It has been about 5 months since I created a Facebook account and was amazed by the user-friendliness and solid coding of the website, as well as the innovative API that allows for the development of applications by both Facebook and by third parties.

Well, many have seen in the news few months ago that MySpace has implemented a feed that shows you what your friends have done such as updating their profiles. This feature was taken pretty much completely from Facebook; as many may remember the controversy over this action feed sometime last year over concerns of stalking.

But in any case, MySpace has once again started its photocopiers. It, too, is creating an API for applications.

I remember last month seeing a box labeled “Apps” on the right hand side column on the “home page” you get after logging into MySpace. However, when clicking on “get apps” I was presented with the annoying “An unexpected error has occurred.” In any case, now, a beta of the MySpace Apps system is up and running and it is striking similar to that of Facebook’s. The mainly 3rd party applications, which includes Superpoke, are placed on one’s profile, similar in a manner to that of Facebook. Even more so, like Facebook, each application is represented by a little 16×16 icon. Moreover, when you add an application, you get a Facebook-esque AJAX modal window prompting you with a few check boxes about whether to allow the app to access your information.

While I commend MySpace for improving their services and transitioning the website into something truly Web 2.0 grade, it is startling the way they are going about doing this. The new features they have added are blatant ripoffs of innovations that Facebook created. If they are to create a truly excellent service, they themselves need to create something new and innovative. It is even more interesting at how similar the look and feel of the action feed and application systems are on MySpace when compared to the originals on Facebook. Unless there is some behind the scenes agreement between Facebook and MySpace currently regarding these services, I predict at one lawsuit battles quite soon.

Before I get started on my rant, a few things first. I know that I have not been here for a long time. The past few…months (I guess), have been quite hectic, busy, and critical. The worst of it is over and I think I have more time on my hands now to get back to work updating this blog and gallery, both content-wise and software-wise.

Anyway, there has been a stir caused by the announcement and beta-release of the iPhone Software Development Kit by Apple. Since the iPhone and the subsequent iPhone sans phone aka iPod Touch were released, the hacking community went straight to work bypassing the restrictions Apple has been widely known to put in their devices. Thus the iPhone/iTouch Jailbreak scene was born with a focus on unlocking restrictions and allowing users to install applications and greatly extend the capabilities of both devices, unwilling to wait for the release of the official SDK that Steve-o promised soon after the release.

Now, the SDK has been “released.” With a subscription fee, one can gain access to developer tools to create applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch that one can distribute through the so-called “App Store” either for free or for a price. Sounds great? But, as always with Apple, there is a catch.

Unlike the free-for-all development in the Jailbreak community, Apple has placed several disenchanting restrictions on software development with the iPhone SDK. These restrictions include prohibiting more than one app from running at the same time, prohibiting 3rd-party API’s, and restricting distribution to the “App-Store.” Although the last is somewhat understandable, it is ironic that they would not allow more than one application to run at the same time as one of Apple’s major selling points of the iPhone/iTouch is the multitasking abilities of the mini-OS X that these devices run on.

As a result, I can safely conclude that the Jailbreak community will not die, as some have feared. On the other hand, the release of the SDK may actually bolster the movement. In any event, we will see when the final SDK and the 2.0 software that allows for SDK-created apps to come in June.

~DC

Finally, Microsoft is fighting back against the iPhone demigod.

The next Windows Mobile operating system will feature touch and motion gestures–multi-touch-based interaction that was first implemented on a mobile device on the iPhone. WM7 will feature flick-scrolling, zooming, and other actions that the iPhone does not have. It will also have animations and visual effects. Windows Mobile 7’s interface will focus on interaction using one’s finger rather than with a stylus.

