There has been a push for an Apple based radio station for many months. It should’ve been on the air?by now. But now, Apple is re-starting talks with record companies for proper licensing. If successful, they can reveal their radio plans next week.
The beef has been with music publishers and record companies who push for higher royalties and other payments. Despite these disagreements, Apple seems very optimistic to unveil iRadio at a San Francisco conference mid-June. They have a reason to be optimistic. Apple has signed deals with Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and is in talks with Sony Music Group. There’s still work to be done, but a lot of progress has been made.
Apple radio is expected to be free for the consumer and paid for solely by advertisers. But that’s not the only issue. Look at what iRadio’s competition would be: Pandora is one of them. They have 70 million users, hardly any of them are paying customers. Spotify and Clear Channel Communications, now well established, are also tough competitors. But some publishers see at least financial gain from iRadio. While Pandora pays four percent of revenue to song publishers, they want Apple to pay?10 percent of their revenue.
I’m starting to smell a rat here. They expect iRadio to pay more than twice as much in publishing rights as their competitors do? No wonder why talks have been so slow. No wonder why Apple is negotiating with some musicians over the proper rights. Yes, I know Apple?is a multi-billion dollar company that can afford?to shell out that dough, but by this point, so can Pandora. If this iRadio?deal is going to?go far, they need to make it somewhat equal. If one company is being charged four percent revenue, don’t ask Apple?to pay?anymore than say, five or six percent. Let’s keep the game fair. If iRadio came out today, would you switch?
Several Days ago, I talked about The Internship, a highly anticipated Google based movie starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. Let’s look at some other?great technology based movies?so far this century.
10. Cellular: This 2004 thriller starring Kim Basinger co-starred the cell phone. In one day, the cell phone was used to save lives and uncover? a major crime scandal. With smartphones today, imagine how much more can be done, and has been done to fight crime.
9. Minority Report: This 2002 Tom Cruise flick was almost prophetic. It predicted things like touch-based?devices, which weren’t around in ’02 and?eye scanners, which are just now being built. It also?challenged us to ask, ‘What if technology is abused?’
8. Children of Men: This?2006 movie?sound off topic, but with all the talk of trans humanism,?it’s tech relevant. In this movie, a?baby hasn’t been born in 20 years, and the youngest human?perishes after being mobbed to death. I?recently read an article about genetically modified babies being born. It makes me wonder, “Is this where we’re headed in the decades to come?”
7. I,?Robot: This 2004 Will Smith film?ponders the idea of robots turning against us. Can they?turn against us, and can they commit murder? How fast can they multiply? My favorite I-Robot?line: “I miss the good old days. When people were killed by other people.”
6. The Social Network: This 2010 movie tells about the creation of Facebook, and all the ugliness that came with it. No wonder Mark Zuckerburg was voted Time Person of the Year that year.
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: I’m not a fan of romantic movies, but there’s a point to this 2004 Jim Carrey flick. Technology can do lots of things, but erasing the past isn’t one of them, no?matter how bad you want it erased.
4. Inception: This 2010 Leo DeCaprio film had us wondering, “What if we could read minds? What is we could steal people’s ideas?” We may not have to wonder much longer; they’re already coming with technology to read people’s minds.
3. Iron Man: What techy?doesn’t love these 21st century gadgets and equipment? Between me and you, Iron Man is?Superman for the tech savvy generation.
2. Wall-E: This Disney animation is the anti-I Robot.?Robotic?feelings are just as complex as human feelings are.?This 2008 movie is a perfect tech lover family film.
1. Avatar: The technology alone?used in this 2009 multi-academy award winning film? is enough to make it number one.? This new classic deals with everything from biotechnology to trans humanism to the environment. That’s why it’s my top pic.
This holiday weekend was a big one for film. The Fast and the Furious 6 and Hangover 3 made a combined 150+ million dollars in the past 72 hours. On June 7, a movie called The Internship will be released starring…Google.
The Internship stars comic legends Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. Their characters lose their watch business and now must start over. The take an internship at Google, in the Silicon Valley, and compete will people half their age and several times their tech savvy. But the real star is Google…that’s what they want you to think.
Real life Google exes like Sergey Brin make appearances. The Web giant built the set to the tee?for shooting in Atlanta, perfectly mimicking their Silicon Valley?headquarters. Their?logos and?T-Shirts are everywhere. They even wrote a couple of scenes. Note the timing of the movie: It comes out in the wake?of scrutiny over privacy issues about Google Glass.?Google CEO?Larry Page himself?hopes this movie changes the computer tech industry’s image. Another?exec?hopes this gets youth excited about computer science as potential careers.
I’m actually looking forward to seeing the Internship. First off, it sounds like great comedy. Second off, it does take you in a world many of us dream of.?I know I’m not the only one with the fantasy of interning/working in Silicon Valley. It’s PG-13,?so younger?teenagers can enjoy and learn from the?movie. And from reports I read, they did a good job walking the fine line between contributing to the move?and dictating the movie. And anything to improve the?our nations’ math and science scores. So, will you be buying a ticket this weekend?
In honor of the Xbox One revelation, I present the top 10 Xbox games ever; series (like Halo 1,2,and 3) will be included in the same ratings.
10. Forza Motorsport: This racing video franchise literally puts you in the drivers seat. The cockpit is that real. The Autovista feature can put you in the mechanic’s seat as well, for some of the cars at least.
9. WWE Xbox: The last couple of years may have gotten cheesy, but for a wrestling game, this was innovative. they even had the storylines down pact! My favorite was WWE Legends of WrestleMania; playing Andre the Giant was like reliving childhood!
8. Assassin’s Creed: I love history and the sea, and this game is a mater at telling a history story and fighting sea battles. For me, it’s a simple game to learn.
