New iPhone, MobileMe off to rocky start

Apple may have released its long awaited iPhone 2.0 yesterday around the world, but the initial reports are far from encouraging. Yes, they went like hotcakes, but is anyone connected, yet? I dropped into my local O2 store this morning and and they were all sold out. Didn't even have any samples though they dig one up just to show me. Nice looking, of course, and a slight improvement on No. 1 from the design and coolness factor.

Apparently all the set-up issues related back to software problems and Apple's infrastructure (or lack of it). The same was true with the new MobileMe service, which is still balky today. Contacts not connecting to e-mail. Calendar sync problems. Slow. Crashy behaviour. Photos don't upload altogether satisfactorily or at all.

All in all, a pretty sorry showing for Apple and another reason to question Apple's ability to scale on a truly massive scale when it comes to linking everything together. For all its faults, you have to give Microsoft credit for getting this bit down. And Google and Yahoo! for that matter. They all know how to roll out large online SW deployments and have them work.

IMO, the big mistake Apple made was letting their arrogance get in the way of common sense. Why did they wait until the day before launch to roll out MobileMe? They should have had it up at least a week before so they could work out the inevitable bugs with existing .Mac users. As it was, they not only pissed off existing customers, but their new customers. What a stroke of marketing genius.

Apple usually does things right and has a nice winning streak. It just could be that all this success and press adoration is going to their heads. At Apple where hardware and design are king, someone needs to wake up the boys on the SW side.

UK retail numbers stun experts

UK economists are scratching their heads today over a shocking rise in retail sales recorded during May. After all, we're supposed to be in the midst of a slowdown, recession, stagflation, etc. Depends on what day you read the papers. If you took all this to heart, you'd think we should all just pack it in.

But the numbers, released Friday by the government, seem to have taken all the economic "know-it-alls" for a loop. Some are saying the numbers can't possibly be right and are making the assumption that some fatal flaw will be discovered to discredit the numbers shortly.

The month on month rise of 3.5% is also a record since this data was first tallied and bests the 3.2% rise recorded in 1991. Sales were up 8.2 percent from last May. The rise was led by a 9.2% month-to-month increase in clothing and shoes, which was attributed to stocking up on seasonal items.

Day at the races

Saturday, we went to the Epsom Derby. That would be us along with 140,000 other crazy Europeans! We thought we were letting ourselves in for a day at the races, but it turned out to be the second leg of Britian's equivalent to the triple crown (who knows, maybe they invented it first, like a lot of things.)

We went on a coach (bus to those in the US) along with a contingent of about 25 from our local (pub), the Duke of Hamilton ("The Duke), which is literally situated 50 steps from the front of our apartment building. It's a little bit famous because an episode of the British version of the Apprentice was shot there recently.

Richard, the young and fun proprietor of the Duke, was our host. We got off to a bit of a rocky start because as my dad would say, he "overtrained" the night before. Or, as they say here, Richard was royally pissed on Friday night. We dropped over to say hello and by 9pm he was well on his way.

We were promised champagne and bacon rolls on the coach, but alas the coach driver informed us that not only did we have to wear our seat belts under penalty of law, but there was no eating or drinking on the coach.

So, we were all very hungry by the time we arrived at Epsom around noon, well before post time for the first race at 13:40. The place was a madhouse. Cars, coaches, people everywhere. The stands are quite small, but the track is huge -- about a 2-mile horseshoe with people encamped everywhere. Literally one massive tailgate party! The people watching was amazing.

The betting was also interesting. Not only is there state sanctioned betting at portable trailers parked all over the place, but there are also private bookies who make their own odds and have slightly different rules than the Totes. The lines are shorter at the bookies, though.

The Queen arrived before the first race and one of the Epsom flags was lowered and the royal standard replaced it. (The standard is to be raised in 21 seconds from bottom to top once the Queen has arrived in the building.) We didn't see her, but saw the balcony she was standing on.

The food Richard and his mates prepared was wonderful. People had a good time. Only one fight broke out in our group, but it ended quickly. We made many rest stops on the way home and ended the long day at 21:30. Oh, yes, by hitting a £45 winner in the second race, we came home even.

Is Gordon gonsky?

Will Britain get a new Prime Minister? That's certainly the talk of London this bank holiday weekend. Gordon Brown's year old administration has fallen on hard times. His Labour Party lost big in the recent elections which included a Tory victory in the London mayorial race.

Then this week, the Tories took a conservative seat in a by-election. The seat had been held by Labour for decades prior to this week.

