Like millions of others, I spent a portion of my day struggling to find a worthwhile feed/stream from the iPad debut. At one point I found myself on a website listening to audio being piped in via a cell phone with the corresponding video relying on a video feed from ANOTHER website. And even then, the website with imagery was relegated to frequently updated still images from the event. It was pathetic. I was pathetic for watching it for as long as I did. But nevertheless, it was a textbook case of how well Apple manages their brand, the product and their hype. Make no mistake about it–Steve Jobs remains rail thin from illness but he’s still in charge and still calling the shots. Like everyone else, I was lining up to drink the Apple ‘Kool-Aide’

The iPad looks like an amazing piece of hardware. My first MAC was a Performa 630 with 4 megs of RAM and now about 15 years later, we’re literally holding Jetson’s grade gadgetry in our hands. But within hours, I was finding blog posts techno-sniping at all of the things that the iPad could NOT do. Some arguments were admittedly valid and of course many were just cynical.

At the risk of sounding like an old crank I have to come to the defense of a 50 billion dollar company. Small sidebar: I use a Windows 7 machine now. I bailed from the Mac platform when the stock floundered at $8 a share and I was confident that this and their 10% market share spelled doom. Say it together with me: iPod. And as as I write this, the stock tips the scales at $200 a share.

Alright back to business. Sure it’s inexcusable that the iPad (more so than the iPhone) doesn’t support Flash. I found it somewhat amazing (or perhaps arrogant–it’s a common Apple perspective) that within the context of Mr. Job’s initial presentation, he visited three sites in succession that clearly used and required a Flash plug in. Smack dab in the middle of the New York Times website he scrolled past the troublesome and annoying blue cube that alerts users to the need for Flash. But wait–we can watch the insane on YouTube so I suppose all sins are forgiven? Uh. No.

But I digress. The iPod uses an IPS  display that is far superior that 90% of the LCD flat screens being used in homes and offices as we speak. Certainly better than the display I’m looking at right now. Built in WiFi, music videos, email–the whole shooting match. And no, this was never designed to be a camera so tell me again why that matters?

Clearly Apple has been victimized by the bar that itself has placed so high. We’ve  become spoiled by the handheld machines with more computing power than the mainframes that sent men to the moon. I count myself among those that demand quality in their hardware but let’s not lose track of the amazing accomplishments that have poured out of their walls over the past 10 years. And no, it’s not a perfect product. But it’s still what we’ve come to expect from Apple–super sleek engineering and unmatched ease of use. Perhaps most critically the iPad nay-sayers are missing the bigger picture. That is, that who else has even come CLOSE to developing and launching such a product. No one–and no one is on the horizon either. Will I buy one? Time will tell–I’ll need to hold one in my hands before I part with $500 or more.

Now tell me again about the Kindle? What does it do?

After about 10 minutes of watching “Dick Clark’s Rockin New Years Eve” television show last night a few things became almost immediately obvious to me. It still sucks. Because there is little or nothing else to watch for those of us that don’t venture out on the last night of the year, it’s still finds it’s way to the airwaves every year. It’s a redundant collection of cold party-people in Times Square and lip syncing pop stars of questionable merit and skill. Then again, I stumbled across “Parking Wars” not long ago–since when did watching schmucks get and give parking tickets become entertainment? “Next Stop: Armageddon!” So really, who am I to bad mouth Mr. Clark’s efforts. But that’s where we segue into Dick’s status as a broadcaster.

Suffice to say, he’s a class act, a professional and worthy of his Hall of Fame status. However since being struck down (but not out) with a stroke, he clearly needs to hang up his microphone and stick to his lucrative role as a producer. At the risk of appearing callous, watching and hearing him is simply tragic and uncomfortable. Slurred speech doesn’t play well on TV and instead of ringing in the New Year with a toast and a kiss, I watch, wince and squirm in my chair as Mr. Clark employs enthusiastic delivery in an effort to overcome his handicap. But it doesn’t work. For the same reason a musician stops touring when he can no longer hit a note, Dick Clark needs to put his New Years Eve ear muffs and over-sized parka into storage and call it a day. He’s earned the retirement…enjoy it.

