Comments on: From oddity to commodity

Which of these tech companies would you put your money behind? CNET News.com's Michael Kanellos explores consumer unpredictability.

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My take

EZTAKES - This has a good chance of acceptance, many people would like to look at the wider realm of films than just what's available in their local theaters.

Pepper Computer - Busted, too high a price for too little capability.

Powergrid - Maybe, there's quite a market for the dance pads in part because they help people loose weight while doing something they like. The approach is good, so it's probably going to depend on how well the device works.

Gallery Player - Hard to tell, I personally hate subscription model items like this but if they have good content and allow the end user to pick what is shown then they have a chance.

Digital Deck - Save your investment capital, this is just a rip off, not as big a rip off as the more expensive systems noted but that's a lot of money to pay just to avoid moving a DVD disk (enough to buy a lot of second and third copies even).

Streamload - I have no opinion on this one.

Orb Networks - Sounds like Peer to Peer networking. With controlled access though this one might work but it's also possible using the standard software on most PCs as long as you're willing to expose enough of your system to make it possible.

Take 2

My 2 cents:

EZTakes: I like it. This sounds like a viable business. I'm going to check it out.

Pepper Computer: DOA. RIP.

Powergrid Fitness: Maybe my grandson will like it, but it's a bit pricey.

GalleryPlayer: $5 a month to look at paintings? ???

DigitalDeck: Price could be a challenge? No kidding. A nice idea if it was $49.95. Otherwise, I'll walk to the other room and get the DVD.

Streamload: Just so happens I already use it. I just sent a home video file, my iMovie masterpiece, to friends and family. File size: 300MB, no big deal. At the office, I've used it to send Photoshop files of print ads to magazines for publishing. I'm a pretty happy camper with this one.

Orb Networks: Are we talking opening my computer to everyone on the internet? I don't think so.

[John Kuzak]

iMovie masterpiece

http://www.analogstereo.com/renault_clio_owners_manual.htm

[Rusdude]

Take 3

? EZTakes -- very intriguing, but to push it beyong a niche area, would need to get some main-stream ability -- e.g. let people buy an A-type movie online for, say, $8-10 and burn a certain number of copies (2-3 would be enough) themselves (along with ability to have a DRM'ed file on the computer).

? Pepper Computer -- so dead. People should give up on this. There have been dozens of these. Not even big companies with million-dollar ad campaigns could make it work. Now, if they make it cheaper, they might sell it to 3rd world countries.

? Powergrid Fitness -- needs to be push itself mostly to fitness centers & health clubs. Most home users probably won't be able to afford it, but mid- to upscale health clubs might get a few units.

? GalleryPlayer -- has something to it. People are getting all those wall-mounted plasma's and LCD's, so instead of being a nuisance, they might turn them into a big picture.

? DigitalDeck -- enthusiast only. But most of high-end users would probably want one of the systems that let you rip hundreds of DVDs (capacity is upgradeable) to a server-type storage and let you enjoy your library on any connected device at any time.

? Streamload -- there're services like that available online for free. Can't think of any names off-hand :(

? Orb Networks -- and the new idea is???

Better than Orb Networks.... Instant Mobile On-demand replay

Orb is cool for tv, but certainly not optomized for sports. Check this out... this is WAY better for sports... on-demand instant sports replay:

http://www.mreplay.com/

It's a project going on at U.C. Berkeley right now by a bunch of top notch graduate students. I was a beta tester for their first version, and the system is amazing. mReplay allows us to replay and pause sports action on their mobile phones, on demand, anytime. Users can also vote for their favorite player, favorite play of the game, or if a controversial referee decision was accurate. I think it's way better than Orb Networks for sports because it's ondemand replay instead of just what the tv networks decide to replay. I think they are trying to keep it quiet, but other blogs have already written about it now.

With regards,

Kevin


There is an article about it by the only other mobile blog that I have
to read, Russell Buckley's....

http://www.mobile-weblog.com/archives/replay_sports_highlights_on_your_mobile.html