iPhone Sheep

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It was quite the week for Apple, first with its best-ever earnings and then the launch of the iPad. While Apple didn't create this category of device, it did answer the fundamental question of why this form factor needs to exist. The meta lesson is that the story told is as important as the hardware, software and services being sold -- and while everyone may not be convinced, I do think Apple will win over the majority of a skeptical audience with high expectations. But there's also four important lessons that Apple taught the market this week, as it enters a space that's been mostly a failure.

1. Define what your product does. The first thing Apple did was answer that question immediately and then define what the product needed to do. Apple explained what capabilities need to be in the this class of device and then went on to show how each of those features not only worked but were optimized for the iPad. That's something we've seen lacking in this category to date.

2. Leverage what you've done before. I believe the iPad is likely to do well with consumers as it leverages Apple's previous successes with the iPod and the iPhone. At the base level, that's compatibility and synchronization with iTunes as well as backward compatibility with existing applications. That's important -- as a user I can use my existing content library and my application collection. It also means that iPad has 140,000-plus applications at launch. But it's more than that. Apple is not only leveraging its ecosystem of devices and software, it's leveraging the lessons it spent a decade teaching consumers. Apple taught its market about MP3 players, digital music, smartphones, capacitive multitouch screens and mobile apps. It can now go directly to selling the form factor, as well as new features such as productivity and e-books.

Continue reading Entelligence: Lessons from the iPad launch

Entelligence: Lessons from the iPad launch originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ever since Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad, it seems like the world has been divided into two - One group comprising of those who adore the iPad and the other group that hates it. For the moment, it appears like even a lot of traditional Apple fanboys have chosen to...

iPhoneWorld.ca writes:

Phitek Blackbox C14 earphones
Reviewed by: Bill Henderson
Blackbox noise cancellation products | world leading audio technology
Price: $99

One thing you expect to give up when you use earphones is massive bass. I know, some earphones have lots of it, but on average, headphones have it all over earphones in that department. But not with these bass monsters. I was sent the Phitek Systems Blackbox C14 earphones because I was interested in a pair of active noise-cancellation earphones that operated on the same principle as active noise-cancellation headphones. Almost all earphones have what is called passive noise-cancellation which occurs by simply inserting earphones into your ear canal.

So then, what is active noise cancellation? Phitek has what they call ANR - active noise rejection. A small microphone picks up surrounding noise and then the earphones create an ‘anti-noise’ sound or an inverted copy of the sound wave. So basically, by creating more noise, you end up with less… much less. Weird, huh? But it works. Bose has made an industry out of it. But Bose ain’t the only kids in this playground. Phitek has been doing this for awhile and even make headphones for other companies, such as Audio-Technica (to that company’s specs).

But it’s that unbelievable bass that grabbed me. These things vibrate my brain. If you are a fan of hip-hop, metal or hard rock, you are going to be very pleased. But all this bass is not at the expense of the highs. The highs are there, but if you are used to an ‘armature’ accuracy with regard to mids and highs, these aren’t for you. The mids sound a bit soft to me, but not in an unpleasant way.

And - how do I put this - the C14s are kinda visually challenged. These are not earphones you parade around in to impress your friends. But hey, what a great personality they have! The C14’s 9mm dynamic speakers deliver a rich, extremely warm sound, maybe too warm for some. When I realized the bass in these, I went searching for some speaker-blowing songs.

“Johnny and Mary” by Robert Palmer is one of those songs that will buzz your subwoofer with just the slightest push. So hearing the song with all the low end sans artificial vibration was a delight. The bass will shake the wax out of your ears. Led Zeppelin’s “The Lemon Song” sounds even more sinister when the bass can be heard to full effect as they are here. Countering this to Jimmy Page’s guitar licks at the high end gives the song a brutal intensity.

