Apple on The Huffington Post

Ron Ashkenas: Restrict My Choices, Please

2009-12-22T11:51:20Z

Cross-posted from Harvard Business Online

I don't know about you, but to me the holiday shopping process can be overwhelming. No matter what gift category you want to consider, there are dozens of physical and web-based channels to explore; and within each channel there are hundreds of potential products; and for many of the products, there are dozens of variations.

For people with decidophobia (fear of making decisions), it must be a nightmare. For everyone else, it's simply mentally exhausting.

While the abundance of consumer choice is most exaggerated during the holidays, it is really a
year-round issue. We've become a culture of product and service proliferation. We add more and more choices on the assumption that each consumer has very specific, unique, tastes and needs. And since companies have the capability to mass customize, they take advantage.

For example, the iPhone App Store adds 10,000 new applications every week. It's an incredible outpouring of creativity from all corners of the globe and it's revolutionizing mobile telephony, computing, and day-to-day behavior. That's the positive side.

But there are downsides too. First is the question of how we choose which of the many products and variations we actually want. No matter how good a search engine is attached to the products, we still end up with more possibilities than anyone can comprehend. And much of the time, we can't even think of the right questions to put into the search process, or we don't know enough to make good choices. So we get overwhelmed with information. And at the end of the day, when we've made a supposedly informed choice, we learn of someone else that made a different choice and feel that maybe we bought the wrong thing. Think of the two people sitting next to each other on the airplane that find out that they each paid completely different fares for the same trip.

Another downside is the cost involved in supporting and managing all of the alternative products and services. Physical stores, and even virtual ones, can only carry so much inventory, manage so much administration, and deal with so many suppliers and partners. Sure, the web-based world makes much of this easier -- like with Apple's App Store -- but it still takes time and people to evaluate apps, insure their quality, and monitor their performance. With physical products and other services, the administrative and management costs are exponentially higher.

Given the downsides of product and service proliferation, less choice can be a competitive advantage. One of the best examples is Aldi -- a German-based chain of discount grocery stores that is rapidly expanding around the world and developing a devoted following of customers.

Part of the Aldi philosophy is that less is more. Each store is limited to no more than 1,400 different items. So instead of having a dozen choices of frozen juice, you get just one or two. And if a store manager, or the company, wants to add new products, they have to subtract an equivalent number. This not only makes it easier for the consumer to make choices, but it also dramatically lowers costs that are then passed on to the consumer. It's the opposite of the
"super-store."

The Aldi philosophy may not be for every company or for every product. But it certainly is worth paying attention to as a possible antidote for a world that is becoming increasingly complex.

To what extent would you welcome less choice?

Ron Ashkenas is a managing partner of Robert H. Schaffer & Associates a Stamford, Connecticut consulting firm and the author of Simply Effective: How to Cut Through Complexity in Your Organization and Get Things Done.

Jim Louderback: Blackberry 9700 Review: It's a Phone, Stupid

2009-12-21T23:11:55Z

I recently gave up the G1 Android Phone for the brand-spanking new Blackberry 9700. I've been using the 9700 for the last month and overall I'm very happy. But it's not perfect - and whether you end up with an iPhone/G1 or something like a Blackberry is a very personal decision.

First, what I really like about the 9700
It's a phone. I know I sound like a master of the obvious by saying that, but it's very important. The Blackberry 9700 is a great phone - and the G1 is not. Let's start with audio quality. Calls on the 9700 are crisp, clear and easy to hear. The G1 is not nearly so strong, nor loud when I need it. The speakerphone is also first rate, while the headset jack provides clear audio, and seems to do a good job picking up my voice and sending it out as well.

(review continues below)

WATCH A VIDEO REVIEW OF THE BLACKBERRY 9700

Speaking of the headset jack, here again Blackberry got it right. It's a standard mini plug, rather than the USB-based plug used by the G1. I went through a ton of headsets with my old phone, as the connector would always break off when I pulled it out. It was virtually impossible to find new ones as well - most phone stores didn't start carrying them until just a few months ago. And the standard mini plug on the Blackberry is supported by a wide range of 3rd party products, and they're cheap too.

Signal acquisition is also a step above. I used both the G1 and the Blackberry on the T-Mobile network. It's OK in San Francisco, but there's been one spot, at the top of the hill leading down into the town I live in, where the G1 would drop calls every time. Guess what? The Blackberry doesn't drop those calls.

I'm also impressed by the battery life. When I was using the G1, I never got through a whole day without recharging the battery. In fact, it became like buddy-breathing: I would constantly charge up the G1 every time I settled in - in the office, in the car, and at home. It was more of a tethered phone than a real portable. The 9700, on the other hand, is tremendous. It can go for days without being recharged. I have yet to run out of battery life while using it, whereas on the G1 I would end up SOL at least once a week.

The Blackberry also beats the G1 hands down with email. The keyboard itself is far, far better, I can type much faster, and the email application leaves both the stock program, and any add-ons, in the dust. I'm lamenting the $25 I spent on Touchdown - but the Blackberry is simply much, much better.

