The 404 370: Where we're still up at Alison o'clock
Every show with Alison Rosen is knee-slappingly hilarious, but today's is so crazy that Alison has to wear The 404 army helmet to protect herself...from Wilson. Alison is on today's show to pimp out her brand new daily Web show, The Daily Alison. The show features Alison just being her own funny self, but she also brings on big name guests for quick 10 minute interviews, folks like Will Forte, Doug Benson, and Mr. Rosen himself. Like our own Sweet Lou and Baby Bakalar, Alison's humor is derivative and influenced heavily by her father, which all leads to a conversation about the horrifyingly embarrassing things our parents did when we were younger. We also discover that Alison hasn't yet been swept off her feet by that perfect gentleman, so we swear a solemn oath to be the Goose to her Maverick and find her a nice waiter at TGI Fridays to feed her coconut chicken shrimp skewers and Volcano shots.The first half of the show, though, is mostly Wilson complaining about the new "Transformers 2" movie. I'll let you all know right now that he doesn't spoil anything about the movie, other than the fact that Shia Lebeauf turns out to be a ghost at the end. In reality, though, Wilson tells us there are two characters named "Skids" and "Mudflaps" that make Jar Jar Binks look like Martin Luther King. The back story is that those two robots picked up the English language by watching American television, but did they really have to have gold teeth!? I think that was the part that set Wilson over the edge. I haven't heard the guy rant in awhile, but this one is definitely worth checking out.This won't be the last time you see Alison Rosen on our show. She'll be back, but in the meantime you can catch her every day on The Daily Alison, the Alison Rosen blog, and, of course, Twitter. See you next time!EPISODE 370Download today's podcast Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) |Subscribe in RSS Audio |Subscribe in RSS Video This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.PlayFollow us on Twitter!The 404Jeff BakalarJustin YuWilson TangAdd us on Facebook!The 404 Fan PageThe 404 GroupJustin YuJeff BakalarWilson Tang
Make easy time-lapse movies with your iPhone
Make easy time-lapse movies with your iPhone
Time-lapse movies can be a complicated affair, and quite often involve either a lot of special equipment, and/or post-processing skills. For just a buck though, you can use the recently released Timelapser app (link opens in iTunes) to turn your iPhone into a tool that can do this time-bending filming technique using nothing more than the onboard camera. Timelapser's interface tells you how long your movie will be, and how many shots it's taken.CNETDepending on what model of phone you have you can use the app to take a picture anywhere from every three seconds to once per half hour. All the while it grabs each frame and stitches it into a movie that's saved on the phone, and that can also be e-mailed to friends. Of course if you really want to cook with gas, you'll need an iPhone 3GS, which lets you speed up how fast the phone can take shots. Alas, with my lowly 3G I was limited to taking a shot every six seconds. Owners of the original iPhone have to step it down to eight seconds. The app has a wealth of settings that let you pick things like how large the video's resolution is, how many frames per second it should be, and how long you want the delay to be before it starts shooting. This can be useful if you're propping up your phone somewhere and need time to set up your scene. Users can also use the app just to take a series of photos one after another which get saved in your phone's camera roll. As I noted when I checked out the IP Camera app, which can turn your iPhone into a networked security camera, the very best way to use this app is with one of Apple's fancy docks. You can also just prop it up with whatever you may have laying about the house, but with the dock you get the benefit of being able to keep it plugged in. This is incredibly important if you plan on shooting something over a couple of hours. You may also want to turn your phone sideways so that your videos get shot in a typical widescreen style.Here's the test video I did. My settings were 360 × 480 pixels, taking a shot every six seconds, which came to a grand total of 788 individual photos (thankfully none of which were saved to my film roll). The whole thing took about 10 seconds to process and save to my photo library when the app was done:
Time-lapse movies can be a complicated affair, and quite often involve either a lot of special equipment, and/or post-processing skills. For just a buck though, you can use the recently released Timelapser app (link opens in iTunes) to turn your iPhone into a tool that can do this time-bending filming technique using nothing more than the onboard camera. Timelapser's interface tells you how long your movie will be, and how many shots it's taken.CNETDepending on what model of phone you have you can use the app to take a picture anywhere from every three seconds to once per half hour. All the while it grabs each frame and stitches it into a movie that's saved on the phone, and that can also be e-mailed to friends. Of course if you really want to cook with gas, you'll need an iPhone 3GS, which lets you speed up how fast the phone can take shots. Alas, with my lowly 3G I was limited to taking a shot every six seconds. Owners of the original iPhone have to step it down to eight seconds. The app has a wealth of settings that let you pick things like how large the video's resolution is, how many frames per second it should be, and how long you want the delay to be before it starts shooting. This can be useful if you're propping up your phone somewhere and need time to set up your scene. Users can also use the app just to take a series of photos one after another which get saved in your phone's camera roll. As I noted when I checked out the IP Camera app, which can turn your iPhone into a networked security camera, the very best way to use this app is with one of Apple's fancy docks. You can also just prop it up with whatever you may have laying about the house, but with the dock you get the benefit of being able to keep it plugged in. This is incredibly important if you plan on shooting something over a couple of hours. You may also want to turn your phone sideways so that your videos get shot in a typical widescreen style.Here's the test video I did. My settings were 360 × 480 pixels, taking a shot every six seconds, which came to a grand total of 788 individual photos (thankfully none of which were saved to my film roll). The whole thing took about 10 seconds to process and save to my photo library when the app was done:
Comcast iPad app launches for DVR control
Comcast iPad app launches for DVR control
Comcast has launched its Xfinity TV iPad and iPhone app in Apple's app store.The application, which is available for free, allows Comcast customers to browse or search for TV listings from Apple's tablet or smartphone. Once the user finds what they want to watch, they can tap on the show in the app and immediately change the channel of their DVR to that station. If a show isn't on yet, they can also program their DVRs to record the episode or series.Next month, Comcast plans to make television shows and movies viewable from its application. The app will boast shows and films from "the top premium networks," Comcast said. Over time, the company will add "thousands of additional entertainment choices."Comcast also plans to double down on its mobile application development going forward. The company revealed today that the Xfinity launch is "the first in a series of scheduled app releases" for iOS-based devices. In addition, it plans to make "several" Android apps available this year, as well as programs for the BlackBerry and other mobile devices.Comcast isn't alone in its desire to expand its offering through the iPad.Earlier this year, Time Warner Cable unveiled an iPad app prototype that shows current programming and full TV listings. The cable provider indicated at the time that its goal is to give users the ability to watch shows when away from home on their iPad, and once they get home, resume watching the show on their television.
Comcast has launched its Xfinity TV iPad and iPhone app in Apple's app store.The application, which is available for free, allows Comcast customers to browse or search for TV listings from Apple's tablet or smartphone. Once the user finds what they want to watch, they can tap on the show in the app and immediately change the channel of their DVR to that station. If a show isn't on yet, they can also program their DVRs to record the episode or series.Next month, Comcast plans to make television shows and movies viewable from its application. The app will boast shows and films from "the top premium networks," Comcast said. Over time, the company will add "thousands of additional entertainment choices."Comcast also plans to double down on its mobile application development going forward. The company revealed today that the Xfinity launch is "the first in a series of scheduled app releases" for iOS-based devices. In addition, it plans to make "several" Android apps available this year, as well as programs for the BlackBerry and other mobile devices.Comcast isn't alone in its desire to expand its offering through the iPad.Earlier this year, Time Warner Cable unveiled an iPad app prototype that shows current programming and full TV listings. The cable provider indicated at the time that its goal is to give users the ability to watch shows when away from home on their iPad, and once they get home, resume watching the show on their television.
