Wow... I thought some of the other ones this year were boring.... this one was the most.
If you thought Toney had a chance at Couture... you must have never watched MMA before. Randy took him down by touching his ankle... bleh.
I had though BJ Penn would have changed his game plan. He looked better than the previous fight but he still tried to fight the quicker man's game in stand up and do nothing on the ground. Props to Edgar for proving his title win wasn't a fluke but I doubt Gray Maynard is going to let him get "bullied" by Edgar.
Why does Gabe Ruediger still get to fight in the UFC? Didn't he demonstrate on The Ultimate Fighter he doesn't have the will? And in one of his previous matches he looked like he gave up. I'm glad Luazon beat him up... it was one-sided but it demonstrated that some fighters don't deserve 3rd or 4th chances.
I don't really like the Diaz brothers all that much... but they stand behind their smack. The Irish Hand Grenade looked bad and Nate proved why he won TUF.
I wonder if the next UFC Fight Night will be better than this last PPV?
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Strikeforce: Houston - We Have a Problem...
While I like to watch non-UFC MMA promotions, Strikeforce is going to have a hard time keeping fans because it can't seem to keep champions very long... and it can't seem to build "name" fighters too well either.
I can't really blame them for the last part... everyone knew Lashley needs more experience before he can become a top MMA fighter but he got paired against a rumored easy win and lost... bad. He looked so tired at the end of the 1st round... I was suprised he made it to the second.
But Strikeforce needs to find a way to market their promotion with recognizable faces. They had Fedor but we know how his last fight went. King Mo has the charisma... but no longer has the belt. Gina Carino was one of their biggest draws and although Cyborg has defended her belt successfully... let's face it... she's not as marketable as the former American Gladiator.
KJ Noons looks like he can be that "face" for Strikeforce, especially with his feud against the bad boy Diaz... but he seemed to be a bit bad himself last night. They have Dan Henderson, but he's getting old and by losing to Jake Shields who is now in the UFC... can he carry Strikeforce? I like Robbie Lawler... and while Scott Smith seems to be a nice guy... he loses quite a bit yet still seems to be on every other PPV.
That's where the UFC succeeded, they were able to build recognizable brands out of their fighters (Chuck AKA Iceman, Matt Hughes, BJ Penn, GSP and now their new breed with the Spider Silva and Brock). Until they can develop some consistent champions/name fighters... they are always going to be the WNBA to UFC's NBA.
I can't really blame them for the last part... everyone knew Lashley needs more experience before he can become a top MMA fighter but he got paired against a rumored easy win and lost... bad. He looked so tired at the end of the 1st round... I was suprised he made it to the second.
But Strikeforce needs to find a way to market their promotion with recognizable faces. They had Fedor but we know how his last fight went. King Mo has the charisma... but no longer has the belt. Gina Carino was one of their biggest draws and although Cyborg has defended her belt successfully... let's face it... she's not as marketable as the former American Gladiator.
KJ Noons looks like he can be that "face" for Strikeforce, especially with his feud against the bad boy Diaz... but he seemed to be a bit bad himself last night. They have Dan Henderson, but he's getting old and by losing to Jake Shields who is now in the UFC... can he carry Strikeforce? I like Robbie Lawler... and while Scott Smith seems to be a nice guy... he loses quite a bit yet still seems to be on every other PPV.
That's where the UFC succeeded, they were able to build recognizable brands out of their fighters (Chuck AKA Iceman, Matt Hughes, BJ Penn, GSP and now their new breed with the Spider Silva and Brock). Until they can develop some consistent champions/name fighters... they are always going to be the WNBA to UFC's NBA.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Death of the stylus/PDA?
Seems like everyone is going capacitive touch nowadays.
And Windows Phone 7 is completely different from Windows Mobile 6.x.
So how do we do things that require more granularity? Is Nintendo's DS series going to be the last things on earth that use resistive touch and support "pen input"?
And Windows Phone 7 is completely different from Windows Mobile 6.x.
So how do we do things that require more granularity? Is Nintendo's DS series going to be the last things on earth that use resistive touch and support "pen input"?
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
My perfect cell/wireless/mobile phone...