So what don't I like? Well it's just not as good of an internet computer. The G1 and the iPhone both come with their appstore pre-installed. I had to manually download Blackberry's analog. And the apps themselves - when the exist - simply aren't as good. Google Maps, for instance, runs like a champ on Android devices, but the Blackberry version isn't nearly as good, and isn't nearly as fast. Part of it is screen size, part of it is the lack of a touch screen, but it simply is an inferior experience. I'm also jealous of Android users currently drooling over Google Goggles, the new turn-based navigation system, and other great new apps.

Many of the programs I really want simply aren't available. Take Foursquare, for example. I'm enjoyed using it on the G1, but there's no alternative on the Blackberry - apart from the mobile website, which is a terrible, terrible experience. At least I can get that to work. I tried GoWalla, but its mobile site simply launches into an infinite loop on the Blackberry's browser - an extremely terrible user experience.

Although Seesmic's Blackberry application is OK, I miss the more robust versions on the G1 - and it's harder to keep the river of real time going on the Blackberry.

I also miss the big touch screen. I got used to pointing, dragging and rolling pages on the G1, and even though the trackpad on the 9700 is pretty decent, it's not a touch screen.

But you know what? In the end, I'm going to stick with the Blackberry. It's much better for simple voice and email communications, and I can tolerate the other limitations. I would love to see RIM improve the store, add a touch screen, and improve the mobile computer side of the device. But in the end, I need what it does well better than what it does only passably. So for now, I'm a proud user of the Blackberry 9700.

Want to know more? Well known venture capitalist and blogger Fred Wilson penned his own paean to the 9700, where he taunts us with the secret apps he gets to run that you and I cannot.

Tapulous iPhone Developer Reports $1M In Sales Per Month

2009-12-21T15:52:21Z

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - IPhone app developer Tapulous says its sales have approached $1 million a month, providing fresh evidence of the growing success of start-ups designing programs for Apple Inc's mobile device.

Jose Antonio Vargas: With "Avatar," Technology Has Never Looked So Human in Film (VIDEO)

2009-12-21T15:28:04Z

Technology has never looked so human in film.

After all the online buzz (some good, others bad), after all the focus on box office receipts (as ever, Deadline's Nikke Finke has the most comprehensive run-down), after all the attention on whether Hollywood's reigning techno-geek could create a worthy successor to his Oscar-winning, record-shattering "Titanic," "Avatar" snowballed through the pre-winter snowstorm of 2009. James Cameron didn't just make a sci-fi epic. He's created a wholly believable, realistic world, at once marking a new cinematic era and expanding the possibilities of film in our technology-dependent, digital entertainment-driven 21st century. From here on out, movies will be divided into two epochs: B.A. and A.A. Before "Avatar," After "Avatar."

Asked where "Avatar" stands in the history of technology and movies, Roger Ebert, a film historian and arguably the country's pre-eminent movie critic, wrote me in an e-mail: "It inaugurates the next generation and raises the bar. A milestone in the same sense as 'Star Wars.'"

For decades, Ebert has been a skeptic of 3-D technology; while blogging about the animated movie "Up," which premiered in 3-D at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, he wrote that 3-D is a "marketing gimmick" aimed "to justify higher ticket prices." But last week, Ebert led the throng of critics who raved about "Avatar," the largest 3-D release in movie history. Cameron's baby, more than 10 years in the making, is "not simply a sensational entertainment, although it is that, " Ebert wrote. "It is an Event, one of those films you feel you must see to keep up with the conversation."

Because people are talking about it, especially in the virtual water cooler that is the social Web. The hashtag #Avatar has been a trending topic on Twitter for days; early Friday morning, on the day of the film's release, @walkercd tweeted: "If the snowstorm takes me this weekend it'll be because I left the house to see AVATAR." In a decade that's been marked by countless innovations in special effects -- from "The Matrix" series to "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy -- there's a sense that, too often, technology is showcased for technology's sake. You can almost hear the director shout from behind the camera, "See, look at what I can do!" The story takes a backseat to the technology. That's not "Avatar." Cameron's use of 3-D is the "best I've seen -- and more importantly, one of the most carefully-employed," Ebert wrote. "The film never uses 3-D simply because it has it."

It's not just critics who've run out of superlatives to describe the experience. Michael Arrington, founder of the industry insider blog TechCrunch, declared "Avatar" as the "the iPhone of movies" -- a real game-changer. Like Arrington, I lined up on Thursday night at the first midnight showing of "Avatar." I was in the San Francisco Bay Area, home to Silicon Valley, attending a conference at the University of California-Berkeley. It was a packed theater -- and, surprisingly, a mixed crowd. There were as many young women as they were young men, many of them sporting their Cal gear. A few minutes into the more than two-and-a-half hour film, when we first see Jake, the former Marine who's a paraplegic, take his first steps on Pandora as his nearly ten feet tall, blue-skinned avatar with a tail, a bespectacled student in front of me yelled: "Oh man, this is much better when you're drunk."

