
Unfortunately doesn't seem threatening enough for Netflix to rethink this Qwikster idiocy, but now maybe NFLX can bounce a bit?
Unfortunately doesn't seem threatening enough for Netflix to rethink this Qwikster idiocy, but now maybe NFLX can bounce a bit?
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Predictions: Qwikster winners
- Amazon - where you can stream for free, pay per view, or buy the DVD all from one place.
- BitTorrent - fuck it, layperson will think, this actually seems easier than Netflix/Qwiksta now.
- People with the courage to buy NFLX when it stops tumbling in a day or two.
- Reed Hastings - who'll receive a fat bonus from the board, along with an early retirement.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Yeah, I got it on Qwikster
In a classic bad-to-even-worse move, Netflix attempted to apologize for the messaging around the price hikes. Instead they further agitated customers with the plan of separating out the DVD-by-mail service completely, intending to leave the streaming service on Netflix.com and to call the DVD service Qwikster.com. (Qwikster? I would have sold them one of my many, slightly less shitty domains for good price.)
Reed Hastings explains the move as necessary due to different cost structures and marketing needs between the two businesses. Because we customers clearly care more about their cost structures and marketing needs than our experience of finding and watching movies.
The DVD rentals are a necessary kludge right now, serving as a back up when something isn't available to stream. As the streaming library is in constant flux, having these services tied together is essential. Plus, the DVD rentals are an important weapon in Netflix's negotiations with Hollywood. For most movies, if Hollywood wants too much for a film, customers are happy to deal with the inconvenience of DVD by mail. It's kinda stupid, but such is the state of digital media licensing-- laws make physical media much more consumer friendly.
Maybe they will supplement the current streaming service with pay-per-view movies, which now makes even more sense. Maybe the DVD rentals wouldn't be useful as a hedge. Maybe the DVDs won't be used much once the pay per view is in place. Maybe there's still some unknown aspect of their plan that will make this split obvious in hindsight. But right now it's a confusing mess.
At Meetup we used to have a saying "What Would Netflix Do?", admiring the clarity and simplicity of their UI. Our saying never seemed to carry over to customer communications for a big release-- we often stressed and angered our community, while Netflix just made people happier and happier with each release. It seems they've taken a page from our book this time.
Reed Hastings explains the move as necessary due to different cost structures and marketing needs between the two businesses. Because we customers clearly care more about their cost structures and marketing needs than our experience of finding and watching movies.
The DVD rentals are a necessary kludge right now, serving as a back up when something isn't available to stream. As the streaming library is in constant flux, having these services tied together is essential. Plus, the DVD rentals are an important weapon in Netflix's negotiations with Hollywood. For most movies, if Hollywood wants too much for a film, customers are happy to deal with the inconvenience of DVD by mail. It's kinda stupid, but such is the state of digital media licensing-- laws make physical media much more consumer friendly.
Maybe they will supplement the current streaming service with pay-per-view movies, which now makes even more sense. Maybe the DVD rentals wouldn't be useful as a hedge. Maybe the DVDs won't be used much once the pay per view is in place. Maybe there's still some unknown aspect of their plan that will make this split obvious in hindsight. But right now it's a confusing mess.
At Meetup we used to have a saying "What Would Netflix Do?", admiring the clarity and simplicity of their UI. Our saying never seemed to carry over to customer communications for a big release-- we often stressed and angered our community, while Netflix just made people happier and happier with each release. It seems they've taken a page from our book this time.
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