In this week’s episode of the Digital Home podcast, Don Reisinger takes a look at what Google and Apple are doing and speaks a tiny about his new video series. After that, he talks with Rhapsody about the music industry and wraps up the show with a rant.

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EPISODE 29

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source The Digital Home

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In this week’s episode of the Digital Home podcast, Don Reisinger takes a look at what Google and Apple are doing and talks a tiny about his new video series. After that, he talks with Rhapsody about the music industry and wraps up the show with a rant.

Listen now:

Download today’s podcast

EPISODE 29

…

source The Digital Home

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Nielsen yesterday released a study it conducted on the popularity of the top 10 search engines for July. As expected, Google sat atop the list, commanding more than 60 percent of the market after enjoying 16 percent year-over-year growth. Trailing behind, Yahoo and Microsoft captured 17.4 percent and 11.9 percent of the market, respectively. More importantly, both companies lost ground to Google–Yahoo witnessed an 11 percent decline, while Microsoft suffered through a 10 percent decline.

And even though countless tech pundits will chime in and discuss exactly why Google has been able to run roughshod over its competition, few will point out one basic fact that’s too often overlooked: Google search is designed to get rid of you as quickly as possible.

Surely, some will attribute Google’s success to its superior search results or Yahoo’s management troubles or Microsoft’s poor offering, but it goes far beyond that. Search isn’t simply about relevant results or the competition. Instead, search is all about getting you to your destination as swiftly as possible.

And so far, it’s quite apparent that only Google understands that basic premise.

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source The Digital Home

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Sorry, but I refuse to believe that video games can be the scapegoat for all of our problems. Call me a video game apologist or just another gamer hack, but it’s true. Why should the video game industry be blamed for the problems all of humanity faces?

According to reports, Thailand has halted the sale of Grand Theft Auto 4 after a teenage boy confessed to robbing and murdering a taxi driver in an attempt to recreate a scene from the game.

“We are sending out requests this day to outlets and shops to pull the games off their shelves and we will replace them with other games,” Sakchai Chotikachinda, sales and marketing director of New Era Interactive Media, told Reuters.

Always one to jump on the bandwagon, Reuters found an anti-video game hack to tell us all that it’s only going to get worse, but we also should watch out for those GTAIV-wannabes.

“This time-bomb has already exploded and the situation could get worse,” Ladda Thangsupachai, director of the ministry’s Cultural Surveillance Centre, told Reuters. “Today it is a cab driver, but tomorrow it could be a video game shop owner.”

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source The Digital Home

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Sorry, but I refuse to believe that video games can be the scapegoat for all of our problems. Call me a video game apologist or just another gamer hack, but it’s true. Why should the video game industry be blamed for the problems all of humanity faces?

According to reports, Thailand has halted the sale of Grand Theft Auto 4 after a teenage boy confessed to robbing and murdering a taxi driver in an attempt to recreate a scene from the game.

“We are sending out requests today to outlets and shops to pull the games off their shelves and we’ll replace them with other games,” Sakchai Chotikachinda, sales and marketing director of New Era Interactive Media, told Reuters.

Always one to jump on the bandwagon, Reuters found an anti-video game hack to tell us all that it’s only going to get worse, but we also should watch out for those GTAIV-wannabes.

“This time-bomb has already exploded and the situation could get worse,” Ladda Thangsupachai, director of the ministry’s Cultural Surveillance Centre, told Reuters. “Today it is a cab driver, but tomorrow it could be a video game shop owner.”

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source The Digital Home

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For quite a while, I was nothing more than a social network hater. To me, social networks seemed like a ploy for those with so-called “notoriety” to massage their egos just a little bit more and provided no real benefit to anyone. After signing up for almost each social network in existence, I can state now that I was dead wrong.

Whether it’s Twitter, FriendFeed or even Flickr, I’m extremely surprised by how much value each provides. And although I can’t talk for everyone who uses these services, I honestly believe that each is unique and useful enough to justify your time.

Here’s why:

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source The Digital Home

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Even though Microsoft’s self-imposed deadline on the Yahoo deal has passed, the company quietly leaked a report to the Wall Street Journal this week that said it was willing to pay $32-$33 per share for Yahoo. That was then followed by an update to the story claiming a final decision by Microsoft’s board has not been made.

Regardless, the very fact that Microsoft is even pleasing the thought of increasing its bid is both foolhardy and extremely flawed. Why would it want to pay more for a company that’s actually worth less?

According to the letter it originally sent to Yahoo when it first made its bid for the company, Microsoft claimed that it was offering Yahoo a 62 percent premium and as a sign of goodwill, would make the offer with both cash and the company’s stock.

A 62 percent premium? Are you kidding me? At the time, Yahoo’s stock price was barely breathing and floundering at about $19 per share. Since then, the price has gone artificially high and now Microsoft feels enjoy it should pay more to entice shareholders to its side.

I’ve some news for Microsoft — Yahoo is worth no more than $25 per share.

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source The Digital Home

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Don starts out the show discussing the Wii, Mario Kart, interviews his girlfriend and much more. After that, he sits down with Opera’s VP of sales to discuss that company’s future and rants about video game violence.

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EPISODE 13

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source The Digital Home

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Why is everyone making such a massive deal about this $200 iPhone report from Fortune? Evidently, the same folks who are praising AT&T and Apple didn’t read the report and are naive enough to believe that this is ever going to happen. There’s no chance that the next iteration of the iPhone, presumably featuring 3G, will sport such a low price tag.

According to Fortune, “When the 3G iPhone is introduced this summer, AT&T, the exclusive U.S. iPhone sales partner with Apple, will cut the price by as much as $200, according to a person familiar with the strategy.”

That price cut will put the two versions of the iPhone — an 8GB model and a 16GB model — at $199 and $299, respectively.

Fortune said that a person close to the dealings believes the subsidy will only apply to AT&T stores and if anyone purchases the 3G iPhone in an Apple store, they’ll be forced to pay full price. According to the report, all cash lost on the subsidy would be recouped on the service charges after a few months.

Fortune and its hotshot source is kidding, right?

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source The Digital Home

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Now that GTA IV has hit store shelves, it’s time for the world’s anti-video game fanatics to crawl out from under their rocks and tell us all how this game and so many others ruin our kids and turn them into Jack the Ripper wannabes. Of course, all those self-righteous zealots won’t tell you the truth — nothing they state is rooted in reality.

Stop beating up video games

(Credit: Rockstar Games)

Earlier this day, a colleague of mine at CNET wrote a well-written article that discusses how critics have already attacked GTA IV without even playing it yet.

Much of the discussion centered around foolhardy demagogues who have yet to actually play the game, but somehow know that it will lead to child violence: “We’ve seen a number of clips of the game,” stated Yee spokesperson Adam Keigwin. “From the clips alone, and based on GTA and Rockstar’s history, (Yee) thought it very appropriate to issue a statement urging parents not to purchase the game for their children.”

Huh?

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source The Digital Home

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