What if you could take all the pictures of a particular place on Flickr, taken at different angles, and without a 3D model, your computer could stitch the pictures together into a 3D, navigable model where you can zoom in or out, walk around and more?  Enter Microsoft Live Labs' project, "Photosynth"

Update0: On10.Net has a cool interview and more in-depth demo of Windows Live Labs' PhotoSynth here.

Todd Bishop of the Seattle P-I has updates on Zune and Vista from the Microsoft Financial Analysts Meeting (FAM).

Correction: Todd Bishop of the Seattle P-I. ;)

From the "Don't believe everything you read on the Internet" file, Anything but iPod is reporting has been relaying a rumor that an iRiver Clix 4GB version is expected next week.  The apparent source of said rumor is an hourly-wage employee at a major retail chain.  I've helped to train said types of employees in a former life and I can tell you these guys are the last ones I would trust to have inside skinny on product releases or even how to market them. 

Case in point: I was recently forwarded pictures of a major retailer placing multiple Apple iPods in the PlaysforSure section of one of their stores, in demo stations with security wire and PlaysforSure logos, all of which was likely an honest mistake by a sales employee/manager type, but is highly deceptive to consumers.

So is a 4GB Clix coming next week?  I checked with our friends at iRiver and while they don't normally speak about future product plans, I can tell you a 4GB version is not expected to be released next week.  What about the week after?  Come on guys, I'm not going to do that to you.  If you're in the market for a Clix, now is a good time to buy.  If a 4GB comes out, you can always put your existing device up on eBay or Windows Live Expo (which just launched) and sell it there.

I've expressed my desire for a 4GB as have many customers via forums and contacting iRiver and Reigncom (their parent company) directly, but there is no news to communicate at this time.  If this changes, I will report it here from a confirmed source. :)

Xbox Live's Major Nelson interviewed my VP, Amir Majidimehr for his podcast while I was out on vacation.  This is a frank and highly informative look at HD-DVD, Blu-Ray and DVD.  Even if you have no idea what I'm talking about, I still recommend you listen to this interview to learn more about why Microsoft got behind HD-DVD, and continues to supply technology that will ship in both formats.

Back in the saddle at work today after an extended vacation :). 

Billboard has a good write up about a new Microsoft project under the brand name, "Zune". I've received a few phone calls and emails asking for comment, but prefer to make my thoughts known here.  Let me first say I’m not a member of the Zune team and in no way speak for them or Microsoft in an official capacity on this topic.  With that out of the way, here’s my take.

From what I've learned, Zune is a new brand for Microsoft - Zune is about community, music and entertainment discovery.  You'll experience Zune with a family of devices and software that bring it all together. Yes, we all want more details, but we’ll have to be a little patient for more details. Check out www.comingzune.com and sign up if you want more details.

One question that gets asked here is the relationship to our existing PlaysforSure program. The Windows digital media team (of which I've been a member) has been focused on raising the tide for all boats, raising the experience for many partners through programs like PlaysforSure, giving sessions on 360 degree product design at partner events, offering frank feedback on product designs when requested and more.  We want Windows to be the best place to experience digital music and entertainment.  The Windows team will continues to work closely with service and device partners to make Windows a great platform for any digital media.

And one need only look as far as the MP3 player/portable media player market to find other examples of taking multiple approaches.  At least two of the largest consumer electronics manufacturers compete on not one, not two, but three levels:

• They supply memory for their own, and competitive MP3 players
• They design and sell MP3 "engines" (systems on a chip) for their own, and competitive MP3 device manufacturers
• They design, build and compete for retail space for their own, branded MP3 players

There are many other examples that can be drawn within Microsoft as well – for example, Microsoft Game Studios competes with independent game publishers for consumer dollars on the same platform (Xbox) also built by Microsoft. In all these cases, relationships of trust must be established independently between product groups or divisions.  The same holds true here as well.   It’s hard to understand unless you’re inside Microsoft but these groups have separate P&Ls (Profit/Loss metrics) and that sometimes means trying different strategies.  To quote Jonathan Sasse, President of iRiver America in a recent CNet News.com article:

“Microsoft is a great partner and we expect continued success moving forward. The potential launch of a device by Microsoft does not appear to threaten our relationship in any way.”

