Apple just introduced the coolest iPod lineup ever, without a doubt. But as much as I think about putting down a little cash and buying a new one - whether it be the new iPod Nanos or an iPod Touch, the more I realize I should make a real upgrade and head to the iPhone, if it wasn't for AT&T mucking things up.

The iPod Touch looks like the iPhone, feels like the iPhone, and acts like the iPhone in many ways, but it definitely comes up short - a point not lost by its only having half the icons displayed as an iPhone does. The iPhone simply does more. So, was it released to tease us into getting the iPhone after all?

That's the background behind my most recent contribution to The Apple Blog, titled iPod Touch Designed to Push iPhones?. Per agreement with them, I will not be cross-posting the piece, but instead, have provided a link. Enjoy.

As of this morning, there is a new player in the field of RSS feed and news aggregation, with a focus on the social aspects, including sharing, messaging and discovery. Assetbar, inspired by Google Reader, debuted today with high aspirations, and talk of a new platform "to make better tools for what you already do online."

Interestingly, at least to me, the Assetbar team is extremely transparent as to where they found guidance for their product's features - and one of the driving forces behind their development was a well-trafficked post I published here back in March about "10 suggestions for Google Reader".



The company writes: "Google's feed reader is popular and well regarded. Nevertheless, any product can be improved, so we started with 10 suggestions to Improve Google Reader. Then we added whole new dimensions," and lays out those dimensions, saying, "by adding better sharing, connecting, messaging, rating and archiving, (a social reader?), Assetbar lets you find the good stuff better, and you're always in touch with the people and topics that matter most to you."

Following my step by step guidance I gave Google Reader six months ago, AssetBar just may have leapfrogged the #1 RSS reader through adding exactly what I had asked for, including:

* More Like This
* Elimination of Duplicates
* Addition of Negative Keywords
* Sharing of Items Without Subscriptions
* Aggregate Reader Statistics
* Integrated Search
* Shared Items Directory
* Integration of Trends
* Expanded Individual Feed Statistics
* Customization

They even listed the items in the exact order I had laid them out in my post!





They call it "Standing on the shoulders of giants". I call it good business, one that's focused on hitting the needs of the power users of RSS feeds and news aggregation. That they call out my post from nine months ago as a driving force behind their efforts is, in my opinion, very cool. You can sign up for a beta account now on their site, or read their blog.

Cross-posted to Athletics Nation...

Hit a home run. Get hit by a pitch. Repeat... Nick Swisher has seen more than his fair share of balls thrown his way this season. Take a look at some of the evasive moves he's picked up to keep the bruising to a minimum in this week's ANtics.


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Sometimes, being an early adopter really bites. After years of drooling anticipation from fans, myself included, Apple delivered on their set top box strategy, with the debut of the Apple TV, acting as the conduit between video on my iTunes and my wide-screen TV. While I recognized the first box would have issues, I had to get one. I also trusted that the box's feature set could be updated on the fly, putting my faith in Apple to deliver additional functionality as the box gained in maturity.

And in the six months or so that I've had my Apple TV, the only real news is that I gained the ability to browse YouTube in June. I still don't have Apple's blessing to play .avi files from other sources on my widescreen TV. I still don't have anything like games on the Apple TV, and worst of all, iTunes still hasn't debuted movie rentals - what I believe to be the missing link between potential product obsolescence and product success.

Today, my Apple TV largely plays my music on the TV's speakers, acting as an overpowered stereo, with some cool graphics. But the price barrier to download films - at $10 for anything from the iTunes store, is a fallacy in the face of Netflix pricing, and the ability to set up my TiVo to proactively find films for free.

With this background, we now see Forbes lustily calling the Apple TV "The iFlop", saying while the iPhone has soared in the global consciousness, the Apple TV has been dissed as a hobby and hidden in the backs of stores. Apple won't even discuss the product's sales success, or lack thereof, as an individual line.

I have faith Apple can get their act together on the Apple TV, but very little faith in the media owners of today (i.e. the movie studios) to do what's best for consumers instead of what's best for their own pockets. If they do not deliver reasonable download terms for movie rentals via iTunes, it could both spell the death of Apple TV and even worse, send us to BitTorrent and other less-desired means to get our digital entertainment fix.

Let's get this done, Apple. I've been begging since April for you to crush Netflix, have seen rumors you'll pull this off at least since July and I have no interest in seeing Forbes' dire prediction come true.