Unnamed sources in the New York Post article on May 3rd report that Apple may be under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission and or the Department of Justice for antitrust practices.  The focus of the investigation is around Apple’s new policy for iPhone/iPad developers that require them to only use software development tools provided by Apple.

Specifically, here is an excerpt from the iPhone OS 4 developer agreement:

“applications may only use Documents APIs in the manner prescribed by Apple and must not use or call any private APIs” and that “applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++, or JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine, and only code written in C, C++, and Objective-C may compile and directly link against the Documented APIs.”

Is it wrong for Apple to try and protect the stability of their platform?  I know it may be a stretch to assume they have our best interests in mind.  But I have used a Windows Mobile phone in the past.  It is not pleasant when you have to reboot your phone several times per day just to make sure you can receive calls.  I have to reboot my iPhone once every 14-21 days.  And it is not because it just stops operating or hanging like my Windows Mobile phone has done in the past.  It is only because an app or two will start behaving strangely.

How is this any different from the development kits/agreements for console based video game systems?  The Wii, Xbox, and Playstation all require application developers to use their development kits and abide by their licensing to develop an application on their platforms.

If developers want freedom, encourage them to go develop apps on the Blackberry, Symbian, Android, Palm webOS or Windows Mobile.  If Apple was asking developers to sign exclusive agreements that state if an app is developed for the iPhone/iPad it cannot be also developed/distributed on these other platforms, then let’s unleash the FTC.  But for now, Apple should be allowed to ensure the stability of the platform.

Last time I checked there were plenty of other issues that seem a little more important for the government to be focusing on right now.

The views expressed on this site are my own and do not represent any of my current/past employers, friends, my wife, children, or my pets.

Nothing boils my blood like going into an electronics retailer and having them try to sell you over priced HDMI cables.  And when I try to reason with them that there is no difference in the higher priced cables I am amazed at how they will argue with you.  You need these $100 cables to get the higher refresh rates, you need this cable if you want surround sound, and this cable will give you deeper colors.  That is a bunch of crap.

HDMI is a digital transport.  It is all 1’s and 0’s.  Colors are not going to be “better” with one cable vs another.  Audio will not be “better” with a certain type of cable.  Bits (the 1’s and 0’s) will either flow or not which means that it will either work or not.

The quality of the cable is the key feature that you need to look for.  Cheap cables will disrupt the flow of 1’s and 0’s and you will have a bad experience.  But once you have a quality cable that passes bits, look no further – all cables will pass bits the same way after that point.  But we need to talk about speed next.

What you need to know is that as of my writing this article – there are only two categories (speeds) that HDMI cables are tested against.  This is kind of amazing as most retailers have at least 4 different types of HDMI cables for different uses.

• Category 1 – Standard: Tested to perform at speeds of 75 Mhz or up to 2.25 Gbps – the equivalent of a 720p/1080i signal
• Category 2 – High Speed: Tested to perform at speeds up to 340 Mhz or up to 10.2 Gbps – which can support 1080p signals including increased color depths and refresh rates.  This can also support WQXGA cinema monitors which support resolutions of 2560 x 1600.

There is nothing besides these two category ratings that would differentiate a cable from another cable (other than quality that I spoke of earlier).  Remember, it’s just 1’s and 0’s and a better cable will not make the colors brighter or the audio better.

Don’t let them tell you that a cable is HDMI 1.1 or HDMI 1.2 or HDMI 1.3.  These are the HDMI protocol versions themselves and do not have much to do with the cable.  HDMI 1.3 does require a Category 2/10.2 Gbps tested cable – but otherwise the cable does not care what version of HDMI you are using.  You just need to know what the cable was tested against – Category 1 – Standard or Category 2 – High Speed.

The electronics stores will try to tell you that your device needs a Category 2/High Speed interface.  The sales person at Best Buy told me when I was looking at a new DirecTV HR20 DVR that it was going to push 10.2 Gbps – however when I look at the documentation on their web site it clearly states that the HDMI interface is only a “Standard” interface.  I would like to say you should research your device to determine what type of cable you need – but that is way too much work.  Just read on and we will move way beyond all this technical stuff and make the case to buy inexpensive high speed cables all the time.

But don’t I get something for those $100 high-end HDMI cables that they try to sell me?  Sure.  You get fancy gold plated connectors, you get a braided sheath around your cable, you get fancy graphics on the cable, and some even come in really fancy packaging.  But that is quality right?  Maybe – but not quality that is going to affect performance.

