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Uncle Walt says run to get an iPod + Nike Sport Kit
Walt Mossberg, the elder statesman of tech journalism, continues the good press for the iPod + Nike Sport Kit. He, and Katherine Boehret, both gave the gizmo a whirl during their normal running/walking routines and felt their workouts transformed from solitary drudgery to running with a training (a disembodied trainer, but a trainer nonetheless).They both wish it included a heart monitor, and that it was a little easier to use it with non-Nike shoes, but give it high marks for doing what it is billed to do.
Stringer: The Xbox 360 is an "obsession"
Well, you know what they say about what to do when you have nothing nice to say ... erm, say that the competing gaming platform (in this case, the 360) is an "obsession"?That's exactly what Sony CEO Howard Stringer had to offer in an interview with Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal recently. While sharing how The Da Vinci Code from Sony beat up on "X-Men 3" (aka The Last Stand) over in Europe, he seemed to mistakenly throw in "Xbox 3" in the stead of Fox's great summer blockbuster hope. Following Mossberg's correction, Stringer is reported to have retorted, laughing, "There's an obsession!"We don't know if he's referring to the media's obsession with the corporate gaming rivalry, his own obsession with the console that would dethrone the PlayStation, or some combination of the two (irony really doesn't help here), but he does seem to at least outwardly admire Bill Gates' salesmanship (as well as his hypocrisy in delaying Windows Vista while lambasting the PS3 delay). Of course, a lot of supposed compliments could go both ways, so we've provided a few handy links below to check out what other "nice" things hardware execs have had to say about their competitors lately. We're sure it's all in good fun.[Thanks, JC & SickNic; also via GameDaily BIZ]See also: Nice words -- "Thanks," "flattered," and "flattering." Not-so-nice words -- "Plagiarism," "no need for PC," "not mainstream for most games," and "same old experiences with new graphics."
Uncle Walt says Apple is working on an iPhone
Walt Mossberg, Uncle Walt to me, is the top tech journalist without a doubt. When he says something in his Wall Street Journal column people pay attention. Contrast that with the fact that when I say something on TUAW I am often mocked until I cry.Now, Walt's most recent column is all about how Apple's model of controlling the device from end to end is the way to go. Not too newsworthy, in and of itself, however, that's not the bit that has the Mac web all aflutter. Here's the juicy bit, 'Now, Apple is working on other projects built on the same end-to-end model as the iPod: a media-playing cellphone and a home-media hub.'OMG! WALT JUST SPILLED THE BEANS! iPHONE! iPHONE!Everyone just calm down. Take a deep breath. Ok, good. Now, I don't know if Walt has some inside information (he probably does), but I can assure you that it doesn't take insider knowledge to figure out that Apple is working on an iPhone and a media hub. The real question is: will it ever be released? Apple works on all kinds of nifty gear in their R&D labs, many of which never see the light of day.With all that said, wouldn't an Apple cellphone be pretty cool?Thanks, Brendan.
Sony's ICF-B01 emergency radio with hand crank
Thanks to Walt Mossberg, we know how important it is to keep a crank-powered radio around the house, and now Sony has joined the likes of Eton and Freeplay in offering one of these necessities to its Japanese customers. The ICF-B01 isn't as full-featured as some of the models we've seen -- for instance, it doesn't seem to charge your cellphone -- but it does manage to pack in an LED flashlight to help you change stations while you're trapped in the dark. We're not sure how much loot Sony wants for this radio, but if it's more than $30, you're probably better off stocking up on batteries for your old Walkman.
Video of 2 of Apple's new ads
.Mac user brianbobcat1 has posted two of Apple's new ads to his .Mac account for us all to enjoy.The first I shall call 'Don't be a hero' is the one that Dan saw earlier. The second, which I shall call 'Awesome computer review weekly,' features the same two actors discussing Walt Mossberg's review of the new iMac (believe me it is more entertaining than my description).Go have a look, if you can't wait until Apple posts them.UPDATE: Well, that was fast! brainbobcat1 is over his bandwidth limit (sorry!), so here's a link to Don't be a hero on YouTube. And here's the other one on YouTube.