“Bouree” by Jethro Tull begins with only Ian Anderson’s flute and Glenn Cornick’s bass. Cornick plays the bass like a lead guitar. Its both sweet and heavy at the same time. Roger Waters lets loose with a growling, snarling bass line in “One of These Days” by Pink Floyd. You can feel the sharp thumping of the strings as they are angrily plucked. This one is meant to be played loud.

One other thing that surprised me was how easily the C14s seal themselves in my ears. In fact, I have to be careful, because early on, I could feel the pressure change as I tugged on them. Scary feeling. I recommend twisting them as you remove them to alleviate this. Getting the correct seal has been an ongoing issue with me regarding earphones. No seal equals no bass. And although the C14s looked like they were not going to fit very well, I was completely mistaken. They fit me great.

Unlike noise cancellation headphones, you cannot turn off ANR in the C14s. It’s always on. There is a small box between the earphones and the mini-plug that houses a AAA battery and has an on-off switch and volume control. I’m not sure why an on-off switch is even needed, but its there. I did notice an audible ‘white-noise’ when no music was playing, but it either disappeared or was drowned out as soon as the music began.

The earphones come equipped with some nice pack-ins. Included is a very large and really nice hard case. And, if you prefer, there is also a soft pull-tie bag if you don’t want to use the case. Three different sized tips, airline adapter, lanyard, 6.5mm adapter and an extension cable complete the kit.

All in all, the C14 give you a lot of bang (or should I say bass) for your buck. In Canada, Future Shop is the Phitek vendor. You get quite a bit of technology for $99 as well as quality accessories. So while you probably won’t impress your friends with the looks of the C14s, no matter, because you will want to keep these all to  yourself anyway.

7/10

©2010 iPhone World. All Rights Reserved.

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Um, okay? Just days after Apple introduced its exceedingly underwhelming iPad while simultaneously attempting to convince that masses that said product was the portable gaming device they had been waiting their whole lives for, Sony's own hardware marketing honcho has come forward and extolled Cupertino's decision to finally make the gaming leap. In a recent interview, John stated the following:

"Apple's entrance into the portable gaming space has been a net positive for Sony. When people want a deeper, richer console, they start playing on a PSP."

While we can't seem to shake the suspicion that Mr. Koller is drawing links that probably don't exist (at least fully) in reality, research firm NPD does show that sales of the PSP have "nearly tripled since the iPhone went on sale in June 2007." Of course, it's not like the PSP has gained functionality, become the home of more than a few killer titles and spawned a UMD-less sibling since the heydays of '07, but hey -- who are we to question the suit?

Sony's John Koller: Apple's entrance into gaming market drives consumers to PSP originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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According to a report in Wired (and a source whom the publication says "could not be named"), Steve Jobs spoke to an audience of Apple employees at a town hall in Cupertino and... pulled zero punches. If you believe what you read, Jobs tackled a handful of major issues that have been buzzing the company lately, namely its run-ins with Google on a number of topics, and the lack of Flash support in its mobile devices (most notably in the upcoming iPad). On Google, Jobs had this to say: "We did not enter the search business. They entered the phone business. Make no mistake they want to kill the iPhone. We won't let them." According to the attendee, another topic was brought up but Steve wouldn't let the Google issue go, stating his thoughts on the company's famous 'Don't be evil' line. In Steve's words? "It's bullshit."

Furthermore Jobs had a handful of choice words for Adobe, calling the company "lazy" and claiming that "Apple does not support Flash because it is so buggy. Whenever a Mac crashes more often than not it's because of Flash. No one will be using Flash. The world is moving to HTML5." Of course, these amazing nuggets of wisdom come from a source which Engadget cannot verify, so it's possible there are misquotes or items taken out of context, though from the sounds of things, this kind of talk falls right in line with what we'd expect from the man who said Microsoft "had no taste" and makes "really third-rate products." We eagerly await Eric Schmidt's response.

CE-Oh no he didn't? Part LXVII: Steve Jobs lashes out at Google, calls Adobe 'lazy' originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 14:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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