Thanks to TheNextWeb for pointing out this little gem courtesy of a website called Chill.com.

A clever site that hooks into facebook and features an option to create collections, the site now has a page dedicated to Steve Jobs videos it can be found here, and was collated by one of the founders of Chill, Scott Hurff.

So, if you are a bit of an Apple head or worship the Jobster like he was some kind of messiah, get your butt over to Chill and pay homage, there are some rare treats on show.

As someone who seriously values the power of video, it is amazing to see just how much Steve Jobs was involved in promoting using this medium especially as most of the footage was not seen by the majority of people until later on.

I like the interview when he was 31 talking about how the Apple 2 came to be and inspired him to move forward with Apple.

What is yours?

Anyone familiar with non linear editing (NLE) for video on Apple Macs and PC’s will have probably heard of AVID, and in my opinion a f**** nightmare to use and totally defunct when you have equally capable (for most instances) options such as Adobe’s Premiere Pro which has grown over the years to be very capable and nice to use and Apple’s Final Cut Pro (FCP) which has stayed rather stale until very recently but still packs a punch and works pretty well.

Having said all this I will not judge this application based on the fact that I dislike AVID on PC’s with a passion and would advise any sane member of the human race to steer clear.

So let us begin:

AVID App review:

With the iPad showing its versatility and strength in the music production department which I covered last week with the Akai MPC Fly review, I am pleasantly surprised to see this new release of the video editing AVID application for the device.

And at £2.99/$4.99 it is cheap enough to trial for 30 days (with the full app costing a couple more pounds after this period £4.99/$7.99).

But, does the app need you to already own the daddy AVID on your desktop to make any use of it, or can you use this application like a cut down version much like iMovies is intended?

Well the answer is, it is up to you. But you do not need the fully blown Avid software for a desktop PC at all to use this iPad application.

With the application working with video, audio and photos, it does mean you can edit more than just some crappy video footage on your iPad and are able to bring in a bit more to spice things up.

Effects and transitions:

As you would expect from an application that has iMovie to compete with, it includes some basic effects and transitions to add a touch of your own style to the video editing process, even though you will see that less is more in this art form as you gain more skills and confidence…;)

But with Photobucket stating that they have seen Photo Sharing Trends with mobile uploads of content such as photo and video to their site on the increase, it is perhaps likely that we will see many more videos been shot with smartphones and tablets and edited on the same devices and released pretty much without ever leaving this framework of technology, WOW.

Exporting options:

With options to upload and export to Facebook and Youtube, this will seriously add another weapon in the armory of the mobile journalist or person who simply wants to have some fun, your movie will also be included in the devices camera roll for exporting and bringing back into a real AVID.

I think this application would be best served in making more people aware of AVID and then perhaps bringing out a decent version of the desktop option for PC and Mac’s that could compete with Adobe Premiere and Apple’s FCP in terms of usability and the ability to manage work-spaces on the desktop more effectively which is an area that AVID sorely missed out on in the past, and saw many potential converts (myself included) steer well clear once we had tested other options that worked easier and pretty much did everything we wanted and perhaps more.

Talking of the shift in user behavior in how we now create video, Avid VP Tanguy Leborgne stets:

“We’ve seen a shift in how creation is happening, and it’s really happening on almost any device, we think the tablet is more than just a consumer device; more and more people are creating on it.”

I still find it really strange that AVID Technology does not bring out a version of the Avid studio software for Mac users when most creatives I know use Macs to work on, such is the level of fear most people who need their PC to work effectively daily have for windows based operating systems, yet they bring out an Apple iPad application that works on the PC version of the software.

Odd…but all in all I rather like the look of this application and will be looking forward to giving it a trial soon.

*This app works on both iPad and iPad2’s.

Let us take a look at the product:

And here is the new MPC Fly advert:

The Akai MPC Fly

*Please remember that this new tool is for iPad 2’s not iPad 1’s.

Back in the days when I used to make a few beats myself, the talk was that the Akai series of MPC’s were the “bomb” for making “dope” beats, mainly due to their grainy low bit rate sampling capabilities and also their easy to use method of assigning samples to each pad, with a basic sequencer allowing you to stitch parts together and interact at the same time meaning that you have a virtual instrument at your disposal with only your imagination limiting your output.

Indeed I used to listen to so much music that was made pretty much completely on these devices I actually do not know why I never bought one, but I had my own pretty sweet set up that worked for me at the time.

