» Sponsor: Sifter
My thanks to Sifter for sponsoring the Very Nice Web Site RSS feed this week.
Sifter is a simple project management tool for small teams. It frees you up to focus on shipping better software instead of checking in on team members.
It’s perfect for serving as your team’s central location for capturing and managing all of a project’s issues, questions, bugs and new features. No more swimming through emails or multiple applications to check on the status of an issue. Sifter’s powerful search and filtering make sure you can easily find what you need.
Also, by keeping things obsessively simple, Sifter helps ensure that even the least technical team members feel welcome and comfortable participating so that they can be actively involved in both development and testing without any training.
The result is increased participation working hand-in-hand with a focus on accountability to ensure projects get delivered on time and that nothing slips through the cracks.
» Ant-Covered Candy Bar
I join John Gruber on The Talk Show this week to talk about what the deal with Windows 8 is, the new iPods and, of course, baseball, because that’s what people tune into a technology podcast for.
» EXCLUSIVE CONFIRMED, MUST CREDIT SOMEONE
John Paczkowski says the iPad mini event will be on October 23rd, which gets a “Yep.” from Jim Dalrymple.
» The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
Microsoft announces Windows 8 pricing and packaging (Via Ed Bott).
They released images of the packaging on Facebook (it’s called leveraging your social media strategy, losers, look it up) possibly causing bad, acid-induced flashbacks to the ’60s.
Four versions — just four this time! — in five groovy boxes that I guess are supposed to be collectible or something? I’m sure IT professionals will be knocking each other over to collect them all. Prices range from $69.99 for Windows 8 Professional Upgrade to $139.99 for Windows 8 Pro (Full Version).
But, like those jars full of gum balls, you can get a free upgrade if you can guess the features of each of the four versions!
I made that last part up.
As far as I know, anyway.
» Schmidt on maps
Erica Ogg for GigaOm:
» The Magazine
Marco Arment has assembled a writing force of extraordinary magnitude. You read now.
» Passbook generates 12% of select MLB ticket sales
Marketwatch (via 9to5Mac):
In fact, Passbook – which allows tickets and loyalty cards from a variety of outlets to be delivered to one iPhone app – proved to be an instant hit with fans, Bob Bowman, CEO of MLB Advance Media, tells MarketWatch. In its test run with four teams for the final two weeks of the season, 1,500 e-ticket buyers (12%) chose Passbook delivery. “That adoption rate really floored us – there is no question our fans want digital tickets,” Bowman says.
In two weeks it took 12 percent of the ticket sales in selected markets. Admittedly, I’m sure the markets were more tech-friendly. Like, I doubt they rolled it out to the fans of the Pennsylvania Dutchmen. They’re one of the lesser-known National League Central teams.
Anyway, that still seems pretty amazing.
» Competitive with what?
Dante D’Orazio at the Verge details Lenovo’s pricing for its upcoming Windows 8 tablet/full desktop computer:
The tablet will be available starting at $599 on October 26th, while the keyboard dock will cost you an extra $149.
Is that competitive for a 32 GB model? Sure.
Oh, competitive with netbooks, I mean. Not with iPads.
Why not with iPads, Apple boy? It’s got the same amount of memory.
The tablet and keyboard weigh about 1.4 pounds each, which is suitably light, but it does lend to the device’s overall inexpensive feel. That’s not terribly surprising considering this is an IdeaTab product: like many of Lenovo’s Idea-branded devices, the back of the tablet is made of an attractive textured plastic, and the hinge looks to be all-plastic too. Speaking of the hinge, it has a large, plastic eject button that was acting up on the pre-production unit that we used, and sliding the tablet in and out wasn’t terribly smooth. Unfortunately, the Windows key on the bezel of the tablet is covered when docked, meaning you’ll have to reach for the Windows button on the keyboard: not a huge deal, but a minor inconvenience nonetheless.
How many times can we sarcastically say “No compromises” before it’s not funny anymore? I know we’re not there yet, I’m just asking for future reference.
And then there’s how Windows 8 works in touch mode. Realistically, you need the keyboard to get the best use out of this thing. Once you have the keyboard, you’re not competing with the iPad, you’re competing with netbooks.
Maybe I’m missing something, but I’ve yet to see the “it” Windows 8 device.
» The Brief
Because your time is precious, Richard Dunlop-Walters’s The Brief provides a daily summary of the most important stories in technology.
Or is it an underwear review site?
No, it’s a technology summary.
Or is it?
It is.
» Sponsor: Igloo Software
Once again my thanks to the fine folks at Igloo Software for sponsoring the Very Nice Web Site RSS feed this week. Igloo makes Intranets better.
You start your day, grab a coffee and update Bob. Then you swing by your manager’s office and update him. He’s like, “Oh. Em. Gee.” (He thinks that’s cool).
Now you’ve got to update his boss.
You get back three conversations later and tell Janice what happened. You try to ignore the guy listening over the cubicle wall… but then you update him so he doesn’t spread the wrong story.
Now your coffee’s cold. You start your day.
Or, you could write a blog post inside your team space.