Coders choosing Mac OS over Linux environment
Coders choosing Mac OS over Linux environment
Apple's Mac operating system has surpassed Linux in popularity as a development environment in North America, according to an Evans Data survey.Windows remains at the top of the development environment heap, used by 80 percent of the survey's more than 400 professional software developer respondents in June; Mac OS was used by 7.9 percent of those surveyed, displacing Linux, used by 5.6 percent. A few other tidbits from the survey:Developers believe that mobile and cloud development will increase the most in importance over the next three years44 percent of respondents are actively engaged in multithreaded program development49 percent indicated their intention to support smartphone platforms42 percent intend to support tablet applicationsDespite displacing Linux as a development environment, Mac OS has not displaced Linux as a development target.More than twice as many developers still primarily target Linux as target the Mac. But the Mac environment offers developers some niceties that seem obvious but are perhaps less understood. I spoke with Jeremy Whitlock, core platform architect at Nodeable (disclosure: I am CEO of Nodeable), about why he chooses to develop on the Mac. Whitlock told me that the answer primarily comes down to convenience. The Mac OS has the Unix toolchain that he prefers, it runs all of the open-source software that he needs for development, and it also provides the only legal way to develop for all platforms legally from one set of hardware--which is really about the fact that you can't legally do iOS/Mac application development without a Mac. You can't virtualize OS X on non-Mac hardware, and you can't run OS X on non-Mac hardware, at least not legally. Additionally, ever since Intel processors came into the mix, developers are more comfortable with the performance of Apple hardware.
Apple's Mac operating system has surpassed Linux in popularity as a development environment in North America, according to an Evans Data survey.Windows remains at the top of the development environment heap, used by 80 percent of the survey's more than 400 professional software developer respondents in June; Mac OS was used by 7.9 percent of those surveyed, displacing Linux, used by 5.6 percent. A few other tidbits from the survey:Developers believe that mobile and cloud development will increase the most in importance over the next three years44 percent of respondents are actively engaged in multithreaded program development49 percent indicated their intention to support smartphone platforms42 percent intend to support tablet applicationsDespite displacing Linux as a development environment, Mac OS has not displaced Linux as a development target.More than twice as many developers still primarily target Linux as target the Mac. But the Mac environment offers developers some niceties that seem obvious but are perhaps less understood. I spoke with Jeremy Whitlock, core platform architect at Nodeable (disclosure: I am CEO of Nodeable), about why he chooses to develop on the Mac. Whitlock told me that the answer primarily comes down to convenience. The Mac OS has the Unix toolchain that he prefers, it runs all of the open-source software that he needs for development, and it also provides the only legal way to develop for all platforms legally from one set of hardware--which is really about the fact that you can't legally do iOS/Mac application development without a Mac. You can't virtualize OS X on non-Mac hardware, and you can't run OS X on non-Mac hardware, at least not legally. Additionally, ever since Intel processors came into the mix, developers are more comfortable with the performance of Apple hardware.
CNET Labs investigates iPad heat complaints
CNET Labs investigates iPad heat complaints
Updated at 8:05 p.m. PDT: The first round of CNET Labs iPad heat testing is complete. Results are available in this blog by Senior Editor Eric Franklin. Though further tests will be conducted, the initial results find the new iPad to be only slightly warmer than the iPad 2, and in no way a danger to users.Our CNET Labs team is currently investigating claims that the third-generation Apple iPad may overheat under normal operating conditions, such as video playback or gameplay.Anecdotal reports have pointed out that the new iPad can get a little toasty. A statement from Apple asserts that the new iPad operates "well within our thermal specifications."Personally, I've noticed that the new iPad runs slightly warmer than the iPad 2, especially when the screen is turned up to full brightness and you're playing one of the more intense 3D games (such as Infinity Blade). Having experienced far more extreme temperatures from the bottom of my laptop during HD video playback (something the iPad seems to handle quite well), I wasn't concerned about the iPad's warmth. I also found that the iPad cooled quickly when set aside. Apple forum postings (here and here) and a report seem to point to heat as an issue for certain users. In 2010, CNET reported on a similar complaint with the original iPad. Because of the new iPad's beefed-up processor, the increased energy demands of the improved screen, and larger battery, these same issues may be amplified. As with previous iPads, there's no internal fan to aid with cooling; instead, the aluminum casing is designed to dissipate heat.For more information on the probable causes of the new iPad's temperature, read Brooke Crothers' analysis on CNET's Nanotech blog
