A Lot About Nothing

I came across this site about a month ago while I was searching for new, simple ways of creating dynamic widgets on the web. I’m glad the Google gods were good to me, because Sprout has made my job soooo much easier! What is Sprout, you ask? Well, basically:

Sprout is a quick and easy way for beginner and pro users to create living content including, websites, banners, videos, music, photos, RSS feeds, calendars and more.

After I initially Googled the Sprout site, I signed up to be on the “private beta” list, and created a small group of media player-type sprouts. Today, Sprout is officially in “open beta”, so if you feel inclined to test your multimedia design prowess, give it a shot.

I also noticed today that Sprout featured two of the sprouts I created: one for Erykah Badu’s new album (on the homepage) and one for Sheryl Crow’s latest album (on the “what is sprout” page under “promotional”)! Sprout is definitely a great way to get your ‘widget’ out there and spread virally on the web. A very effective promotional tool.

Of course I do feel a bit sad that a few of my Flash/Actionscript skills are becoming a tad obsolete since now everyone from novice to pro can create amazing sprouts so easily, but who am I to complain? Less work = a more happy me.

With the public release of Sprout Beta, there are a lot of cool features to aid in the creation of sprouts: pre-built templates, dozens of components, and additional properties. Kudos to Sprout and their great team for creating a great open-source product that’s accessible to everyone!

All you people searching for a Nintendo Will console this Christmas were in luck today. Futureshop.ca had two separate stock replenishes of the popular gaming system of 350 units and they were all gone in a matter of minutes. If you didn’t already have your customer profile set up, or were busy fumbling through your wallet looking for your credit card then you were probably out of luck.  Many of their stores sold some of their last shipments before Christmas this morning as well.

This screen grab was taken at 4:18pm (click for larger version):

And just over 10 minutes later:

I’ve never seen such a demand for item since the Tickle-Me-Elmo. I for one wasn’t about to wake up at the crack of dawn this morning in the cold to head to Future Shop and purchase one in store. All the people who managed to get one before the holidays are pretty lucky because this is one hot item (two years running). It sucks when many of these people buying up all these Wii’s are scalpers trying to make a quick buck from the high demand of this product, while there are eager children waiting on them as Christmas gifts.

Other online retailers that had the Wii in stock at various times today: Costco and Best Buy.

Next online rush: Wii Fit

It sucks that I don’t have wads of cash just lying around. I think I’m due for a new mp3 player… and the iPod Touch is it. As for the overview of this new gadget:

[The iPod Touch] features built-in Wi-Fi networking and a revolutionary multi-touch user interface—first introduced on iPhone—that makes it easy to find all of your music, video, and other digital content and enjoy it on the gorgeous widescreen display on iPod touch. The multi-touch interface uses pioneering new software to present the perfect user interface for Safari, Apple’s YouTube application, and the new iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store—all of which come with iPod touch. An unbelievable 8mm thin, iPod touch features up to 22 hours of audio playback and up to five hours of video playback. Available later this month, iPod touch comes in 8GB and 16GB models for $299 and $399, respectively.

It’s a damn good thing I didn’t waste my money buying the original iPods/Nanos, because this one is just so sexy!

*starts putting coins in piggy bank to pay for iPod Touch*

Click here for the guided tour of the iPod Touch from Apple.

One of my former tech-savvy co-workers dropped by the office today, and what did he have with him? An iPhone! Okay, so I only handled it for a couple of minutes, but it swayed me to seriously think purchasing one when they finally come to Canada… especially for business needs. It’s a little heavier than I thought it would be, but the interface is breathtaking (I just love that slide lock function!).

Perhaps I’ll wait a few months after the mob calms down when it’s released north of the border, though.

Ever since Steve Jobs’ Macworld Keynote back in January, tech-savvy (and band-wagoners) have been itching to get their hands on the much-awaited iPhone: Apple’s device that’s an iPod, a phone, an Internet mobile communicator in one. This sure is one sexy phone.

Now, unless you have been living under a rock, there is a feeding frenzy that will occur in less than 24 hours. A mass techsteria like the world has never seen. Starting tomorrow at 6pm, Americans who have been camping outside Apple and AT&T stores since the beginning of the week will be able to purchase the iPhone. I can’t even image the hysteria that will ensue. And I thought Boxing Day was bad. I’ll be on the lookout for ‘brawls break out in iPhone lineup’ stories in the news tomorrow. Check out this listing on Craigslist for a “line-waiter” position. And another one asking for help. Wow… this is just a few of many similar listings. People are willing to ask for and even willing to pay up to the price of an iPhone ($500) just for a spot in line.

Will I purchase one when it comes to Canada through Rogers Wireless? Probably not at first. I just bought a Nokia 6265i from Telus last week (they offered me an amazing monthly plan, and all I had to do was sign 2 years of my life away to get the phone for $49.99), so the iPhone would probably have to wait until after that (or until I find an extra $500 lying around). Hell… I don’t even have an iPod yet.

The iPhone does look amazing though. I think it will live up to the hype (unless escalating complaints about AT&T’s network arise). The most intriguing feature I’m looking forward to though is the multi-touch display (I hope they’ll give away free screen wipes). For a quick rundown on those still wondering what the iPhone is, here’s a quick rundown from apple.com:

iPhone introduces an entirely new user interface based on a revolutionary multi-touch display and pioneering new software that allows users to control iPhone with just a tap, flick or pinch of their fingers. iPhone combines three products into one small and lightweight handheld device—a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod®, and the Internet in your pocket with best-ever applications on a mobile phone for email, web browsing and maps. iPhone ushers in an era of software power and sophistication never before seen in a mobile device, which completely redefines what users can do on their mobile phones.

If you want more in depth coverage on the features of the iPhone, check out the Apple site. I also really like that “slide to unlock” feature. You don’t know how many times my old cell phone took pictures of the inside of my bag…

Personally, I think the iPhone is going to transform the mobile telephone industry, the same way the iPod affected the record industry. It sucks that now I probably can’t watch an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation without critiquing a technological device and saying “the iPhone is so much better than that”.

To cheer up all the people who cannot purchase an iPhone because they don’t live in the U.S., or would rather use the $500 for more constructive means, here’s a funny sketch from MadTV that pokes fun at Steve Jobs’ Apple technology (along with obvious U.S. political satire):