I personally hope, like Jonathan, that this new effort will help to raise the tide once again for all players as the so-called digital lifestyle continues to evolve.  PlaysforSure continues to be a Windows effort with some 140+ products in the market today and with the recently updated PlaysforSure 2.01 specification, the experience bar will be raised even higher.  Zune is a part of a different group and P&L,  but an integral part of Microsoft’s vision for “connected entertainment” that spans across offerings including as games, music and devices. So that’s my take on it. 

(To learn more about the Zune community, check out Cesar’s new site at www.Zuneinsider.com or the official teaser site at www.comingzune.com, which will offer more information when available. For more on PlaysforSure devices available today, see http://www.playsforsure.com)

Update0: Brier Dudley of the Seattle Times weighs in on my post here.
Update1: Richard Winn, a member of the Zune team and new to Microsoft is blogging at www.madisonandpine.com
Update2: Chris Pirillo says the post is a link worth loading and notes I'm one of the Microsoft employees he trusts - thanks Chris :)

While Senator Stevens is still trying to explain how the Internet is a series of tubes (must see: Jon Stewart clip), I'm thinking about a different kind of tube- the kind that you leisurely go down a river in.  The weather is going to be sweltering here today so I'm thinking about going tubing while I'm still on vacation.  A quick search on the 'Net yields few references to tubing in Western Washington so I may just go down the Snoqualmie or Tolt Rivers in Carnation/North Bend and hope for the best. 

Q1: Any suggestions or resources on great tubing/canoeing areas in Western Washington or a short drive from the area?

Q2: Is it time for "Geek Tubing" ala Geek Dinners?

P.S. Apologies to those who were up for a Geek Dinner in NJ, things were just too hectic for me to peel away.  I'll definitely set something up next time I'm in town.

While still on vacation, the 'Net blackout period of my vacation is over - 1.5 weeks with almost no access to the internet, though little Ocean Grove, NJ had many unsecured freely accessible wifi access points available to siphon a little 'nettage off.  The family reunion's soundtrack during happy hour/dinners was powered by Urge's radio stations, and ironically we settled on "Reunion" (Classic rock) as our fave. 

Here's my "Top 10 Things I Learned on Vacation" list:

Top 10 Things I Learned on my Beach Vacation

10.  When getting a 3 year old up at 3:30am for a 6:30am flight, do not tell him the night before he will be going on an airplane in the morning.  He won't sleep.

9.   Learn to Surf.  Yes, at the Jersey Shore.  Go in the AM before the lifeguards arrive and at 5:30pm when they leave.

8.  When in a body surfing competition, tucking your head in so you can't see where you're going may result in injury to you and/or other people who can't see you torpedoing at their legs (but at least you'll win- sorry Jack). 

7.  The guy who does all the grilling and BBQing doesn't have to do too much cleaning.

6.  Always wear sunscreen. At least on your nose, ears, and tops of your feet.

5.  Do not wait in line going around the block for ice cream.  I don't care if it's a $1.50 single scoop that looks like the leaning tower of Piza, just go get some Friendly's at the store.

4.  When two adults volunteer to take two 8 year olds, a 12-year old, and a 3-year old to the Aquarium, Arcades, Boardwalk, Lunch, Games, and Ice Cream on said boardwalk, ask for a third parent to go; you'll still always have two kids in rotation.

3.  Meet the locals.  Even if said local is 12 yo boy called "The Mayor" by the locals for the fact he knows everyone (and can get a 3 year old a tour of the fire station on his birthday making Dad a hero).

2.  When going out to a nightclub at the Jersey Shore with old friends on "Pirate Night", a fake mustache and eye patch can start all sorts of interesting games and conversations.

1.  When it's 99 degrees at 89% humidity, close up the house and crank the window air conditioners up upstairs to the max.  You're not paying more for the power and cool air falls quickly.

I brought a few gadgets along (a Toshiba Gigabeat-S and an iRiver Clix) and both received responses I've never seen.  I had 7 and 12 year olds, 40+ year olds and 50+ year olds all asking me how they can get them saying things like "Cooler than iPod" and "Why don't people know about this?".  I can't speak for marketing budgets.  Rumor has it Apple spends 9 digits on advertising per year.  But what I can say is that the iPod has opened doors because all of that marketing spend is coming back to users now understanding the value, and wanting more features at a lower price. 

