The Weekend.

It was filled with fun and friends. 

Friday – Dinner

Saturday – Brunch, Birthday Party, Holiday Party

Sunday – Erykah Badu

Normally I would have loved to have been at home all weekend playing DCUO, but that wasn’t possible.  Oh well, maybe next weekend.

HP Touchpad

Dear HP,

If I were one of your investors I would sell, sell, sell.

You guys have no idea what you're doing.  You waste a billion dollars for Palm in order to position yourself in a young, but growing mobile market.  A market that hasn't really defined itself yet.  One CEO out and another in and you change everything.  Now you're putting yourself back on track, but now the track leads to a dead end.

In case you didn't know HP, but personal computing has changed and is not going back to what it was before.  People are mobile and they want their computers light and fun.  People are finally realizing that in order to send email and surf the web you don't need the highest specs or latest tech available on the market.

In July HP had released a product that wasn't ready and wasn't priced to sell. (MISTAKE)  People will buy a tablet, but what's holding a lot of people back is the price.  $99 was too good to pass up.  Even with the eventual death of WebOS people snapped up those Touchpads in August because what do people really want do..."check their email and surf the web".

Now the HP Touchpad has sold out and people are hungry for it.  Yes it's cheap, but you've done something no one but a certain fruit company has done and that was cause a "buzz".  Now, you want to kill something where you have complete control of the (hardware and software) kind of like another company. (MISTAKE)

It's great that you're keeping your PC division alive.  You should.  You said you're excited about Windows 8 for tablets.  That's great, but where are they?  Windows is too late to the game.  WebOS was further along than Windows 8 and you spent a billion dollars for Palm.  I just think that doesn't make any sense.  HP you need to ask yourselves, "where do you want to be in ten years"?  If mobile isn't figured in their, you may follow in RIM's shoes...

...dead in the water.

This is a huge problem and I don't seeing and change or movement. Investors.  Sell.  Sell.  Sell.

Scorcher Girl

It’s been so long since my last blog entry.  I refuse to admit that blogs are dead.  I will admit that while Google plus is about sharing, blogs seem more personal. 

DC Universe Online came out in January and didn’t really know what I was doing.  I created a character and just did the missions so that I could hit Level 30.  I thought the game would be over, but I was sooooo wrong.

It was only the beginning.  There is so much investment needed in this game to be successful and more specifically strong.

Take my strongest character:

Scorcher Girl

Power:  Fire Tank

Weapon:  Brawling

Movement:  Flight

Mentor:  Superman

When you start, your character has broken free attempting to escape Brainiac's ship.  Once off, you end up in a safehouse (Police Station) and start accepting missions that help your character level up with Power points and skill points.  Once you reach 30 you'd think that you've achieved the highest level but that's not true.  The next steps can take a few months.  

• Arenas
• Alerts
• Legends
• Duos
• Raids

After I "leveled" up to 30 I decided to play some new content that was available to me and I kept dying against other players or challenge modes.  It was terrible.  Then I realized that I had to build my armor up in order to get stronger and start winning.

That was in May and now I'm finally in a decent place to be effective in a RAID or even hard alert.  

For me what makes this game so amazing is the community and strategy aspect of it.  I'm part of a League and they're incredible.  DCUO isn't about button mashing.  You really can't win that way, but you can win by combining you power with you fighting abilities.  Combine that with strong armor and you can be pretty bad ass.  Just like life there will always be someone stronger.  I just wish I knew in January how to play because I would be invincible by now!!

Google Plus

I've been wanting for an alternative to Facebook for a long time.

Something that's fun but has a real social component to it.  Would I send one status message to my friends, coworkers and family? Nope.  I'd have one for all different kinds of people that I know.

Plus, I like new things that aren't what everyone else is using.

I'm in love with customizing it. You can see public updates from people near you. I think that's awesome. You can share updates with people you put in certain certain circles. So I could send a coworker a message that my friends wouldn't see. It's awesome. Compartmentalization! I love it.

