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In what may simply be a sign of the times, it looks like Circuit City is on the brink of going under.  Their stock (CC) has fallen below $.50/share, which is never a good sign.  The pull-out of Blockbuster - which didn’t seem like a good marriage to me - probably means that there are few suitors for one of the few remaining legacy natin-wide electronics chains.

I will be sorry to see them go, although personally I feel that their service in recent years has declined faster than their stock price.

~geek

Finally; ’cause we all can see how well the “hands-free required” law is working.  Anyway, after the letting this slide through the previous legislation banning cell phone use in the car, California Governer Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation today banning drivers from sending, writing, or reading messages on electronic devices while driving. 

Of course, there is always a catch… if you’re one of those morons with a Blackberry in one hand and your Motorola cell in the other, this law doesn’t go into effect until January and even then the penalties are just stupid: $20 for a first offense, $50 for the second.  But… that’s not the catch - the catch is “prove-it,” because it’s still legal to dial in a telephone number while driving… 1-800-4ST-UPID.

I love california.

~geek

There has been so much hype over the past few days about the as yet only partially announced Blackberry Storm that my haead is spinning.  Here’s what the guess is so far:

1. RIM is apparently soon to release a new touch-screen competitor to Apple’s wildly successful iPhone.
2. The media believes this will be called the Storm and whether it’s ready for prime time is still open to debate.  More people than not think it’s probably not ready for release and that the software is quite buggy.
3. The “exclusive” US carrier of the Blackberry Storm will be Verizon.
4. Verizon “announced” (soft announced) the Blackberry Storm on their website at http://www.verizonwireless.com/storm on September 16, 2008.  That same day they removed the coming soon page that outlined details and collected user information from people interested in the product.
5. The community at large assumes this is bad.

That, of course, is only a small bit of what the community is saying and even the defacto kind of Blackberry news, BoyGeniusReport.com is suggesting that someone is trying to pull the wool over our eyes.  Personally, I’ll opt for the other consensus - there is a new phone coming out - it’s not ready - Verizon announced it too soon - and they’re worried about the competition.  A lot of people are leaving Verizon and Blackberry for the iPhone.  It’s that simple - they need to keep their customers - especially in these difficult financial times - and their customers want new, better, and more powerful handsets.

So what do you think??

~geek

I should have known it would never last, but I was very optimistic when I purchased an HD-DVD player from Wal-Mart last year for the outstanding price of $99.99.  I justified it by saying “Microsoft is behind this,” and thinking that worst case I could play regular DVDs on it, too.  Unfortunately, I believe that the final nail has been placed against the pine top of HD-DVD’s coffin.

Wal-Mart has officially announced that they will no longer stock or sell HD-DVD media by June.  Their HD offering will continue to support the increasingly popular Blu-Ray, and they’re not alone.  Netflix and Best Buy are also pulling HD-DVD from their offering, effectively ending any chance the format had of success.  So, if the consumer hasn’t spoken, the retailers have.  They’ve picked their format and like it or not the consumer is going to have to suffer the consequences.

As always, I would love to know your thoughts.

~geek

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