So resist the pressure from the sales person, tell them there is nothing better about the more expensive cables, and refer them to this document if you have to.   Hopefully at this point I have discouraged you from spending $100 for an HDMI cable and you are now looking at the less expensive cables – cables that might be in the $30 range.  But spending $30 is even too much!

Buying HDMI cables is about planning ahead and being prepared.  You do not want to buy HDMI cables when you are at your electronics retailer holding that new Blu-Ray player in your arms and then you realize that you do not have another cable and you have to purchase one now.  Last time I was in Best Buy the least expensive 2 meter HDMI cable they had was $29.00.  If you go to their web site you will find one for $12.99 (2 meter) or $8.99 (1 meter) – but you will not find these in their stores.  Why will you not find the lower priced cables in the store? Because you need these cables when you buy your new HDMI device – you need the cable now.  You will buy the more expensive cable from them because you have to purchase it now.  Cables have some of the highest markups of anything in those stores.

Plan ahead.  Go to Amazon.com. There are a lot of HDMI cables on Amazon for under $10.  But I needed mine right away – so I purchased the Amazon Basics cables as they were shipped from Amazon (vs another retailer) and they could have them to me in 2 days.  What does a 2 meter Amazon Basics High Speed (Category 2) cable cost me? Not $100, not $69, not $29, and not even $12.99.  I paid $6.25.

I have been using these cables and they work great.  They are not gold plated (1’s and 0’s do not care about gold – save it for your jewelry), they do not have a braided sheath around them (they are just getting dusty behind my entertainment center), and they don’t have fancy graphics or packaging. But construction quality looks great and they work and who needs more than that?

Buy 4-6 of these Amazon Basics High Speed cables.  With shipping costs you will still spend about as much as you would have on one of the less expensive cables ($30-$50) at a retailer – but you will have them on hand when you need them.

If you want the fancy looking cables – go for it. One day I will build out my dream home theater system and pimp it out like a ’68 Chevy Impala.  But when that happens it becomes as much about the look as the function.  But for now, I am all about function.

Info at www.hdmi.org site.

The power of Apple…

In today’s Network World’s article, “Apple iSlate: IT pros ready to buy, if price is right“, author John Cox talks about how 40% of the 600 readers who responded to an online poll are ready to buy the new tablet when it is (expected) to be announced this Wednesday.  After reading this I am amazed by a few things:

• 4 out of 10 surveyed are willing to purchase a product – sight unseen
• another 2 out of 10 said they are leaning towards purchasing
• 70% of those surveyed said the device would “either never or probably not deployed as an enterprise mobile platform” – again, sight unseen

It amazes me that so many people are talking about making a decision on a product that we have zero information about.  No pictures, no features, no price.  We do not even know what it is called.  Heck – they may announce a revival of the Apple II product line. 

Yet 60% of those surveyed are considering a purchase.  And another 70% have decided how the device would be deployed (or in this case not deployed) in their enterprise environment.  Again, without knowing anything about the product.

Marketing Masters

Let’s face it.  Apple is a master at marketing.  They have been since Anya Major (also famous for Elton John’s 1986 Nakita video – ok…I was crushing a bit back then) ran down the aisle with a hammer and through it at big brother during the 3rd quarter of the 1984 Super Bowl.

People anticipate the release of their new products like few other companies.  Sites buzz about rumors and Apple does a phenomenal job at keeping everything under wraps – furthering the frenzy that surrounds their products.  You can’t buy the type of free media coverage that their products create.

Superior Products/Design

Of course all of this would not be possible if their products were not great.  The Mac, the iPod, the iPhone.  These have all redefined the respective market segments.  They have raised the bar.  Not just in technical capabilities – but in how their user interfaces work.  They break molds and redefine how we use technology – making it easier for anyone to use.

Am I going to go out and purchase an iSlate, iTablet, iBoard, iWhateverYouCallIt?  Maybe.  I am a technology whore.  I am always one for being up on the latest and greatest technology.  Would I have answered ”like totally” to the question of how likely I would be to buy this new product?  Naw.  I need to see it, understand what it is, and at least know what it is called.

I am moving my network content at www.henninger.net to www.networkchatter.com.  The new site is hosted on MediaWiki which will give me a much better platform to host information.

Reno PD Scanner Channel on Sonos

Within a minute of listening to the codes and slang the dispatchers and officers use I was surprised to hear an officer broadcast the name, date of birth, and social security number of a suspect.  He was asking the dispatcher to run a check on the suspect.  A few moments later the dispatcher replied that the suspect was clear. 

