My Playlist for the Singapore Army Half Marathon (23 Aug 2008)

Preparing a playlist is part of my ritual before a long run.

For tomorrow’s Singapore (Bay Run and) Army Half Marathon, I digged through my cds collection to come up with a list of uplifting and vocal house (Buzzin’ Fly, Sander Kleinenberg), break beats (Bugz in the Attic) overdose of Bjork’s remixes, Japanese R&B/Pop (Namie Amuro), Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears, acid jazz (Jazzanova) mix with a touch of classical and world music (ABC Classic) for a bit of twist to fit into my 1GB Shuffle. Hope you can find some interesting inspiration for your next run playlist.

1. Bjork – Debut

2. Bjork – Telegram (a remix album from Post’s material)

3. Bjork – Post (Asian Tour Edition)

4. Kylie Minogue  – Ultimate Kylie (Disc 2) BERNO: I’m not a fan of the 80s thus I skipped Disc 1

5. Britney Spears – Blackout

6. Jazzanova – Remixed

7. Julie Lester ABC Classic FM – The Drive CD

8. Namie Amuro – Best Fiction

9. Ben Watts – Buzzin’ Fly Volume 1

10. Paul van Dyk – Out there and back

11. DJ Heather & Onionz (Om Records) – Summer Session 2

12. Nubreed- Sander Kleineberg

13. Got the Bug: Remixes Collection – The Bugs in the Attic

… 5 hours to go before I need to get up for the run.

Your Tiny Mobile Glass Screen – The Next Business Model Threat to Google?

MSN Money ‘The real threat to Google‘ has an article on the current real threat to Google’s business model in the mobile device space. It’s not Microsoft or Yahoo but the limitation behind your small mobile device screen (where they can sell ads space) and the the current mobile interface. The article finally covers potential avenues how Google may engage to tackle this risk.

Apple Safari iTunes Dubious “Upgrade”

News.com reported (“Apple pushes Safari on Windows via iTunes updater“) Apple’s sneaky attempt to increase it’s Safari web browser Windows install base. It accomplished this by adding Safari as as a default component of the iTunes software update.

 (Apple)

I think it is would be reasonable for Apple to offer an update for people with Safari installed. However to try and install unrelated software as a blatant abuse of the customer’s trust and lack of respect for the customers.

Related Links:

• Apple’s Safari browser likened to malware
• Firefox boss fumes as Apple ‘forces’ Safari upgrade
• Analysts: Mozilla’s Safari complaints ‘much ado about nothing’

Apple fans burned by hot Airs

Apple has released a software patch for the MacBook Air, hoping to fix overheating issues that have plagued the super-thin laptop since launch.

The update “fine tunes the speed and operation of the internal fan”, Apple said, but some users have found the fix useless.

It follows user reports that the under-performing fan caused the MacBook Air to overheat and eventually lockup, leaving the machine intermittently unresponsive. Countries with warmer climates, such as Australia, appear to compound the problem. Continue reading the article “Apple fans burned by hot Airs” (SMH)

BERNO: I’m honestly surprised that the heat dispersion issue for MacBook Air was not properly addressed before mass manufacturing. I wonder if the Straits Times came across reports similiar issues in Singapore.

Unsold iPhones piling up at AT&T stores

Yesterday (24 Jan), CNet News.com reported that 2 millions iPhones are left unsold in Apple’s channel partners. This report is a stark difference from the Jan 08 rosy 4 million shipping figures reported by Apple.

See iPhones piling up at AT&T stores (News.com)

Welcome Zune 2.0 – It’s Official

 

The cat is out of the bag! Microsoft is introducing new Zune devices and accessories around Nov 2007 and I really like the new look!

Here are the low down (click on the link to view the new designs):

• Available in 4GB (flash), 8GB  (flash)and 80GB (hard disk)
• Comes in 4 colour – pink, green, black and red
• New touch controls
• New firmware upgrade for existing users (like myself) in Nov
• New devices and acceseries in store by Nov 07.

Seattle PI has a video demo of the new device.

 

Related link: Hands On with Zune 2 on Gadget Lab (Wired)

Technology Release, Marketing and Competitive Strategy Articles from Wharton

Came across some interesting articles from Wharton on the release strategy for technology products (Case Study – iPhone), how the community is reshaping the web business and Increasing the ROI – the Holy Grail in Technical Marketing.

Happy reading and listening.

• New Products (Like the iPhone): Announce Early or Go for the Surprise Rollout?
• WebEx’s Diane Davidson: ‘We Defined a Community Ecosystem’ (Podcast)
• Making the Most of Every Marketing Dollar

Jesus Phone (iPhone) Has Been Exploited

A vulnerability has been discovered in the Safari browser of the iPhone, and this video is a brief demonstration of how it works. 

No puns intended.

Related links:

• iPhone flaw lets hackers take over, security firm says (NY Times)
• iPhone falls short (The Australian IT)

Wow! It’s True, Long Sent Flowers …

Wow! Talk about the ‘branded software experience‘ and the undeniable innate quality in blogging. I actually find myself tending to my on-line flowers from Long Zheng.

I am beginning to understand this differentiate experience, where technology is not a commodity. A piece of well crafted technology all hand made, how it can really hold and fulfilled the user’s experience.

Related Link: What are we doing? (Jackson Fish Market)

Now listening

Le Jour d’A Cote – Enzo Enzo

iTunes 7.2 fully supports Windows Vista

– Image from Zolved

My wait is finally over! I can’t believe it took Apple such a long time to release iTunes 7.2, the first version of iTunes software that is fully supported on Windows Vista. I suffered so much inconsistent user experience, trying to synch or format my device with previous versions of iTunes with my PC. Since Dec 06, I basically left my shuffle basically on cold storage and my Zune (z-Berno) had been with me since then.

Now I reckon I’m going to give my shuffle another shot . But with only 1 GB and no FM receiver function, I think my usage is going to be pretty limited.

Btw, you don’t need to provide your email address to download the software. Beat the Q, just click on the “Download iTunes 7.2-Free” button straight away.

Related link
The Safely Remove Hardware feature and the Windows Explorer “Eject” command do not work correctly with an Apple iPod that is connected to a Windows Vista-based computer (Microsoft KB article)