Now many will know that I sing the praise of Apple more than most, and the reason I do this is mainly because had I gone down the slightly cheaper Windows PC route while I was learning the ropes of being a music producer and engineer then I can tell you right now I would never have made it past rookie stage such is the crap nature of Windows based PC’s then and today, I would have torn my hair out at the thought of all the issues of malware, spyware, slow processing, conflicts with software, accessories etc etc…the list goes on.

So I took advice from a fellow engineer who had been working for a long time on Macs and got myself a first edition G4, with iOS 9.2….and thank the lord I did…..fast forward 10 + years…

Coming back to the point of the article, Apple make products that do stuff well, their competitors usually make products that confuse people and quite often never really “get there”…Apple products also tend to work much better with third parties for obvious reasons.

I think that this device really does show how cool the iPad really is over its competitors, they just come no where near to this kind of fun and functionality.

Akai MPC Fly Review

The Akai MPC Fly houses your iPad and gives it access to an application that allows you to seamlessly integrate the Akai interface with virtual instruments and effects on the iPad screen, a very portable solution to beat making on the go.

With 16 velocity sensitive pads, this truly is a device I may well be looking to invest in myself.

You can sequence four tracks simultaneously and it comes packed with a library of sounds to which you can obviously add more (this is the point of the MPC series) it is the daddy of portable production controllers and samplers.

The device has no need for extra wires unless you are playing to an audience.

Adding samples is done via the 3.5 mm socket as well as having an ability to bring in tunes from an iPod.

With the hinged case providing protection to your iPad, you can also set it up just as you like giving a much more personal touch to the user experience and making it a real lap music making device whoever you have it positioned, flat or as a screen.

With a weight of just over 0.9 kg it is reasonably light and comes with a rechargeable battery.

In the US this device is selling for $299 but the UK sees it actually come in at a decent price of £159.

Now go hit those rhythm stick pads, but not too hard now!

Full spec is here, and remember this is for iPad 2’s not version 1’s sorry!

MPC FLY Hardware:

[arrowlist]

• The first MPC designed specifically for iPad 2
• 16 backlit genuine MPC pads with MPC Note Repeat & MPC Swing
• Fitted compartment for iPad 2 provides fully integrated portable MPC solution
• Create beats on the go and transfer to a Mac or PC for further mastering
• Works seamlessly with the MPC App: sequence & sample editing, effects, EQ and more
• Charges iPad when plugged into wall power
• Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
• Compatible with virtually any Core MIDI app
• Double-hinged case sits upright, lies flat or closes for transport

[/arrowlist]

MPC FLY iPad APP

[arrowlist]

• Built-in effects: delay, bit crusher, master compressor/limiter
• Record and overdub sequences and create and edit your own Programs
• Sequence four tracks simultaneously: four-track mixer built in
• Note variation slider allows you to manipulate attack, velocity, length, and tuning as you play
• Built in sound library of samples and drum kits
• 16-Levels mode: play one sample at 16 levels of attack, velocity, length, and tuning
• Sample using internal mic or line-in and trim and categorize samples
• Note Repeat: 1/8 note – 1/32T timing
• Time correct: 1/8 note – 1/32T with variable Swing setting
• Sample from your iPod library with turntable interface”
• Supports WIST, Wireless Sync Start protocol from Korg
• Share on SoundCloud, Facebook or twitter
• Supports AudioPaste

[/arrowlist]

Now let us see what an original Akai MPC can do:

How long have you waited for Netflix to finally arrive in the UK?

Well this bandwidth stealing streaming monster has now finally arrived from the US and we are sure that Lovefilm are pretty damn sacred right now.

And if Lovefilm’s utterly annoying, confusing and long winded method of subscribing for “free” on the XBox is anything to go by, I would say that they may have to start working out a plan to stop this huge competitor from stealing clients they have not already hooked up.

*I have just signed up to the genuinely free trial of Netflix in a few seconds. When will companies realise that humans are lazy and stupid, MAKE IT EASY FOR US PLEASE!…usability is so important.

Lovefilm claim to have 2 million account holders paying monthly fees in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, Norway and Denmark. So are no slouches by any means but Netflix have ten time this customer base.

Netflix massive in the states:

Despite price hikes last year which saw some 800,000 leave as a result, Netflix still has around 20 million subscribers in the US, Canada, Caribbean and Latin America.

Indeed the company is so damn huge that they are blamed for causing slow speeds on the internet with a rumored 1/3 of all data consumed being as a result of Netflix streaming services in the US, this however would appear to be unfounded or more unclear than it perhaps seems.