I wasn't drunk. But I did notice, as I looked down my notebook and jotted down some notes, that my jaw had dropped. Literally. It was breathtaking, the sheer beauty of the images on screen -- alive, vivid, seemingly touchable. There's a "thereness" to the action, fleeting and fantastical but somehow also grounded and natural. As others have noted, the story is not new -- it's part "Pocahontas," part "Dances With Wolves" and all the more relevant given the recent climate summit in Copenhagen. At one point in the film, Neytiri, the princess of the Na'vi tribe, tells Jake, her inevitable love interest, as they walk the lush, layered land of Pandora: "All energy is all borrowed. One day you have to give it back." But the new technologies that are used in service of the story -- shot with cutting-edge "Simulcam" camera, with live action seamlessly mixed with CGI imagery, among others -- has revolutionized film-making as a technical art form. And one with a heart. After all, what has distinguished Cameron's movies, from "The Terminator" to "Aliens," are the human stories behind the technology. Take the pulse rifle-carrying, gender stereotype-breaking Ellen Ripley.

"Too much is being said about the technology of this film. Quite frankly, I don't give a rat's ass how a film is made," Cameron told The New Yorker's Dana Goodyear, who wrote a 10,400-word profile of the 55-year-old, Canadian-born director. "It's an emotional story. It's a love story. They're not expecting that. The sci-fi/fantasy fans see the trailer and they think, Cool -- battles, robots. What you really need to get to is, Oh, it's that, too."

Let's leave aside the money haul; judging by the strong word of mouth online, "Avatar" should break the $1 billion mark. Let's forget the awards and accolades; this won't be the last time you'll read the words "Oscar" and "James Cameron" between now and March 10. (And if Cameron and "Avatar" are not top contenders for "Best Picture" and "Best Director," respectively, then the Oscars deserve the consistently low ratings it gets.) What Cameron has achieved, quite simply, will outlast any award and box office report.

James Cameron, Hollywood's reigning techno-geek, has humanized technology.

***Here's the latest extended HD trailer***

iPhone Dominates Japan Smartphone Market: It's "Big, Big, Big" Among Users

2009-12-18T09:06:59Z

Apple is big - really big - in Japan, where the iPhone now accounts for 46.1 percent of the smartphone market, according to the latest data from Impress.

Gary Shapiro: A Holiday Wish List That No One Should Fulfill

2009-12-17T11:46:03Z

'Tis the season for end-of-year lists, so as we bring 2009 to a close, I offer my own, slightly tongue-in-cheek, list of all the things government could do in 2010 to bring our economy to its knees. You heard me right: this is a list of things government could adopt to prevent, not promote economic recovery. My one true wish for the holidays is that Congress not do - or in some cases, not repeat - any of these things.

So on the eve of 2010, here is my list of the "top ten" things our government could do in 2010 to reverse our nascent economic recovery. Of course, government shouldn't do any of these things - but its track record from 2009 causes me grave concern. [Note to Santa: if our government actually does any of the things on this list, please withhold presents from them in 2010.]

First, spend taxpayer money on feel-good programs, stimulus programs, rebates, cash for clunkers and anything else which has a short-term good feeling and a long-term hangover the next generation will pay for. This is a long-term investment in giving our kids a debt they cannot possibly repay. It will destroy their future and our nation - but hey - we feel good today.

Second, bail out the states so they don't have to make tough decisions about bloated governments. Give about one-third of stimulus money to states so they don't have to confront out-of-control spending and the high cost of defined benefit programs for their government employees. When this payment runs out in 2011, states will be worse off and still unable to meet the commitments they promised to their large workforces. Many states will be back in 2011 asking for an even bigger handout. And we can count these government jobs as "saved" by government scorekeepers! States will be more reliant on Uncle Sam (and this won't stop Congress from imposing new costs on states!).

Third, reward poorly run and inefficient American companies. Bailing out money-losing companies like GM, Chrysler and AIG is a great way to waste American taxpayer money and hurt better-run and more-efficient competitors. This rewards our friends the unions that brought down GM and Chrysler. The new union and government owners cannot make competitive decisions (a fact proven repeatedly in the last year by GM) but instead will be guided by political decisions. Their competitive future is dismal and we are guaranteed further American weakness as they return and insist on further bailouts and special treatment. This virtuous circle will allow politicians to claim they are protecting American jobs. Americans may still choose to buy cars from companies like Ford, VW, Toyota and BMW, which are not getting bailouts, but are making cars in the United States.

Fourth, bring down American crown-jewel companies that are the big job creators, innovators and the future of America. Companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple, Intel and Qualcomm are the envy of the world, and as the world comes after them you would expect the United States to stand up and protect them. Instead, as foreign governments challenge them with vague "monopolization" claims, the U.S. government appears to be mute. Instead, the U.S. government appears to be piling on - witness the Federal Trade Commission lawsuit against Intel.

Using some vague "unfair competition" complaint, the FTC is using new theories and an unprecedented "sue first and discover later" approach to challenge one of America's best companies. Worse, the government is insisting that Intel can only create products that are open to its competitors. It also seeks to ban volume discounts - a simple fact of a competitive world. Intel is a crown jewel of America, invests heavily in R&D on US soil, employs tens of thousands of Americans in good jobs and by any account has not hurt competition. This American attack on Intel is unprecedented and harmful to the future of innovation.

