I was reading an interesting article on Zune Insider entitled an interesting take on zune that brought up the argument of whether people were simply buying the Zune because it was the anti-ipod.  That made me think about why I actually chose the Zune and if I would buy it again now that I have used it for a while.

Initial Purchase
I initially bought the Zune for a couple of reasons.  The first was that I thought the device looked extremely promising.  It had a great minimalistic design and the form-factor was perfect.  It reminded me a lot of the old Nano with a huge screen.  I also was sold on the Zune Originals.  I thought that the engraved art was a nice touch and it was really something that made the device more than just a PMP.  It became a little piece of art—albeit highly commercialized art.  The third reason was that I really did like the main selection screen that utilizes the big font.  It stood out and really separated itself from the competition.  When I saw the interface walk-throughs, it looked like it was well thought out and extremely solid.

Follow-up
So, I have owned the device for awhile now, and I am really happy with the purchase. The interface, for me, is perfect.  Everything is where you need it, when you need it.  If you are playing a playlist and want to shuffle, you simply hit the main button and select that option.  Also, the interface really maximizes the display of album art.  It takes up the full screen when you are playing a track.  I didn’t really realize how cool this was until I was listening to Girl Talk the other day and saw the fire in grass cover standing out against the device. In terms of design, I admit that I thought it was a little plain when I first opened the package, but I really think that this is what has given it a lot of staying power for me.  Like a mullet, the front is pure business.  It has nothing but what you need (including a really nice glass screen).  But, with the Zune Originals art, it is a party in the back.  It really is a nice compromise.

Overall, I have had a great experience with the device.  And, if I had to do it again (knowing what I know now) I would buy the Zune again.

If you follow me on twitter at all, you will know that I recently purchased a Nintendo Wii. I have been a long time Nintendo fan. In my adult life, I have owned every console they have produced. And, I have been a big fan of all of them. But, that streak may soon come to an end. Because to this point, the Wii has been the most disappointing console I have owned. And honestly, it has absolutely nothing to do with the system itself.

I am disappointed because I cannot purchase games for the system—specifically, Wii Fit and Mario Kart. I can understand production issues with the console itself. Consoles often are challenging to produce because they are new and technologically complex.  However, production issues with games is not acceptable. The Mario Kart game consists of a DVD disc and a cheap plastic accessory. These items are not new and not technically challenging to produce. The Wii Fit is just as disappointing.  While it is a little more complex to produce than Mario Kart, the game has been out for almost 5 months with continued stock problems.

As to why stock is low, I really do not care. I do not make any concessions for the declining dollar theory as to why supply is low.  I understand currency differences might make it less profitable to sell games in the US.  But, this is not an excuse.  I would guess that fans of the console are more than willing to pay a few extra dollars if necessary to cover the difference.  And, I am not sure that Nintendo would be willing to make a few extra dollars now to risk future profits due to lost sales from disgruntled fans.

So, as a result of these shortages, if you are thinking about purchasing a Nintendo Wii, my recommendation is don’t purchase the system until Nintendo fixes all the stock problems.  If you think it is frustrating trying to find a Wii in stock now, then think about how frustrating it is going to be trying to find games to play.  And, if you are reading this and work at Nintendo, I recommend that you fix the stock problems soon.  Because if these problems continue, I will not be purchasing the next console Nintendo produces.

I believe that I speak for a lot of Nintendo customers, when I say
Wii are disappointed.

I was listening ESPN radio (1190 in the STL) on the way back from lunch today and they were talking about what sports should and should not be in the Olympics. There was a joke that if equestrian events are allowed, than why not NASCAR. So, to stay with our NASCAR theme for the week, I thought I would briefly talk about the pros/cons for adding NASCAR to the Olympics.

Pros:
1. Mechanically aided sports are already in the Olympics—examples include bike riding and rifle shooting.

2. While the specific implementation of stock car racing is currently isolated to the US, the sport of car racing has international appeal.

3. It is not as ridiculous as some current Olympic sports—synchronized swimming, shooting, kayaking, etc.

4. It has a passionate, loyal fan base.

5. It features a unique combination of team (think pit crew) and individual athletics in a single event.

Cons:

1. Its NASCAR.

So, that is my list of pros and cons. What do you think? Should NASCAR be in the Olympics?

With some luck and waiting in line, we were able to get our hands on one of the first NASCAR Washer’s sets we saw in the store.  So, we took this opportunity to fully document its unboxing. A few pictures and our initial reactions follow.