For about 6 years I've had 2 cell (I know that's an old name but that's what it was when I first got one in the 90s) phones, one for business and one for personal use. While it's a pain to carry 2 phones... it does give me some flexibility in my mobile devices, carriers, data plans and usage. My primary personal phone is on Sprint and I've gone from a regular dumbphone to a feature phone to a WinMo HTC Touch Pro and now a Palm Treo Pro. I've always liked Windows Mobile, the platform is fairly open, I don't require lots of customization, I like resistive touch screens and it does what I need to do. Why I went from an HTC Touch Pro to a Palm Treo Pro is a long story involving 4 hardware replacements (the TP's screen just kept going out) and finally realizing I prefer the portrait keyboard ala Blackberry style.
And since I'm mentioning them, RIM just announced their new OS, Blackberry 6, which catches them up with the iOS/Android features and a new form factor, a sliding portrait keyboard touchscreen phone like the Palm Pre called the Blackberry Torch:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/03/live-from-rim-and-atandamp-ts-blackberry-torch-event/
My second phone was on AT&T (Cingular before that) and also went the dumbphone to smartphone route and until recently was stuck at the HTC Tilt for 3 years. Again, it was WinMobile, had a slide out qwerty, touchscreen and for the most part was very reliable. The last 6 months or so, the battery went weird, it would not hold a charge for more than 5-10 minutes so I always had to have it plugged in and almost replaced it with an iPhone 3GS last year. I wanted to either get an Android phone (AT&T's choices were limited or none) or the HP Glisten... which is another WinMo phone with a portrait keyboard. But I wanted to see what the new iPhone 4 was going to be and if AT&T would come out with some other Android or WinMo offering. Once I saw the features of the new iPhone, I couldn't resist the pixel density of the IPS LCD, or what Jobs calls the Retina Display. And knowing I could jailbreak if needed, I made the move. At the same time, I had hoped that the rumors of an HD Mini would come out for AT&T... running WinMo but having that smaller form factor. But with MS announcing Windows Phone 7 (which I'm not a fan of), that chance was slim, and instead, the same hardware came out from HTC but it was an Android phone called the Aria.
Which brings me to my perfect phone. I really like the portrait keyboards and having my Palm Treo Pro, I've come to like their layout and how they've changed it to match the needs of the times. Their current layout on the Pre and Pixi is great and while some people don't like the rubberized key feel, I find it works for me. And while I wish HP would get their act together with the more superior webOS, Android is gaining too much marketshare and momentum to ignore. So the OS of choice right now would be Android. I also like that they have the option of a separate navigation device in the trackpad so you don't always have to rely on touch and it's also much more precise.
This brings me to this shoddily put together phone I would like to see:
Yes... it's a Palm Pixi body with an Android OS. I lowered the keyboard to make room for the bigger screen and the Android buttons/optical trackpad. If Sprint can come out with something like this, I'll pay full price.
Why is RIM the only one doing portrait keyboard phones? There is a market for this... at least for me.
And since I'm mentioning them, RIM just announced their new OS, Blackberry 6, which catches them up with the iOS/Android features and a new form factor, a sliding portrait keyboard touchscreen phone like the Palm Pre called the Blackberry Torch:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/03/live-from-rim-and-atandamp-ts-blackberry-torch-event/
My second phone was on AT&T (Cingular before that) and also went the dumbphone to smartphone route and until recently was stuck at the HTC Tilt for 3 years. Again, it was WinMobile, had a slide out qwerty, touchscreen and for the most part was very reliable. The last 6 months or so, the battery went weird, it would not hold a charge for more than 5-10 minutes so I always had to have it plugged in and almost replaced it with an iPhone 3GS last year. I wanted to either get an Android phone (AT&T's choices were limited or none) or the HP Glisten... which is another WinMo phone with a portrait keyboard. But I wanted to see what the new iPhone 4 was going to be and if AT&T would come out with some other Android or WinMo offering. Once I saw the features of the new iPhone, I couldn't resist the pixel density of the IPS LCD, or what Jobs calls the Retina Display. And knowing I could jailbreak if needed, I made the move. At the same time, I had hoped that the rumors of an HD Mini would come out for AT&T... running WinMo but having that smaller form factor. But with MS announcing Windows Phone 7 (which I'm not a fan of), that chance was slim, and instead, the same hardware came out from HTC but it was an Android phone called the Aria.