So, the tom toms are out and it's Gordon's head that may be on the line. I'm, however, more in agreement with the lead editorial in today's Financial Times, which urges Brown to hang in there and fix what's wrong. Labour doesn't have to call an election until the spring of 2010, so there is time to fix the mess and hopefully for the economy to recover.

A year ago, Brown was flying so high Labour was considering calling an election last autumn. Now, the party's poll numbers are the lowest they've been since Margaret Thatcher called No. 10 her home.

Personally, I think Gordon remains the PM until he has to call an election.

Ah, Provence

Just returned from a week in lovely Provence -- our first visit. We stayed with another couple in a three-unit house just east of Avignon near Carpentras. I just uploaded our photos to Smugmug, my preferred method for storing and sharing photos online.  If you've not tried it, I highly recommend. It stores your whole photo at full resolution and not just a portion. It also creates a URL for all of your albums (galleries), making it very easy to share them without sending your friends one of those obnoxious invites.

We had a car, so we spent all of our time driving around the countryside visiting the little villages and taking in the local culture. We did some wineries, but only a few. Our favourite was Domaine de Mourchon at Sugeret. We had an excellent tasting there and ate out lunch under a grape arbor in the front of the tasting room while being entertained by the vineyard dog Rudy (see photos). 

I was impressed by the quality of the wine and how inexpensive it was. We drank a lot of wine during the week and most of it was priced under 10 Euros. We discovered Provence roses. My previous brushed with rose wine hasn't been good. Because it's relatively high in sugar, it tends to give me a headache. The fine Provence roses were different and we loved them.

It's not hard to see why France is the largest wine producing region in the world, more than twice the production of the US. Everywhere we drove, the ground was covered with vines. There are 14 varietals they are allowed to grow in Provence, but most of the wine is grenache and shiraz. We did have some excellent viogniers, though. 

One of the fun things we did was got to St. Remy to watch the annual (every may 12) running of the sheep when the sheep are moved from the low land to the mountains. It's quite a festival day in St. Remy and brings out many locals. We also had a delightful day in Roussillon, a quaint little village in the ocra hills east of Avignon. 

It was a very restful week. We cooked most of our meals, buying our meat in local butcher shops or the hyper marche in Carpentras. We definitely felt the impact of the strong Euro, but the price of the local wine helped temper that. 

Breaking news

Boris Johnson, the recently elected mayor of London today issued his first new order since taking office at the first of the week. He is banning open alcohol containers and alcohol consumption on public transportation.

I was somewhat shocked when I came here and learned that it was fine to have a nip (or more) on the train. This has never been a problem for me (I don't mean it quite that way). I've never had any trouble with anyone abusing alcohol on the tube. However, one Saturday morning I did run into a couple of very loud and annoying East Europeans downing cans of beer on the tube.

I found it a bit like Las Vegas where you can drink just about anywhere. This really seems to make sense. Johnson, a Tory, is starting to put his more conservative stamp on London by issuing the ban on drinking from June 1.

What have we here?

When I stepped outside the office today to pick up a sandwich for lunch (at my favourite sandwich shop -- EAT) there was an electric car parked in front of the building. Now, I know what that post with the blue lights on top is for. It's where the car is plugged in.

This may be the first electric car I've ever seen. Small and orange, it's called the Mega City and has a price tag of £10,498, including batteries. It has a range of 40 miles and a top speed of 40mph, which would make it fine as a London commuter. You don't have to pay the dreaded congestion tax (£8 per day) or the road tax (vehicle registration tax), either, so it's even practical to drive into town. It even includes free parking in Westminster or the City. According to Nice's website, all this will save you £7,000 a year.

We've gotten on here for nearly two eyars without a car and we don't intend to get one now, but this is very tempting. I could even drive to work! I've been teasing L about what kind of car she's going to get when we return to the States. I may have to point her to the Mega City.

Americans "shocked" into smaller cars

As most of you who have followed my ramblings know, I no longer own a car and haven't for almost two years. But, eventually we will return to the US where a car (more likely two) will be a necessity. Unfortunately public transport where I live is not what it is in London.

We've been giving this a lot of thought and are being influenced for several issues: the rocketing price of gasoline, the building environmental crisis, the power of the oil-producing nations and the kinds of cars we see people driving here.

Friends of ours just bought a Prius, but this was after they bought an Audi A4 only a few months earlier. Now, this had to be a money losing proposition since they traded the Audi in on the Prius. But, it also demonstrates the mindset that is taking hold in the US as the price of gas zeroes in on the $4 mark (here, it's closer to $10 per gallon). The dealer where the bought the Prius is no longer taking SUVs as trade ins. They had 41 Priuses on April 1 and sold the last one yesterday.