Now this was great for the suspect.  But I bet the suspect did not realize that the 3 most personal pieces of identity information were just broadcast in “clear text” over the radio waves for anyone with a scanner.  And now thanks to Internet radio even a person sitting in Minnesota was able to hear this information. 

How ironic is that???  Identity hungry individuals all over the world now have the ability to eavesdrop on information passed around by individuals, who by the way, are the same individuals who will ultimately file the police report for the victims after the identity theft occurs.

And I bet that poor guy in Reno thought the worst thing that happened to him today was a ticket.

In California and many other states companies must notify their customers if their personal information is leaked electronically.  Many of them follow up with a subscription to a credit report monitoring service for those customers should a leak occur.  I find it amazing that the police who should be very skilled at handling evidence and confidential information are dealing with information in this way as a part of normal process/procedure. 

Turns out that the more I look on the Internet I realize that others have discovered this as well:

http://www.darkreading.com/blog/archives/2008/12/when_asked_why.html

When I first heard that Hannah Montanna tickets would be going on sale, I could not wait to get some for my daughter.  At 6 years old she is a devoted Hannah Montanna fan having purchased all of her records and religiously watching her show.  What I found while trying to get tickets is that the recent removal of Minnesota’s ticket scalping laws has changed how we will have to purchase concert tickets in the future.

When I first heard on Tuesday, September 4th that tickets would go on sale on the follow Saturday I began planning my Saturday around purchasing tickets.  After visiting Ticketmaster’s web site to determine what time they would go on sale on Saturday I was surprised to learn that tickets were actually on sale beginning Tuesday, September 4th to members of Hannah’s fan club.  IT WAS TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4TH!

Tuesday – September 4th:

I immediately visited the Hannah Montanna website and signed up for a membership in my daughter’s name.  I was then given the passcode that would allow me to purchase tickets on the Ticketmaster website.  I quickly returned to the Ticketmaster website but was told that there were no tickets available!  I figured that I had arrived too late and that only a small number of tickets were reserved for fan club members.  The Ticketmaster website mentioned that on Wednesday that they would be selling fan club memberships for tickets as well.  So I thought I would return on Wednesday and try again.

Wednesday – September 5th – 10am:

Ticketmaster begins selling Hannah Montanna Fan Club memberships – but I am still not able to find any available tickets.

I check Ebay and the ticket broker – TicketKing –  and both have tickets listed for sale.  I was surprised to see that there were hundreds of tickets available for sale.  In all locations:  100 level, 200 level, and main floor.  There were tickets from all over the arena for sale.  Tickets were going for as high as $1,000.00

Saturday – September  8th – Noon:

I quickly sign on to the Ticketmaster website.  I try to place an order for 4 tickets – no luck.  I try to place an order for 2 tickets – no luck.  I was able to find a few single seats – but not more than a single ticket.  At this time Ticketmaster also begins “Auctions” for tickets and they show tickets from the main floor that have not been sold but are being auctioned off instead.  A friend of mine who actually went to a Ticketmaster outlet said that only a few number of tickets were actually available in-person.

The media did not pick up on the story until Saturday and Sunday.  They portrayed it as the concert sold out in minutes and that within minutes the tickets were available on Ebay and other ticket broker websites on Saturday afternoon.

The Greg Thunder morning show on KS95 was discussing this one morning – how fast the concert sold out and how quickly the tickets were avilable on Ebay.  I called in to the show and was put on the air.  I explained my experiences from Tuesday and Wednesday and how I believed that the concert was sold out on Tuesday and how the tickets were available on Ebay and the broker sites on Tuesday and Wednesday.  But like the rest of the media – immediately after I was off the air they were back to discussing how quickly it sold out on Saturday and how quickly they were on Ebay – on Saturday.

Friday – October 12th – 4pm:

A local radio station announces that Target Center is handing out wristbands for a batch of tickets that has been “released”.  These wrist bands will allow you to come back on Saturday morning and you may get more tickets.  From what I understand some of the people get tickets – but most do not.

Saturday – October 20th – 4pm:

We receive a call from a good friend of ours letting us know that they have released yet another set of tickets.  We quickly call Ticketmaster and are told there are no tickets available.  After calling Target Center we are told that they may not know that these seats are available.  These are obstructed view seats.  I log on to the Ticketmaster website and I am able to place an order.  I order 4 seats on the side of the stage in the upper level.  It will be interesting to see how good the seats are – but at least she gets in the building.

On top of all of this – I still have yet to receive the Hannah Montanna Fan Club materials that were promised my daughter.  It has been over 6 weeks (web site promised shipping in 4-6 weeks) and we have yet to receive any materials.