Which brings me to my perfect phone. I really like the portrait keyboards and having my Palm Treo Pro, I've come to like their layout and how they've changed it to match the needs of the times. Their current layout on the Pre and Pixi is great and while some people don't like the rubberized key feel, I find it works for me. And while I wish HP would get their act together with the more superior webOS, Android is gaining too much marketshare and momentum to ignore. So the OS of choice right now would be Android. I also like that they have the option of a separate navigation device in the trackpad so you don't always have to rely on touch and it's also much more precise.
This brings me to this shoddily put together phone I would like to see:
Yes... it's a Palm Pixi body with an Android OS. I lowered the keyboard to make room for the bigger screen and the Android buttons/optical trackpad. If Sprint can come out with something like this, I'll pay full price.
Why is RIM the only one doing portrait keyboard phones? There is a market for this... at least for me.
Friday, July 30, 2010
We've got another App Store for that...
Remember how I said that one of the big reasons why Apple doesn't want to allow Flash to work on the iPhone is because people could deliver app-type content by bypassing Apple's App Store.
Well... it looks like somebody did it anyways, with OpenAppMkt:
http://www.openappmkt.com
It's basically a collection of web-based apps using HTML5... a technology that Jobs and Co. support... but also something that app-style content can be made of.
I tried it out and it's interesting, 1st off when you browse the URL through your iPhone, it asks you to "install" the app which basically adds a bookmark to the website on your homepage. Then for every app (I should say "webapp") you install, it adds an appropriate bookmark to your homepage. So they act just like your other apps (you can even move them into your folders).
The big difference is because they are web-based, you need to have either a cell or WiFi connection but most of the times you do. And of course, depending on your data plan, it will eat bandwidth.
So far I've installed PieGuy (a Pacman clone) and the YouTube webapp (it's exactly like the m.youtube.com one except it hides the URL so it looks more "app" like). In comparison to the native one, the one thing I like is it doesn't force you into landscape mode at the beginning.
Not sure if they will successfully be able to get people to pay for apps that they can find on the web... but the point here is that this is an alternative to Apple's App Store, meaning less restrictions... which could also mean other things.
We'll see how this plays out and if Apple breaks down any doors.
Well... it looks like somebody did it anyways, with OpenAppMkt:
http://www.openappmkt.com
It's basically a collection of web-based apps using HTML5... a technology that Jobs and Co. support... but also something that app-style content can be made of.
I tried it out and it's interesting, 1st off when you browse the URL through your iPhone, it asks you to "install" the app which basically adds a bookmark to the website on your homepage. Then for every app (I should say "webapp") you install, it adds an appropriate bookmark to your homepage. So they act just like your other apps (you can even move them into your folders).
The big difference is because they are web-based, you need to have either a cell or WiFi connection but most of the times you do. And of course, depending on your data plan, it will eat bandwidth.
So far I've installed PieGuy (a Pacman clone) and the YouTube webapp (it's exactly like the m.youtube.com one except it hides the URL so it looks more "app" like). In comparison to the native one, the one thing I like is it doesn't force you into landscape mode at the beginning.
Not sure if they will successfully be able to get people to pay for apps that they can find on the web... but the point here is that this is an alternative to Apple's App Store, meaning less restrictions... which could also mean other things.
We'll see how this plays out and if Apple breaks down any doors.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Ghost?
I haven't blogged lately due to many things... the one main thing being laziness. I understand this is something many bloggers go through and was hoping not to succumb to it.
I also think not having many shows to watch blows my one weekly blog post I used to do. Warehouse 13 started up again and I really like that show but I don't watch much else. I've also been on vacation for a few weeks so while I still surfed the web, I kept most of my communication to a minimum. So just a few observances while I was gone:
1. iPhone 4 came out and sold billions. I visited 3 Apple stores and no one has it. I got mine finally from Best Buy but it was 3 weeks after the release and I had pre-ordered it a week before... I was quite the Hulk.
2. Samsung Galaxy S phones are coming out under different names, Vibrant on T-Mobile, Captivate on AT&T and I forget on Verizon and Sprint. I saw the Vibrant at a T-Mobile store and it's impressive. The one for Sprint is going to be 4G and have the slide-out keyboard.