Fifth, raise taxes on job creators and make secret unionization possible. We must do everything possible to discourage successful U.S. companies from feeling comfortable investing in new jobs. That means we cannot allow a stable tax environment, a cautious approach to unionization efforts, and a resistance to further burdens on employers. Card check, health-care reform and several proposals on the table to raise taxes will push new burdens and costs on U.S. employers heavily, so that it is difficult to see why a company would choose to create new jobs in the United States.

Sixth, attack one of the most successful areas of American leadership - health care - by creating a lowest common denominator system. Health care is 16 percent of GDP, so it is a juicy target for mischief. And when doing so, make sure to protect America's one million lawyers so they can continue to be employed. They will also make sure doctors waste plenty of money testing patients unnecessarily so they don't get sued.

Seventh, make sure Americans spend heavily on a complex cap-and-trade system and do not invest in nuclear energy or use their own fuel in Alaska. Keep fuel prices low with low taxes so people feel no need to buy smaller, energy-efficient cars.

Eighth, continue to commit our armed forces to unending conflicts that drain our budget and resources without making America demonstrably safer.

Ninth, keep and put up barriers to trade. Pass more "Buy American" provisions so other countries can retaliate and put up barriers to American exports. Congress should also simply sit on the three free trade agreements that would remove high tariffs on American exports. Do the union bidding and hold up pending trade agreements with Korea, Panama and Colombia as American companies pay hundreds of millions of dollars more in tariffs, hurting our exports and ability to compete. Meanwhile, these countries have focused away from the United States and are cutting deals with a gleeful Europe and Canada. The world is amazed at the unique American botoxic arrogance to bite off the nose of trade to appease the incessant priggishness of the myopic labor leaders who fund them.

Tenth, and finally, make it as difficult as possible for business to occur in the United States. Block foreign investors and businessmen from getting visas to come to the United States to view products or attend trade shows. Make sure that we have ethics rules and policies that block anyone in government from helping host international visitors who flock to trade shows like the International CES, our event in Las Vegas. German Prime Minister Angela Merkel hosts dinners for international guests at our competitive event in Germany. Our White House could, but doesn't, help our economy by welcoming the 25,000 business leaders from abroad that the International CES brings to our country each January.

Here's to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2010 - and to policymakers who know how to get us there.

Gary Shapiro is the president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association.

Apple Working On 3D 'Hyper-Reality' Displays, Patent Suggests

2009-12-17T09:46:47Z

Apple's patent applications always provide an interesting peek into what Apple researchers have been working on. In one of the more interesting patent applications we've discovered, Apple appears to be researching 3D displays in which the user will be able to look around an object.

Rich Nadworny: Go Ogle Has Droid Rage

2009-12-16T18:20:00Z

Google launched Droid more than a month ago with a solid male-focused campaign which included rockets blasting the earth. Maybe Google leading with machismo was a good idea for capturing some marketing share from Apple's iPhone, but now you have to wonder if Google hasn't crossed the line to just plain homophobia.

The latest Droid TV spot takes clear aim at the iPhone, labeling it a "princess" phone:

Google and Droid might be taking aim at another product, but they're certainly questioning everyone who uses an iPhone. According to Google, iPhones are for "girly men" (or girly girls for that matter), while real men use Droid. It's interesting to watch them break down the brand attributes as male or female.

Google/Droid/Male

Fast

Tough

Can Do

Apple/iPhone/Female

Clueless

Pretty

Useless

Hmm. Actually these ads feel a lot like the ads for pickup trucks. When one of the truck brands added an extra step on the back, another brand labeled it the "man step." Only sissies use man steps, apparently. That is, when they're not using iPhones.

As Google tries to paint all of us iPhone users as pansies, you wonder if that stretches to iPod users as well. Why wouldn't it? The question is: How many Google engineers have iPods or even iPhones for that matter? It used to be that the challenge was to show that tech people weren't nerds but were kind of cool. Now, cool is for wimps. Now techies eat raw meat!

You kind of wonder what's coming next? Maybe Google/Droid will use Dick Cheney as its macho spokesman. Not only does he shoot old men in the face but also without technology, his heart would stop beating. In some way, he is a droid.

If Dick won't do it, maybe Droid could poach the iMac ads and use Patrick Warburton who played Puddy on Seinfeld. I'm thinking of the episode "The Face Painter" where the guys paint themselves to go to a hockey game. Puddy scares a priest to death by screaming "The Devils! Haaaa!!" Just change it to "Droid! Haaa!" and you may have a winner.

And once Google has manhandled Apple, you know what's coming next, right? Microsoft's Bing. Bing! You can already imagine the hockey metaphor. The LADY Bing Award for sportsmanship in hockey is like the search engine Bing. Tame and soft. But real hockey, like real search, is about tripping, slashing and elbowing. Real hockey, like Google, is about fighting and losing your teeth! Hockey without violence is, well, it sounds almost European. Ah the possibilities.

Actually, I don't think the TV ads do enough for Droid. After all they're still only TV ads. No, what Droid needs are some real hardware extensions for real men, to really distinguish them from the iPhone girly men. Here are some suggestions.

Bottle Opener - To save Real Men's teeth or eye sockets, Droid should build in a bottle opener into every phone. Then they could do co-promotions with Budweiser. Oops, I meant an American beer.