With Netflix reporting that a loss will be incurred in the first quarter of 2012 due to their expansion into the UK, you can see why some backers of the company are feeling concerned, especially as the film industry quietly wonders if this model will save them, or add another layer of pressure to reduce overall profits after seeing file sharing reduce by around 7-8% last year as a result of streaming services finally becoming popular.

After a couple of bad PR stunts last year, namely the disaster laden Qwikster which was pulled after a few days, and the price hikes which saw Netflix get slammed by consumers in the states, investors appear worried about an aggressive UK entrance which aims to steal Lovefilm customers with costly access to premium flicks as a sweetener for new subscribers.

Netflix in a good position:

Netflix has quite a considerable advantage in being accessible on a huge amount of devices; from the AppleTV right up to smartphones, smart TV’s, PC’s, tablets and many other devices totaling some 700 in number.

Reed Hastings, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Netflix says of the launch:

“We are starting 2012 in the best possible way: by giving consumers in the UK and Ireland an amazing entertainment experience,”

Netflix releases app for UK and Ireland:

After signing up and getting a trial I have downloaded the Netlix app for Android and you can see how it all works below in the video I made.

Netflix Android Application Review:

So as you can see it is a pretty cool application and one that will certainly be used, this is great to see as smartphones and tablets are pretty neat devices to watch a film on, especially if you are next to a power supply!

Questions emerge on market share and TV/Film rights:

As this is pretty new territory for many media organisations, there are questions being raised over just how many competing services can last and be profitable in a market as costly as video streaming, with Amazon offering their own Prime video rental service and also acquiring Lovefilm, there does seem to be some concerns that there is already growing fragmentation in a market that needs a clear shining light, I would not put my money on anyone winning this war right now, but I would be tempted to go with Netflix as a serious contender, to share the market with perhaps one or two more players.

I am unsure Tesco’s 80% share in Blinkbox looks all that sound an investment as their pricing strategy is just way too high in my opinion, and tehir presence of mind is so low, unless they roll out some amazing technology integration and expensive marketing, I see no reason that this will shine above truly established names such as Lovefilm or Netflix.

No room at the inn:

Netflix and Lovefilm are of course already under attack from UK TV networks who currently offer online services such as Sky and Virgin Media and the huge license fee funded BBC iPlayer also taking a fair few eyeballs away from the need to subscribe to yet another paid-for service.

So with this in mind, I can perhaps see why shareholders are concerned about the UK entrance of Netflix wit its associated high costs per acquisition, but It had to be done, didn’t it? Otherwise the company would never have got a foothold in the UK video rental streaming sector if they left it another year, this year and next, I predict will be the year of the Internet enabled TV.

Will streaming save Hollywood:

Now it does not take a genius to see who much money a relatively successful film makes, but it does not stop Hollywood et al telling us about how tough things are in the industry.

So will online video streaming “save” the film industry or force it into an unhappy bondage where it is reliant on aggregation of content in order to make reduced profits per film viewing?

And if this kills off the DVD market and eats into the industries profits even further, will they carry on allowing the likes of Lovefilm and Netflix the rights to be aggregators of their content.

Big decisions ahead on an unknown path:

This is an exciting time for the film and TV industry and I sense a great leveler is about to occur which could see smaller production companies start to earn decent revenues perhaps signalling a rise in independent film making as a genuine option for less well established filmmakers who need to monetize more unique offerings.

So what are your thoughts on the final arrival of Netflix to UK and Irish shores? Are you going to go for a trial and see what you think to the service or are you already happy using other services right now?

Do tell all in the comments below.

There is a train of thought that states that humans can only think around 50 years ahead before their ideas turn into the realms of science fiction.

Now if you think back to programmes from the 60/70’s, I remember Star Trek characters talking to people on videophones, and while I did not think too much about it, I never expected it to arrive as soon as it has, so in my mind, it was Sci-Fi, something to expect in many many years to come….that was about 50 years ago.

Now we all know how common place video chat is, so what about all the other advancements that have emerged and will emerge in the coming years, what will change in our day to day lives now that smartphone and tablets dominate?

Well thanks to Ericsson, the inventors of Bluetooth, you may well be able to hazard a guess….be warned though, at 20 minutes long, it is not your average viral video, and with a pretty disappointing 130,000 views, it perhaps shows that length matters online….however as all good things come to those who wait…it is worth it.

Flash based map of “networked cities”

And if you want to look at their Flash based map of “Networked Cities” please click here:

I do feel that this relatively intriguing map could have a) been made in HTML5 and b) worked better.

So what is this “networked society” initiative from Ericsson about?