All that being said, I made a quick surf to FOX and the Robbie Knevil motorcycle jump for what was probably the most tasteless and anti-climactic event of the season. Hosted by Mark Thompson (who didn’t have a stroke but is as equally as difficult to watch speaking; ever heard of the expression “…a face for radio”) the 10 second event was a complete yawner. Clearly the days of high flying cycle jumps are now officially over. Even his crew seemed a bit bored with the results and from what I could see and hear, there was virtually no crowd to watch the jump. But the real “FOX-Grade” lapse in taste was the pre-jump overview that outlined Robbie’s potential hazards. Complete with digitally created footage, Thompson gave us 4-6 ways Knevil could be either critically injured or better yet, killed by the landing in the cauldron of fire he was launching himself over. It’s not rocket science to figure out that a crash would make for a great headline on 1/1/09 but to outline those tragic scenarios in great detail and hopeful anticipation (as if viewers were to too stupid to imagine what crash landing on asphalt might do to a body; Robbie’s old man gave us more than a few practical application lessons on that topic) as a prelude to the gag was despicable. Get a job Robbie.

I’ll keep it brief: The newest Bond movie was better than most of those produced over the past 30 years, but not as as good as 2006′s “Casino Royale”. This gadget free Bond was packed with action but a thin story, a boring villain and “not enough Bond” left me a little flat. As another review aptly cited, the close quarter fight scenes and frenetic car chases were more James Bourne, than Bond.

I suspect Daniel Craig was able to easily memorize his lines as I’d estimate he spoke no more than 10 pages of script in a film bursting with action but short on compelling plot lines. Gone are the witty and smart exchanges between him and Casino’s “Vesper” and it its place we find the shiny new, but whiny and forgettable Bond girl “Camile”. Let’s put it this way–I had to look up her name on the 007 website. After two hours in the theater, her name escaped me.

Likewise as bland was the new Bond nemesis who’s name I again failed to remember and is frankly not worthy of a simple Google search. It’s no secret that you’re only as good as your “bad guy” (see: Darth Vader). Limp-wristed and sleepy. ‘Nuff said.

Finally, let’s not offer any free passes to what was clearly the most horrific and disturbing moment of the film. The opening theme song by Jack White and Alicia Keyes. I find it perfect justice that two of the most over-rated “talents” in pop music have joined forces to create what is a dreadful, forgettable Bond theme. It’s hard to say what I hated most about this song. I suspect Jack White’s oh-so-hip, “stripped down” production is mostly at fault here as the music sounded like a rough draft in need of a final mastering. But this is a Bond movie after all–we expect and want high gloss production. And when compared to Chris Cornell’s Bond masterpiece “You Know My Name,” White’s “Another Way To Die” track was doomed from the get-go. But beyond simply being a train wreck, the song actually made me angry it was so bad.

Review: a frustrating 6.5 Stars Out Of 10. I liked the film but after one viewing, I’m simply done with it. But perhaps more telling–I just finished watching Steve Carell in “Get Smart” and while I admit it’s apples and oranges, I simply enjoyed that ride more.

In anticipation of the new Bond movie “Quantum Of Solace,” I re-watched “Casino Royale” for about the third time last night. And as I fired up the DVD, my teenage son revealed that he’d never seen on Bond movie–ever. Now I’ve never taken the job of parenting for granted–I know it’s a tough job and I know I’ve made mistakes. But this revelation seemed to reflect nothing short of a profound misstep. I hang my head in shame.

But more to the point (there’s a point here?). Daniel Craig and director Martin Campbell saved this franchise. I realized I’m two years after the fact in this declaration and that I’m likewise, the 1,000th person to make that assessment. My “Sunday night at the movies” simply reinforced how foolish and cartoonish the previous Bonds had become. I recall seeing “Die Another Day” (the last the the Pierce Brosnan Bonds) and being annoyed and disappointed as I was walked up the aisle and out of the theater–by the time I got to my car, I’d forgotten 75% of the movie.

So needless to say, expectations are high for “Quantum Of Solace” but I’m confident in Craig and the new director Mark Forster (who shares a very impressive repertoire). See the official website here: www.007.com