And The Beat Goes On >>>

And The Beat Goes On >>>

A recent patent application from Apple has reminded me of an idea I emailed them about back in 2006. I was listening to a song on everyone's favourite file-based music application, when I picked up my iPod for a power-walk. I felt a pang of loss at the playlist I'd left behind. Why couldn't my carefully-crafted songfest carry on in my earphones? 

The digital future will revolve around technology, hot-wired into our desires. We already have doors that open before we touch them, digital art which morphs to new vistas to suit our mood; why can't we have a soundtrack running through our scene-changes? This is a technology that knows what we want before we want it: the final precursor of a robot fantasy world. (Sadly) more like 'A.I.' than 'Johnny Five', we'll almost be unaware that these little robots are running our lives.



I probably should have done something about this idea back in 2006. Maybe someone at Apple now will?

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Google TV >>> the final frontier?

Google TV >>> the final frontier?

Dear square-eyed believers,

Remember when life seemed...simpler. I'm not sure if it was because the most complicated decision I had to make in the early 90's was 'Sonic' or 'Fifa' (the spiky-haired scamp wins every time)... but entertainment used to be a reassuringly stable four-channel battle. When cable TV came along it rocked my small town world....And then, just when I thought life couldn't get any more stressful, some college graduate decided to start up a little-known company called 'YouTube'. Not only did we now have hundreds of channels competing for our valuable time, but we could sit at work and watch video after video of pets playing the piano.

Undoubtedly, the future of video is choice. Like a doddery old uncle getting caught up in the kid's fun run, the gogglebox can never be expected to compete with the infinite video-on-demand possibilities of the web. However, making the web pay so that online video is a sustainable enterprise, is baffling the best of us. The final piece of the puzzle is linking the content we view on our computer screens to the ever-encroaching one sitting in the living room (eventually we'll just have screens for walls, like something out of a dystopian Ray Bradbury novel...).The company that figures that one out will be King.

Everyone's had a bash, most notably Apple's TV. Nothing has taken off. Perhaps it's because we already have about 28 boxes sat next to where the Betamax used to be. Or maybe no one has persuaded us it's going to make our life simpler. But the other day, Google threw their hat into the ring. And as we know, the boys from Mountain View don't f**k around.

Not content with fulfilling our deepest searching desires, they're now 'bringing the web to your sofa, putting you in control' - to paraphrase. On paper, their idea seems perfect (check out the video below). The problem is we already have our media spread across too many platforms. Sure with another box on the stack we can finally kiss that really hot girl out of 'Attack of the 50 foot Woman', but it doesn't really make our lives any simpler - does it? In my opinion, the industry needs to come together and integrate this technology into the games consoles and DVR boxes we already own. There also needs to be a consensus on how this video is going to get onto our box: if I buy a film on iTunes will this play alongside something from, say, Amazon?

Google TV isn't the final frontier but it could well be it's prequel.

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The moving cursor writes, and having written, blinks on.

The moving cursor writes, and having written, blinks on.

Dear tech junkies,

Whether you view your life in pixels, rhapsodise in html, dream in HD, or not - technology is shaping all of our lives.

I know there are about as many tech blogs out there as there are apps in Apple's ever-expanding iWorld. But I like to think I bring something a little bit different to the mix. With a career in digital media and an avid enthusiasm for all things geek, I've got my finger on the mouse of all things digital.

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