The iPad could easily be called an oversized iPod Touch. With minimal interface improvements and nagging lack of multi-tasking the operating system is nearly a joke. There is a fundamental problem with making the core upgrade feature of something like the iWorks productivity suite, and that is the inherent disadvantage a touch interface has over a standard keyboard. If you are going to be writing or editing a 5 page essay, you are not going to want a touch screen interface, you need a physical keyboard. The keyboard dock aside, which pretty much invalidates the entire concept of the iPad, the laptop is the superior form factor. The iBooks eReader application seems nice, but I cannot imagine reading a 300 page book on a LCD screen, even if it does last 10 hours in-between charges.

I do like the thin nature of the device, battery life and the frame and face look extremely appealing, but poor way it handles existing iPod/iPhone applications makes this a difficult sell, especially when the lowest price of $499 is almost a hundred dollars more than an entry level laptop.

Many questions still remain about Mobile OS X 4.0, and how the iPhone and iPod will be affected by the upgrade, but with their focus on the iPad I don’t expect any real changes there. Most likely the details of the upgrade will be announced closer to the launch in 60 days. That is, if the internet doesn’t rip Apple to shreds for this whole affair.

Live Blog: [ Engadget ] Hands on: [ Gizmodo ] Editorial Opinions: [ Engadget ]

As a Doctor Who fan, I have a special place in my heart for the 9th Doctor, Christopher Eccleston, and when I learned that he was playing a major part in the movie it actually drew my attention, having no interest in the painfully stereotypical G. I. Joe. As time rolled on, and the movie received not just bad review, but horrific acts of God reviews, not even my beloved Doctor could drag me out to the Box Office.

So on a rain soaked Florida night, I decided that it might make for a few laughs and rented the video. The reality of the film was almost shocking, just from my expectations and what I received. While fare from a masterpiece, one would have a hard time not getting washed away in the non-stop action this film gives you. The story couldn’t be more straightforward and lays everything out for you at the beginning of the story. The hero must get from point A to point B, save object C from evil dude D before D can use C to take over the world. This film takes a no holds bared approach to action and personally it almost felt refreshing. From wizards, to robots every scriptwriter in Hollywood seems to think they need to weld huge sheets of intrigue into their story for it to be good, and they couldn’t be more wrong. G.I. Joe is a dirt little indulgence that neither Transformers nor Watchmen could really deliver on.

I know most people would disagree, but for me I tend to watch the little people in a film, whether it’s a bad guy at a control panel or a good guy telling others where to go. These people can be very telling, especially when they have to move the audience, an usually their performance is not just bad, but usually painful to watch. I actually though it was rather striking that the scenes that involved the General’s control room, with all the Joes cheering. Sure it’s sappy, but it actually felt right.

The entire movie just had a feeling of rightness to it, and while the visuals and acting were not always spot on, they were extremely entertaining.

If you haven’t watched the movie, and have this action bug that Hollywood hasn’t been itching lately, give G.I. Joe a spin. You never know, you might actually enjoy it.

[ Anime News Network ]

Update: Relinked the video, as it was deleted either by Youtube or the user.

It’s easy to see that Square needs to really hit this installment out of the park, if it wants to continue with these massive and counterproductive schedules. Final Fantasy 13 was one of the technical demos that were shown before the Playstation 3 was even released, and here we sit over 3 years later finally with a released version. While the Japanese people may show enough devotion to make that a viable business strategy, for Americans and the rest of the world the Final Fantasy brand is getting over taken by new and inventive entries into the gaming world. In the time it took Square-Enix to make one game, whole series of triple-A titles have come and gone from the public mind. Unless SE can do something about their workflow, Final Fantasy 14 Online might truly be the final fantasy.

Problems aside, I of course being a geek a heart cannot help but play. I look forward to my birthday when I can enjoy a new fantasy, but in the meantime, I will look and follow the release in Japan and see what people say about the game.

When you hold a Zune HD, the thing seems to be carved from the future itself. When you hold the PSPgo, it feels like a free-with-contract tween’s phone.

~ Mark Wilson, Gizmodo Editor

So there it sits pretty clear as dirt. I personally love my first generation PSP. Its a beautiful machine that is breaths technology, but ever since then every incarnation of the PSP series has been about fighting piracy and making the device feel cheaper and cheaper. Sony has all but admitted that the jacked up price was so that they could entice retailers to even carry the device. Personally I hope this acts as a wake up call to the PSP team.

[ Gizmodo PSP Go Review ]

This past week the UK artist, Lily Allen has been a topic of hot debate as she has declared that she will be leaving music because of piracy. The internet quickly set to steamroll the artist, quickly plastering evidence that the artist herself shares music in a case of classic hypocrisy.

One UK artist, Dan Bull, who is pro-sharing created the following song, that is a truly artistic piece of work. I just wanted to embed the YouTube version of the song here because of its great message, and to show my support.

