Andrew Machado’s Blog

Technology, Web 2.0 and Social Media

When buying a Video Game for $60 isn’t enough

Jun 23

Posted by Andrew Machado in Video Games

Namco today officially announced the launch of Tekken 6 on all major video game platforms.  As a PlayStation 3 owner I’ve grown accustomed to paying $59.99 for Video Games and justify it by saying I’ll play this for a long time it is well worth the money.  However, in a bad economy you start making sacrifices like renting games instead of buying or just waiting until they go on Amazon Gold Box.

Even the sales of Video Games were down in May to a level not seen since August 2007.  So to my surprise today a majority of sites have started covering the launch of Namco’s Tekken 6 Special Edition bundle.  For $150 hard earned dollars you get the Tekken 6 video game, a wireless joystick and a few extra goodies.

Seriously in this economy you are launching a collectors edition that is officially the most expensive Video Game launched since the Neo Geo?  I understand the video game manufactures trying to squeeze some extra money out of the die hard players during this down turn, but this bundle to me is simply shocking.  For $150 I can get a nice iPod for my visits to the gym, register my car for another year or I can play Tekken 6 with my wireless joystick.

Do yourself a favor and pay $59.99 for the regular edition of the game.

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What the UFC is doing to improve their Email Blasts

Jun 19

Posted by Andrew Machado in Brand Advertising

Like everyone else I get 100s of 1000s of emails a day and only choose to open the ones that are relevant to me and aren’t spam.  Well in my time at eBay we were always trying to get around Spam and Image blocking with our users.  To do this we applied various treatments like having some basic text in the email before the imagery so that even if it was blocked the user had an idea of what they were about to receive in addition to tweaking the subject line.

Well over the last few months I’ve been following the UFC and their emails to see if they are following best practices.   Below is an email I received from them back in April regarding the schedule of events for their UFC 97 event.

Great email.  Images completely blocked by my Gmail filter and no body of text to even give me a clue of what this email contains other than the subject line.  Fast forward a few months later and look how far they have come.  I received the below email today and I have to say what an improvement.  Take a look at the image blocked version, when the images are visible and the inclusion of links to Twitter and various other promotions.

As people get more and more email on their iPhones and in their email clients it is imperative that without allowing images to be downloaded they can consume your brand and your message.

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Increase Time On Site by Installing Apture

Jun 17

Posted by Andrew Machado in Technology

I am continually trying to update my blog with more content to keep people coming back, but how do I keep people on my blog longer when they visit?  Well I installed Apture a few weeks ago and the results have been fantastic.

Today I had my largest day ever in terms of traffic and also in terms of time on site, yet my article was dramatically shorter than most of my other entries.  The trick is to include dynamic content like YouTube videos, links to Wikipedia and Twitter, unfortunately two of those three options will take the user off your site.  Apture solves this problem by allowing a dynamic embedable module, but also the ability to include that content in pop up links.  See my example below centered around the movie Slumdog Millionaire.

This bundling of content really drives user interaction and keeps them on your site longer.

My story today was a total of 323 words and included a 15 second YouTube video yet my average time on that article was 2 minutes and 35 seconds!

The only thing I can point to is the embedable module powered by Apture that not only contained my YouTube Video, but also the music video, twitter feed and Wikipedia links that were included and digestible on the page.

Apture is available for free at www.apture.com

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Review of Sonifi by Sonik Architects

Jun 17

Posted by Andrew Machado in Technology

I’ve written about Brian Transeau before and how is leading the charge for musicians to leverage social media and new technology to get the word out about their music.  Well today after many months of development he launched his very first product from his group Sonik Architects for the iPhone called Sonifi.

Sonifi to me is a huge step for people who love music, do not have a huge grasp of how to remix or mix music, but would love to try.  The application allows the user to take BT’s latest single “Rose of Jericho” and “remix” it inside your iPhone using effects, BT’s patented Stutter Edit technology included along with lo and hi pass filters.

What blew me away most about this application beyond how smooth it runs is how experimentation can be achieved so easily.  You simply just start pressing buttons to jam, shaking your phone to invoke the stutter edits and can even record your masterpiece.  There is something to be said for this type of visceral experience.  No manual was needed, no teaching, it all made sense the minute I picked up the application and read the loading screens.  Below is a quick video of me showing the stutteredit and the application along with a link to BT’s twitter feed.