7. UFC Undisputed: You choose all aspects of the fight, from the division to the venue. I wasn’t even into UFC until I played this at a friend’s house. This game brings these characters to life, literally.
6. Dark Souls: The slogan, “Are you prepared to die?’ is a huge sale alone! I love the monstrous villains in?this game, and how small my character is. Though it’s a dark game, I like the subtle moral to this story.
5. Super Meat Boy: Though the graphics are 1980s-esqe, this is one of the most challenging game I’ve ever come across. You got to love a game that has a good sense of humor!
4. Grand Theft Auto:? I got to put this up here for it’s place in pop culture. With it’s cursing and adult situations, this franchise changed the face the video game industry. The storyline, graphics and characters are very realistic.
3. Gears of War: Have you heard the music and?seen the special effects? The background makes?the post-apocalypse even more real. This game?is better played alone than with a group.
2. All-Madden: First off, this franchise has?been popular for 25 years, so they’re doing something right. But with the latest version, you can control game aspects with your voice, and every play is different.?Nobody would’ve predicted this back in ’88.
1. Halo: This game has everything you want: humans vs. aliens,?graphics, storylines,?etc., etc.! This is the ultimate game for?multiple players: the weapons, rooms, backgrounds and game options are endless (though not all are good)! It’s hard to learn, but that’s?done by design.?Halo Reach is more realistic than ever. ?Halo definitely set the standard for Xbox gaming.
Let the debate begin! What’s your favorite that I left off?
Since 2005, Xbox has been the leader in gaming and has caused gaming revolution after revolution. Remember how amazed you were Xbox 360 came out? Prepared to be amazed again, several times over!
Earlier today, in Redmond, Washington, Microsoft played show-and-tell to the gaming world with it’s latest creation, Xbox One. It will be out later this year. They didn’t give a date, but?my bet is October or November, just in time for the holiday shopping season (what a coincidence!). And they had something to show!
In one console, you can control your games, movies, music, sports, even Skype. You can do this through your voice. While the outside looked sleek, and the controller looked the same, I was more impressed with what could be delivered. My favorite part of the demo was when he changed the channel using his voice; there will be no more struggling to find a remote. Then there were the new games. What jumped at me were the four?EA games: FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, NBA Live 14 and Sports UFC. They’re using players every move and their human intelligence to create these masterpieces. We don’t know when these games will be out. But I’m just guessing Santa and company will have lots of overtime this year, if you know what I mean.
There are aspects that concern me. The smart match is supposed to eliminate lobby time, but I’m not so sure, especially if you have different people coming in the lobby. And while I do like DVR and other aspects you can use for bragging rights and improvements, I’m not sold on Smart Glass. I’ll see it when these devices do connect for my amusement.
So, for Microsoft and Xbox’s?sake, I hope?they can deliver on their promises. I’ve been disappointed by Xbox?before. And there are some aspects I’m not sold on. There have been times when the advertisements have been good,?but the product was another story. And what about pricing? I?do hope they can make?Xbox one affordable and the plans that come with it. So when the release date?comes, will you be in the long overnight lines, pushing people down, and fighting for the last Xbox One?
Last week, I gave you the top 10 tech savvy nations on Earth today. Now, I give you the 10 top tech savvy cities in the US.
10. Raleigh/Durham, NC: This growing metropolis is the home to the??Research Triangle Park, a major high-tech development center. It’s the largest research park in the world.?It’s a major hub of Intel and Verizon. It also has the top universities in the country, and I don’t just mean ACC basketball.
9. Washington, DC: It’s home to many tech giants like Zantech IT and OBXtech. Government tech jobs are plenty. Plus, the city has the highest college graduate rate in the country. In today’s market, that should be a clue right there.
8. New York, NY: In the city that never stops, sleeps or slumbers, you better have the latest tech gadget. However, it’s only #8 because of their average Wi-Fi coverage.
7. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN: It’s the headquarters of Best Buy and Target. These twin cities are tech start-up factories! It was one of the first cities to go wireless.
6. San Diego, CA: In this west coast paradise, biotech and telecomm companies are as plentiful as sunshine and perfect weather. Here’s a hint; the San Diego Chargers play in the Qualcomm Stadium.
5. Austin, TX: Forbes magazine called it the best innovative city in America. It’s the hometown of Dell. Get wireless coverage almost anywhere: It’s said their convention center holds 7,000 online connections!
4. San Francisco, CA: While not literally in the Silicon Valley, it can credit Craigslist, Digg, Live Journal, Instagram, Twitter and Advent Software as it’s tech babies. It boasts Mac World and iWorld festivals annually. Wi-Fi in San Fran isn’t a privilege or luxury, it’s a necessity for economic and social survival.
3. Boston-Cambridge, MA: It’s the home of MIT and Harvard, that’s enough right there. But this metropolis cranks out biotech and software firms and environmental tech innovation faster then Faneuil Hall cranks out chowda! Not only that but Boston is the home of yours truly and Computer Geeks Computer Repair!
2. Seattle, WA: You know a city with this many coffee houses better be tech savvy. In 1979, a company called Microsoft was moved here, and hundred of tech spawns, spin-offs and start-ups still remain here. Amazon’s headquarters are here. As you can imagine, the wireless coverage is no joke!
1. San Jose/Silicon Valley, CA: This is the home of the technology revolution. As early as 1971, greater San Jose was dubbed Silicon Valley because of it’s innovations. Since then, they’ve been non-stop: Adobe, Apple, Cisco, eBay, Google, Hewlett Packard, Oracle, Western Digital, Yahoo and Netflix to name a few. If this area didn’t exist, we’d still be groovin’ like it’s 1971, and that’s hardly an exaggeration!
If you feel your favorite city or town has been left out, write back and let me know why.
