OK, I want one

So this is the video iPod, eh?

Engadget Posted Feb 10th 2006 2:28PM by Ryan Block

Ok everyone, what do you think the odds are that Apple so nonchalantly let loose some images of the full-screen iPod video the very day after ThinkSecret's supposed confirmation on the video iPod hit the wires? Did we mention the Photoshop metadata in the images' EXIF tags? No, we're not at all prepared to call this a "leak," but we'll definitely attest to this being a very nice rendering of what we hope could be the 6G iPod.

Indeed.

Why I don't buy gadgets within the first year

money.cnn.com/2006/03/21/technology/apple_ipod/index.htm

Analyst: Apple's 60-gig iPod 'at risk'
Company may phase out 60-gig Video iPod, which retails for $399, in favor of a new model, analyst says.
March 21, 2006: 10:20 AM EST
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Apple may be phasing out its 60-gigabyte Video iPod, according to one analyst who tracks the company.
The company has told its distributors that the 60-gigabyte iPod, which launched in October and retails for $399, is "at risk" until the end of April, meaning that it could be discontinued or replaced, according to Shaw Wu, an analyst for American Technology Research,
Apple launched its video iPods in October
...
In a note to clients, Wu said he believes the company is readying a wide-screen video iPod with Bluetooth headphones that could be ready as early as the June quarter. The analyst said his checks indicate that Apple is working on such a product.

This just has to drive people nuts... the coolest and latest toys seem as exciting as yesterday's soggy breakfast cereal within a year or less.

MovieBeam

A New Way to Avoid the Video Store

By WALTER S. MOSSBERG and KATHERINE BOEHRET

After a long day at work, there's something calming about filling a bowl with popcorn and watching a movie at home. But the experience can be diminished if you have to drive to the video store to rent a DVD. And it's worse if you get there only to find that the film you want is out of stock.

Even if you subscribe to a DVD-by-mail service, like Netflix, you may have to wait for the most popular films, and the movies you have on hand at any one time might not fit your mood. Plus, you have to pay a monthly fee.

Now, a new company called MovieBeam is aiming to ease those DVD issues. It is selling a $200 digital gadget prestocked with 100 movies -- some in high definition -- that you can rent at the click of a remote-control button for as little as $1.99. There's no drive to the video store, no chance of a movie being out of stock, no monthly fee, no waiting for the mail.

I don't get it. This device/service adds another box to your Home Entertainment setup (many potential customers probably already have a DVR/Tivo, a DVD player, a video game console and/or a cable set-top box) which at this point seems limited to a (smallish) selection of movies falling between the DVD and pay-per-view windows. No mention of an iTunes-like selection of TV programming, even though the device's developer (Disney) was the first company to offer video to iTunes.

Not to mention yet another remote.

Lost in 'Lost'

Interesting blog post about one of my favorite television shows...

Finding Lost

...Narratives by definition work by withholding information about future events; you tune in to find out what will happen next. But with Lost, the mystery lies in the present tense: half the time, you have no idea what's happening right now.

No wonder I enjoy the show so much... half the time, I have no idea what's happening right now.