Jackie O Media

Apple opens up to “digital locker” concept via Lala

December 7, 2009 at 1:22 pm | In Business, Music, Tech | Leave a Comment

As an avid media and music consumer, I am psyched about so much new technology that is developing. Last month I finally got Pandora on my Android-based phone, enabling me to stream my mixes through my car stereo (I celebrated like a true tech geek when I figured out how to make it work). Now I just have to figure out how to stream Hulu through my TV (yes I am sort of a slooow tech geek…I think I’m just one little cable away…) The latest piece of exciting news for me was Apple’s announcement that it has acquired Lala.com, which has “developed an application — not yet available to the public — that allows users to buy the right to stream songs from a digital locker for an unlimited time on their iPhones for 10 cents each” according to Billboard.biz today. Lala used to make MP3 retailers angry – I suppose Apple has decided to keep its enemies as close as possible. It will be interesting to see how they incorporate this into iTunes/iPhone. You’d think this would kill iTunes’ MP3 sales if you could pay 10 cents to buy the right to stream a song unlimited times on a portable device. Especially now that WiFi is becoming more readily available on airplanes and public transportation. What do you think – would you rather buy a song for 99 cents or stream it whenever you like for 10 cents? I’m excited to see where this goes, and hope that Google is considering something similar for my little G1.

Roku player helping to bridge TV + apps

November 23, 2009 at 11:47 am | In Tech | Leave a Comment
Tags: apple, apps, pandora, roku, tv

I was psyched to hear this morning from the Orlando Sentinel Tech section (via Twitter’s @etanowitz) that the Roku player, originally commissioned to stream NetFlix movies straight from your queue to your TV, is now adding more free services to its lineup. A year after its release, the player now boasts 10 free channels: Pandora, Facebook photos, Revision3, Mediafly, TWiT, blip.tv, Flickr, FrameChannel, Motionbox, and MobileTribe. (I’m still not familiar with the last couple on the list, but will have to check them out.) Personally I cannot WAIT to ditch my way-overpriced DVR cable box when the time comes when I can stream all of my favorite TV shows on demand (and this is not far off – Hulu just needs to sign on a few more networks), plus listen to music and watch video podcasts. Imagine how cult internet shows will explode when given access to people’s living rooms! At this year’s Emmys, Julia Louis-Dreyfus “joked” that she was “proud to be presenting on the last official year of network television.” She may not have been too far off. Who wants to pay $100+ per month for a cable box when you already pay for high speed internet and can buy a player like Roku for only about $130? Apple is rumored to be developing something similar, and with their clout and connections, it could really be the tipping point for the “new” television. (Bring it on, I can’t wait!)

Google Wave’s potential impact

November 13, 2009 at 11:20 am | In Tech | Leave a Comment
Tags: Business, google, Tech

This week I finally got my coveted Google Wave invitation. Have you seen this yet? It’s like Gmail on communication steroids. It looks very similar to a standard email platform, but its features go way beyond and really stretch the limits of how we are used to communicating with each other. I’ve heard over the last year or so that millenials consider email to be for “old people” aka for work purposes, not for friends and fun. Kids growing up on MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter rarely use email, but the evolution being pushed by Google Wave could change that. Everything can be done in real-time, wiki-style, with the ability to follow and unfollow different “waves” which combine email, chat, photo sharing, maps, and even real time translation. It has so many features that on the “About” page, there is a 1 hour, 20 minute presentation video about how it all works. This may get too complicated for those who like simple email, chat, and social networking, but the possibilities are pretty exciting. My first thoughts are how this can impact both the business world and the education realm. Planning an event, having a brainstorming session, holding meetings, conducting interviews, and even reviewing for an exam can become much more fun and interactive.

Record Store Day 2009 @ Park Ave CDs

April 21, 2009 at 10:57 am | In Music | Leave a Comment
Tags: Music, retail

Saturday marked the 2nd annual Record Store Day across this indie spirited nation. To celebrate, I headed to Park Ave CDs, where I was greeted by a live alligator posing for photo ops outside, lines wrapping around the store, and scores of hip kids that made me feel old. I picked up 2 CDs for myself – The Watson Twins’ Fire Songs and M.I.A.’s Kala, and 2 CDs for my husband – Jay Z’s The Blueprint 2 and Chris Cornell’s Scream. Also got a nifty Record Store Day 2009 tee + lots of free comps/promos from various labels and distributors. On my way out I was freestyle-serenaded by a skinny white boy with a long wig of dreads calling himself Mon Crunch. We all recognize that this is an obvious marketing strategy to get people back in the stores, but as more big-box retailers shy away from having anything resembling a back catalog, it’s becoming more of a celebration of independent stores that have survived in the community. For those of us who grew up flipping through bins, it’s part nostalgia, part hopeful support for the future. As a former record store worker bee myself, I’m all for keeping the institution alive!

Twitterpated

April 15, 2009 at 10:54 am | In Business | Leave a Comment
Tags: Business, fullsail, twitter

Full Sail hosted a Twitter workshop for instructors this week, and I was amazed at how functional the site can actually be, as the common stereotype of the site is sharing the most mundane of mundane happenings, i.e. “Just ate a bagel.” Who knew you could actually do RESEARCH and find consumer TRENDS between tweets? If you’re not familiar with the benefits but you’re also wondering what all the chatter is about, here’s an informative Business Week article called “Twitter: Building Businesses Tweet by Tweet” plus some insight into Twitter lingo, a must for newbies.