Jailbroken...and Happy I have a confession to make: I am now officially a fugitive. Last weekend, after a cross-country trip, I vowed to Jailbreak my iPhone. Not familiar with the term? It refers to a process that unlocks your iPhone so you can install programs on it, extending the functionality. Now, Apple is already moving this way with the release of the SDK, and I will be very happy to reap the benefits, but I'm a tinkerer at heart. My PC's always have custom skins, I have hacks and shortcuts in my browsers, and more. That, combined with the need to have local games (not a lot of WiFi at 30,000 ft.), sent me on a collision course with Steve & Co.

First, how do you Jailbreak an iPhone? It's surprisingly simple. First, I downloaded ZiPhone, a Windows application that made it as simple as double clicking. A couple of iPhone restarts, and I was free as a bird. The unusual part of Jailbreaking is how you get the applications after you've Jailbroken: you can really only download them with a new program on your iPhone, called Installer. It allows you to browse the applications out there, even see previews, and then download and install right from your iPhone. You can multiple sources to browse, but the ones it comes with are pretty comprehensive. Ok, so what's now on my iPhone?

- Twinkle. It's a Twitter client for the iPhone. "A Twitter client?" You say? "Why would you need that, when you can just use Twitter's spiffy iPhone online interface, or just use SMS?" All true. But Twinkle does a couple of nice things. First, it uses the iPhone's Locate Me functionality to determine where you area, and tags your Tweets with your location. You can also see people who are tweeting nearby. This was really fun when waiting for the ferry this week, and seeing tweets from other Twinklers expressing the same frustrations. Also, Twinkle allows you to upload a photo with your tweet; of course, only other Twinklers can see them, but still, there's hope for the future.

- Fring. What's the iPhone painfully missing, besides an installed version of eWallet? An IM client. Well, Fring claims to be that, and to be fair, it is. It does AIM, Yahoo, MSN, Google Talk, Skype, ICQ, Twitter...the list goes on. And, it also supposedly handles VOIP calls through SIP or Skype; I haven't tried it. The interface is OK, there's definitely a lag on sending and receiving, but it's free and it works. However, I've actually disabled most of this now, for one major reason: there is no way to control the volume of the notification when a new message comes in. As a result, when I'm riding the bike, listening to a podcast, suddenly there is a sharpened steel spike being shoved through my eardrum as Fring helpfully tells me that a new message is here. Of course, I can't read it, as I have crashed on the side of the road, gripping my skull in agony, convulsing...but hey, minor details. ;-) I do keep it on the iPhone for emergencies, though; you never know when you might need to IM.

- OK, let's talk about the best one: Genesis4iphone. Yep, travel back to the late 80's/early '90's with a perfect emulator of the classic Sega Genesis videogame system, right on your iPhone. With helpful links to ROM's, you have the entire catalog of games available. Installing them to the iPhone is not so easy; you need to download what is essentially an FTP client for your computer to install them; this video walked me through every step of it, while this video walks you through installing the games. Now, I have such classics as Lakers Vs. Bulls, Sonic the Hedgehog, Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, and both X-Men games at my fingertips, with hundreds more available. Oh, I bet you're worried about memory, right? Don't: the games are usually less than 500K, so you could install them all and still have days of music and video.

- I love skins, and even though the iPhone UI is probably the best ever, I can't resist making it better. Summerboard lets me load in custom skins, like the Time Machine one on the left (it's the one I have running right now). There are tons more, ranging from the typical "make your iPhone look like Windows" variety, to the truly sublime, like this one.

- Wouldn't you love to manage your Netflix queue with an iPhone interface? Drag movies up, shift them around, etc? iFlix has your back, and makes queue management cool.

- Volume Boost 1.1.4 lets me finally make my iPhone a little louder at the top end. When you are bombing down a hill at 40 mph on the bike, and the wind is roaring, sometimes you need a little boost to hear those Buzz Out Loud folks.

Of course, there's far more, but I can honestly say that, while I'm happy to have Jailbroken my iPhone, I expected more. Here's a note to Apple: all you would have needed to give me was an eWallet interface, a shopping list application, and games, and I probably would have stayed a happy prisoner. As it is, I'm footloose and fancy free, and browsing my Installer to see what's next.

Labels: 80's, iPhone, Software, Video Games

  ¶ 9:18 AM (0) comments links to this post

  Tretakoff vs. Tretakoff Yep, today's the big game. My beloved and undefeated Dallas Cowboys play host to my hometown (and also undefeated) New England Patriots. Tom Brady vs. Tony Romo. Randy Moss vs. Terrell Owens. Jerry Jones vs. Robert Kraft. All amazing matchups, but none compares to the biggest blood feud: Amy vs. Me. Yep, my wife has blossomed into a full out Pats fan, and we're going to the nearest sports bar to watch the battle unfold. Why? In the Bay Area, the biggest game of the season thus far is trumped by the Raiders vs. the Chargers.

