Pages

Friday, October 15, 2010

30 Rock Live

I loved 30 Rock Live last night. I loved it for many reasons but mostly because it took the chance. The early days of TV, the "Golden Days" as they are now fondly recalled, were all about live TV. Mistakes happened, but the adage "the show must go on" was always present. Not that anything unusual occurred, but the show had fun with it, including Tracy breaking character and a picture falling off the wall.

And the show was performed twice, once for the East Coast and again for the West Coast. Well conceived, well planned, and well executed. With inside jokes and tons of punch lines, [“Why do people do anything? Because they’re rich or they have Attention Deficit Dis — Hey! Look at Lutz’s shirt.”] 30 Rock continues to impress. And perhaps this type of stunt becomes an annual event. I hope new viewers came along for the ride; they are watching another classic on TV.

Verizon and Apple Selling The iPad

It's not the iPhone yet, but we know it is coming; the first official announcement is that an iPad through Verizon will be here shortly. "The two companies announced that Verizon Wireless will begin to sell iPads in retail stores at the end of the month. Verizon will offer three bundles, all featuring an iPad Wi-Fi model and a Verizon MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot, which will allow it to operate on Verizon's 3G network." No AT&T exclusivity to worry about. No 4G yet either. But that only means next generations with better visuals and faster connections.

So Verizon gets the iPad by November and perhaps the iPhone by March. Important to have done this deal as the upcoming CES Show in January will most certainly be about the tablet and Apple will have lots of competition. Not that I think Apple is worried. As the leader in the space, their devices continue to out perform the field. Heck, Microsoft can't even compete.

I would not be surprised if the iPad is called the must have gift for the Holidays. With its ever-growing number of apps, its retail presence, and now its multiple communication platforms, the Apple iPad is poised for being more than an early adopter toy. It is becoming the must have device for the home.

Even cable operators are getting into the act, building iPad apps to turn the device into a remote for the TV. From access of all on demand content, a trove of data and art on every tv and movie show, and the ability to order and call up the program to the TV, the iPad is gaining even more traction as both an in home and out of home device.

So congrats to Verizon and Apple for finally coming together. The future for both keeps looking brighter!