Strange New World: Tech Picks of the Week

Aug. 8, 2008 — -- Love 'em or hate 'em, when the Olympics finally do come around, they are the big story. And sure enough, the Games of the XXIX Olympiad lead this week's tech trends -- but probably not in the way you think. We are betting that these games will turn out to be the first true broadband Olympics, and that the Web will change the five-ring spectacle forever.

While the Olympics may be at the top of our minds, Apple is never far behind. This past week, that company's MobileMe mess has been all the rage. And while most folks are painting this move as a demerit against Apple, we actually give the company credit for some rare transparency and humbleness.

And finally, we are seeing some -- gasp -- innovation in old school broadcast TV. Multicasting is finally rolling out in some markets. Now the old boob tube is getting a much-needed makeover.

Here, then, are our picks for the top tech stories of the week:

The YouTube Olympics

As much as we would love to say that the United States Arm Wrestling Federation Unified Nationals is the sports event of the week, we can't. That honor belongs to the Olympics. And we are betting that these games will be like no other before them -- they will be essentially defined by the Internet.

The NBC's Olympics site has a definite YouTube flair: The sports are packaged as niche broadcast channels, similar to how online video services like YouTube function. For our money, NBC deserves props for doing a good job of creating a well-organized site: Despite a mountain of video, you can find -- and separate -- swimming information from, say, diving with ease.

And the games will be covered by an unprecedented number of international news outlets, mostly all who feed online. Already the varied level of coverage is offering fascinating perspectives: The United States' vision will no longer be the only one that defines these Olympics.

Now, where will the Web-ified games take us? Honestly, we won't be shocked if this sort of niche-ification of the Olympics actually tarnishes the spectacle. After all, how many people really care about the 100-meter hurdles? Without the pull of mass coverage, the appeal of the games may simply not be there.

Apple Does the MobileMe Mess in Style

We know. We LOVE to give Apple a hard time about its missteps. Nothing gives us more glee than pointing out the limits of the iPhone. Or how overpriced the iPod is. Or how difficult Apple computers can be to use in some cases. But even we have to admit that the company's handling of the recent MobileMe debacle deserves top picks status for the week.

Apple handled the mess that was MobileMe, an integrated information and collaboration system that simply did not work, with uncharacteristic openness and candor. Usually the company does all it can to spin bad company news in its favor. But in the case of MobileMe, Apple stood up and did the right thing: It admitted the product had issues. It helped its customers. And it actually seemed to learn something along the way: There have been management shakeups and commitments to improving the product.

Bravo, Mr. Jobs.

Multicasting Comes to TV

Look what is finally goin' high tech: good, old-fashioned broadcast TV. Although the digital TV transition is now a lock for early '09, broadcasters have had a tough time finding another use for the technology besides high-definition programming. But going digital also gives stations the opportunity to multicast -- that is, jam more content into the same spectrum.

We like what KMIZ in Columbia, Mo., one of the nation's first stations to multicast, is doing with its channels. The station now shows ABC, Fox, MyNetworkTV and the nothing-but-weather ABC17 Stormtrack 24/7.

The great news here is that multicasting finally gives broadcasters a way to make some money from digital TV, since more channels mean more advertising dollars. And the improved content offering comes not a moment too soon. The more consumers realize they are getting something for the hassle of digital TV conversion, the sooner that conversion will stop being this weird, forced march to nowhere that it is now.

Jonathan Blum and Dan Evans co-host "Strange New World," a weekly syndicated radio show. Blum hosts the blog Blumsday.com and Evans is a features editor at PC Magazine.