Weaponize Droid - The Droid is pretty harmless actually. It needs some type of weapon in it. Maybe Google could create the Droid Shiv, with a little stiletto that pops out. A derringer would be another cool idea. Somehow, both of those ideas seem a little wimpy. Both stiletto and derringer sound too foreign. Google should bring in the NRA into one of the vaunted Google Labs to figure that one out fast.

Inflatable Droid - How about a Droid that inflates to one of those sex dolls? Apparently they now have motors at all of the orifices. If Google could figure out a way to do Droid voice control it would give Droid Men amazing power and control. Things they don't have in real life. It wouldn't do a Droid vibrator though, since there's already an app for that. (Of course!)

With those three things, the Droid becomes more than a phone. It becomes a real man's survival tool! Wimps, sissies and princesses need not apply thank you very much. You can wuss out with your iPhones.

Maybe Google really does have Droid Rage.

Steve Haber: The Death of Print Doesn't Have to Mean the Death of Publishing

2009-12-16T16:21:32Z

In five years we will look back and see 2009 as a watershed moment in the history of digital books, reading and publishing. While U.S. book sales may only be up a modest 3.6 percent for the year according to data from the Association of American Publishers, eBook sales have cemented their standing as the industry's lone high-growth area with sales up 176 percent and monthly sales reaching $15.9 million. Yes - in a world of social networks, video games and mobile handsets that do everything imaginable, Americans have maintained their interest in reading.

Despite this growth, industry observers are quick to point out that eBook sales still only represent a small percentage of overall book sales. They're right - for the time being - but this burgeoning new business provides hope and opportunity for an industry that faces a crisis with its outdated printing model.

Pundits have been hypothesizing the death of publishing since the launch of Project Gutenberg, nearly four decades ago. We have finally reached that tipping point for digital reading and the publishing industry is witnessing an evolution in the truest sense of the word. It's the business of printing physical books that is slowly dying, but that certainly doesn't represent the death of the publishing industry.

During my time at Sony, I've been a part of several shifts: I've witnessed the transition from film to digital imaging and the shift from analog television to HDTV, and the shift from analog music to digital music. There are some similarities between where the publishing industry is today and where the music industry was when it entered the digital age. When we transitioned from LPs and cassette tapes to CDs and MP3s; music did not die - vinyl and magnetic tape formats did.

But comparisons to the music industry don't tell the whole story - I think we should also examine what happened to the camera industry when we made the shift from film to digital cameras. The instant interactivity of digital cameras enhanced the picture taking experience and encouraged consumers to take more pictures. Today, people can instantly discuss and edit their photos together as they upload to their phone or even their Facebook page. The future of digital reading holds a similar promise for literature and periodical content - experiencing text on a digital reader means you can mark up your digital version, comment on it and discuss what it means to you - all with a touch of your finger. Again - in that transition we shifted away from film - not pictures.

History has painfully shown us what worked and what didn't work during past transitions, and we're now in a far better position for the industry and consumers to make the digital transition together with the digitalization of books. During the digital music boom, consumers copied CD's onto their computers before MP3 players were widely available. This time around, we need to steer clear of piracy - and I believe we're doing that; we have the right DRM measures in place. These measures, combined with a multitude of popular eReader devices, a wide selection of content at reasonable prices and protective measures that treat publishers and authors fairly will help us avoid the 'Apple-ization' of the industry.

The move to digital books provides many of the same opportunities that we now know how to capitalize on. Just as the digitalization of music created new recording, marketing and sales options for the likes of Trent Reznor, Coldplay, Epic Records and even Susan Boyle; the digitalization of publishing creates new opportunities for the likes of Dan Brown, Harlequin and Boyd Morrison.

Brown broke new ground this year by releasing The Lost Symbol as an eBook and in hardcover on the same day, selling more than 100,000 eBooks in one week. Harlequin celebrated its 60th anniversary by offering free downloads of up to $60 worth of eBooks. Boyd Morrison parlayed his success with self-publishing his own eBook into a hardcover book deal with Simon & Schuster.

These innovations of the publishing model represent the tip of the iceberg in terms of what is possible in the digital realm. Just last week we saw the groundbreaking announcement of a joint digital venture between the four leading U.S. magazine publishers to create and share a publishing solution for digital versions of their content. A joint, digital venture of this nature is unheard of within the industry and offers a glimpse of the industry-wide effort needed to develop new models for engaging readers in an interactive and customized digital reading environment.

However, despite these breakthroughs there are still those within the industry that are denying the digital horizon before them. Publishers also made news last week that caught the attention of industry and consumers alike. Two publishing houses made clear their plans for 2010 to delay eBook editions of new titles by at least four months after their physical counterparts hit the shelves.

This attempt at 'the last stand' is all too familiar to those of us that went through the digitalization of music. It also shouldn't come as a surprise given the high-profile cases this year when publishers held back the eBook memoirs of Sarah Palin and the late Ted Kennedy. Unfortunately for publishers, the music industry proved that holding back on digital sales to sell physical content does not preserve a crumbling business model. It only alienates you from your loyal customers that have already made the transition to digital and encourages piracy.

