Apple Innovation, DRM Madness, Jedi Mindtricks with a degree, I'm a PC, Ensemble Studios Farewell, New Blackberry Pearl, and iPhone 2.1 Love.  All on this week's Ikeagamer Podcast!  Thanks for listening!  Subscribe at: /feed/podcast

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SOAPBOX:

Apple Innovation

• Still innovative?


• Compared to RIM certainly but needs to step up


• Lots of tech that still needs reimagining


• Star Trek Apple Data Pad anyone??

DRM Gone Wild

• iTunes and Nike+ Patent


• Spore limits accounts to one per CD KEY


• EA and Red Alert 3 - I'm not buying

AROUND THE NET:

Wireless Communication in Football Helmet (EDIT: Winnipeg, not Edmonton)

• Minor League Football coach caught communicating with player through BT headset


• Unfair Advantage?


• Beijing Olympics as an example - if you got the tech, use it

Queens University in Belfast offering Jedi courses

• Feel the Force: How to Train in the Jedi Way


• Do you want your doctor to have on his resume that he's a certified Jedi Knight?


• Pop Culture collision


• The full sci-fi story isn't even complete or agreed upon and you teach it??


• University of Calgary offering Virus writting class - same thing?

New Microsoft Ads

• Seinfeld ads made no sense but at least got the conversation going


• New "I'm A PC" ads are directly targeted, at least that's something


• Could learn a bit from beer commercials - public responds to humor - WOW! That's new!

Ensemble Studios Closing

• Confirmed closing after Halo Wars


• Age of Empires was one of my favorite RTS games, better than Starcraft in the Fun Factor


• Console RTS can't succeed unless keyboard and mouse support are implemented - if they do, I can almost guarantee that I will be a couch jockey for life!


• Endwar will be a testament for alternative control schemes and if they are viable

IMPRESSIONISTIC:

Blackberry 8220 Released:

• WiFi and GPS


• Bigger but nicer to type on


• Suretype is back and better than 2G pearl


• Competition not against Apple but for the young teens who wants fast texting

iPhone 2.1 Firmware

• This really should have been the one that it shipped with


• 3G performance is MUCH better


• switches to EDGE if low signal without losing your call


• backups are fast, 15 minutes down to 3 minutes


• SMS Keyboard lag slightly improved - I didn't have that problem much to begin with


• Battery life is improved - 50% left after a day of normal 3G use compared to 20% before


• Genius feature is fun and easy - except on any Alicia Keys songs