The Ian Bell Weblog

Today’s announcement that Apple has already sold over 1 million video downloads amazes me. It goes to show how smart Apple really is. Content is king, and when you launch a product that has content readily available at the same time, you are sure to sell a lot of units. Microsoft, iRiver, Samsung and the others could lean a thing or two from this model. Archos has had media players on the market for a long time, and while early adopters and technophiles were quick to snatch up their products, the mainstream has stayed away. Why? Because who wants a media player with nothing to play on it? People can be lazy and others simply do not have the time to learn new technologies. They want to open the product and have it working in 30 minutes or less. With the Archos or Zen Vision, you need to know how to convert media, record shows etc. But with the Apple iPod Video, all you have to do is open iTunes - its that simple.

I am not a huge fan of the iPod Video. I think its screen is too small, and it only supports a MPEG-4 video. I need a DivX compatible player to be happy. But I am the exception. You can read my review of the Apple iPod Video here. I didn’t review it based on my personal tastes, but rather in the eyes of those whom Apple is targeting. And once again they hit the Bulls Eye.

I want to welcome Scott Steinberg to the group. Scott will be writing a series of articles covering the state of video games. He brings a fresh new voice to the site with his no-nonsense straight-up approach. You can check out his first article here. You will find his articles very easy to read with a touch of sarcasm (heavy touch if you will). You will want to keep on the look out for this guy, he is going places. You can read more about Scott on our About Us page.

Its nice to see Intel investing here at home instead of overseas for a change. 300 new jobs will be created in New Mexico as a result. It looks like Intel’s new CEO Paul Otellini might have a good head on his shoulders afterall.

Rafat Ali of Paidcontent.org points to a BloomBerg article that talks about the success, or shall I say lack of success, regarding the new Motorola ROKR phone. According to the article :

As many as six times more customers are returning the Rokr phones than is normal for new handsets, according to American Technology Research analyst Albert Lin

I can’t help but feel sorry for Motorola. But of course the new ROKR probably did not cost a whole lot to manufacturer. As several readers pointed out in one of our Talk Back articles, the Motorola ROKR is basically a rebadged Motorola e398 phone. The problem is that the phone simply does not look like an Apple product. Add to that a storage limit of only 100 songs, and the phone is pretty useless. People are not fools, and they are not always as easy to trick as some of these executives might think. People want a phone that doubles as an iPod, simply throwing iTunes software on an existing phone won’t do. Its a waste of money for Motorola and they need to axe it now.

Rumors have it that Apple will be developing their own cell phone, the question is whether they will include Motorola in the big picture or not. Should they?

David Elrich just posted his review of the new Canon Optura 600. It sounds like he is really impressed with this camcorder. I am in the market for a camcorder but can’t decide which model to get now. I was thinking about the new Panasonic PV-GS250 but might have to go with the Canon Optura 600 instead. I think Dan has a Panasonic camcorder that he really likes, but I am not sure which model he has. If you have a camcorder that you recommend, then please share your thoughts. I would like to stay under $1000 if at all possible.

For those of you wondering just who this Ian Bell character is, you can read my bio at Designtechnica.com. I am a co-founder of this wondferul site, along with Dan Gaul , my best friend and business partner. Designtechnica started out as a hobby of ours, and has bloomed into more than we could have ever imagined. We have some of the best writers out there, and our readers are a remarkable group of men and women that never cease to amaze me.

I have finally broken down and created my own blog. I have mixed feelings about this. I am a deeply private person when it comes to my life, but I feel it’s important to reach out to our readers so they have a face (one of many) to put with the site.

I will post my thoughts as they relate to my life and the world of consumer electronics. Some of you may agree with what I have to say, while others may think otherwise. I respect opinions of all flavors, so I welcome you to post your thoughts.

Truly Yours,

Ian Bell