Forrester Research predicts that by the end of next year 10 million eReaders will be sold in the United States. These 10 million-plus consumers with eReaders in their hands will determine the future of this industry. It's time for the publishing industry to join them in their movement by narrowly focusing on finding ways to enhance their digital reading experience, before it's too late. The death of print will be the death of publishing for those that don't come to this realization.

2009 Quotes: The Most Memorable Of The Year

2009-12-16T12:48:54Z

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The fierce debate over health care hasn't led to a new law yet, but it's produced some of this year's top quotes, according to a Yale University librarian.

Fred Shapiro, associate librarian and lecturer in legal research at Yale Law School, is releasing his fourth annual list of The Yale Book of Quotations. His top quote: "Keep your government hands off my Medicare," by a speaker at a town hall meeting in South Carolina in July.

Catie Lazarus: The Year of the Man-Child

2009-12-15T19:41:23Z

What Did You Learn in 2009? Test your knowledge by answering these objectively scientific questions about the celebrities, politicians and fifteen minute famers who made headlines.

You would describe 2009: "THE YEAR OF
A) Undermining Uninsured, Unemployed, and Underrepresented Minorities.
B) The Man-Child
C) Hope in a Bottle
(You can answer differently than the scorekeeper)

If a female celebrity accepts an award for her work, a male peer should:
A) Corner her with an unsolicited kiss, you'll never get the chance again and not just because she is married!
B) Interrupt her speech to say she didn't deserve to win.
C) Promote a political cause, even if he can't pronounce Ahmadinejad.

When exploiting children for commercial gain:
A) Buy them matching uniforms.
B) Never read them books, it sends subliminal message to viewers.
C) Keep copies of the footage for their future shrink appointments.

If a male physically abuses his girlfriend or female colleague, he might:
A) Ditch her in their shared office, McMansion, or rental car.
B) Blame the media.
C) Apologize via Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or a YouTube video; someone else can forward her the link.

If a married politician or celebrity cheats, he ought to:
A) Engage in unprotected sex with as many people as possible, because if she takes you back, you may be stuck with her.
B) Do a prostitute or escort, she won't get how to sexually exploit someone for money.
C) Invent an original alibi, as coming out of the closet, hiking, and a fetish for S & M in trouser socks is already taken.
D) Hide any athletic gear or sharp objects from his spurned wife.

When gunning for your fifteen minutes of fame from infidelity:
A) Swipe toiletries from the hotel for proof of your lover's lust and hygiene practices.
B) Keep receipts of your rendezvous for taxes.
C) You want to hone your reality show pitch, like Skanks Doing Pranks or Males Are Hos Too.

After a failed Presidential campaign, politicians will:
A) Serve boxed wine in exchange for donors buying your memoir at full price.
B) Decry reform as socialism, while collecting government subsidized health care.
C) Consult on national security, when your international experience consists of finding a parking spot near the U.N.

If after skipping out on bail, you should:
A) Find a spokesperson whose own biological son is his brother-in-law, ex is his mother-in-law to stump on your behalf.
B) Describe his admitted drugging and raping a minor as not "rape rape."
C) Move to Europe where sexual assault is a poet's personal beeswax.

Say you carry a weapon, you want to:
A) Wear sweatpants without pockets.
B) Test it out on college campus, military bases, or crowded piazza, and then run!
C) Deploy to Afghanistan, apparently we need more armed bodies there.

For religious reasons, people will:
A) Veto gays and lesbian's liberal causes like marriage and the military.
B) Kill other humans, especially over holy land.
C) Practice polygamy, but only if the women dress in corduroy prairie dresses.

To win a US political election, a candidate should:
A) Spend $200 on behalf of voters in lieu of giving them cash during a recession.
B) Rant about immigrants, even if he's not Native-American.
C) Invest hundreds of dollars in hair care (true for tennis players too).

The Banking industry needs to:
A) Build sturdier pyramids.
B) Merge with the other conglomerates to form all we need: US Treasury-Google-Apple-Twitter-HBO-Netflix-H&M-CVS-Ikea-Trader Joe's-US Government.
C) Be paid more than less intelligent peers, like rocket scientists, doctors, teachers, professors, public servants, therapists, engineers, and nurses.

To ring in 2010, US Citizens will:
A) Blog, text, drink red wine, call their congressman, exercise more, eat less, take a second job, sanitize their hands, vote for viral videos, all while driving.
B) Crash a political function, just remember C-Spanners tuck in before the ball drops.
C) Fist bump.

Jon Chattman: Hair 's Allison Case: 'Replace Fear With Love'

2009-12-15T14:45:56Z

If you've seen the Hair revival on Broadway, you know just how infectiously joyous the cast is and how strong their message of love still is. Their energy beams from the orchestra to the nosebleeds every night at the Al Hirschfeld theater. One cast member, however, managed to stand out to the crowd when the show opened - a near impossible feat considering the original cast of the revival is among Broadway's best ever.

With a smile ten Broadway blocks wide, Allison Case became sort of the poster child for everything the show represented. Her face has been emblazoned on Broadway billboards, and has radiated in the numerous television spots the cast has performed on (watch her gleam next to Conan O'Brien on a fall Tonight Show pitstop) and rallies they've taken part in.