[ TorrentFreak ] [ Dan Bull MySpace ]

I’ve heard of removing backwards compatibility (Sony seems to be mastering that concept of late) but to remove current generation compatibility from a system would seem like a death sentence. In the end they have created a device that is not compatible with the millions of units of software sold around the world, and cost more than any other version without any physical update besides form factor. I cannot see a reasonable reason that any customer new or returning would want this device. New users can get the regular PSP for less, and existing users have no reason to buy one since it cannot play any of the game they already own. Even more of a concern is the longevity of such a system, being built on an already aging hardware, this is clearly only a move to try and milk the last bit of money out of consumers in this console’s end of life cycle.

Unless Sony can make it possible for users to painlessly transfer their games to the PSP Go without the lost of the physical media, I fear this new version will suffer a dark fate. I can see it now, a brand new shiny PSP Go stocked right next to a wall of game that the system cannot even play. I mean it’s like Nintendo releasing the DSi without a DS cartridge slot.

Looking around in on Wordpress.org I decided to load and try out one of the plugins for these browsers. For my purposes I chose WPtouch iPhone Theme, and over all I have been more than presently surprised. The design is snappy, and to the point, with much of the interface actually being very usable.

If anyone is interested in looking for something to make their blog pop on the iPhone I would highly recommend taking a look. There is quite a cross reference list of compatible plugins which I felt was very helpful for those who run installs with a wide range of addons.

[ Wordpress Plugin Download ] [ Developer's Plugin Home Page ]

I’ve added a few screenshots of Jukidon though WPtouch.

So it finally has arrived, the long awaited next generation Zune. I am still waiting to get my grubby little fingers all over one of these devices, but overall I’m still awe struck by the work of Zune Originals. Since Apple plasters the back of their products with Apple logos, it really is a contrast to see such refined artwork laser etched into the back of a Microsoft product. I’ve said before, I’ve always felt a much stronger artistic / design vibe from the Zune team when compared to the iPods, it’s like comparing a sterile room with a museum.

As I figured news on the release is tepid. I’ve seen more news about the all holy camcorder slapped to an iPod and have found next to nothing in terms of reviews for the new Zune. I really wish some people would get their head pulled out of Apple’s collective ass and look at the rest of the world. The Mac OS X operating system and iPod line are not the only products in the world; they are just the most unchanged in the past decade.

I really would love to see the Zune do well as it looks like (shall see soon) another brilliant piece of hardware that in my opinion is extraordinarily underrated for nothing more that the stereotypical anti-Microsoft rhetoric.

[ Zune Originals ]

In typical Apple fanfare, the iPod will continue on another 6 – 8 months with a handful of upgrades and color choices. With such a  lack luster performance, one would think the public would tire of the same over blown announcements. The only two major pieces of news, the Nano gaining a camcorder (no camera capabilities) and iTunes 9 aren’t even really all that interesting as much as confusing.  A standard iPhone GS camera in the iPod Touch would have gone over better and made its upgrade more enticing. In place they claimed it was a gaming platform, stating people had no interest in a camera on the touch. One could debate the claim of the system as a gaming platform with the input limitations of the system, not to mention the cost comparison to a Nintendo DS. The iTunes 9 announcements were especially odd considering the lack of new features. With a few changes in how iPods and iPhones syncs with the software the other changes relate to the iTunes Store, in an attempt to clean up some of the mess that has plagued the web driven interface. Until Apple completely scraps the interface for a more natural and graphically pleasing one the store will always be one of the sore thumbs in iTune’s side.

In contrast Microsoft is in the process of a major upgrade to their Zune hardware and software. Considered by many as the competitor to the relative Monopoly the iPod line has on the mobile music industry, the Zune HD has the potential to regain some of the ground lost to the popular iPod Touch. It remains unclear as to how the platform will do beyond music; possessing limited gaming and internet connectivity does not quite put it on the same operating system level of the OS X Mobile. From a purely media standpoint, the Zune line has for the past few generations shined like a giant artistic beacon in the overly sterile design tones of Apple. With smooth interfaces and inventive media organizational skills the device has an ease of use and stability that puts the iPod to shame, especially in the syncing and moving of media between devices. Driven by an Adobe Flash interface, the software side of the Zune has had a silky and way about it, the release of version 4 should prove interesting considering the changes to the Zune HD interface.

Regardless of how well the Zune HD does later this week, nothing short of Apple going bankrupt will change the current iPod dominance in the market. I have always been a fan of the Zune software, especially in the time I’ve been forced to use iTunes with my iPhone. OS X Mobile might be a good mobile operating system, but both its media capacities and its sync software leave a lot to be desired. Considering Apple’s painful commitment to sameness I doubt that is going to change any time soon. If ever there is a proper marriage of the Zune line and the Windows Mobile OS maybe then we will see change in the markets.