Overall this was one of the most enjoyable vacations we've had in years, we'll definitely be doing this again.  Thanks to our local hosts D and J, and to Grandpa for pulling this Reunion together. Grandma was there in spirit and smiling the whole time.

In my totally unsanctioned but nice to poke have a little fun style, you might recall a month ago I announced a contest to win an iRiver Clix.  The winner is in: Long Zheng's "Feel the Beat" was selected based on its simplicity and spirit in line wiht the player+device+service combo.  Long's second design, "Press the Magic Number" was another top contender.

And for the heck of it, Austin wins the runner up "Nice try and yes, there's some truth there too Award" for his entry I call, "Usable".  Austin gets a cool WMP11|iRiver Clix launch team jacket (with tiny logos) for his entry because it made me laugh.

Congrats to both our winners!

After nearly seven years of being in "launch mode" every summer, I'm going on a long vacation - a whopping two weeks! I'll be down at the Jersey Shore with family and friends.  I may try to do a geek dinner at the Jersey Shore- if anyone is interested, send me email at sean@youknowthissite.com

Check out an interview with the On10 Team and learn more about what it's like to work on this sister-site to Channel9. 

You can also get a Sneak Peek at their upcoming site redesign.  What do you want to see more of on On10?  Let Jeff and the team know.

One thing to note on the upcoming site redesign is more discoverable support for downloadable versions of their videos formatted for iPod and PSP.  I think this is great- support what the people do en-masse.  Does this surprise you?  It shouldn't. I just hope my Toshiba PMC will also be supported. :)

Addressing a question I get often internally and externally at Gnomedex this week.

1.  Yes I blog and have done so for a long time (5+ years)

2.  Yes I work at Microsoft.

3.  No, I'm not Mini-MSFT.  I read his site once a month and find it to be more of a virtual support group for disgruntled MSFT employees unable or willing to effect change internally than a voice for change.

4.  Can we move along now? :)

Great tips here from the New York Institute of Photography on how to take pictures of fireworks.  It worked for me even for a small show put on by some friends this weekend.

Admittedly I skipped out on Day 2 of Gnomedex knowing I would be able to catch up on what I missed later and opted for some family time.  Inspired by the beautiful weather, we spent some time bumming around Seattle, resulting in what was definitely a "Best Day Ever".  It's nice to get away from the tech side of life sometimes.

More pictures here.

9:30am - Walking down at Alki Beach.

11:00am - Shopping at Pike Place Market

12:30pm - Lunch at XXX Root Beer Stand (Last in America)

1:00pm - Chainsawing Limbs from the Sycamore in our Neighbors Yard from a Tall Ladder (Too Scary for Pictures)

4:30pm - Finished Cleaning Up after Chainsawing Limbs from the Sycamore.  Firewood is ready for winter.

5:30pm - 4th of July Big Bash at Jaron & Lauren's House

9:30pm - Fireworks!

More pictures up on my Flickr site

We're here at Gnomedex at Chris Pirillo just pointed out on his blog that it looks like TechMeme has been hacked?  If you have no idea what I'm talking about. Move along. :)

Brier Dudley seems to agree about the Clix in his latest column in the Seattle Times:

"I'd argue that Microsoft has already developed an iPod challenger, and it's been on sale for a couple of weeks at Best Buy and Amazon.com for about $200... The device is called the Clix."

I was interviewed for this article and got a nice quote.  Brier has more details about the development experience over on his blog.  Just one correction- we didn't specify the silicon for use, but we did provide direct feedback as decisions were being made . 

I also want to call out the amazing work done by the iRiver America team.  The packaging is largely to their credit- we provided critical feedback and encouraged a new, more refined design based on existing packaging in Korea.  The iRiver team did all the heavy lifting and it shows.

At the end of the day, my job was two-fold: As UX (User Experience) PM, to play the part of the consumer end to end- to apply what I've learned working in this space for 7+ years and document our recommendations.  From there, we (the v-team as we called ourselves) agreed on relative priorities w/ iRiver up-front.  We acknowledged where we disagreed without ego or hubris, and worked together on a solution in the interest of the customer.  We were invited to provide input in every meeting on the UX, system flow and regular milestones on naming, branding, messaging, out of box experience and more.  