While the actress had to leave the show due to injury, there's a pretty good chance you'll see her crooning Frank Mills again as Crissy. If not, no worries - she'll be on your television sets on Showtime's Nurse Jackie and you can see the delightful redhead on those "Hi, I'm a Mac...and I'm a PC" commercials. I spoke with the Orange County native, who made her Broadway debut as Sophie Sheridan in Mamma Mia!, and asked her all about work, peace, love, and understanding.

How life altering has the experience of "Hair" been for you? It's evident by the smile that has been permanently on your face since you did.
The first concert back in 2007 was the beginning of my Hair journey. It was my first show in NYC and my first glimpse of being in theater that deeply can effect people and make them feel. It's literally been the most amazing experience. Hair is not only a musical but a movement in itself. Everyone is so passionate about the piece, about each other, and about spreading the messages we deeply think are important. We believe in it 100 percent. We protest in the show, and then go out and do the real thing in real life. Recently we were at the National Equality March and it was really incredible.

Are you amazed at the positive reaction the show has had on Broadway and the world?
I am amazed. Eventhough in my heart I knew it was something big and it was something very special, I could not have imagined the impact it would, again, have in the world. People can't get enough and that is amazing. They come and are moved, are questioned, are made to feel... and that''s the kind of theater I only hope to be a part of. Spring Awakening did that for me a few years ago. I can't believe i get this opportunity to reach out now. The whole thing is very inspiring, you know. We are in a time of fear which only creates more fear. You can feel it everywhere. I hope we can replace that fear with love only to have more love resonating everywhere so we can enjoy this life we get! If people walk out of "Hair" feeling more love- that's the best thing i could hope for.

Why did you leave the show - are you set to come back?
I left the show because of a hip injury back in August. Being detached from the show and that family while in pain every day was a very difficult time in life. With the help of beautiful teachers and healers, family and friends, I am able to realize how much I can learn from this whole situation that happened suddenly. I miss the show with my whole heart but also realize I still have so much to be grateful for, I do not have a set date to come back right now.

What was your first show like? What was opening night like for you?
Craaaaazy. We all got to the theater hours and hours early, sat in a circle on the stage, did a warm up together, walked up and down the halls looking for people to hug. Really. We were so thrilled to be there. For most of us it was a two-year journey with "Hair" before this Broadway opening night. Everyone everyone everyone was bouncing off the wall and crying every two minutes.

Did you grow up listening to Broadway tunes? In other words, did you always know you'd end up on stage?
I always hoped I would. I studied straight drama and loved to sing on the side. My brother and my dad are both musicians. I grew up around music- listening to The Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt, Steely Dan, etc... I loved it. I got very, very lucky to have ended up on Broadway.
Life is very, very kind.

What's next for you? TV? Movies? Another show?
I'm going to do a little appearance on the Showtime show Nurse Jackie. Filming it soon but it will be in the later half of season two next year. So excited! And then who knows...

How did the Mac commercials come about?
My commercial agent sent me out for an audition and it somehow happened. I was very surprised and very excited. I actually dropped my iPhone on the floor without a case (get a case!) and it cracked down the middle. The next call i got on it was my agent telling me I got the apple commercial. Amazing.

Is there a dream role for you? If so what is it?
Any work I can do to make people feel. I'd love to write a one-woman show. I'd love to do TV. Film. Plays. Musicals. There are so many amazing niches in our industry- I hope to do them all!

Lastly, do you think the message of Hair is as important now as it was in 1970?
Absolutely. There are obvious parallels in societies around the world, but I think once again it's another generation of people who believe there is more to life then what they are told - by the government or whoever- people want to embrace life and explore it, have experiences, and be present. No conformity... just run to the top of a mountain and run around like a child. I think again we are running on fear- i mean we can't let two people of the same sex who love each other get married. Whaaaaaaat? It does not hurt anyone or anything. It is all fear and it can become nasty. Replace fear with love! Love and kindness always win. They did then and they will now.

The Best Smartphone Apps For Your Business

2009-12-15T12:41:28Z

Cell phones may never replace laptops or tablets for serious computing outside the office, but working on your phone is getting easier, thanks to a slew of apps for business users. Here are the top downloads for various phones.

Site Demos Concept Apple Tablet (VIDEO)

2009-12-14T09:51:05Z

The French website NoWhereElse created a faux-demo video of Apple's rumored tablet PC device.

The video doesn't capture the real tablet, but does creatively imagine what kind of features, uses, and capabilities the mythical 'iTablet' might have.

Check out the concept "tablet" in action below:

WATCH:

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Matt Stewart: Hey Publishers, Screwing Your Best Customers Is A Mistake

2009-12-14T02:58:50Z

It is an outrageous act of snobbery. Of short-sightedness. Of knee-jerk small-minded reactionary head-burying ignorance and, worst of all, not appreciating the fundamental tenets of today's marketplace.

In 2009, the customer is king. Unfortunately for the literary world, a few publishers have decided to treat their best customers like crap.

Last week, Simon & Schuster, Hatchette, and HarperCollins announced they will delay the release of leading e-books until several months after a hardcover version of said book is released. Essentially, this means that power-readers--who love books, and buy a lot of books, and tell their friends which books they should get, and influence purchasing decisions far and wide by spreading their opinions through Facebook and Twitter and blogs, and even shell out several hundred bucks for an e-reader so they can buy whatever they want impulsively whenever they want it, because they love books that much--cannot get the latest hot book releases on the device of their choosing.