To me what is so ground breaking about this application is not just that it allows remixing, multiplyer over bluetooth or the debut of Bt’s stutteredit techonolgy it’s the fact that someone in the music industry is taking the iPhone and the amount of technology packed in this device and is using it for something bigger.  The iPhone is quite a capable mini computer, and with touch controls the possibilities of someone remixing live on an iPhone are getting close.

For $4.99 I can not recommend this application enough.  With headphones you can simply rock out.  Please hit me back if anyone has tried the multiplayer over bluetooth.

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iPhone will get video conferencing in 2010

Jun 16

Posted by Andrew Machado in Technology

Last week Apple launched the iPhone 3GS with a bit of fanfare due to the Video Recording, Speed Improvements and new features, but one lacking feature everyone wanted was video conferencing via a front facing camera on the phone.  

Over the last few days details have leaked out that paints a picture for Video Conferencing on your iPhone in 2010.  See Video Conferencing takes not only massive bandwith, but also a ton of processing power.  Just how much of each you ask?  Well lets take a look at the required specifications for Video Conferencing in Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

Two-thirds less
bandwidth required.

iChat requires only one-third the upstream bandwidth to deliver near DVD-quality, 640-by-480-resolution video chats. Leopard requires 900-Kbps upstream bandwidth; Snow Leopard requires just 300 Kbps.

The iPhone 3GS  records video at 640 x 480 so assuming they could use that same engine for video conferencing is now possible in terms of resolution.

What about Bandwidth

Even on low bandwith basic 3g can produce 384Kbps so you wont have to worry about your video cutting out assuming Apple uses the same engine from Snow Leopard requiring just 300Kbps.  This doesn’t even count the fact that 3G is continually getting faster.

What about Processing Power Required

Currently in iChat AV the requirments are as follows

Minimum requirements for 1-to-1 video conferencing

Good Better Best
Video resolution (in pixels) 160-by-120 320-by-240 640-by-480
System required All Leopard-compatible Macs are supported 1.8 GHz G5, 1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo 1.83 Intel Core Duo or Dual 2 GHz G5.
Bandwidth required 100 Kbps Internet connection (up/down) 300 Kbps Internet connection (up/down) 900 Kbps Internet connection (up/down)

This is currently where Apple is going to have a problem and why it is not currently offered.  The current chip in the iPhone is the ARM Cortex A8 processor which runs at 600mhz and is paired with an Open GL compatible graphics card.  Well come 2010 this is all going to change….

ARM is prepared to launch a dual core version of this chip that uses the same or even less power.  In case you are not familiar with what dual core means the Wikipedia link is below.

A Dual Core processor in the iPhone is going to give Apple 75% to 100% improvement in performance without sipping anymore power off the battery.  This is important because who wants to have their iPhone run out of battery after video conferencing for 10 minutes?

Assuming Apple makes no advancements in the graphics chip in the iPhone and simply puts in the dual core processor by ARM in 2010 then customers will get the video conferencing they so desire.  The bandwith is there now, the efficiencies in the codec have been achieved by Apple with Snow Leopard and even the optics at their current state in the iPhone 3GS make it all possible.

2010 can not come soon enough.

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Stationary in Mac OS X Mail…HTML Email for the rest of us

Jun 16

Posted by Andrew Machado in Technology

HTML email has become all the rage lately.  Nearly every other email in my box contains HTML email with tons of imagery that my mail program blocks until I authorize it to be displayed.  Well wouldn’t it be great if the average consumer could send dynamic HTML emails to their friends and families?  Well it is now possible in Mac OS X Mail in Leopard.

Simply click the Stationary button in your new email window to begin the process of building a dynamic HTML email to send to friends and family.  You are able to choose from many different templates, drag and drop in URLs and photos to include in the attachment.

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Beats by Dr. Dre Headphones = Monster Beats

Jun 10

Posted by Andrew Machado in Technology

I wouldn’t call myself a snob, but I like to think I have a keen ear for great sound.  My living room runs strictly in lossless audio for Blu-rays or Dolby True HD.  Well for years I’ve struggled with what headphones to buy for my computer listening….until now.

If you ask most audiophiles the quote always gets said “No Highs. No Lows.  Must be Bose”.  So what do you do if you want a comfortable set of great sounding headphones that are $400 or less?  I think the answer is the simple….The Beats by Dr. Dre Headphones.

So why buy the Beats?  Well for starters Monster cares about the little details….the coating on these headphones was specifically engineered to not chip over time, so you can be sure your beats will look as good as new for years to come.  Beyond that the history of Monster is based all around the audio industry at the expense of the consumer paying a premium for it.  However, unlike cables I don’t think an argument can be made that the Beats by Dr. Dre Headphones absolutely trounce all over Bose in just about every aspect except Audio Cancellation.