Updated at 8:05 p.m. PDT: The first round of CNET Labs iPad heat testing is complete. Results are available in this blog by Senior Editor Eric Franklin. Though further tests will be conducted, the initial results find the new iPad to be only slightly warmer than the iPad 2, and in no way a danger to users.Our CNET Labs team is currently investigating claims that the third-generation Apple iPad may overheat under normal operating conditions, such as video playback or gameplay.Anecdotal reports have pointed out that the new iPad can get a little toasty. A statement from Apple asserts that the new iPad operates "well within our thermal specifications."Personally, I've noticed that the new iPad runs slightly warmer than the iPad 2, especially when the screen is turned up to full brightness and you're playing one of the more intense 3D games (such as Infinity Blade). Having experienced far more extreme temperatures from the bottom of my laptop during HD video playback (something the iPad seems to handle quite well), I wasn't concerned about the iPad's warmth. I also found that the iPad cooled quickly when set aside. Apple forum postings (here and here) and a report seem to point to heat as an issue for certain users. In 2010, CNET reported on a similar complaint with the original iPad. Because of the new iPad's beefed-up processor, the increased energy demands of the improved screen, and larger battery, these same issues may be amplified. As with previous iPads, there's no internal fan to aid with cooling; instead, the aluminum casing is designed to dissipate heat.For more information on the probable causes of the new iPad's temperature, read Brooke Crothers' analysis on CNET's Nanotech blog
Citi paints not-so-pretty picture for Apple's iPad, future market
Citi paints not-so-pretty picture for Apple's iPad, future market
Citi Research has released a report that doesn't bode well for the iPad if its conclusions prove to be accurate. In data-dense presentation titled, "Mobility Hardware and Components, Marketing Presentation, March 2014" released Wednesday, a team of analysts reiterated a familiar Citi theme, saying the era of "device exhaustion" has arrived, adding in the same set of bullet points that "we are NOT positive on Apple" (emphasis Citi's).Though this wouldn't be the first time Citi has been sour on Apple, Citi's forecast for the tablet market makes Apple the most vulnerable due to its leadership status. Citi sees tablet year-to-year growth in the 20 percent -- or slightly above -- range this year, then dipping below 20 percent by the first quarter of 2015. That compares to the heady 140 percent-plus growth seen in early 2013.While market-growth deceleration happens with any device eventually, Citi sees the tablet cycle running its growth course sooner than had been previously expected.The Citi report reflects a January IDC report on tablets that said "markets such as the US are reaching high levels of consumer saturation." Overall, Citi's device exhaustion theme doesn't only apply to tablets. "Device Exhaustion is driving shorter product life cycles. Developed markets are approaching smartphone saturation. Average Selling Prices (ASPs) are poised to fall. Innovation in smartphones is becoming elusive. Margins in the supply chain are at risk," Citi said in a summary. And what's the next big thing?"So look for unique focus areas of investing such as Internet of Things (IoT)," the report said.
Citi Research has released a report that doesn't bode well for the iPad if its conclusions prove to be accurate. In data-dense presentation titled, "Mobility Hardware and Components, Marketing Presentation, March 2014" released Wednesday, a team of analysts reiterated a familiar Citi theme, saying the era of "device exhaustion" has arrived, adding in the same set of bullet points that "we are NOT positive on Apple" (emphasis Citi's).Though this wouldn't be the first time Citi has been sour on Apple, Citi's forecast for the tablet market makes Apple the most vulnerable due to its leadership status. Citi sees tablet year-to-year growth in the 20 percent -- or slightly above -- range this year, then dipping below 20 percent by the first quarter of 2015. That compares to the heady 140 percent-plus growth seen in early 2013.While market-growth deceleration happens with any device eventually, Citi sees the tablet cycle running its growth course sooner than had been previously expected.The Citi report reflects a January IDC report on tablets that said "markets such as the US are reaching high levels of consumer saturation." Overall, Citi's device exhaustion theme doesn't only apply to tablets. "Device Exhaustion is driving shorter product life cycles. Developed markets are approaching smartphone saturation. Average Selling Prices (ASPs) are poised to fall. Innovation in smartphones is becoming elusive. Margins in the supply chain are at risk," Citi said in a summary. And what's the next big thing?"So look for unique focus areas of investing such as Internet of Things (IoT)," the report said.
