Like so many, I have a love/hate relationship with my iPhone. So much to love and one very important thing to hate. Read more to find out.

A new look, a new idea, and even a bit of new content to spice up the blog and give me something that might even be sustainable over the long-haul. That’s right, I’m starting over and this time I think that leaving myself room for posting my opinions on technology and what’s going on in the world will make is possible for me to regularly contribute and continually add value for my readers. Wouldn’t that be nice…?

So here we go, post one for a new era – welcome to thegeekchannel.com!

~geek

Everywhere you look retails are starting to prep for the make-it or break-it Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, that, for many, will be the deciding factor of their profitability this year.

Is AppleTV the worst product of 2007?  My opinion – yes and no.  Yes, I think that the implementation is very un-Apple, because it’s not unique enough to compel Apple devotees to purchase one.  After all, most of these users already have a TiVo (or equivalent) and aren’t going to buy something just to watch iTunes content.  MTV, for the most part, already covers much of that market.

On the other hand, I think that there is promise here if Apple can get past where they are today and add content for television with the same success that they’ve managed to get musical content.  Imagine, if you will, you could go to AppleTV and buy first-run movies electronically instead of on DVD.  Perhaps, because you’re purchasing digital content you can even burn that out to a DVD and have the best of both worlds?  I believe that people are going this way and that some company will win the battle.  Perhaps it’s not too late for Apple, but they need to get moving and promoting with the same passion that they do their other products.

~geek

Chalk another one up for the Apple legal team.  A press release was issued from Nick Ciarelli, Think Secret’s publisher today.  It read as follows:

December 20, 2007 – PRESS RELEASE: Apple and Think Secret have settled their lawsuit, reaching an agreement that results in a positive solution for both sides. As part of the confidential settlement, no sources were revealed and Think Secret will no longer be published. Nick Ciarelli, Think Secret’s publisher, said “I’m pleased to have reached this amicable settlement, and will now be able to move forward with my college studies and broader journalistic pursuits.”

My thoughts are pretty simple – someone gave him some information that they shouldn’t have and pissed off Apple.  He lost.  Too bad, so sad.

 Geek

I will admit to being a fan of Palm.  Despite everything, I want them to succeed, because I think that they were ten years ahead of everyone else in their thinking.  Unfortunately, I also believe that they’re now years behind the competition and that sticking to their form-factor has limited their success in some senses because they haven’t gone away from the style that made them successful in the beginning.  Changing the color just wasn’t enough for most die-hard techies.

On the plus for them, though, Verizon is now carrying and marketing their 755P smartphone that will allow Verizon users to get their fix of this now aged phone.  Thanks, but no thanks.  Too little, too late in my mind.

~geek

There was a time when buying a Dell desktop or notebook computer was like buying an original Model T Ford – you could have it in any color you wanted so long as it was black.  Or, in the case of their notebooks, some shade of black.  Like the automobile industry, the computer industry has changed and no longer following the pack, Dell has become a leader and is offering computers in a variety of colors and styles that are both unique and, dare I say, attractive.

With their push to more retail storefronts, it’s not becoming apparent the the changes at Dell are about more than slapping on a layer of paint.  Dell is changing as a company, maturing and being forced to use something other than “the lowest price” to compete.  For one, I like the change, and I look forward to what Dell will be offering in the years to come.  I just hope that the company can keep changing and growing and do it all without losing what it is that makes them special – competitive pricing, complete product offerings, and a relatively simple buying experience.

 ~geek

It’s been a rumor, and now it’s official.  CompUSA has announced that they will shut their doors after the heavily discounted holiday season.  My recommendation: don’t buy any extended warranties.

Sorry to see this group go, but it’s difficult to compete as number three and their advertising, customer service, and management haven’t matched the competition in recent years.

More information at Bloomberg.

~geek

For those of you that remember, the Sega Dreamcast was one of the best, highest quality video consoles ever made.  Unfortunately, like so many other good technologies it failed and left the market very quickly.  A rumor recently surfaced that there might be a Dreamcast 2 on the horizon and today there’s another rumor that there will not be a Dreamcast 2.  My feeling – never gonna happen.  Good and bad for the consumer, but the world just doesn’t need another console right now.

~geek

I can’t be alone in thinking the iPod mania has gone on for more than the normal 15 minutes of fame, and while I do believe that the personal media player is the one of the greatest inventions of the last 50 years, I’m quite done seeing all the iPod docks and accessories that come across the wire every day.  And, now, moving the iPod accessories into “fine furniture” just seems to me to be over the top.

Pottery Barn (one of my favorite stores) is now selling the Piedmont iChair, which is being marketed as “one of life’s classic comforts.”  Come on, it’s a chair with some speakers built into the headrest.  Somehow I doubt that this is going to create the “first-rate listening experience” that is being claimed.  What I really think is that companies have gone too far followingthe fanfare that Apple has created with their star.

~geek