3. Is it just me or is HTC+Sprint/Verizon dumb for not keeping the EVO and Incredible in stock? These are the few phones they could have sold more of before the iPhone 4 came out and they didn't capitalize on it. Now that i4 is out, they will probably be getting more inventory but now they are going to face competition from within their own Android offerings (Droid X, Galaxy S etc etc). Boo.
4. Speaking of, Droid X is supposed to be out in a few days. But why get that when you can get an EVO on 4G?
5. My search for Smalls (my mini notebook) may be coming to an end. Toshiba (one of the companies I despised because their keyboard layouts were lame) has released the Portege 700 series and it's very nice and affordable for all the features it has. It's not exactly a real Smalls since it has a screen bigger than 12" and an optical drive but it's close.
6. Looks like WUXGA (1920x1200) is going the way of the dodo bird. Dell's newest Latitude line only goes up to 1080p or FHD (1920x1080). Why did notebooks adopt TV's 16:9 aspect ratio? I'm getting less screen real estate for no reason.
7. Is it just me or is 3D TV overhyped? I don't even watch the 3D movies (it seems like every family film is in 3D nowadays) in the theatres. If I wanted to pay a premium to wear expensive glasses, I would not have got contact lenses... bleh.
8. UFC 116 was awesome and one of the best shows this year. All matches were good and who would have thought Brock would use a submission to win? I'm looking forward to the Silva/Shonnen match but I think The Spider will still win.
9. Warehouse 13 is even better this season... although the characters have changed a bit. Myka is softer, Pete is dorkier, Leena is damaged... and Claudia is funnier... she said "Boom goes the dynamite!"... hehe.
10. Tell all those Android phone makers to stop getting rid of the optical trackpad button. It's the one thing that helps differentiate it from iPhone and also gives Blackberry users something familiar. I'm still waiting for an Android phone with the physical keyboard in a form factor like the Blackberry, Palm Pixi or my Palm Treo Pro. Just make the keyboard really small and the screen really big (and of course include the optical trackpad).
Oh... and why "Ghost?" for my title. We have this thing where when people disappear at work, we say they turned into ghosts... that's what happened to me on this blog.
I also think not having many shows to watch blows my one weekly blog post I used to do. Warehouse 13 started up again and I really like that show but I don't watch much else. I've also been on vacation for a few weeks so while I still surfed the web, I kept most of my communication to a minimum. So just a few observances while I was gone:
1. iPhone 4 came out and sold billions. I visited 3 Apple stores and no one has it. I got mine finally from Best Buy but it was 3 weeks after the release and I had pre-ordered it a week before... I was quite the Hulk.
2. Samsung Galaxy S phones are coming out under different names, Vibrant on T-Mobile, Captivate on AT&T and I forget on Verizon and Sprint. I saw the Vibrant at a T-Mobile store and it's impressive. The one for Sprint is going to be 4G and have the slide-out keyboard.
3. Is it just me or is HTC+Sprint/Verizon dumb for not keeping the EVO and Incredible in stock? These are the few phones they could have sold more of before the iPhone 4 came out and they didn't capitalize on it. Now that i4 is out, they will probably be getting more inventory but now they are going to face competition from within their own Android offerings (Droid X, Galaxy S etc etc). Boo.
4. Speaking of, Droid X is supposed to be out in a few days. But why get that when you can get an EVO on 4G?
5. My search for Smalls (my mini notebook) may be coming to an end. Toshiba (one of the companies I despised because their keyboard layouts were lame) has released the Portege 700 series and it's very nice and affordable for all the features it has. It's not exactly a real Smalls since it has a screen bigger than 12" and an optical drive but it's close.
6. Looks like WUXGA (1920x1200) is going the way of the dodo bird. Dell's newest Latitude line only goes up to 1080p or FHD (1920x1080). Why did notebooks adopt TV's 16:9 aspect ratio? I'm getting less screen real estate for no reason.
7. Is it just me or is 3D TV overhyped? I don't even watch the 3D movies (it seems like every family film is in 3D nowadays) in the theatres. If I wanted to pay a premium to wear expensive glasses, I would not have got contact lenses... bleh.