As part of NBC's whopping $3.6 billion dollar contract with the NFL for Sunday Night Football, NBC wisely got a concession out of the NFL: "flex" scheduling to allow them to select the best game for the Sunday Night national audience. So why are we not enjoying the "Highlander" ("There can be only one") game in the comfort of our own home? Alas, flex scheduling does not start for 6 more weeks. NBC has to be grinding their teeth at this, while bar owners and DirecTV Sunday Ticket customers must be gleefully chortling at their good fortune.

So, tomorrow at 1, feel free to watch that ticker for the updates. While the Boys leads the series against the Pats (7-1, since 1971), opinions are divided on the outcome here. New England clearly is loaded on offense, and has a big chip on their shoulder this season, after losing last year's AFC Championship game to their arch-rivals, the eventual Superbowl champion Colts, and being accused of cheating in the first week of this season. Dallas has the #2 offense in the league, and Romo has proven he's a genuine star, but his 5 interception performance last Monday night has to have him rattled. Dallas is clearly primed for the upset, but ESPN put the game through Madden 08 simulations, and predicts Brady comes through in Big D.

In any case, at the end of the night, one team will no longer be undefeated, and this may indeed be a preview of the Superbowl...or a divorce. :-)

All I have to say is...How 'bout them Cowboys?

Labels: Dallas Cowboys, football, TV, Video Games

  ¶ 12:37 AM (2) comments links to this post

  Finally! Good Uses Of the Web In Video Games Since the major consoles and all PC's are almost sure to be connected to the Web these days, I've always been surprised that there have not been more developers taking advantage of the connected nature. EA, the largest maker of video games, finally has started to play in the space, introducing the ability to have the real-world weather affect the conditions in a game you are playing.

While limited to NCAA Football right now, "EA is encouraged by the weather feature's popularity and will add it to Madden and the entire sports portfolio soon." More interesting are some of the other areas EA has been playing in this regard that I was unaware of, including the ESPN sports ticker running live along the bottom of the screen, displaying real-world realtime information, and...gasp...automatic roster updates!!!

But take this further: Grand Theft Auto could advertise upcoming movies on billboards, and have them change as the release dates change. Need For Speed could introduce new car models, as the makers roll out their model years. Brothers In Arms could have interstitials from The History Channel. I know, the market for video games and ads has been elusive, but the type of marriage we are seeing here definitely adds eyeballs, and eyeballs = $.

Labels: business, Madden, Video Games

  ¶ 1:20 PM (0) comments links to this post

  Two Great Passions Come Together Ooooh....it's here. Madden '08 for the Wii! I'm looking forward to a Madden to truly enjoy for the first time in years...and one that actually (thanks to the Wii) getts you truly into the game.
See what I'll be looking for:

Labels: football, Madden, Video Games, Wii

  ¶ 1:06 PM (0) comments links to this post

  A Real Ring for a Fake Championship Now, I'm a Madden fan, but this is insane. Jostens is making available a custom made Madden Championship ring for you to order to commemorate your completely imaginary accomplishment.

Life may imitate art, but does it need to celebrate it? Ladies, please note: this is the new universal symbol of men to stay away from.

Labels: Madden, silly, Video Games

  ¶ 12:08 PM (0) comments links to this post

  Wii would like to play. My normal Saturdays usually start with a catch up of my favorite blogs and sites, followed by a blog entry or two. Yesterday's passed without this. Today, my arms are sore as I type this. The reason for both? We are now the proud owners of a Wii, thanks to Charles' serendipity. See, on Friday, as he took the day off with his family, he was wandering around Berkeley and saw a store that not only had the Wii in stock, but at it's list price! He frantically tried to get a hold of me to see if he should pick it up, and I gladly agreed. Forget the iPhone; this thing is sold out everywhere, months after its release! He delivered it Friday night, and my weekend was officially shot.

It's rare when a device's performance lives up to the hype, but the Wii is one of those that absolutely blew me away.I know, you're thinking, "Oh God, another geeky videogame rant," but trust me, it ain't. Hardcore gaming performance wise, the Wii is the weakest of the 3 "next gen" consoles; the PS3 has way more horsepower than all of them, and the XBox 360 is not only far more advanced, it integrates so much more. But the Wii has one thing all other consoles lack: fun. I'm sure you've heard about the motion sensitive controls, but let me be clear: that's just the tip of the iceberg. This is not a videogame system with lots of button combinations and complex moves; it's a total immersive experience.

Let's start with the controllers. No strange boomerangs, bristling with buttons. Instead, a simple remote control, like you'd use for your TV. There is a directional pad on the top, and 3 buttons, 2 of which are hardly used. Underneath, a trigger. That's it. You want to play baseball? Face the TV and hold it like a bat: there's the pitch, and you swing. It's highly accurate. But the motion control is just the start: the remote has 2 other pieces. First, a small speaker in the remote itself, makes noises when appropriate. The crack of the bat as it connects to the ball; the thwack of the racket as you return a serve in tennis. Second, force feedback in the remote conveys a vibration as you interact. Catch a pop fly, and you feel the ball hit your glove. Poke a jab at your opponent in boxing, and feel the glove connect. Again, none of this is earth shattering, but the unique combination of movement, sound, and feel makes you forget this is a game.