Google you did good. You grabbed great elements from Twitter and Facebook and created an alternative to your existing social network. I'm not cancelling my account, but I know I will spend most of my time on Google Plus.

Brakes are on

I've decided to not get any tablet at the moment.   When the time is right, I'll get one.

I think I just want a new toy.

Gaming for Fall

The dust has settled from E3 and the following are on my radar

• Skyrim
• Bioshock Infinite
• Uncharted 3
• Starhawk
• Battlefied 3

  

That’s over $300 worth of games!!! Ouch!!  

Listening to Music

I feel like I’ve transitioned to listening exclusively to podcasts.  I have Jill Scott, Beyonce and The Book of Mormon and I don’t think I’ve listened to the albums more than once (albeit they just came out).  That happens when I have tons of podcasts loaded that I love to listen to.  Here’s a sample of what I listen to:

• Android Central
• Buzz Out Loud  (daily) – don’t listen to much after Tom Merit left.
• Dialed In (weekly)
• IGN – Game Scoop (weekly)
• IGN – Podcast Beyond (weekly)
• Loaded (daily)
• Mac OS Ken (daily)
• Oh My Pod (daily & weekly)
• Savage Love
• Tech New Today (video) (daily)
• Tekzilla (video) (daily)
• This Week in Tech (weekly)
• Wall Street Journal (daily)
• Weekend Confirmed (weekly)
• The 404 (daily)

Is it me getting older or am I less interested in hunting for good music?  I was just observing that given the choice I will listen to my podcasts.  That could all change later.

Closer to the Touch

The date fast approaches for the HP (Palm) Touchpad and I’d like to drop my predictions.  

• There will be acclaim for the design, packaging and build quality.
• WebOs will be smooth, but people will miss all the gestures.
• Light to medium demand.
• Lots of promotional pricing.
• Low stock will lead to false demand.

Deep down I want the Touchpad to be a success.  Competition is the only way products get better.  I own a Pre and HP is offering $50 off for having a Pre.  I think that’s a nice gesture, but for a $499 device it doesn’t make much difference.  Apps make the difference.  I’ll say it again... there needs to be a Nook app. 

Most people I talk to have no need for a tablet.  They just want one.  Since I have a Nook, I’ve got my reading situation covered.  It serves its function of carrying around books (no frayed edges or extra weight on my shoulders).  My EVO is a great for browsing the web, checking my RSS feeds, Twitter, Facebook, etc. 

A tablet doesn’t fit in my tech world yet, but I want one to play with too.

Light of the Sun

Blessed is the first track...

I’m so pleased by what I hear and I'm not even finished with the album yet.  That’s a good sign.  Spoken word, thoughtful and passionate lyrics and soulful delivery already put it on par with Adele’s “21”.  I think it’s a notch above because of its concert feel.  "Hear my call" sounds like one of my own journal entries. 

“God, please hear my call. I am afraid for me.

Love has burned me raw I need your healing

I need Your healing.”

I'm glad you're back Jill!

Honeycomb

I want a tablet today not because I need it but because I want it.  I would have loved to have an Android tablet but the interface is unfinished.  The fact that Samsung had to put 2.2 (Froyo) on a tablet was a big fail.  I understand coming to market quickly is important, but when it's at the expense of the product, it hurts you.  Consumers need just one reason NOT to get your product over the HOT product.  When you're competing with a company that consistently makes slick, polished products, you've got to come out of the gate running!  PERIOD.

Honeycomb should have shipped with all Android tablets automatically.  You can't compete with the market leader if you don't have a unified interface. You have got to wow people. Give them a real interface, not a piecemeal one.  If "regular" people have to "figure it out"...they aren't going to.  They'll just go for the "easy" one that everyone has.

**I know criticized HP for not releasing the HP sooner, but it seems like they're making sure their product interface, accessories are ready to go.  Good for them.

I applaud the Android team for realizing this with Ice Cream Sandwich.  Being a consumer, I'd wait for this update before I'd buy an Android tablet.