Shifting gears for a second.  Looking to the development process we used as a case study, Chris Pirillo is still largely right in my opinion about the "User". Except it's users vs. the traditional development process that's the issue- not the developers themselves.  PMs, Devs, Testers, and Marketing are still WAY too silo'ed from their customers and residing in the echo chamber.  I get irate when a PM or Dev tells me they're too busy to go on a customer visit or staff a booth and talk to customers about their product.  I look for these opportunities. But a better requires a multi-disciplined approach working together on a daily basis as well as talking to customers.  That's why we instituted a Scrum Model with "butts in seats at 9:30am accountability" on this project. Our mission statement, "Help our partner build a device we're proud to recommend to family and friends everywhere with WMP11 Beta".  In my opinion, that's what made it work so well this time around.  And the fact that with the U10, iRiver was already on their way to building a great product.  I speak for many within Microsoft when I say thank you to Reigncom/iRiver for the opportunity to work together.

P.S. I'm getting out of my echo chamber later this week at Gnomedex.  See you there.  And a question for the future- where else should I go to further get out of the echo chamber?

I've recently upgraded to a Nikon D200 w/ an 18-200mm lens that took four weeks to arrive off backorder! So I'm running around taking "Happy Snaps" as my Aussie friends like to call them and just loving the quality of the camera.  Any tips/techniques I should be aware of with this particular camera beyond the traditional "learn what ISO is"? 

See some recent shots on my Flickr account.

What I really need to do is take another more advanced class.  Or maybe just follow Thomas Hawk around for a few days in San Francisco. ;)

TiVo Desktop 2.3 now supports scheduled transfers and conversion to PSP, iPod and Treo but expect to pay for the privilege- $24.95 to be exact vs. free for Windows Media-based devices like the Toshiba Gigabeat-S.  Looks like they're passing the licensing cost onto you for MPEG-2 and H.264 support.  Still, not a bad price.

Scoble has bit the HD bug hard and he's coming out swinging against HD-DVD detractors.  While I disagree that there's more HD on Xbox Live than HD-DVD (in terms of minutes or available content), he makes a few pretty good points.

At the end of the day, it's about price.  Mainstream users aren't going to buy a PS3 for Blu-Ray, but for the cost they could buy an Xbox 360 and a Nintendo Wii!  Blu-Ray players are going for $1000+, HD-DVD sub-$400.  Yes, they're first generation units but attactive to americans who have upgraded to HDTVs sets (happening at a rapidly accelerating rate).

Then there's the question of quality.  I have it on good authority that many of the initial Blu-Ray titles don't look very good, use MPEG-2, and suffer from issues in the mastering process.  I believe "asleep at the wheel during encode" was one comment heard from an industry insider. Yes, they'll improve, but HD-DVD went to the mat on quality up-front.

I have a Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD player. It's ok as far as first-generation devices go.  I don't speak as a video compression expert.  But I've shown it to a slice of mainstream america in my home.  Is it a revolution? Not the way VHS to DVD was. But I have a 50in 720p Samsung HDTV and everyone can definitely tell the difference between it and DVD.  Perhaps if I had a 1080p system the difference would be even more striking.

What about HD cable?  Perhaps good enough for most who don't mind watching when it's on and the quality tests the lower limits of HD in order to cram as many channels in as possible. But even my premium HBO-HD craps out (macro blocking) on high action sequences because of a lower bit rate. And yes, I've checked my signal quality :).

But... I'm not an expert, I just have access to a few and you do too.  Spend some time in AVSForum (www.avsforum.com) and you'll come to see that key players, big and small, trusted engineers and even the developers of the formats are still at odds. 

I still say the cost vs. benefit for Blu-Ray is out of whack.  "Good enough" and "cheap enough" will win in the end.  And the funny thing is, HD-DVD just might also be the best in terms of quality of the final product too. Add to that the often-ignored fact that women in the household have a major say in these kinds of family purchase decisions. I don't know many wives who would buy or green light a $1000+ player for their husbands this coming fall having just spent $2000+ on an HDTV over the past few years. 