The Wii comes with Wii Sports, which includes Tennis, Golf, Basesball, Bowling, Boxing, and more. For one player, it's a hell of a workout; I boxed for 20 minutes and was completely winded. My arm and shoulder are still killing me from tennis and baseball. In addition, the Wii comes with built in WiFi, so it connects to our network and 24x7 can connect to deliver news (complete with a slide show of images overlaid on a rotating globe representing each story location), or weather (same interface), along with other "channels." For instance, in the Wii Shop channel, you can buy credits to spend on classic videogames from Sega Genesis and the NES. Slick! And the console itself is tiny: it's elegant, and powerful. Hardly looks like a game console, more like a stylish small DVD player (yes, it plays DVD's, movies, music and more).

The other major surprise is that the console is graphically great. Even in Wii Sports, golf courses look amazing. For instance, check out Madden 2008 on the Wii:


Now, for comparison, here it is on the PS2 (not 3):

I have to say, although the shading on the PS2 looks better, the Wii's no slouch. I expected far worse. Plus, with the Wii, in Madden, you use the same great controllers I talked about to hike the ball, pass, catch, stiff arm, juke, and tackle. Now THAT'S a workout I never get with the PS2!

I'm so pleased with the Wii, and look forward to trying more games. The fact that Amy likes it too, is more fun, as finally, she'll play a videogame! Now, if I could only get my arm to stop hurting...

Labels: Madden, Video Games, Wii

  ¶ 9:42 AM (1) comments links to this post

  March Musings Just a random post to share, of some great tidbits.

- I always like to use this blog to share the new and cool online applications I find. Well, today I've found a blog that does nothing but this: I bring you MakeUseOf, a directory/blog of some of the coolest sites on the web for free things to make your life interesting. Although the visual style is closer to a wiki than a blog, it definitely offers a great, constantly updating collection of some of the more interesting sites that provide useful services to the consumer. Think Original Signal without the (ahem) noise.

- Yahoo has released version 4 of Yahoo Widget Engine, promising less memory hogging, and new mini-docking, to allow your widgets to be displayed in an intuitive collection, for neatness. It also introduces a drag and drop upload widget for Flickr, as well as support for just about all old widgets. Seems like a worthy download, and is definitely sucking less of my precious resources.

- Speaking of Flickr, they migrated everyone to a required Yahoo account this month. I have no objections to this, but the tool they have to merge an existing Yahoo account with your Flickr account definitely needs work: it kept getting confused. C'mon, guys...QA this stuff if you are going to require it's use.

- Looking for some new ringtones or audio clips? Check out Entertonement for a HUGE collection of freebies. Best of all, they have search and browse, and some really cool ones, such as the ticking clock for 24, or various TOS Star Trek clips. Movies, music, TV, commercials, sports, video games...they have them all.

- Need a logo, or a great stylized text image? Check out the venerable CoolText for the ability to create like a pro, for free.

- Yes, the Jawbone arrived, and is as good as advertised. Controls are a bit cryptic, but it completely eliminates background noise to the people you call. Got a convertible, or like to drive with the windows open? This is your headset. Style is ultra cool, noise reduction is simply the best, volume is just OK. Bonus: charger is USB based, so you can always get a charge from your laptop: no need to lug that AC adaptor around on your trips.

More as I think to write...

Labels: blogs, cell phones, commercials, free, fun, gadgets, Software, Star Trek, TV, Video Games, Web 2.0, widgets, Yahoo

  ¶ 12:34 AM (1) comments links to this post

  Wiidom 'Tis the holiday season, and the video game console wars are in full swing. Last year, Microsoft made a savvy move and released the XBox 360, the next-generation platform. There were no other new consoles out, so the Market was theirs. And, as it takes about a year for software to start taking advantage of the new hardware, this holiday their game Gears Of War is set to be a smash.

And in this corner...weighing in a 600 lbs., the Champion, the Monster, the Overpriced Sensation...Sony's PlayStation 3. Yes, inspiring fanboys to riot at the short supply and spend thousands on eBay (of over $700, if you wait for it to actually be in stock next year), the new PS3 is the sound of Sony going All In for their claim to the #1 console. Packed to the gills with every gadget and technology possible, it is clearly the most advanced console...and possibly too advanced. At $600 to start, only the elite will want it.

The surprise? The Nintendo Wii. Under $300, it does not blaze new graphics power or incredible games. Instead, it's a modest console with innovative controls, meant for a more interactive play style. Motion controlled remotes, instead of complicated joypads, open up a new world of possibility. Tennis? Swing your virtual racket. Fishing? Cast away. The interesting moment was watching Amy as she watched a demo of Bowling and was clearly excited: this is clearly Nintendo's strategy, to go after non-game players. For me, who really only plays consoles for Madden, it looks interesting, especially after today's highest rating of Madden on any platform, on the Wii. I guess there's only one one way this ends:

Wii'll see. :-)

Want to see what all the fuss is about? Nintendo made this great intro video to explain and show. Fun!

Labels: Madden, Video Games, youtube

  ¶ 11:22 PM (0) comments links to this post