That is a massive mistake.

Disclosures: my dad, David O. Stewart, is a happy S&S author. I'm a novelist, and, assuming they fix this--and I have to think they will--I'd be honored to sell a book to these publishers someday (my debut novel, The French Revolution, is coming out with Soft Skull Press in July 2010).

But they are defending the buggywhip here, and it's excruciating to watch.

Imagine if airlines gave their biggest frequent flier customers the worst seats on the plane. If iPhone owners had to wait six months to download the latest tunes. If owners of hybrid vehicles had to pay double for insurance. If loyal Starbucks customers had to pay more for bringing in their own reusable coffee cup. If people using electronic toll-paying had to pay a surplus and wait in a longer line.

These are all idiotic ideas, certain to ruin relationships with each industry's biggest advocates, devastate the bottom line, and get top-level executives axed. So why do these publishers think they're exceptional?

In short: fear, a dose of snobbery, and--the most discouraging component--a failure of imagination.

Right now, Amazon dominates the e-book marketplace. They're charging $9.99 per e-book, and selling them for a loss. Publishers rightfully fear that one day Amazon will force them to cut prices on e-books. Amazon has a reputation for driving a hard bargain with publishers, and these publishers would like to sidestep unfavorable terms where it can--an understandable position.

What's a lot less understandable is the publishers' guiding battle plan: that they'll avoid a reckoning with Amazon by making e-books less attractive and harder to get.

Anybody who has an iPhone can tell you about terrific apps and songs they've bought impulsively, with three clicks, which they never would've bought had they had to wait. By denying the value of e-books, S&S, Hatchette and HarperCollins will make it harder for their power-readers to buy from them, to champion their books, to spread literary joy quickly and easily.

That's right: they want to make it harder to buy their product.

Did nobody object when this idea was brought up? Seriously?

There's a serious snobbish tincture to this logic too--the assumption that when faced with no e-book, power-readers will buy the hardcover instead. That's a false choice. Sure, a few may write themselves a note to buy the book later, but the vast majority will just buy a different book that they can get easily, or download a movie or TV show on iTunes instead. There's more than enough terrific content out there to keep us busy without schlepping out to a bookstore or remembering to surf over to Amazon later.

In the meantime, it's common to see the publishing industry "hope" things will get better. That's not going to work. Don't deny the future--innovate to dominate it. Tap that imagination that makes you such good storytellers. Renegotiate with Amazon; work with Apple to make sure their impending digital store is fairer; launch the publishing equivalent of Orbitz, an industry-built platform to sell directly to consumers. Be proactive; use your tremendous brainpower to create rather than reject.

And, ultimately, create a viable business model that doesn't alienate your biggest fans.

AT&T Beats Verizon But Gets Blamed For The iPhone's Flaws

2009-12-13T15:31:43Z

My sense of Verizon's superiority is confirmed every time I see a "there's a map for that" Verizon commercial, graphically showing how far more extensive Verizon's 3G network coverage is in less populated areas. And it is reinforced when AT&T executives publicly confess -- as Ralph de la Vega, the chief executive and president of AT&T mobility and consumer markets, did last week at an industry conference -- that the company's wireless service in New York and San Francisco was "below our standards."

When I set about looking for independent data, however, to confirm the superior performance of Verizon's network, I was astonished to discover that I had managed to get things exactly wrong.

iPhone Users Suffering 'Stockholm Syndrome', Analyst Argues

2009-12-11T13:47:45Z

iPhone users are suffering from delusion akin to Stockholm Syndrome, says Strand Consulting in a weird little slice of research released this morning by this particular team of generally anti-iPhone analysts.

The note, titled, "How will psychologists describe the iPhone syndrome in the future?" seems one of the most unusual slices of writing we've come across.

Apple Countersues Nokia Over Phone Patent Theft

2009-12-11T10:49:20Z

NEW YORK — Apple Inc. is suing cell phone maker Nokia Corp. for patent infringement, a countermove to Nokia's earlier suit against technologies used in Apple's iPhone.

Apple's lawsuit claims Nokia is infringing on 13 of Apple's patents, and says the Finland-based company chose to "copy the iPhone," especially its user interface, to make up for its declining share of the high-end phone market.

Apple Beat Google To Lala: Two Companies Vie For Start-Ups

2009-12-11T08:06:31Z

Google Inc. and Apple Inc., which have long thrived without treading on one another's turf, are vying to acquire some of the same Silicon Valley start-ups and developing products that put themselves in more direct competition.

iPhone Apps: Colorado's Best iPhone Apps (VOTE)

2009-12-10T17:24:21Z

Lost on a hike through Rocky Mountain National Park? There's an App for that.

Check out the best iPhone apps invented by, or created for, Coloradans.

Vote for the best Colorado iPhone app below:

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Who's Getting Rich Off The iPhone? (CHART)

2009-12-10T16:43:25Z

Its popularity is exploding. Here is a look at who makes money off the manufacture and sale of the iPhone.