Obviously, the packaging is a sterling example of Fundex minimalism.

After removing the packaging, we are left with a clean black box.  The NASCAR labeling stands out, but does take away from the overall design.  The box itself feels substantial. And, it does not appear that Fundex cut any corners in its construction.

When we open the unit up, we are pleasantly surprised by the attention to detail.  However we can’t help but notice the stunning design similarities taken from our friends up in Cupertino.

Conclusion
It looks like Fundex has a winner on its hands here.  The attention to detail taken during the design of the product its obvious.  And, it is readily apparent that the designers did not sacrifice quality while rushing the product to market.  While the design of the device itself is not entirely original, I am sure this will not bother long time fans of the company.  At $25, the NASCAR Washer Set is a perfect compliment to your backyard barbecue.

Stay tuned for a full review.  We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Busch Light and Brats so that we can put this device through more thorough scrutiny.

Thanks to Engadget for providing images of the Apple TV for comparison.

The last couple weeks in technology have been extremely boring. Sure, the Dell Hybrid was announced, but that was about it. It looks like Engadget, Gizmodo, and Techcrunch are in a battle to manufacture news about the iPhone to boost page views. But, personally, I am not interested. It is a cool device, but it is not for me.

So, what technology am I looking forward to?  Here is a brief list…

1. Windows Mobile 7—I have been really impressed by everything that has been coming out of Microsoft’s design department lately—Window Vista’s Aero interface, Xbox’s UI, and the Zune OS.  So, I have really been looking forward to a WM7 announcement.  The first leaked screenshots look promising.  They suggest a more Vista-like design aesthetic.  I hope the company continues to move in this direction.  I would also like to see the company borrow heavily from the Zune UI.  This is one of the best small screen UI’s on the market.  I would also like to see Microsoft throw some weight around and incorporate the Zune Marketplace, Xbox360, and Windows Media Center integration.  The coup de grâce for me would be to see it launched in the US over a number of devices including the beautiful HTC Touch Diamond.  Now, lets hope the Microsoft doesn’t drag its feet for another year getting the update out (ala Vista).

2. Android—Continuing on the Mobile phone topic, the second piece of technology that I am looking forward to is Android.  Unlike WM7, I am less excited about the interface for Android.  The first screens look pretty boring.  However, the beauty behind the Android technology is not its design, but its openness.  Android has an unpredented level of openness.  This will provide developers and designers with a lot of freedom for configuring the UI.  I think this will create a “homebrew” market of sorts for interfaces in which you can configure your interface to match your personal tastes.  And, with almost no restrictions placed on developers, I think we will see the majority of innovative applications be introduced with this device.  In terms of devices, it looks like the HTC Dream will be the first to market.  But, we can expect a number of form factors in the coming years.  However, like WM7, we are still waiting to see the first devices utilizing the OS.  Hopefully, we will see Android phones sooner than later.

3. XBox360 Dashboard Update—The new dashboard has been announced and it is looking really good.  And, the addition of Netflix has made the XBox360 the premier multimedia platform for your TV.  A big win for Microsoft would be to fully integrate Vista, Zune, 360, and WM7 into a single integrated platform.  Tight integration would mean being able to access the Zune marketplace, transfer Netflix rentals, and access your XBox360 stats (and possibly games in the future) from all devices.  This might seem a bit far fetched, but I think this integration is a must for Microsoft to keep up with the Jones.

4. Wii MotionPlus—As a new Wii owner, I am especially looking forward to the Wii Motion Plus.  This add-on promises to bring full 1:1 motion between the controller and the screen.  This will enable a number of new experiences on the console.  If done right, I think that this will allow publishers to create fully immersive gaming environments.  Now, lets hope that Nintendo can take care of their supply chain issues and actually get the accessory and games into the hands of its eagerly awaiting public.

5. Mini Laptops- I am currently in the market for a laptop.  But for me, a laptop is an extension of a desktop.  I want something small that I can use to surf the Internet while watching TV.  But, I also want it to be fully capable, just in case, I want to lug it to school to take notes or give a presentation.  The two products I am most interested are the HP Mini-note and the Dell Mini.  These are both little laptops that seem up to par.  My ideal device would have a 9″ screen, a 2 hour battery life, be able to run Vista Aero with no performance degredation, and be around $700-900.

So, those are the top 5 technology products that I am looking forward to through the end of this year.  What are you looking forward to?