A few things to note about these headphones.  They come with an iPhone microphone, so if that is a must for you then you are set.  In addition they were designed for the iPhone in mind as the plug is extra long and fits snug with even the first generation iPhone.  Also these headphones are loud!  I believe they go well above 110db and its not just the pulsing bass that gets you its the ear piercing treble.  Listen to it here.  I cannot emphasize enough that if you purchase these headphones you should turn “sound check” on on your iPod as well as your iTunes to avoid murdering your ears.

Monster really nailed this product.  They look great, they took care of little details like the iPhone microphone and they even took the time to make the box  sexy.

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BT unleashed new song “Rose of Jericho” with Social Media

Jun 9

Posted by Andrew Machado in Technology

I have been a huge Brian Transeau fan for years.  When I first heard “Never Gonna Come Back Down” I remember being blown away by the production and immeadeatly went out and bought the full album.  Well today BT unleashed his latest song “Rose of Jericho” and I must say its great to see him going in a bit of a different direction from his previous work.

Beyond the song launch I thought it was pretty interesting how to launch his new single he has chosen to do it via Twitter first before anywhere else.  His own website is still under a remodel and currently only has a message board.  This seems to be a trend among musician’s lately.  As the industry has changed and more and more CDs are bought via iTunes or streamed on iMeem the artists are looking for better ways to get in touch with their fans.

Imogen Heap, Tiesto amongst other’s are leveraging Social Media to keep in touch with fans and promote their new music or podcasts.  Imogen Heap has an astounding 450,000+ followers on Twitter that she has gained not only by her notoriety, but also by her documenting the entire process of building her latest album.  Fans are interested in this type of communication with artists and 1,500 updates later Imogen continues her march towards 500,000 followers.

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Some Quick Facts on WWDC 09 Announcements

Jun 8

Posted by Andrew Machado in Technology

Today Apple unleashed not only Snow Lepoard, a new iPhone OS, Updated Macbook Pros, but also a new iPhone called the iPhone 3GS.  Now you can read around the web about the new features from the Video Recording to the Compus, but I wanted to focus more on the gotchas from today’s announcement.

1.  The new iPhone may surf the web and launch applications faster, but it the battery life is not improved in any capacity when you are talking on the 3G Network.

Now I found this stat interesting because it has been a year since the last iPhone.  Over time components use less power, but why not on this model?  My guess is that 3G antennas still have not reduced their power draw to any significant level.  You can’t improve power draw on a 3G call with a faster processor or more internal memory, the only way you see a big lift is if the antennas that receive these signals get more efficient.

2.  On Wi-Fi the battery life last 50% longer.  Well according to techcrunch  the cpu in the new iPhone is 50% faster at the same power draw, so these numbers line up perfectly.  Whats going on here is just that the iPhone renders pages 50% faster hence it lasting exactly 3 hours longer.

What About the MacBook Pro Updates?

Apple revamped the pricing as well as the product mix for their Macbook Pro line as well today, but there are a few gotchas there as well.

The entry level MacBook Pro starts now at $1599 but comes with only an integrated graphics card (formally all MacBook Pros come with an integrated and dedicated GPU) and the onboard chip at 2.53ghz only has 3MB of L2 cache.    Something to keep in mind when you see this lower pricing knowing that most competitors laptops have a dedicated graphics cards and a better chip.

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My Favorite Steve Jobs Moments

Jun 8

Posted by Andrew Machado in Technology

With WWDC about a half hour away and the rumors of Steve Jobs return swirling I thought it would be fun to remember some of Steve Jobs best moments.

1.  Steve on his 2.5 year anniversary announces he is accepting the position as CEO.

2.  The launch of the iBook in 1999 where Apple unveiled wireless consumer 802.11b.

3.  Macworld 1999 where Steve Jobs was imitated by none other than Noah Wyle.

4.  Steve announced the iPod in 2001 at a Special Music Event.  $399 and only for the Macintosh computer.

5.  Macworld 2007 where Steve tricked the audience into thinking it was 3 devices together (internet browser, a phone and an iPod with Touch Controls).

Let’s hope today at WWDC Steve Jobs announces his iPhone 3GS with better battery and the same processor as the Palm Pre along with a surprise appearance by a new Tablet leveraging Leopard as its Operating System.

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