It has to be said that the one time Nokia rivals seem to have hid away for a while, so where are they heading and how does this project aid that roadmap?

“The Networked Society City Index interactive tool lets you explore and compare the effects ICT has on society, people, and business – in major cities all over the world. Learn about a city, drag-and-drop two cities and compare, or discover initiatives happening in the cities right now.”

They even have a facebook page which works as you might have expected, as part advertisement and part discussion of all things networked and Ericsson, I like what they have done here.

And also take a look at their “to-do-list” video, scraped from their facebook intro page:

So what do you think the future holds technology wise?

Will it be apocalyptic hell, where man and machine are at war after creating technology that outsmarts us and turns nasty?

Or will it be a more peaceful place where harmony is created through a synergy with all things living, being in perfect balance with technology?

Maybe you think that the world needs to stop pursuing technological advancements and start looking at our own personal issues instead of creating more problems with the technology that is designed to help us, either way let us know your thoughts below.

I poked fun at Samsung’s really dire advert range for the S2, so poorly executed I assume that Samsung would not actually want anyone with any taste to ever see them.

In fact even more interestingly this is what they have done with this atrocious set of videos: Blocked them from the results in Youtube!

Samsung Unlist Initial Adverts For Samsung S2

“Wow! The video that Jim made got the most views on youtube”…not a chance!

That is an actual quote from this garbage video – so Samsung do know that they should try to sell a phone based on what YOU can do with it….mmmmm.

Youtube comment:

“Wow! The video that Jim made got the most views on youtube. Jim, you’re not Mr. Cold, you’re mister WARM!” – SOMEONE CALL BAFTA! We’ve got the short of the year!!!!”

Well it seems Samsung have a cheek in now deciding to be a bit more controversial and simply poke fun at iPhone users!…cheap shot again, easy target….but hey fair game!

Hilarious.

I love both devices for many reasons, but having the cheek to suggest that the iPhone has particular battery problems (which it does) makes me laugh when my article surrounding the Samsung S2’s dire battery life has got so much attention, and agreement.

However this is all bravado and I quite like the fact that Samsung are sounding off about Apple creatively, it is a bit of fun I suppose….Apple will likely let this run off there shoulders, which seem pretty wide.

But seems to have quite a pitiful 213,000 views since Nov 22nd….can you imagine how many views Apple would have got if they had released what essentially is a cutesy and pretty funny video.

Samsung still peddling the specs of their phone over functionality:

“Huge”, “speed” etc etc, when will Samsung realise that the people want to know what THEY can do with the phone and not what THE PHONE can do for itself….but with high quality adverts not dross!

Verdict!

Nearly there!..;)

Well it seems to be one up for the good guys at long last.

We are firm believers that the concept behind net neutrality by and large should be championed, it is the reason that any site can compete with more established ones on speed and bandwidth issues which ultimately can dictate a sites popularity or its Achilles heel.

So the judgement from the US senate that shows that the pro’s (to the FCC’s proposed open internet rules) out gunned the nay’s by 52-46 is a nice reminder that some common-sense is still in play at the highest level. Though the scary part is that the ruling was only just won by a small margin.

20th November key date:

This is when the net neutrality package will come into effect, with a rumoured lawsuit coming from Verizon to challenge the initiative coming in the short term.

The win will also mean that a much anticipated show down between the White house and Congress will not happen just yet, with the Whitehouse being advised to veto any legislation that attempted to stop the net neutrality initiative.

Support from the big boys:

The Open Internet initiative has the full support of the big players in the industry state side including: Amazon, Netflix, Google, Facebook and eBay, with Netflix taking up around 1/3 of peak bandwidth in the US download space it is interesting to see that they are so happy to be seen as good guys.

Bandwidth is an issue:

There is an issue underlying all this and one that is not easy to solve though we fully support the Open Internet initiative it is perhaps unfair that one company take sup so much bandwidth undoubtedly slowing the whole internet experience down of the rest of the users.

Though I personally think the solution should come with technology and not an ability to buy bandwidth at source by giving ISP’s the opportunity to throttle sites that do not pay them an effective “ransom”…this is not the way to move forward.

What we need is better technology to maximise the space available and ensure that the speeds needed are available though for a period I sense that with the growing use of tablets and smartphones and access to the web being more and more common for more and more data hungry applications including video, trouble does lie ahead in the short term.

But I say lets stay in this together and not start developing tiered internet access, this is undoubtedly against Tim Berners Lee’s vision which should be a benchmark for the continuing success of the Internet as a whole.

One Web, One World……yuck…sorry!