Here is what I think is the future of concert ticket sales:

• Now that Minnesota has removed the ticket scalping laws – brokers and opportunistic individuals will purchase tickets in hopes of making money will compete against the fans for ticket sales.  I believe that the majority of concert tickets will change hands at least once after they are purchased.
• Fan Club pre-sale will be abused by the ticket brokers if you allow ticket brokers to purchase memberships on-the-fly.  Take the lead from U2 – they require that you are a Fan Club member far before the tickets go on sale – no on-the-fly fan club memberships just to get pre-sales tickets.
• The elimination of the scalping laws has also opened the door to allow Ticketmaster to hold back tickets and auction them off at a premium.
• When people are not eating up the auction tickets, Ticketmaster will release additional tickets to the public.  Creating confusion around when a concert is really sold out and when the additional tickets will go on sale.

Why can’t we just go back to the day when Ticketmaster sold all of the tickets available at a set time.  If an artist wants to have a presale for fan clubs – make sure they are members of the fan club prior to the ticket release date.  Give everyone the same chance.

By the way – I do not blame Hannah Montanna/Miley Cyrus personally for this.  Promoters/Ticketmaster have created the current environment that exists.

In Janurary of 2007 I purchased a new vehicle.  At the time of purchase I was presented with the opportunity to purchase a product called Diamon-Fusion (Although I see many references to Diamond Fusion) that would be applied to my windshield before delivery.  I have been less than impressed with it’s preformance. 

When the product was presented to me it was touted as a product very different from RainX.  I was told that it formed a molecular bond with my windshield.  Not only would it provide RainX type features, but I was told that it would help my windshield resist chips and cracks – in fact I was told it came with a windshield warranty!   I had always loved the effect that RainX had on my windshield, but did not enjoy having to reapply it every few months.  The prospect of a product that would not have to be re-applied appealed to me very much.  The over $300 price tag didn’t seem like much, especially with the 4 year warranty that was promised.

After picking up my vehicle I was amazed at the performance.  When driving at any speed over 45 MPH I would not even have to have my windshield wipers on.  The product would shed water so well it would just slide off.  I was impressed.

It is now April of 2007 – only 3 months after I purchased my vehicle and had the Diamon-Fusion Product applied at the dealer.  The water beading effect is totally gone.  When comparing my windshield to the other auto glass on my vehicle, it has no better qualities than the rest of my glass.

I had asked at the time of purchase if any maintenance was required.  The dealer told me no, however I did receive a spay bottle in the mail from Diamon-Fusion shortly after purchasing the vehicle stating that if the effect was wearing off I could renew it by applying this spay. 

The prospect of bringing my vehicle back to the dealer every 3 months to have it reapplied over the course of the next 3 years does not sit well with me.

I figure I could purchase about 42 bottles of RainX for what I paid for this one application of Diamon-Fusion.  And bringing my vehicle in for a reapplication is far more time consuming than if I just applied the RainX myself.

I wish I had discovered this article before my purchase:

http://autopia.org/forum/detailing-product-discussion/88225-diamond-fusion-windshield.html

When doing searchs I find it helpful to also try Diamond Fusion (with a “d” at the end)  as many people get them confused.

After mentioning my issues to one of the service advisors I was told that yes you do have to apply the maintenance spray regularly.  I was told there was nothing that they could do.  I asked how is that any different than using RainX?  I was told that you still have the anti-glare properties (I really don’t notice that) and that I have the guarantee of windhsield replacement should I ever get a crack.  I thought maybe the warranty would be worth it.

When reviewing the warranty document that I received when I picked up my vehicle, I discovered the following:

• I only have a standard warranty.  To get winshield replacement if it is determined that the windshield is not repairable required the “Replacement Plus Warranty”.  I was never offered this option, yet I was told that repair/replacement was part of the warranty.
• Here is what the standard warranty covers:  “Covers repair costs only, not the replacement of the whindshield.  For any windshield damage described herein which is deemed non-repairable, the customer must pay for the cost of the replacement at the time of the replacement.  Whishield damage is deemed non-repairable if said chip or crack lies in the direct vision of the driver, if the crack is over 6 inches in length, if there is an actual hole in the glass, or if the repair compromises the overall integrity of the windshield.“

Heck, based on all of that when will they ever pay to fix a chip or crack?

Based on my expereince, purchase glass coverage from your auto insurance agent and buy a few bottles of RainX.

Welcome to the new home of my Blog.  I have decided to move my blog from my other homepage www.henninger.net to this page.  I will continue to use www.henninger.net as the location for articles and documentation for the classes that I teach at Inver Hills Community College.