Linked List: October 16, 2009

Friday, 16 October 2009

Brian Lam Throws a Fit Because RIM Didn’t Send Gizmodo a Storm 2 Review Unit ★

Hard to believe any company wouldn’t put Gizmodo at the top of their list for review units after reading this thoughtful well-reasoned piece by Brian “I Guarantee the iPhone Will Be Released the Monday Before Christmas 2006” Lam.

Update: It certainly could be that RIM knows the Storm 2 is a clunker, and they suspected that Gizmodo’s reviewers would flatly say so, and so they didn’t send a review unit simply to avoid a sure-fire bad review. Product reviews are without question the best part of Gizmodo (and Engadget). But that’s not how Lam’s diatribe reads. Lam feels insulted, but rather than say so, he says instead that RIM has insulted Gizmodo’s readers, which I find humorous in that Lam is the guy who has so much respect for Gizmodo readers that, for instance, when he found out that Cisco was going to announce some sort of slapdash “iPhone” VOIP dingus in December 2006 in an effort to protect their iPhone trademark, Lam let them (i.e. trusting Gizmodo readers) believe for an entire weekend that Apple was announcing the iPhone that coming Monday — a stunt that converted trust into extra page views.

Pzizz Relax (iTunes Link) ★

My thanks to Pzizz Relax for sponsoring this week’s DF RSS feed. Pzizz Relax is a $3 iPhone app designed to help you relax for refreshing afternoon “power naps”, with music, sound, and positive affirmations. Adjustable nap durations and unique soundtracks each time you use it. The UI is obvious and convenient.

Spelling ‘HTML5’ ★

I’ve been confused for at least a year about whether it’s “HTML5” or “HTML 5”. The answer is “HTML5”.

Sony Ericsson Quarterly Loss Grows ★

The AP:

Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson said Friday its losses widened to €164 million ($245 million) on sagging sales in the third quarter, and announced new financing from external investors. […]

Sony Ericsson said it had strengthened its balance sheet by securing €455 million ($676 million) in external financing facilities, primarily from parent companies Sony and Ericsson.

Two thoughts: (a) This is what happens to a phone maker today that isn’t building on a solid software platform — even one like Sony Ericsson, which has always made delightful hardware; and (b) Sony Ericsson’s “external investors” are Sony and Ericsson?

Dive Into HTML5: Video on the Web ★

You may recall a few months ago I posted a slew of links related to the new <video> tag in HTML5. My obsession was fueled by two things: (a) that adding built-in official support for video in HTML5 was a great idea, one of the very best new things in the spec; and (b) that, due to the convoluted situation surrounding audio and video codecs, it was utterly unclear how exactly one should or even could use it, even if only targeting Firefox and WebKit-based browsers.

I had the idea that I should figure it all out and document it. I gave up. Luckily for all of us, Mark Pilgrim did not, and his new chapter on video for his in-progress Dive Into HTML5 is comprehensive — and as usual, written with clarity and style. This is a must-bookmark reference for anyone who makes web sites.

Baby Struck by Train, Unharmed ★

No hoax here. Just plain old-fashioned holy shit!