Another way of looking at this is, for the price of a "low cost" Blu-Ray Player coming next month you could get an HD-DVD Player and seven years of HD-DVD rentals at NetFlix. 

Who will win? Only the customer will decide and right now the decision factors are too complex and nuanced, the technology too new for anyone to say definitively. 

Whatever you might think, Aaron Spelling was an amazing producer of quality and some questionable television.  Thanks for getting me through the teenage years Aaron.

Geoff Harris leads the team responsible for Windows Media Player 11.  In this interview, he talks about the new player and the Urge Music Service.

Watch at On10.net

Like my fellow Gnomies, I'll be at Gnomedex again this year.  I procrastinated and will be in the "other" room.  That may make me easier to find actually.  Ping me if you want to meet up.

Apparently this guy, "Remi Frazier" has a million dollar destiny (and a myspace account).  He says he's gone to NYC with $100 in his pocket and says he will return to Colorado in a month with a million dollars:

I've never been to New York. I don't have a place to stay. I don't have a network of people in the city; I haven't set anything up in advance. I'll be starting from scratch, building a business and a new social network from Friday, June 16 to Saturday, July 15th.

Interesting idea there Remi.  Personally I'm getting a little tired of these hair-brained "missions" and the dolts that pay for them. Perhaps this is a PhD experiment gone awry but I expect it's just another attempt to pilfer a million dollars from unsuspecting folks looking for a cheap (Internet) thrill.  Here's an idea, give that $3 you were about to send Remi to a local non-profit organization instead and watch something useful come from your local community. 

Check with your employer- they often match donations too. There you go.  $6 to a worthy cause instead of $3 wasted dollars to Remi.  Perhaps some good can come from this after all.

Wonder how active Microsoft is going to be in giving people new features as well as comprehensive driver coverage via Windows Update and the Ultimate add-ons?  Try this on: a major update for Vista Beta 2 users went out for the Mobile Device Center.  Thanks to Sidebar Geek for the scoop- this is great to see.

Last week I wrote about the new MusicGremlin portable media player.  An interesting concept, the musicgremlin is the first portable media player to incorporate music sharing via WiFi and the concept of community sharing.  Both are compelling ideas to me, but I have some fundamental issues with the implementation.  Net-net, musicgremlin in my opinion has a long way to go before it's ready for prime time. 

Out of the Box Experience
The "MG" (as it's called in the UI) has a premium enough cardstock box with matte finish. The front flap has the only other messaging on the box- "the record store in your pocket".  In an attempt to achieve Apple-like simplicity though, other essential details are missing- storage size (8GB), formats supported (WMA, MP3) essential features (Local and Network music playback, FM radio), battery life (reportedly could be better).

The unit is displayed right on top and protected with a spongy foam insert.  A "get activated now" card is placed on the top, another smart touch.  Pull the gremlin out of its nest and a bright orange backing can be seen, another premium touch.  There is no electrostatic or adhesive protector over the screen or the face which I would like to have seen. Underneath is the getting started guide and three items: An AC charger, a USB 2.0 (mini) cable, and headphones.  All three are in plastic baggies, the AC adapter bad was open-ended.  This was not a great experience- it felt like the item packaging was an afterthought.  A pang of buyer's remorse set in.

The headphones look and feel cheap- plastic and too big to fit in my ears.  What bugs me the most is that the left and right earbuds have different length of cable and are unlabeled.  This doesn't generally bother me since I use my Shure e-series or Sony studio headphones when listening.

Despite its chubby girth, the device fits nicely in my hand, but not nearly as well as my current two favorite devices - the Toshiba Gigabeat-S (HD) and iRiver Clix (Flash) (disclaimer- I worked on the Clix). The left-hand side control is a slider with neutral central position- up for lock, down for on/off.  The right hand side has +/- at the top for volume, Play/Pause, and Prev/Next from top to bottom.

The front D-pad is fine as well with good, tactile response.  During boot up, the d-pad lights up very brightly but not at all as far as I can tell during use. 