This is exactly what Americans need -- to be shocked into taking drastic steps to counter what is undoubtedly a looming crisis with potentially dire consequences for all of us. It's long puzzled me why more people don't opt for hybrids or at least high mileage small cars. We may finally be at that point. And, I say, hooray for the high price of oil is what will drive us out of our lethargy and put US consumers back in the drivers seat.

An article in toay's New York Times comments on the rising sales of small cars in April:

“It’s easily the most dramatic segment shift I have witnessed in the market in my 31 years here,” said George Pipas, chief sales analyst for the Ford Motor Company.

If the vast majority of Americans opted for small, fuel efficient or hybrid vehicles, we could solve the oil crisis overnight. And, the result would be a dramatic decline in the price of gasoline. It's all about supply and demand.

So, what about my next car? Well, my wife wants a small SUV like the Ford Escape hybrid. I'm pretty sure mine will be a Prius. And our current conversation is about just buying two Priuses. Time will tell, but I would predict that in two more years, the US will have dramatically refitted its auto fleet to smaller cars and this will have started having an effect in the price of oil. We may even be seeing the high water mark now. In a way I hope not because more shock treatment is needed. This is not just a consumer issue. It's a defense issue as well.

The real chippper

Last night, we went to an art show at the Royal Arts Academy in Piccadilly after work and found ourselves looking for a place to eat when I remembered we weren't far from The Golden Hind. But, we'd never been there to eat since we came here to live almost two years ago.

On our first trip to London in 1985, we went there for dinner. It was recommended to us as Princess Diana's favourite. And, we weren't disappointed. Since coming here, we've tried a number of chippers around London and some have been very good. The most recent was Nautilus in West Hampstead.

But, I have to say that The Golden Hind on Marylebone Lane, just north of Oxford Street beats them all hands down. The restaurant is tiny and if it's full which it is most of the time, the queue is on the sidewalk outside. No beer or wine, but you can bring your own (even better). If you want to buy your drink afte ryou get there, there is a Tesco and two wine shops just around the corner. We both had haddock and chips and it was great. Perfectly cooked to a golden colour. Cirspy on the outside and perfect on the inside.

The place has had five owners since 1914 when it first opened. They are listed on a board in the restaurant. The first three were Italian and the last two have been Greek. If you come to London, don't miss this place. They do take reservations, but their hours are tricky, so check before showing up.

Will iPhone crush Android?

Some interesting speculation here as to why Android, Google's upcoming mobile platform, won't stand a chance against Apple's iPhone, rumored to be readying a 3G version of the phone to go along with its 2.0 software upgrade release scheduled for June.

According to this piece on the Android Guys blog, Google is not establishing any parameters with developers or carriers when it comes to software developed for the new platform. While the open source community will love this, it could wreck havoc on with ordinary consumers who just want a phone to work and aren't part of the tech elite. Those ordinary consumers could end up with dodgy software that could cause them all kinds of problems.

If this is true, one has to wonder what Google are thinking in terms of what they may be unleashing on the very customers who have placed such high trust in their products.

The Kindle

Does anyone have one of these? Being in London, it doesn't make any sense beause the wireless aspect wouldn't work over here and that's the whole benefit right now. But with the number od commutes every day on public transport, it seems like an obviously lucrative market.

If anyone who reads this has one, please drop a comment about how you like it. I have to assume they're selling quite well as they've been out of stock for some time and Amazon only recently got them back in. If I lived in the US, not sure I'd be all that interested. I do be more reading done here because a) I have an hour commute daily (both ways) and b) there is more time to read (TV isn't as good IMO).

Anybody's who into gadgets would have to like the concept. I especially like the idea of getting the newspapers every day. That's very clever.

iPhone not the hit carriers expected?

There are indications that the iPhone has not been the smash hit in Europe that carriers first expected. Carriers apparently overbought on inventory and are now dumping the 8BG handsets to clear the way for the new 3G models expected in June.

T-mobile in Germany, O2 and Carphone Warehouse in the UK have all discounted the handsets. Orange, the exclusive carrier in France, may be next to offer steep price cuts. In the UK, the price of the 8GB model was slashed more than a third to £169. This new price is only in effect until June 1, however. A spokesperson for O2 denied that the price reduction has anything to do with bloated inventory of the devices.

This is interesting as Europe is a very sophisticated market for mobile phones and has traditionally led the rest of the world in sophistication. The 3G network, for instance, is well built out here and most new multi-function or smartphones offer 3G. Thus, one of the reasons speculated why the iPhone might not have done as well as some expected. Because of its great web connectivity, the iPhone craves for fast connections. When you go to a store to play with one, they are always connected to a local WiFi network, not the cell network.

