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Admittedly I’m trying to stir it up a little.  Our last post was in October so I’m looking for a fight.

5.  The Wii.  Seriously?  The only good game for the Wii is Wii Sports which comes with the system.  All of the other games I have tried to get into require way to much motivation when the only time to be playing vids is during relaxation time.  Admittedly, I’ve heard anectdotal evidence of major weight loss from Wii Fit, but as far as an entertainment system, it is incredibly overhyped.  I prefer my active immersive experiences to be real, like outside on a real bike.

4.  Ipods.  I have yet to hear good quality MP3 or lossless formats that can be put on external speakers and not sound like junk.  I realize that if you have it blaring in your ear via headphones you can’t tell, but I have conducted experiments with the best encoded MP3 quality over speakers at my house, with the most amateur listners.  Better yet, the new iPod Nano I bought takes video…  Sort of.  I finally spent $60 on a cord that can connect it to my tv at the highest quality possible and the people looked alien and blurry.  Ipods serve a purpose but my guess is that American spending has overhyped this product.

3.  LCD-  Seriously?  What is the rub?  What happened to plasma?  The blacks and refresh rate are like 5 times better  with plasma and no one seems to care that plasmas are going by the wayside for inferior, more expensive LCD screens.  I demand answers!

2.  3D-  Dear Cable and Dish Companies…  Are you seriously considering making us wear goggles to watch football?  I can think of a million other things that would make watching sports better… Like higher bit rates, currently over dish you are running 4-5 megabits per second and claiming it is “HD”.  DVD is 8 mbs, Blu-ray is up to 50 mbs.  You haven’t even mastered HD yet, and now your spending all of this money on a technology that will force us to buy a new TV?  You can’t even deliver the goods to my TV now!  C’mon Man!

1.  Streaming Movies via Netflix.  In theory this would be awesome.  I could get Netflix Blu-rays and then while I’m waiting I can download movies in my queue to my PS3.  So I signed up.  Hook, line, and sinker.  Number 1- the “hd” is like YouTube quality on a 58″ TV.  Number 2- I’m pretty sure the only moves they have available for Streaming are available on TNT and AMC- skip it and set your DVRs folks.  Weak selection.  Somehow, I thought that I would have access to the entire Netflix catalog.  Fail. 

Keep in mind, I think some of this stuff has value…   but I believe it is over valued by the consumer.  Stay tuned for the Top 5 Most Underhyped Consumer Tech of Today.

With my (almost) 3 year old Moto RAZR on the fritz, it was time for me to look into a new cell phone. I checked the offerings of most of the major carriers, but eventually succumbed to the Apple/AT&T iPhone. I admit, I was sucked in by the sleek interface, digital media capabilities, and various applications. My major reason for the purchase, however, being able to combine a iPod-like device with a phone.

After 2 weeks of using the iPhone, I have mixed feelings about it (most are positive). First the positives: My initial fear was that the “phone” portion wouldn’t be that great. I’ve been a AT&T customer for several years, and the reception on my RAZR was ok, but not great.  I’m pleased to report the “phone” in the iPhone has actually been very good thus far. Zero dropped calls and some people telling me that they hear a “major” improvement” in voice quality when they are talking to me on my iPhone.

Another positive is the “all in one” capabilities. It is now my iPod, PDA, GPS, etc. I really like having all these features in one device. I’ve also found that the iPhone is actually helping me become a more organized person (something I desperately need!).

Now for for the negatives: Being constantly “connected” at all times.  I can now check my email, facebook, etc. wherever and whenever. Do I really need access to these things at all times? No. And what’s worse, I can longer use the “I didn’t get you message until now” excuse when tardy on replying to messages (ha-ha).

At this point, I’ve used my iPhone as a iPod first. Followed by a messaging device, phone, www, and (lastly) apps. I’ve only scratched the surface with “apps” and I will blog some reviews as I discover and use more of them. I will also blog on the camera and video capture capabilities at a later time. Thus far, these features are quite impressive.

If anyone else has an iPhone, Blackberry, or any other “smart” phone, please feel free to comment on your experiences.

Some will go ahead and say “Optical Disc is Dead.” Some will point to the music industry and the shrinking number of brick and mortar music retailers as proof of this doomsday assertion. iTunes has made revolutionary advances in its product offerings as the “AppStore” is celebrating its one year anniversary this July.

Proof in the alternative can easily be found in the video game industry. Here we have the most technically savvy consumer and yet the most effective distribution of content is via optical media. However, a totally optimistic view of optical disc product expansion is likely misguided.

There are certain situations where digital delivery makes perfect sense. Sub-1 gig applications like music, casual games, and ring tones are perfect examples of this. In the consumer market, as we recover from this economic crisis, our insatiable hunger for rich entertainment applications will intensify. Boundaries will be pushed instead of retracted as has happened in the past 5 years. The need for larger tangible storage and delivery solutions will continue to outpace the necessary bandwidth needed for digital delivery of these rich applications.

Corporate promo videos and applications likely aren’t perfect for digital delivery. Email marketing is becoming less and less effective, so how do you steer people to your download space with high rates of success? Packaged media provides savvy marketers two avenues for promotional real estate- the media and the packaging. Proof can be found in the “As Seen on TV” market. How many free DVD offers do you see now?

There will be effective uses for both methods over the next 10 years. Great Lakes Media Technology will be positioning itself to help with both methods. Currently we offer solutions for your developed or undeveloped content to be delivered on disc or web. No matter how you need it done, we’ll help deliver it.

Going, Going, Going, GREEN!

It seems like everyone is going green nowadays. It is everywhere, so I think it is safe to say it is the “trendy” thing to do right now. In my opinion this trend is one that should stay. I think it is great that companies, not just citizens, are deciding that it is time to think about how we affect our planet. Even Apple has released their first family of Green Notebook computers.

Now I’m no tree-hugger, but I try to do my part in lessening my “carbon footprint.” Recycling is probably the easiest thing anyone can do to make a small impact on the environment. It takes two seconds to throw that can or bottle in a recycling bin instead of your trashcan.

Recently the Milwaukee County Zoo started using compostable plastic cups in the Flamingo Café. These totally clear cups are made from bioplastic. It’s really quite amazing that this plastic can be composted and not have any harmful impact on the environment. I hope they start using these cups in all of their Concessions once they reopen in the Spring.

GLMT has also taken steps in the green direction. We recently introduced our ChooseGreen option for our custom packaging. We have also started offering a recycled green jewel case. The clear green case is made of 30% postconsumer materials and the forest green tray is made of 100% postconsumer materials.

In addition, we are also reducing paper waste by giving our clients the option to receive their quotes and invoices digitally instead of on paper. Any paper waste we do have is recycled, along with plastic, cardboard, glass and scrap discs. It’s hard to imagine the amount of waste GLMT alone would be putting into the landfill if we did not recycle.

As you can see whether your company is making computers, serving concessions at the zoo, manufacturing discs or anything in between, we can all do something to impact the environment in a positive way.

Let’s turn this green trend into something more, and keep our environment healthy!