Weekend Fun: Mr. Picasso Head

Mr. Picasso Head is a fun flash website that lets you create your own work of art portraits in the unique Picasso style.  The program works by giving you a set of standard shape and brush strokes to use to great your work of art.  The shapes and brush strokes can be rotates, enlarged and distorted so they fit the best way into your creation.  You can even sign your work of art in Picasso handwriting.  If nothing else this program is fun way to kill some time on the weekend and create a cool work of art in the process.

Next Installement of the Gates, Seinfeld Microsoft Advertisements

Earlier, we talked about Microsoft's 300 million dollar advertising campaign to get people interested in Windows again.  We featured the first commercial from the serious of advertisement featuring, Microsoft co-founder, Bill Gates, and famous comedian, Jerry Seinfeld.  Microsoft has put the second commercial on the internet today for your viewing pleasure.

Are these ads working for anyone?  I find them somewhat funny and they are a nice introduction before a full advertising campaign pushing Windows in your face.  Leave your thoughts in the comments if you enjoy the ads or not?

Microsoft Updates Their Zune and Harware

We told you earlier that Apple wasn't the only one with news to announce on the 9th, and Microsoft didn't disappoint.  Microsoft released a couple interesting updates to both their Zune music player and their computer hardware accessories.  Microsoft hardware has come a long way, and it's now become one of the standards for gamers and hardcore computer users who demand a high level out of their computer parts.  There latest improvement is the use of BlueTrack Technology in their mice.  BlueTrack is being presented as the next evolution in optical tracking technology.  It allows a person to use their mouse on many different services, even if they are not a solid or consistent color or texture (no need for a mouse pad).  This may not seem that big but anyone that uses a mouse on the road will be happy, no more need to carry a mouse pad or find a nice clean surface to use.  It will even work on carpet, which is nice for some lazy Sunday browsing in your living room.  My favorite new hardware is the Arc Mouse (pictured above).  This is a mobile mouse that has an interesting fold up design that allows it to collapse for travel as well as storing its own wireless usb transceiver.

Next Up, we have the new Zune.  The only appearance different is that there is a new color available, blue, everything else is internal and software changes.  The flash Zune player (pictured right) is now available in both 8gb and 16gb versions for $149 and $199 respectively.  This is staying on par with Apple's new iPod Nano in price per gigabyte.  For the larger hard drive based Zune, Microsoft has bumped the storage from 80gb to 120gb.  Available for $249, this is also staying on par with Apple's iPod classic. 

The firmware update for the Zune is due to be released on September 16th and will be backwards compatible.  Meaning the firmware will be available for previous versions of Zune's as well as new ones (teaching an old dog new tricks).  This has become standard practice for Microsoft, as not to leave their early adopters in the dust, much unlike Apple.  The new software will feature "buy from FM" that allows users to listen to a song through the FM radio on the Zune, and then download the song they were just listening to through the Zune's wi-fi capabilities (hear it, download it).  A nice feature that one-ups the Apple wi-fi Music Store.  We'll see if this feature works as well in practice as it does in theory though.  The Zune is slowly but surely becoming a nice full featured device.  It offers certain upgrades on the iPod but seems to be lacking in the user interface and ease-of-use software that apple is known for.  Hopefully Microsoft can get their act together and make the Zune a true competitor to the iPod, in the portable media player market.

Say Hello to Your New iPod

As expected, Apple released their new line of iPods today.  There is a completely new iPod Nano, a slight update to the exterior of the iPod Touch, a spec change in the iPod Classic, and new software for all.  The Nano is by far the most changed.  The combination of a bigger screen, taller overall design in a much thinner frame, and a new collection of available colors makes the Nano a more attractive choice for buyers.  The Nano comes in 8gb and 16gb capacities for $149 and $199 respectively.

The iPod Touch got the same treatment as the iPhone 3G, in terms of physical design.  The iTouch has the same curved design but is much thinner than the iPhone.  Other features include dedicated volume buttons, a
speaker, and integrated Nike+ syncing. The software is very similar to the iPhone 3G as well, with the App Store, Google Maps, and Mail program.  (It's essentially an iPhone without the cell tower connection, i.e you have to be connected to a wi-fi hotspot to use most of the features)  The iTouch is available in 8gb, 16gb, and 32gb for $229, $299, and $399, that's a hundred dollars cheaper than the previous generation iTouch.

