An iPod Imminent Slowdown?

First of all, I have an A in Philosophy 313K! I'm just really excited right now that I managed my A because it was quite a challenging class and took more than just studying to do well in. Anyway, surprising title, huh? Does it seem like the iPod engine could ever lose steam? Some analysts, including Bill Gates, seem to think so. I do agree with their main argument and that is that competitors are rising and so the iPod may fall in the long run. They think the next big thing will be the cell phone, which is the most logical step since everyone who has one never leaves home without it. Microsoft and Samsung are together going up against Apple and newcomer Sony (the newer Walkman) with Windows Mobile smartphone software. Walking around campus here at UT you would probably feel rather odd if a day went by when you didn't see someone at the gym or on the bus fashioning their prized iPod. So can M$ really take down Apple's homegrown empire? I think in a few years it could work given the right combination of marketing and pricing strategies. It's important that in breaking the trend that a consumer would feel like the change would be worthwhile, and only time can tell that.

That isn't the only headline Bill Gates is making today though. BBC has put up part 2 of an article I recently mentioned in which they describe his strategy to fight off competitors. What's funny is that it's not as impressive as I would've thought, but the two most important things in my mind other than their progress with Longhorn is going to be for them to get back into the living room and make their stake on cell phones. Meanwhile, the much-feared Google has acquired Dogeball.com, which is a nifty site that can alert you of when friends are nearby on your cell phone and allow you to mass message those who are close by as well as alert you of crushes. I wish my phone was good enough to support that stuff. Also, competitor Firefox has released a new version that counters some critical flaws, one of which I discussed yesterday. If that doesn't convince you to download then maybe this new private ad campaign will. If you're as intrigued about robots as I am you'll want to take a look at this robot that can repair and rebuild itself, which could have far-reaching uses. There's a good article here about a wider method to beating spam, which I think Gmail actually implements under the hood using the Google search engine if I'm not mistaken. If you ever wanted to make an application utilizing the BBC news feed now you can with BBC Backstage, but fortunately I'm not quite that geeky. Lastly, there's a highly informative article here about Podcasts and even how to make them yourself, which I recommend you read if you're even remotely interested in them. I think I may start listening to some myself that I discovered.

The movie news today is actually more interesting than yesterday. The most exciting part is the new international Batman Begins trailer. It's a combination of all the old stuff with a few new scenes but it's still every bit as exciting as I had hoped so be sure to check it out. There's also a trailer up for a cool short film I just heard about called Broken that's worth looking at, especially if you liked Saw. In case you're looking for some more multimedia there are a couple of short clips from Unleashed online at Yahoo! Movies. Oh, and there's a very brief interview with Morgan Freeman at IGN with some great personal questions. Moving into comic book news I think it's funny that X3 is having trouble with getting James Marsden (Cyclops) and composer John Ottman due to rival flick Superman Returns, and so the tension continues. There's a teaser poster kinda up for Wonder Woman that's kind of surprising since the movie hasn't even started production yet. If you dig posters there's some up for The Island and one up for The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3-D. I wanted to conclude with one of a few new pictures up for Woody Allen's Break Point.



I actually have some randomness today. I got my 3-day pass for the Austin City Limits festival in September after much consideration as I suggest you do before the price goes up given the lineup of bands including Coldplay, Oasis, Jet, Rilo Kiley, Wilco, Blue October, Keane, Franz Ferdinand, Robert Randolph & The Family, and Deathcab for Cutie. It's much better than last year's lineup. Be sure to head into Wendy's this weekend because due to all the finger in the chili stuff they're trying to reward faithful customers by offering free Frostys! I for one will be getting mine Saturday right after my final to celebrate the end of my first year of college. That's so strange to say.

I thought I'd try something new today with a Question of the Day meme:

You have been shipwrecked on a remote deserted island! However, you are not the sole survivor. One of your shipmates also made it ashore. You are now stuck with them on this remote island and will not be rescued for decades, if ever.

What is the most annoying habit they could possibly have?

This is actually a tough one because there are so many annoying habits one could have. I guess I'd have to say being a loud eater. I'm probably going to eat with him a lot and if he makes weird noises while he eats I'm sure it'll be sure to drive me crazy. I think I'd be more pissed about being in the middle of nowhere with a dude. Or maybe it's a chick, she has no annoying habits, she wants me, and pigs fly. Who knows.