Words About Things

Sony Ericcson, Vodafone and now Samsung look set to launch high end mobile phones running on Android. The Mobile Device Platform developed by Google was first launched on the T Mobile G1 phone which was released in October. It has been called a “flexible, upgradeable system” and includes a web browser. This , combined with a 3G connection provides an internet connection much faster than than via WAP. It still has some way to go before it is a quick as a broadband connection via a standard landline however.

Sony Ericcson, Vodaphone and Samsung have recently joined the Open Handset Alliance which was set up to develop open standards for mobile devices. They are expected to include software created by the Alliance (Android being the only release so far) on their next generation devices.

Sony’s Xperia 1 is due for release in summer 2009 and features a (surprising low quality) 3.2MP camera, a 800 x 480 touchscreen, and an optical joystick. The first release is due to run on Windows Mobile but a second release running on Android is expected.

Sony Ericcson are also expected to release the C905 which will be a 3G model with an 8 megapixel camera and GPS. There are unconfirmed reports that this will run on Android.

Samsung are rumoured to be creating a touchscreen phone called the Memoir. It should feature a camera with optical zoom which would be a big step forward in the evolution of on-phone cameras. A photo of a Memoir prototype can be seen below.

Everybody has a blog these days even celebrities. Some of them even write their own blogs! Here are my top 5 celebrity blogs.

1. Olivia Munn

Attack of the show host Olivia Munn knows her audience. Almost every post features a photo of her either doing something stupid or wearing a small amount of clothes.

Key quote: “I went last night and it was awesome, here are some photos…”

2. Kanye West

There has been some debate about whether Kanye actually writes his own blog. Some entries are clearly Kanye but most of the posts are an introduction to an Artist, Model, Product or even architect. It doesn’t really matter who writes it because there is always something interesting to see.

Key quote: “Commissioned by Dior Homme artistic director Kris Van Assche, the Dior Homme store in Paris was given a fresh new installation by Italian artist Andrea Mastrovito…”

3. Moby

Even if you aren’t a big fan of his music Moby’s blog is still an entertaining read.

Key quote: “somebody at some point should really teach me how to be a proper rock star, not some bald geek who goes to whole foods at 9:58 pm to buy soap and lion hats.”

4 Stephen Fry

You already know that Stephen Fry is funny, charming and clever but did you know that he is a tech head? His blog features his Guardian ‘Dork Talk’ columns as well as posts about anything else he thinks is interesting. It has a great design and there are Podcasts too.

Key quote: “I seem to use one iPhone exclusively for mad hacking, jailbreaking and frigging about with, another as a pedometer, another for music, another as a – guess what ? – phone.”

5 Kevin Smith

It’s arguable that Smith hasn’t released a good film since ‘Mallrats’ (I haven’t seen the new one yet) but that is irrelevant. His blog is funny and well written although you have to overlook the fact that it is only one post per page due to the massive amount of ads for his new movie.

Key quote: “Big month around here. Hope ya’ll can come out and support the flick. Then, come November 1st, if you see me with any junk food in my hand, you are entitled to kick me in the ass.”

These days we are becoming increasingly comfortable sharing information about ourselves online. It not unusual to read about somebodies life on their blog, see their photos on Flickr, see their videos on Youtube, keep updated on their day via Twitter and even see what they are wearing on Lookbook. Whilst some would consider putting all this information online oversharing for some people it just seems normal.

One thing which used to be a relatively private matter was listening to music. I understand that that sounds a little incorrect but bear with me. Going to gigs, sharing mixtapes etc are very social things but since the invention of the Walkman it has been possible to listen all by yourself without anyone even knowing what it is you are listening to. Once upon a time if you wanted to know what I was listening to when I was a teenager (back then it was probably something overwrought sung by someone with a strong sense of injustice) you would have to ask me. These days it is all on my Last FM page for all to see. Every track I listen to whilst at my computer is Scrobbled (automatically logged) so that everything I have listened to can been seen on my profile page.

Last FM published a list (which seems to have vanished) of the most ‘unscrobbled’ tracks. These where songs which people had turned off ‘scrobbling’ (perhaps my least favourite word) before playing. If I remember rightly Radiohead topped the list along with Avril Lavigne. Radiohead tend to dominate Last FM lists which probably says a lot about the type of people who use the service. Last FM also shows you your ‘neighbours’ who are people with similar musical taste. I like to think I can defeat this system by listening to Joanna Newsome followed by Napalm Death followed by Ricardo Villalobos but of course, this isn’t even original. The ‘best of 2008‘ was recently revealed by Last FM although ‘most played’ might have been a better title. Although it is interesting to see what has been popular it seems slightly old fashioned to pay attention to what is the most popular music. It is much more interesting to explore artists who polarise oppinion than those who have the most widespread appeal.

Ever since the invention of the teenager what music you liked has defined who you are. Mods, Punks, Ravers, Metal Heads and a inexhaustible range of other subcultures have sprung up for people to align themselves with. It decides what you wear, who you hang out with and where you socialise. People are always pointing out how those who belong to a subculture are not individuals as they often claim but in fact just wearing a bunch of signifiers which align them with a tribe (Exactitudes by Ari Verluis reinforces this idea). I think these days things are less predetermined. People are more open than ever to listening to something new and they have the means to find it.