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Jeremy Toeman's LIVEdigitally

Reviews and opinions about consumer technology, gadgets, Websites, new media, services, and more.

eStarling is Startlingly CoolJanuary 6

eStarling makes several WiFi connected digital photo frames, and I’ve been playing with their Impact V for a bit. I’m impressed.

From the moment you open the box, eStarling does a pretty good job holding your hand and making use of the frame pretty simple. You have all the usual options for displaying pictures that past digital frames have lead us to expect, including memory card slots that accommodate a couple different card types (SD, MS, MMC.) But what’s way more interesting to me is the wireless and social mechanisms for displaying pictures.

When you pull the device out of the box, a greeting card immediately invites you to plug in the frame and connect it to your wifi connection (beware: this frame is much cooler if you have a wifi network.) Once you’re connected, the frame prompts you to visit their website and activate your account. Once you do you will get an email address dedicated to your frame, and you (or your friends and fam

15 Tips to Surviving CES 2009January 6

I guess it’s time to call it a recurring theme, but with only 3 days left to go, it’s time for my annual “how to survive CES” post. As per my disclaimer last year, I am copy-and-pasting anything that is still relevant (and with so little time I don’t think I have a lot of the funny in me right now).

Wear comfortable shoes. It was #1 last year and is again. Even if you are the guy wearing the $6500 suit (come on!), put on your Adidas or Reeboks or whatever to go with it. Few will notice, and if anyone questions, saying “yeah, I decided it’s smarter to be comfortable than look pretty at CES” probably trumps any kind of rebuttal. It’s a BIG show and you’ll end up walking a few miles every day. Freebie bonus tip: while walking the show floor, try to walk on the booths as they tend to have better padding than the walkways between booths.
Leave your remote control where it belongs - at home. There is absolutely zero upside to pranking booths. Don’t do it.
Bring Purel and some c

Twitter Scam Proves Early Adopters Don’t Know EverythingJanuary 4

I visualize technology adoption like a huge wave crashing to shore. At the tip of that wave’s crest are the newest of new technologies, such as FriendFeed and Plurk. As the wave advances, they’ll either gain usage amongst a wider audience or dissolve into nothingness. Below the tip are still new technologies that are trying to “cross the chasm” into the mainstream, such as Twitter - they might make it, or also just fade away. Next up we have technologies that spreading to the masses, like Facebook and blogging.

From my time here in Silicon Valley, I’ve noticed a tendency that the “higher ups” on the early adoption wave tend to look down upon the rest. Sometimes the smugness is so thick it’s as if those users who don’t microblog are busy using whiteout on their monitors while wiping a lingering trail of drool off their chin.

Over the weekend, it turns out someone tried to “phish” Twitter users, and achieved enough success to warrant widespread coverage by bloggers and online media. The official Twitter blog stated:

It looks as though this particular scam sent out emails resembling those you might receive from Twitter if you get emai

CES 2009 Countdown: Getting Scobleized and Some Booth TipsJanuary 3

I’m roughly shoulder-deep in CES prep now, with 5 cool clients at the show (Boxee, Bug Labs, DeviceVM/Splashtop, TuneUp Media, and a new startup launching a gadget at the show), plus ShowStoppers, and also figuring out the booths I’ll go visit. It’s a lot of work, and I’ve been at it for quite a few years now. My friend Robert Scoble came up to San Francisco this past week, and we had a chance to sit down and chat about CES planning and strategy.

Robert refers to me as “The Three-Time CES Champion” (blush) as I’ve been fortunate enough to participate in three different products worthy of Best of CES distinction. All three times were utterly exhilirating, all for different reasons. At the end of the day, I completely enjoy the entire process of demoing products at CES, and can’t wait for CES 2009!

By the way, for those of you who manage or staff booths at the show, I put some suggestions up on the Stage Two blog. Read the full post for details, but here’s the cheat sheet:

Ignore the anti-hype.
Wear comfy shoes.
Bring supplies.
Know your audience.
Funnel your traffic.
Emphasize the team spirit.
Don’t mistreat competition.
Ignore nobody.

Technology Predictions for 2009January 2

I ran about 50/50 with last year’s technology predictions. Some were fairly safe, some a little more “out there”. Here’s my thoughts for what’s on the docket for 2009…

Home Gadgets/Tech

Microsoft opens the Xbox 360 platform even further, enables an “app store for the home” that spans well beyond games.
Blu-ray sputters along, but not enough conclusive evidence (in other words, revenue) happens to either shut down the format altogether, nor to get consumers to adopt it.
As the FCC-mandated digital TV transition approaches, the hype machine reaches full effect and very convincing pieces try to show the plight of the very few. After it’s all over, virtually nobody complains loudly.
One or both of Home Automation and/or Interactive TV returns to prominence in techie chatter, but neither make any additional inroads into actual homes.
Pasting from 2008 predictions: Google launches “Android for Set-Top Boxes” but gains little traction in the foreseeable future.

Computers

Netbook sales grow well, but not astoundingly so. The majority of users ignore them due to a lack of actual value present in the device (especially those of us with big grubby fingers).
One PC maker emerges from the trenches with a really well-designed laptop with great Vista drivers that actually can stand up