I am back from a weekend of visiting my family in Cleveland, Ohio—the home of the Buckeyes and that mean roller coaster you see pictured above, the Top Thrill Dragster.  It was the single greatest roller coaster I have ever been on in my life.  It shoots you up a 420ft hill at 125mph.  You then scream back to earth twisting as you fall.  To give St. Louisans some perspective, Mr Freeze at Six Flags is a mere 226ft and only reaches about 70mph.  This is nearly twice as high and a little less than twice as fast.

I highly recommend that if you are ever in the area, take a detour and visit Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.  The Top Thrill Dragster is the next best thing to being shot out of a cannon.  And, it is probably a little safer too.

As an added bonus, I added some video I took of the coaster taking off on flickr.

So, I had a Securities Analysis final this week and it really took over my life.  Summer classes wear me out.  Cramming a semester’s worth of work into 8 weeks is tough.  I said it last year, and I am going to say it again this year…I will never take another summer class .  With an anticipated graduation date of spring of 2009, hopefully, I can stick to it this time.

I definitely had some problems on the final.  I completely forgot that when a portfolio is efficient, it has a correlation with the market of 1.  This really set the stage for some problems on the test.  I think I tried to put too much into my head three days before the test, and that little knol slipped.  Overall though, I am not disappointed.  With any luck, I will still slip by with an A or B in the class.

Regardless of the grade, I learned a lot from the class.  I interviewed a financial analyst concerning a stock that I was researching.  I was completely amazed at how much he knew about the company.  It really impressed upon me the amount of time and energy that goes into setting the prices for securities in our financial markets. We also spent a lot of time covering portfolio theory and capital market theory.  These are two somewhat related theories on how to manage risk in your portfolio.  I took a number of ideas from these lessons that I can use with my own portfolio.

So, overall it was a successful semester.  I look forward to reading and learning some more about finance.  And, I feel like I have a somewhat better understanding of the subject matter.  So, that is about it.  I am on to the next semester of my MBA…this time featuring a course on IT business processes and one on supply chain management.

Wifflefest 2008 went out without a hitch. Jeremy made a well engineered field featuring a custom strike zone and zones for each hit.  The first playoff was won by a team featuring Train, Rengel, Ebel, and I.  The second playoff ended as a draw featuring a pitchers duel between Jeremy and Duely.  No one wanted to go to another round of extra innings in 90+ degree heat.  The achiever award went to Duely for his performance in the final game of the day.

Pictures are online at flickr.  They are available to friends and family only.  So, email me at matt@matthewsmith.com if you fit that category.  Stay tuned, because there are already talks for another Wifflefest with possibly Rengel as the host.

The pictures from my San Diego trip are up on flickr (sorry, friends and family only).  If you think you are a friend or family, send me an email and I will give you access.

I figured to kind of round out the last post about San Diego, I would post the highlights of the last couple days of the trip—in list format (of course).

1. San Diego - We spent another day walking around San Diego.  We walked down to the pier and saw the ships, watched the birds dive-bomb fish, and did a little shopping.  And, we had lunch at the Kebab Shop where we had some Doners and Shawarmas (both, delicious).

2. Ocean Beach - After lunch, we went up to Ocean Beach to visit my friend Dan.  He lived in a nice townhouse a couple blocks from the beach.  He took us up to the strip where we had dinner at Nicks.  It was a pretty nice restaurant with amazing views of the ocean.  I had some sea bass which was delicious.  Sea food is so much better in San Diego.  We then hit up some bars (which I now forget the names of) and then headed back to the city.

3. Sea World - Our third day in San Diego was spent at Sea World.  The wait to get in was horrible.  We ended up in the line of possibly the slowest money collector in the world.  Their whole process could really use a process flow study.  It was definitely not lean.  Once we got in the park, it was a great time.  If you followed my twitters, I said it made me feel like a kid again.  And, that was really true.  My favorite part was the Sea Lions.  Nickie liked the dolphins.

4. In-N-Out - On the last day, we spent the day hanging out in the pool.  I think the most notable occassion, for me, was finally getting to try In-N-Out burger.  I missed it my last time through San Diego.  My review…simply delicious.  It is the best fast food going.  The burger and fries were both extremely fresh.  I was not let down.

So, that is about it.  I had a great time in San Diego.  You can check out the photo gallery to see all the sites, and even a picture of me at In-N-Out.

Wifflefest is almost here. You can get all the details here. It all starts at noon.  Try to get to the park as early as possible, because we are going to try to run a couple tournaments throughout the day.  If you want, you can meet at my house between 11 and 11:30 and we can head on out together.

Send me an email at matt@matthewsmith.com for address and directions.