Ed. Note: I was intending to do a full review of the device, but have decided to wait and focus my time on providing MusicGremlin with a comprehensive list of all the bugs I encountered and in most cases was able to easily reproduce.

Pros

• Nice concept
• Simple browsing of other's libraries
• Can only download/play back subscription music on others' devices
• Supports PIN Locking of device

Cons

• Expensive
• Unstable firmware
• No Windows Vista support (yet)
• No Photo support
• Easily scratched
• No case for device
• Cheap headphones
• Poor audio quality w/ pops

Sample of Bugs/Issues Found during a 20 minute eval:

Bootup/Shutdown/Charging

1. Screen shows unpolished "Please wait" and firmware version over refined logo.
2. Audible "pop" on startup & shutdown.  A big no-no.
3. Returning from standby, saw pixelated, multicolor "static" across entire screen on multiple occasions
4. Turn off device while connected to power for charge and it blanks the UI, then entire screen is blank (white and lit)

On-Device Navigation

1. Music experience always prompts the user to search and peck in letters.  Even if you're searching artists and there are only two in the list. 
2. No menu option for "Now Playing" to take you back to album art and seek view, but volume and seek take you temporarily to the view?
3. Alpha entry & search navigation isn't consistent.  For example, Up/Down scroll for network security key goes backwards through alphabet as if centered on "blank" between "Z" and "0" vs. defaulting to "A" when searching music.

Sync Experience

1. The device reports itself as "MTP Device" when syncing with Windows Vista.  It should state the name, and present the Device Icon and Device Logo in WMP11.  Right now WMP can't even see it.
2. MTP-class devices shouldn't prompt the user for drivers.  Something is wrong here. After forcing a device reboot, it installed. Other devices sync no problem w/ Vista using MTP.
3. Device never reports status of sync relationship other than USB icon. The icon reports actual USB connect state instead of communications state with the PC.  It should tell the user if it's connected, busy, or if there's a problem.

Get New Music

1. If I choose Get New Music, why am I prompted for "New Search" when there are no saved searches?
2. Search on Genres returns Artists.  I want to browse by Genres>Albums.  This makes the feature unusable.
3. Gremlists NEVER worked.  Every song is unavailable, even when other tracks could be downloaded
4. Downloading no longer works at all. Even after factory reset.  No downloads are queued up.
5. Display of queued tracks to download isn't centered on icon when double digit value exists (e.g. 10 downloads)

Community

1. Device stopped playing back tracks downloaded from any users.  DRM-12 error when I went into the Download Manager which told me to contact MG technical support.
2. A number of users in the community could not be browsed.  After factory reset, no users could be downloaded from.
3. Device is now in a state where I cannot download any music from any users.  Nothing gets added to the Download Manager even after rebooting or factory reset.

FM Radio

1. You have to push up/down to tune. 
2. No visual notification of presets found during seek. 

Mailbox

1. It looks like on 06/08/06 the device was either flashed or tested and "Error getting root license" was found.  Why would a new user need to see this?

Settings

1. If the device is registered, it should tell you.  Right now if I go to the website it says the device is registered and will not give me a key.  The MG unit prompts me for a regkey. 
2. If you restore the device to factory defaults, this should wipe out your list of downloads in the download manager and your WiFi security keys.
3. There is No way to de-activate the device (e.g. if you wanted to resell it on ebay in the future.)

Conclusions

If you're going to give your product a name that refers to a mythical creature that destoys machines and is the subject of one of the scariest episodes of The Twilight Zone ever and two campy 80's movies, you better make darned sure you've worked your own Gremlins out of the system.  This was honestly one of the worst device experiences I've ever had. The fact that Walt Mossberg's column seems to like it so much tells me either someone over at the WSJ isn't really spending much time living with the device or perhaps I just have a bad unit.  Either way, it's time to put this one back in the oven and let it bake a bit longer. Here's to hoping there's a firmware update because right now, the device isn't working for me as-advertised and is about to get returned. I'm waiting to hear back from technical support.

Update #1: Well, it looks like MusicGremlin got my bug list because they sent me out a new device and a separate box to ship the "defective" unit in.  They did look at my connection and it does appear something was awry.  I still think many of the user experience points stand but will report back tomorrow on my experience with the new unit.  Big points to MG's customer service though.