Personally, I am very excited at what Windows Mobile 7 offers and what it will offer as its development furthers. I am very glad that Microsoft is finally creating something that will compete with the iPhone without sacrificing any of the features that Windows Mobile has. As someone that is obsessed with multi-touch and will be getting a smartphone within the next year, I greatly look forward to its release. I have also heard that a Microsoft developer said that Windows 7, the next desktop Windows operating system, will also have multi-touch features. However, I have yet to see any screenshots/updates. Nonetheless, this and Windows 7 will be something I will be tracking. :]

Read more + screenshots here

~DC

Apparently there will be a new administrator control panel design with the next version of the blog software, Wordpress version 2.4. While this looks nice and is a good change from the current style (which I have tried to replace with modifications such as SpotMilk), this new style is still under heavy construction by the WP team. While it does not resemble the concepts of the Shuttle Project that announced to replace the WP-admin style, I still look forward to seeing the completed new style and the new features of Wordpress 2.4. Once again, great job Wordpress team.

~DC

I got to say, the launch of the new Zune lineup came with a lot more to be impressed about. Along with the Zune 80, 4 and 8 came a visually-stunning, redesigned Zune.net website, the Zune Social, and the new Zune software. Microsoft seriously put the visual appeal factor in all of these. I am especially impressed with the smoothness and the visual effects of the Zune software. It has the functionality of iTunes with more flashy animations but is far less of a resource hog.

Equally amazing is the 2.2 firmware upgrade for the Zune 30. The new firmware is undoubtedly more animated but also runs a lot smoother than the 1.x firmware which tended to lag very frequently. However, there is one mystery I have yet to figure out. Apparently there are preview images for videos but somehow, they are not appearing. This may be resolved through the desktop software but I will need to eventually get a new comp first.

Screenshots to follow…eventually.

~DC

ZenPhoto 1.1 is OUT! Just read the release here few minutes ago. Well, for now, the ZenPhoto homepage is still the same as before but here are the download links: .zip .tar.gz.

Anyway, let me be the first to say, great job ZenPhoto Team! (Actually, I am.)

Now, hopefully the Wordpress plugins and whatnot will soon follow.

~DC

Well, as it turned out, ZenPhoto 1.1 was not released today…uh…yesterday (as I’m writing the rest of the post TODAY rather than at somewhere around midnight on 11/1).

Supposedly there are some “show-stopping” errors that need one+ more days to fix. That was posted on 11/1. As I write this around 9:09 PST on 11/2, these “show-stopping” errors apparently still have not been fixed.

Well, although I am somewhat disappointed by this delay, if it is worth making ZP better, it is definitely worth the wait. As long as the wait is not too long (*ahem..Windows Vista), the above saying holds true.

~DC

Finally, Tristan, the lead developer for the ZenPhoto gallery script has announced a release date for ZenPhoto 1.1: the day after tomorrow, November 1, 2007.

Finally, I will be able to replace the creaky Gallery2 with something a lot more usable, lightweight, and, most importantly, more customizable. Great work, ZenPhoto team! I look forward to 1.1’s release.

~DC

Alright, I bought a new power supply for my exploded PC last week.

Today, I finally took the power supply out of the box, unplugged the wires noting where they go to, and removed the old exploded one, and tried to fit the new power supply in the empty space where the old one used to be.

All was well until the last step.

The new power supply, although the guy at Fry’s Electronics said that it was “standard-size” and that it should work, turned out to be the wrong size. While it should work theoretically, the physical dimensions of the device makes it impossible to secure it to the system unit and prevent it from moving or, even worse, detaching and crashing down through the five expansion cards below it.

So…I have to now take it back to Fry’s, return it, and show the dude my old power supply and see if they carry those as well.

No PC for another few weeks :/

~DC

Here we go again…another Wordpress update. Version 2.3 of Wordpress (the blog engine that powers this thing) has been released. The new version supports native tagging, plugin update notifications, improved URL handling, and more. As someone that lives on the cutting edge (and as someone waiting for the development of ZenPhoto..YES, I AM STILL WAITING FOR 1.1), I am most likely going to update.

So if you see my blog in shambles (hopefully not), it would mean that I am attempting to upgrade from 2.2 to 2.3. Hopefully all the plugins and the Haiku Theme will still work after the upgrade…

Stay tuned to find out!

~DC