The iPod Classic received no appearance changes, only size and option changes.  The iPod Classic is now only available in the 120gb capacity for $249.  This is the same capacity as offered by Microsoft's Zune player.  It seems strange that Apple would downgrade it's 160gb iPod to a 120gb, but i'm sure they have their reasons (to keep costs down for sure).

The software introduced is, iTunes 8, the newest installment of the iTunes line.  iTunes is rapidly becoming the center for your digital rather than just organizing your music collection.  iTunes 8 continues to bring the trend of making music more image oriented by using album and artist art to browse music rather than just having an alphabetical list of files.  Look for a more indepth review of all the new features and how to use them by the end of the week.

Google Chrome: One Week Later

So it's been one week since our review of Google Chrome, and we wanted to provide an update to how it's working beyond our initial use.

Pros:

• Simplistic design is very easy to use
• Omnibox is convenient and reduces screen clutter
• It's open source and already has a thriving developer community
• expect a lot of add-ons and variations to emerge soon (similar to firefox extensions)
• It's Google so it has great potential to incorporate many of the other service from Google (i.e. Gmail, Docs, Google Talk, iGoogle, and many other services)

Cons:

• The Custom Panel Start Page wasn't very useful
• If I'm going to one of my most visited websites, I know the URL and it's just as easy to type it than click on it
• If you use CCleaner to remove your history regularly, the start page doesn't show much except websites you just visited.
• Truly a beta program
• the program crashed and froze numerous times
• had problems running certain websites, including Google's own blogging website, Blogger (crashed while writing this post)
• Google had a bit of trouble with their End User License Agreement 
• Google makes it's money off advertising and collecting user data (what should make Chrome any different)
• once Google has you using their browser there's no telling when they will incorporate ads in.
• Google collects data on your browsing, "Privacy advocates are already warning users that the id can be used to create exact user profiles of a user’s actions while using Google Chrome." via ghacks

Overall, Google Chrome has huge potential and it'll be interesting to see where it goes.  Google can go in many different directions and make this browser a force to be reckoned with in the already competitive market of internet browsers.  The only downside could be that this may actually help Microsoft more than hurt it, which was Google's aim.  For the longest time, if you didn't use Internet Explorer, you used Firefox.  And to use Firefox you had to make a conscious decision to not use Internet Explorer, which is the default on Windows Computers.  Now people looking for an alternative have Chrome as well as Firefox.  Chrome has potential to make the browser market harder for the underdog rather than Microsoft's Internet Explorer.  It'll be interesting to see how this ends up and it's definitely something to keep an eye on.  

We've Been Blogged

One of our awesome readers submitted this blog to Blogged.com (sounds redundant, I know) and it was accepted into their directory.  Blogged , in their own words, "is about discovering what the best bloggers are blogging about right now, and about finding the blogs that will interest you the most."  The Blogged editors review each website submitted and give them a rating based on a 10 point scale, taking into account "frequency of updates, relevance of content, site design, and writing style."  Overall this blog recieved an initial rating of 7.8.  I think we can make this rating higher though, feel free to head over to Blogged and give this site a rating.

Apple's Not The Only One With News On the 9th

This coming Tuesday, September 9th, Apple will be unveiling some new hardware, namely new iPods.  Not to be out done, Microsoft has also planned to unveil some new hardware at a press event with the tag line "Say Goodbye to Laser."  And what hardware is Microsoft planning to unveil to compete with the iPod? A mouse and a webcam, at least that's all that we know of.  As always there are rumors to what surprise announcements could be made by Microsoft.  It seems odd that Microsoft would choose to go head to head for media attention with the iPod with only a webcam and a mouse to show.  The obvious bet is that there will be an announcement related to the Zune, since it is a competitor with the iPod.  The other idea is that Microsoft really will only be announcing a mouse and a webcam, and they are getting more publicity for picking the same day as Apple than what they are releasing. 

via: Engadget
via: LiveSide

"Microsoft" and "Cool" In The Same Sentence?

Back in March, Microsoft decided to launch a new advertising campaign for it's flagship product, Windows.  This $300 million image overhaul is Microsoft's first action against the bad press of Vista and direct insult from Apple in the Mac vs. PC advertising campaign.

For this, Microsoft has decided to stray away from their usual advertising agency,McCann Worldgroup, and enlist the hippest advertising guru in the business, Alex Bogusky of Crispin Porter + Bogusky. He has been called the "Steve Jobs of the Ad World" (Fast Company) and is responsible for some of the boldest and most successful ad campaigns of recent, including the "truth" campaign and the very successful Burger King campaign (see image below).