Chrome Cr-48, black MacBook- Separated at birth-
Chrome Cr-48, black MacBook: Separated at birth?
The all-black Cr-48 that Google is shipping to the first members of its Chrome OS notebook pilot project looked awfully familiar to us when it showed up at our office.Software aside, after putting it side by side with a black MacBook that Apple shipped in 2007 we had in house, it dawned on us why: the two are practically twins. Not identical, but at least fraternal. The overall look is shockingly similar to Apple's now-extinct machine: from the color to the chiclet keyboard to the hinge, size, trackpad, even to the indentation in the place where you lift the lid. Well, see for yourself. We took some photos of the two machines next to each other for you to peruse. Google's Cr-48 and a MacBook side by side...See full gallery1 - 4 / 4NextPrevNow, if you go deeper than a first glance and break out a ruler, you'll see that there are some differences between the two externally. While the hinges look practically the same size, they aren't: 6.5 inches on the MacBook to 6 inches on the Cr-48. And the screen sizes vary slightly: The Chromebook's measures 4.5 inches by 7.5 inches, and the MacBook's 5.25 inches by 8.5 inches. The trackpads, however, are equal in size--though not in function: in 2007, Apple had not yet introduced its clickable touchpad-as-button, which the Chrome notebook utilizes.Of course there are some pretty big functional differences too: Google has nixed the disk drive, Ethernet port, and all but one USB port, but does include an SD card slot. The 3-year old Mac notebook also has those pesky caps lock and function keys that Google has eliminated.But what's inside these two machines is obviously where the key difference lays: Apple has the fully-featured Mac OS X desktop operating system powering its notebook, while Google's test hardware is wrapped around its brand new Web browser-based operating system, Chrome OS.
The all-black Cr-48 that Google is shipping to the first members of its Chrome OS notebook pilot project looked awfully familiar to us when it showed up at our office.Software aside, after putting it side by side with a black MacBook that Apple shipped in 2007 we had in house, it dawned on us why: the two are practically twins. Not identical, but at least fraternal. The overall look is shockingly similar to Apple's now-extinct machine: from the color to the chiclet keyboard to the hinge, size, trackpad, even to the indentation in the place where you lift the lid. Well, see for yourself. We took some photos of the two machines next to each other for you to peruse. Google's Cr-48 and a MacBook side by side...See full gallery1 - 4 / 4NextPrevNow, if you go deeper than a first glance and break out a ruler, you'll see that there are some differences between the two externally. While the hinges look practically the same size, they aren't: 6.5 inches on the MacBook to 6 inches on the Cr-48. And the screen sizes vary slightly: The Chromebook's measures 4.5 inches by 7.5 inches, and the MacBook's 5.25 inches by 8.5 inches. The trackpads, however, are equal in size--though not in function: in 2007, Apple had not yet introduced its clickable touchpad-as-button, which the Chrome notebook utilizes.Of course there are some pretty big functional differences too: Google has nixed the disk drive, Ethernet port, and all but one USB port, but does include an SD card slot. The 3-year old Mac notebook also has those pesky caps lock and function keys that Google has eliminated.But what's inside these two machines is obviously where the key difference lays: Apple has the fully-featured Mac OS X desktop operating system powering its notebook, while Google's test hardware is wrapped around its brand new Web browser-based operating system, Chrome OS.
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