You can now preview iPhone Apps, Music and Videos via a ‘web’ version of iTunes store. With Apple’s recent acquisition of cloud-music all-stars Lala, one might conjecture that this web push of iTunes preview is leading the way (or perhaps a test bed) for a full fledged iTunes in the cloud, on the web version.

The benefit of such a solution seems pretty clear – access to your entire media library, including playlists, music, videos, and iTunes store from wherever you are. At work on the work PC, on the go on your Phone, at the Coffee shop on your personal computer, at a friends house on their PC, etc. This is increasingly beneficial as Apple is trying to fit more and more computing gadgets into our lives (see iPad) – the “authorized devices” paradigm is one of the more confusing systems I’ve seen from Apple.

I think getting consumers access to their entire media library regardless of their location is important. Media is the first step, but documents, applications, user settings, etc can theoretically follow a user around regardless of WHERE or HOW they are accessing the web.

In the near future, high-speed wireless access will be ubiquitous, and the “coverage” wars will seem like the distant past. In this world, the network and its ability to deliver to you YOUR content regardless of access point without having to jump through hoops will be the major selling points. Google and Apple seem the farthest along here, but you never know when another major player (hint: Facebook) might jump in and stir things up.

http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/02/05/facebooks-project-titan-a-full-featured-webmail-product/

I can’t believe I’m saying this… but this could actually happen… I think they could do it. I mean, nearly 1/12 of the world’s population is on Facebook.

They already have the majority of every user’s social graph hooked into it.

WOW, the implications to Google are significant. And this is coming from a Gmail lover/advocate.

-Joenandez

Hello cable providers. Please pay attention.

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again.

When I want to watch TV – I DO NOT say “I wonder what’s on Channel 1546″.

I say “I want to watch LOST.” or Sportscenter. or Lacrosse. Or The OFFICE.

I don’t care what specific channel it is on, I just want to watch that thing. Why do we have to remember channels? It’s about the content, not the number. There has to be some really great shows and channels that I miss or don’t even know about that are playing content I would love. But I will never know, because there is no easy to way to search and discover TV shows.

My question is why? WHY? I’m certain there is a database somewhere that knows what is on and when. I’m sure you can tell what I’m watching, for how long. I’m sure you can tell what people that watch the same stuff I watch are watching. Where are the recommendations? Where is the search? 100% of America must watch TV – maybe I’m naive to believe that data like that actually exists.

WHERE IS MY QWERTY KEYBOARD REMOTE.

Boxee just continues to get things right. Kudos.

-Joenandez

The oft leaked Motorola DEVOUR has been officially announced and on it’s way to Verizon. It has what looks like standard Android specs – running on 1.6 with MotoBlur Social Networking Layer on top, 3 inch screen – nice and compact actually. Good looking phone IMO.

Interestingly enough, VZW has decided (at least it seems this way) to omit the DROID branding from the handset. In Fall/Holiday, VZW launched both the Motorola DROID and DROID Eris by HTC and it seemed as if the DROID moniker was VZW’s attempt to slap a brand on their Android devices. Such sub brands can be advantageous in lifting awareness and building a general mystique (for the geeks) around future products in the line.

One can only conjecture as to the reason for the shun of DROID branding – my personal hypothesis is that they believe this device with it’s MotoBLUR interface is meant for a different target market where the DROID branding would be less impactful. Hint: Not Geeks. Hint: Probably younger consumers who resonate with always on SN.

The geek-focused DROID campaign and even the recent Mom-focused Palm Pre+ advertisements show that VZW is not afraid of very specifically targeting certain demographics/psychographics – regardless of who they might be alienating. They clearly know their customer target and interested audiences for their product launches, and assail them relevant branding and messaging. One can respect that.

But I suppose that really is just the way it should be done. Imagine that.

-Joenandez

Automatic Transmission

Used to be that to drive a car, you, the driver, needed to operate a clutch pedal and gear shifter and manually change gears for the transmission as you accelerated and decelerated. Then came the automatic transmission. With an automatic, the transmission is entirely abstracted away. The clutch is gone. To go faster, you just press harder on the gas pedal.

That’s where Apple is taking computing. A car with an automatic transmission still shifts gears; the driver just doesn’t need to know about it. A computer running iPhone OS still has a hierarchical file system; the user just never sees it.

That’s not to say there aren’t trade-offs involved. Car enthusiasts (and genuine experts like race car drivers) still drive cars with manual transmissions. They offer more control; they’re more efficient. But the vast majority of cars sold today are automatics. So too it’ll be with computers. Eventually, the vast majority will be like the iPad in terms of the degree to which the underlying computer is abstracted away. Manual computers, like the Mac and Windows PCs, will slowly shift from the standard to the niche, something of interest only to experts and enthusiasts and developers.

This is the best way to description I’ve seen of why the iPad is different, and why we (by we, i mean product/tech people) are having a hard time letting go.

-Joenandez

Smart article from NYT – iPad won’t kill Kindle. I made a similar article last week.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/27/three-reasons-the-ipad-wont-kill-amazons-kindle/

Kindle is for Book Lovers. iPad isn’t.

-Joe

Steve led up to the unveiling of iPad with a few statements about HOW to create a third category of products between a mobile phone and a laptop. His key point (and one I’ve made before; self high-five) is that a Tablet must do the things it does BETTER than a smartphone or a mobile phone.

It’s early, and I don’t expect to have a chance to play with an iPad for months, but I think I can say a few things. Here are the things it does better than a laptop and/or smartphone.

Web Browsing – Multi-touch is pretty much made for it.
Connectivity – AT&T deal (despite network issues) is pretty great
Apps – They are great on iPhone, they don’t exist on Macbooks.
Ebooks – Perfect form factor for it. Will be great for students

But there are a lot of things that laptops/smartphones do much better.

Communication – typing at length seems to be awkward here, email/no telephony (right now at least)
Portability – Like it or not, you will need a separate bag for this
Music – This is tied a bit to the size, but iPhone crushes it for this

Jury is still out on

Multi-tasking
Productivity (Exchange, etc.)

There is simply too much overlap. I don’t want to speak in absolutes so soon after the launch of this product, but I don’t see incremental benefit enough in this tablet to stray someone away from a Macbook or an Smartphone. It’s sexy as hell, but is it meeting any needs that are not met in my life? Right now I’m in a coffee shop on my Macbook using TMO wifi with an iPhone for everything else. In this scenario, there is ZERO need for anything iPad is bringing to market.

Unless you are a student of course (textbooks will be huge). And until they launch Microsoft Office for iPad (for professionals such as myself). But I already spoke about that.

-Joenandez

Since rumors of the Apple Tablet started picking up speed, I’ve been confused as to its purpose. What place in my life do I have for a device in between a smartphone and a netbook/laptop? I just don’t see it. The ONE use case I continue to cling to (to the point of getting my hopes so high that anything else announced tomorrow will be a crushing disappointment) is that the Apple Tablet will be primarily directed at replacing Notebooks (like, the written kind), Textbooks, Print-outs at meetings, and other business/education related functions.

This to me, could be the device that kills Blackberry’s domination in the enterprise space, and finally catapults Apple’s Educational ambitions beyond the long-term business objective its been to date.

I won’t go into detail on the use-cases, but things like taking notes in classes and meetings, editing powerpoint/word docs, sending out slides during a presentation, all come to mind. Sure you can do these things with a laptop/smartphone, but they become much easier with a lightweight, internet connected, multi-touch, 10inch diagonal (about the size of a written notebook) tablet.

Can’t wait for tomorrow.
-Joenandez