Alex Bogusky and his co-executive creative directors, Andrew Keller and Rob Reilly, seem to be excited for the challenge.  "Microsoft is at the epicenter of the great brand challenge of the next decade-or millennium" (via: fast company).  Alex Bogusky and his group pride themselves on taking on stale or older brands in a transition, and making them "cool" once again.  Often using strange and bold ideas to push a brand to its limits.  And for an agency driven by challenge, Microsoft may be their advertising dream come true.  No company has been more stale, in terms of their image, in the past 20 years than Microsoft. 

Enough with the history and why these companies are working together.  This deal was made in March 2008, and we are now beginning to see what the result will be.  The Mojave Experiment has been a preliminary online advertisig campaing to counter the bad press Vista has been getting.  It's basic idea is to show people using Vista without telling them it's Vista and record their reactions (think The Pepsi Challenge with computers).  The Mojave Experiment has been recieved with mixed reviews, but this is by no means Microsofts big plans for the Windows advertising campaign.  The big ideas coming from Bogusky and his group involve celebrities and Bill Gates.  The most interesting, is the pairing of comedian Jerry Seinfeld and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.  The first of these ads are beginning to surface.

The campaign will center around the slogan "Windows, Not Walls" and highlight what makes Windows a great operating system.  Bogusky is staying to true to his usual ad style.  Instead fo trying to compete with other brands he his trying to focus on what makes Windows great.  This is the opposite of Apple advertising that prefers to show how good they are by showing how bad Windows is.  "It's not a matter of forcing people.  It's getting people to want to use it [Windows].  If you can't, you're not going to do great advertising," Rob Rielly said in his interview with fast company. 

Bogusky and his group seem to have the idea right, hopefully it shows in their campaign.  Windows does offer a lot of things that other operating systems can not, but many of these things are for more tech savvy people.  Using Jerry Seinfeld is also a good choice, he's famous enough for young and old to know him and enjoy his work but he doesn't seem out of touch to pair with Microsoft.  If they went out and just got some young hip celebrity it would seem like a desperation act, scrounging for young people support.  I look forward to see how this campaign takes shape and if it can truly give Microsoft Windows the image overhaul it's long over due for.   

Here Comes New iPods

Apple is coming out with new iPods.  A press event has been set for September 9th.  The timing is pretty standard for Apple, they get rid of most of their older iPod with their back to school sale (they offer a free iPod to any student that purchases a computer before September 15th) and release the new iPods just before the holiday shopping season.  With any Apple event there is a lot of rumors to what other surprise announcements will be made.  

Google Chrome: now to access the internet you have to go through google

Today Google officially released it's own internet browser, named Chrome.  Chrome is an open-source browser with a very simplistic design and is being described as a web 2.0 browser for the growing needs of internet users (using all of Google's online services, Docs, Gmail, Youtube, etc..).  Google needs a browser to ensure that all their growing online services will be usable by all its users without any compatibility issues.  Google has released a cute comic to help describe their browser.  The use of a comic and not a user manual should help explain who this browsers target market it.

I downloaded the software and put it through a trial run.  The browser works simple enough and has a lot of room to grow.  It looks like a stripped-down version of your current browser.  There's only tabs and an address bar with some basic controls.  The address bar doubles as the search box as well, you have the option of which search engine you want to use (obviously Google is the default).  The address bar also offers suggestions for websites you are looking for, similar to firefox 3, but Chrome takes it one step further by suggesting any website, not just ones from your bookmarks.

The browser functionally was fine, but because of how new it is some websites aren't ready for it yet.  I tried visiting Nike.com and this is the message I was greeted with (photo right).  Chrome is too new for its own good.  The browser has huge potential since it's backed by Google and their seemingly limitless money.  Google also has so many users through its online services they could heavily suggest that people begin to use their browser instead of others.  Integration of Google's internet services with Chrome could cause many people to switch browsers.

With Google's entrance into the browser war, Google is going head to head with Microsoft in yet another internet market.  The timing of Google's Chrome release is intentional to compete with the release of Microsoft's own Internet Explorer 8, which is currently out in beta.  Google and Microsoft are already in open competition in the search engine business, online document services, and online advertising.  Google and Microsoft's competition on the internet seems to be one of the biggest tech rivalry's.  It'll be interesting to watch this pan out as both companies are strangely similar.  Google and Microsoft had similar starts and stunning growth and both seem to have limitless resources.

*Update* Walt Mossberg, the tech columnist for The Wall Street Journal has released his opinion on Chrome.