The recent bing launch has been fun to watch. Not only is Microsoft getting slammed by fans of good design for the bing logo design (also see here), but as they apparently ripped a design for their microsite from another company (quote from Daryl from postmodem’s blog post which can be found here):
The rebranding car wreck doesn’t end there though. Not happy with just creating a shockingly bad logo for bing the designers of this launch micro-site (which I assume is being used to herald the new dawn of Bing to the world) have blatantly ripped an idea from this site: dragoninteractive.com. Of course, it goes without saying that the Dragon Interactive site is far superior in many ways – but why have Microsoft so obviously not invested time in the design of these sites let alone the bing logo?
Also Microsoft apparently ripped off Kayak.com for their travel search features. You would think a company with the resources of Microsoft would be able to create unique and better designs. Also, they have this creative company that does some ads for them just in case they need some help, they are pretty well known. Maybe you’ve heard of them? (Hint: their name rhymes with Crispin Porter + Bogusky)
The bing search engine itself actually isn’t that bad, but that matters little when their competition is google. Microsoft would likely win more converts if they didn’t piss everyone off by using bad or stolen creative.
Tangent thought…but every time I think of “Microsoft design” I can’t help but think of the great: “If Microsoft designed the ipod packaging” video which is embedded below. Enjoy
So I had a typical Apple-hating response on Twitter to something I retweeted.
GaneshaXi’s response was basically: “My $50 phone is better and you’re a sheep for buying an iPhone”.
So instead of taking the old internet advice of “Don’t Feed the Troll“, I decided to make a ‘just-for-fun’ list of things I do (regularly) with my iPhone:
Make and receive calls (duh, it’s a phone).
Send and receive text messages.
Send and receive emails (and using IMAP, so my MacBook Pro email shows if I’ve read them or not).
Update contacts and calendar without synching (via the magic of mobileMe). So if I add, edit or delete a contact or calendar item on my Mac or on my iPhone, the other one receives an update.
Take pictures, send pictures to this blog, facebook, twitpic, etc.
View twitter, write tweets, respond to tweets, etc using Tweetie.
Update all of my chosen social sites (Facebook, this blog, typepad, FriendFeed, LinkedIn, etc) with Ping.FM using Pingle.
Review and accept / reject comments on this blog and on Spoken Whirred using the WordPress app.
Listen to music, buy new music, create playlists (while still being able to accept calls during the middle of a song, very useful when I’m out on a long bike ride).
Check baseball scores and listen to MLB radio (via MLB app).
Check my fantasy baseball daily stats and update my team (via CBSSportsLine app).
Surf the Web (mostly stltoday.com/sports and vivaelbirdos).
Read the Bible.
Read eBooks.
Watch full length movies, usually on a plane (currently on my iPhone is Iron Man, which I’ve watched like 50 times).
Listen to my favorite music from Pandora.com (via their free app).
Check the weather, view radar and view The Weather Channel forecast, using their app.
Get turn by turn directions and if lost find out where the heck I am.
Skype IM to friends (and sometimes calls).
Take notes.
Browse and view YouTube videos. Usually to show off something I’ve posted up there about Gabe.
Search for something (usually a store location) while driving using voice activated search (Google app).
Set and snooze alarm clock (usually when out of town).
I’m sure there are more I’m forgetting, but I think you get the gist. When I make a tongue-in-cheek comment about my phone being superior, it’s not because I’m a sheep. It’s because it is. I’m a tech guy (a former full-time software developer) who uses his phone for everything. I’ve had two Windows Mobile phones, they were fine, but not this good. I’ve also had a couple palm based phones (Treos), again, not this good. And I’m sure your blackberry could do half this stuff, maybe more. But again not this well. Because I haven’t even mentioned the intuitive touch screen yet (the one every other device is trying to copy without breaking apple’s patents) or the fact that it completely replaced my iPod.
Even better than all of this is that when the phone starts to get outdated, they just update the OS software so it can do more, unlike Microsoft who won’t update their mobile OS to carriers, because the carriers want people to buy a new phone.
I love pandora.com, which I’ve mentioned in previous posts, but today their advertising which I’ve given them kudos on before had a weird blip – I was listening to the Pixies – Wave of Mutilation and suddenly saw an add for Tennessee with what must be country musicians (didn’t recognize any of them).
Weird, ad. I wonder if I got it because I have a station named Country?
Also, earlier I had weird thing were it played a song called “Battle of New Orleans” by Johnny Horton that clearly didn’t belong in the station. It was really out of place and was followed by a U2 song and after I accidentally closed my browser, the song shown in the pic above.
So Gabe brushed his teeth for the first time and as usual I followed him with my iphone to capture all of the action
Also in this gallery is the proof that no matter how much money you or your family spend on expensive toys, your kids will find joy in the most random things. Jen was unpacking the groceries and Gabe thought the water bottle and Green tea packages were the coolest things ever and kept moving them around, riding on them and actually trying to lift them.
The last picture is Gabe and I chilling on the couch with me sporting my new beard, courtesy of being sick for 4 days.
I had a dream that there was a free book inside of an Entrepreneur magazine. Inside the book was a free 3G iphone and two other things (which I can’t remember, but both were cool).
Granted I had this dream while sick with a fever. So it was a little weird, but wouldn’t that be a great giveaway? A book that also had a giveaway of an iphone would be awesome.
Got this email from Enterprise earlier today and felt compelled to reply to their warm subject line.
My Response
Dear Enterprise, I’m sorry, it’s not you, it’s me. I’m just not ready to have those feelings for a rental car company and I love my wife.
I know you miss me, and there are times I miss you too, but someday we’ll look back at the time we had together and realize that rental car companies shouldn’t be this close or personal with their customers. No hard feelings? I’ll keep you mind if the price is right on future travel plans and I appreciate your heartfelt email.
Ok. So maybe not, but I was walking up the stairs at my mom’s house tonight (family gathering for my brother’s 30 b-day) and I was using the wooden rail when suddenly a weird splinter like piece broke off and went underneath my pinky nail. Ouch, lot’s of blood. Didn’t realize what had happened other than my pinky nail bent in half and hurt. Thought maybe I had a splinter in there but couldn’t tell what was blood and if there was a splinter at all.
Fast forward a couple hours later where I get home and get a chance to break out the fingernail clippers and start cutting off the nail around the injury (which hurt, a lot). Finally got to the part where I could see the splinter a little sticking out, grabbed a tweezers and pulled it out, and it was longer than my nail itself and had a nice L shape to it. OUCH.
But I’m tough so I put a band-aid, some hydrogen peroxide and pulled through. I’m typing this with said band-aid mere minutes later. I’m sure the softball game tomorrow night will be know issue, because I’m a gamer and I’m not gonna let some wussy nail thing hold me back.