8. UFC 116 was awesome and one of the best shows this year. All matches were good and who would have thought Brock would use a submission to win? I'm looking forward to the Silva/Shonnen match but I think The Spider will still win.
9. Warehouse 13 is even better this season... although the characters have changed a bit. Myka is softer, Pete is dorkier, Leena is damaged... and Claudia is funnier... she said "Boom goes the dynamite!"... hehe.
10. Tell all those Android phone makers to stop getting rid of the optical trackpad button. It's the one thing that helps differentiate it from iPhone and also gives Blackberry users something familiar. I'm still waiting for an Android phone with the physical keyboard in a form factor like the Blackberry, Palm Pixi or my Palm Treo Pro. Just make the keyboard really small and the screen really big (and of course include the optical trackpad).
Oh... and why "Ghost?" for my title. We have this thing where when people disappear at work, we say they turned into ghosts... that's what happened to me on this blog.
iPhone 4: There is no Antennagate!
So Apple held a press conference today to address the "issues" of the iPhone 4. Basically, they've said that all smartphones have the same problem and that they are not getting large reports from customers about it. But in order to help appease people they can 1. Return it within 30 days without a restocking fee or 2. Get a free case from Apple (if you previously bought a Bumper from them, they will refund it). Here is a link to the Engadget LiveBlog:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/live-from-apples-iphone-4-press-conference
Now, they did say they would not be able to produce enough iBumpers to mean demand so they our sourcing other cases and will give you a choice. You will be able to apply on their website next week.
In addition, 4.0.1 is out to address the software formula "bug" that calculates the strength signal and they will be releasing another update to fix the proximity sensor problem.
Although I can understand the uproar, I really do think this was a bit blown out of proportion. Every phone has areas you can touch on it that will degrade signal strength. Ever since phones went with an internal antenna design, that has always been an issue yet people have short memories. I remember on my Samsung A420, there was even a picture in the manual that showed me where to not touch the phone on the top because that's where the internal antenna was.
I think Apple is making the right move by offering free cases but I also think they may not have tested the whole "finger on the black line kills reception" problem that much considering that the prototype was in a case... we can assume all their field testing units were also in a case so there was no "real-world" type usage to account for it. Jobs theorized that since the 3GS had the same design as the 3G, 80% of the users probably had a case for it so the signal issue went undetected.
Anyways... this hasn't stopped over 3 million people from buying the iPhone 4 and that number would probably be closer to 4 million if Apple could supply as many phones as people wanted. I had to wait a few weeks to get mine because I pre-ordered through Best Buy and they didn't get very many phones (Apple saved them all for themselves... heh.). I do notice the issue but since I don't really use that phone as my primary voice phone, it's not a problem for me... it acts more like my iPad nano.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/live-from-apples-iphone-4-press-conference
Now, they did say they would not be able to produce enough iBumpers to mean demand so they our sourcing other cases and will give you a choice. You will be able to apply on their website next week.
In addition, 4.0.1 is out to address the software formula "bug" that calculates the strength signal and they will be releasing another update to fix the proximity sensor problem.
Although I can understand the uproar, I really do think this was a bit blown out of proportion. Every phone has areas you can touch on it that will degrade signal strength. Ever since phones went with an internal antenna design, that has always been an issue yet people have short memories. I remember on my Samsung A420, there was even a picture in the manual that showed me where to not touch the phone on the top because that's where the internal antenna was.
I think Apple is making the right move by offering free cases but I also think they may not have tested the whole "finger on the black line kills reception" problem that much considering that the prototype was in a case... we can assume all their field testing units were also in a case so there was no "real-world" type usage to account for it. Jobs theorized that since the 3GS had the same design as the 3G, 80% of the users probably had a case for it so the signal issue went undetected.
Anyways... this hasn't stopped over 3 million people from buying the iPhone 4 and that number would probably be closer to 4 million if Apple could supply as many phones as people wanted. I had to wait a few weeks to get mine because I pre-ordered through Best Buy and they didn't get very many phones (Apple saved them all for themselves... heh.). I do notice the issue but since I don't really use that phone as my primary voice phone, it's not a problem for me... it acts more like my iPad nano.
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