Category: Technology

Netflix to lose business to Redbox

Customer Service / Marketing / Technology / Video / Websites

Netflix just announced that they’re raising prices again. It seems that they are trying to phase out DVDs for streaming. Of course, discs ARE dead, but they aren’t quite gone yet. And that includes Blu-ray. (That’s part of why the studios are pushing Blu-ray sales so hard right now, because they know it’s got a short sales-life.) Even with that in mind, I’ll say that Redbox has a good shot coming up here very soon… I was a big fan of Redbox when they first started, and rented …

Netflix feature idea…

Technology / Websites

If you use Netflix, you know how great it is… but it’s missing a very important element – social networking. If Netflix would just add the ability to build a “friends” list, then allow users to “suggest” videos to those friends, they could generate a lot more interaction of their service. Friends list Just like other social networking sites, allow users to search for friends by email address or username. Once the request is sent, the user on the other side can accept or ignore the request. The …

PodNet

Distribution / Podcasting / Technology

As an avid podcast listener and business & technology fan, I began developing this idea a few years ago. I’ve called it "PodNet", short for Podcast Network. Here’s the quick-version of what it is; Combine the old Napster / file sharing idea with an affiliate program and the SETI program. There are a few pieces to the plan, but for those who don’t understand how podcasts work in general, here are simplified explanations for how a content consumer and a content creator use podcasts: Note: A podcast is …

Mobile data throughput – agency or application?

Databases / Hardware / Marketing / Phones / Technology

I’m no fan of “big government”, but I do like the idea of a government agency monitoring, reporting and holding accountable any company that sell products or services based on measurements – or an application that can do the same thing. In California there’s an agency called the “Office of Weights and Measures”. They make sure that 1 gallon of gas at the pump is actually 1 gallon – and that is actually costs what the posted price says it does; They also make sure that a grocery …

Smartphone / Android / iPhone Game Cradle…

Hardware / Phones / Technology

As I’ve been doing some software testing using PSPs lately, an idea hit me… What if there was a game cradle for Android and iPhones that had buttons and a joystick and other game controls? A quick mock-up of what the Smartphone Game Cradle could look like I’m not a gamer myself, and I don’t play games on my Android phone, but I see a lot of people doing it, so it seems like it could be a good idea. Both Android and iPhones support Bluetooth connectivity, so …

Streaming media and home entertainment…

History / Microsoft / Phones / Software / Technology / Video

I’ve recently helped a few friends get setup with "media centers" as their home entertainment systems. They’ve all been centered around using a small form-factor computer to ‘power’ things, and central to that is Microsoft’s Windows 7 and Windows Media Center. I was lucky enough to be a software tester at Microsoft around 2001 testing the first version of Window Media Center Edition (MCE) and it was exciting back then. It’s now been 10 years – and it still hasn’t caught on. But, I’m confident that’s about to …

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