This is a good article in the Times outlining what may be coming with the iPhone, including some radical changes in form factor when the new models are expected to be announced June 8.

Google's stunning success

Google is the largest advertising company in the world and the largest seller of advertising in Britain. This is an American company, mind you, that recently passed ITV as the largest purveyor of advertising here.

Estimates are that Google ad sales worldwide will reach $21.9 billion this year. Concludes Saul Hansell of the New York Times:

We don’t know what effect this will have. Google will argue that it is making the world of marketing more efficient and thus better for everyone. Many in the media business are not so sure that this efficiency helps them.

When is winter going to end?

When is this f'ing cold weather going to end? Here it is halfway through April and a month into Spring and we're still suffering through freezing temperatures. On top of that, I got a dandy of a cold this week that is just beginning get better. It's the worst cold I've had in years.

This really does seem like bizarre weather. Just a week ago, we had several inches of snow! Then to add insult to injury, London was engulfed in terrible smelling air being dubbed Der Stink. Apparently freak weather conditions are causing the wind to blow foul smelling air over from Germany. So, the wind is making it cold and smelly.

By this time last year, we were all romping around in shorts and sandals. So, my question: Is this part of global warming? I thought it was supposed to get warmer, not colder. I'm confused. I'd really like to just get warm again and get over this damned cold.

The French smoking ban

On Jan. 2, the ban on smoking in public places officially begins in France. There is much speculation that the French will ignore this law as they often do laws that inconvenience them.

England adopted the no smoking policy in its pubs and restaurants last summer and it is being obeyed and not noticeably affecting business. People still smoke, but it's less convenient. They have to take trips outside. So, when someone disappears you now have two guesses -- either out for a smoke or to the loo.

Since I'll be in Paris next week when the smoking ban goes into effect, I'll report back.

Brits react to too much control

There are cameras all over the place here, including on the motorways where they are used to enforce traffic laws. Apparently this isn't setting well with some people who are rebelling against the camera boxes mounted on the motorways and are setting them on fire. The group says they have more in store, including a National Cover-Up Your Number Plates Day."

Nike + iPod

I've had this gadget for months, but never bothered to set it up. So, the new iPod Nanos came out recently and they are cool enough that I got one. I figured it would be much easier for my commute on the tube AND I could finally give the Nike + iPod gadget a try.

I popped the module into the Nano before my Saturday run and bingo, it just worked. Very cool. No much set up unless you want to calibrate, which I won't be doing here because I have no premeasured distances to benchmark against. Besides I believe it did a very good job on distance.

During your workout, you can hit one of the buttons on the iPod and it will give you a verbal update of your time, distance and current pace. Then, when you're done, you dock the iPod and it will upload your workout(s) to a Nike website that is quite well done and attractive. I'm used to listening to the radio, but am accumulating so much Podcast material that this will be an excellent chance to keep current. If you have an iPod and you work out, it'd be a crime not to try this.

This is also a great example of the synergy of technology and the importance of partnerships. Nike and Apple, two design and category leaders, get together to produce an elegant solution that plays to each of their strengths and makes the whole greater than the sum of the parts.

Brits react to too much control

There are cameras all over the place here, including on the motorways where they are used to enforce traffic laws. Apparently this is setting well with some people who are rebelling against the camera boxes mounted on the motorways and are setting them on fire. The group says they have more in store, including a National Cover-Up Your Number Plates Day."

Merry Christmas!

Leigh and Bart arrived last night after a nine-hour delay in Chicago. They were able to catch a flight out early Sunday morning after missing their connection Saturday night. This despite new blizzards in the Midwest and cancelled flights at Heathrow due to fog.

So, we're all set and ready to enjoy the next couple of days. We are all planning to go ice skating today at one of the many London outdoor ice rinks that go up this time of year. The weather is looking beautiful . . . somewhat milder than recent days. I got out for a run this morning and very little traffic. I'm working part of the day and making traditional Tom & Jerrys as my treat to the office. Maybe St. Paul's tonight!

Tomorrow is a big Christmas dinner with Scottish forerib and Lynne's family favourite, trifle. I'm sure we'll gorge ourselves, but isn't that what Christmas is for? Should get going to start all the festivities.

Merry Christmas to all!

Where the Big Guy is investing

FYI, Bill Gates just put $392 million into the Mexican brewer of Tecate beer. You've gotta respect Mr. Gate's business acumen more than a little, so this is a "take notice" moment.