Freedom of speech:

The big reason to support net neutrality is that this will stop any of the established sites such as Youtube or Netflix from simply putting the brakes on sites that can not afford the extra bandwidth from an ISP who is happy to take a premium payout to stifle part of their service for the gain of another, and we all know how fickle users are, if things are slow then they are gone, this undoubtedly will slow down development of new sites and be a negative for the Internet as a whole.

What do you think?

Do you see “throttling” happening anyway and sense that this kind of heavy handed control is needed to effectively manage peak traffic for certain sites, and is this the best way to manage the situation, or should we allow companies to buy extra space to ensure their service shines through at all times?

With the arrival of Adobe media server 4.5, the team behind the Adobe creative suite has seemingly bowed to pressure from Apple.

I examine why this has happened and what it will mean for Apple and other manufacturers who already use the Flash framework to display content on their mobile devices.

The History behind a lack of support for Flash on Apple devices:

Apple had claimed that the flash video format was too processor hungry and did not make use of hardware acceleration. For this reason they have chosen to not support the widely used format at all on their mobile devices such as iPad and iPhone.

Since Flash 10.1 Adobe have made use of hardware acceleration but Apple have continued their stance of not supporting it natively.

Adobe pander to Apple – Will Google and Microsoft be happy?

While Apple are still not budging in their overall stance, Adobe must be concerned that so much content is being watched via a totally different player than their own highly successful, dominant force on traditional web browsers, desktops, Android and Windows based devices.

New way of delivery patches the issue for now:

Because Adobe do not want to miss out on the traffic that Apple devices obviously get, they have worked to provide a means of delivering Flash based video by detecting the device and then in Apples case, streaming that content in a format that Apple devices support…sneaky and great for Apple users, as they can now benefit from having flash playback minus the draining of processor and battery power when using Flash as a normal player as is currently the case for Android and Windows based devices.

Even though flash claim to have improved the hardware issue in version 10.1/10.2, Apple seem not interested in allowing Flash to work natively.

This new solution to the old video format war between the two giants is welcome news to Apple users but will no doubt throw into question why other O/S’s and manufacturers are supporting Flash natively when there are still issues around its power consumption which ultimately leads people to negatively comment on a devices battery life.

I for one am not convinced that Flash is so power intensive that it is of any real concern to most users, though maybe the updated version truly is improved as Adobe claim and utilises hardware acceleration more efficiently. I have a Samsung S2 and the battery life is dire on it I have to say, but I have not noticed that using Flash for video playback has really affected my battery life to such an extent where I would only sparingly watch video in the future in order to mitigate the effects Apple claim occur from using Flash.

What Apple want Apple get:

It seems that Apple just can not lose right now, they are very much on the crest of a massive wave, taking the tech World by storm. The Germans are bowing down to their pressure over the Samsung range of devices, and now Adobe are working solutions to fit around Apple’s own stance against Adobe’s own technology.

I have always been very annoyed that Apple stuck their neck’s out and were so stubborn with Adobe over flash. It was actually the main reason I was open minded to other devices rather than the iPhone I obtained just after they came out. Put simply, I missed Flash for various areas such as interactivity online and obviously video. The lack of support hampered my experience and must have lost Apple quite a few sales. So, lucky for them that Adobe have seemingly pandered to their whims, though it appears that this will only be for flash video playback and not full flash functionality as many would like to see.

What next for Apple I wonder?

It appears that “leading European film distributors” have alluded to talks with Netflix who appear to be seeking to “put roots down” in both the UK and Spanish markets.

Netflix to arrive in Q1 of 2012 in the UK and Spain?

The UK market looks certain to be a tougher nation to crack as Lovefilm has got first mover advantage with a steady subscription base of over 1.7 million in the UK and the rest of Europe, and the full weight of Amazon behind them who can obviously offer their cloud based services to capitalise on all things mobile and wireless related (streaming services essentially).

A recent recruitment drive at LoveFilm also proves that they are no shrinking violet and have a steady growth strategy behind them.

“The company has expanded from less than ten staff in west London in 2006 to 380 staff in the UK as well as 106 in Germany, Sweden, Norway and Denmark.”

How will Netflix and LoveFilm compete?

With NetFlix favouring the streaming subscription model and LoveFilm moving ever closer to this type of service but still including traditional “post your film” rentals, will the DVD rental market slowly die once we are all more or less connected to the Internet with our viewing devices (TV/PC, tablets etc)?

And will the arrival of Netflix benefit consumers in the UK, Spain and Europe once some healthy competition is in place?

We look forward to finding out!