Logitech Alert™ is certainly one of the biggest and most complex projects I’ve worked on. It’s also a highlight of a product that makes hard “technology” easy and usable for a non-technical user.

Logitech Alert is a video security system that includes cameras–indoor and outdoor (weatherproof and night vision); PC, web, and mobile software for viewing and remote access; and premium services that enhance and extend the system.

The project included:

• Firmware in camera with motion detection, recording & file management (on-board DVR), networking and presence notification, three (3) different video streams (two (2) with H.264 encoding and audio), auto darkness sensing for IR illumination
• PC software for setup configuration and management of cameras
• Browser-based software with both free a free and premium options. This software lets you access, view, and manage cameras without a stitch of networking knowledge
• Mobile software for iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry that puts the power of the entire system in your pocket for anytime access to live video from a camera or recorded video stored on the cameras DVR

It’s a fantastic product that includes the most ease of use “engineered in” and complexity “engineered out” of any product I’ve released to market in nearly 20 years of my tech career. It’s a product I’m happy and proud to claim in my portfolio of releases.

Begin forwarded message:

Date: August 3, 2010 7:58:52 AM MDT
Subject: Logitech Alert launches

Hi team,

I am very excited to announce the launch of Logitech Alert today. Big congrats to the Alert team for bringing to market such an amazing product!

As usual I will keep you updated on the reviews.

Press release and blog:

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/172/7384

http://blog.logitech.com/2010/08/03/new-logitech-alert-video-security-system/ (make sure to check Evan’s video)

First reviews:

http://gizmodo.com/5602794/logitech-alert-security-cameras-keep-watch-from-anywhere

http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/08/03/logitech-alert-an-indooroutdoor-hd-home-monitoring-system/

http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/03/logitech-announces-alert-series-of-high-def-security-cameras-we/

I know that this sounds strange and perhaps unbelievable coming from a Mac fanboy. Sure the iPhone has driven lots of new revenue. But it’s not like the old days. Lots of small–if not individual–development shops are making money. However, software is a “free” web site or downloaded from the Apple AppStore for hundreds of pennies, not hundreds of dollars.

The unemployment rate in Silicon Valley is near 12%. Tech investments are down. Fortune writer Adam Lashinsky reports that the biggest and brightest VCs are struggling to find a way to generate the returns of the 90′s, leaving the VC leaders like Sequoia and Kleiner Perkins to question if the “best days” are behind them. As I considered my start in tech in relationship to the rollercoaster returns over that past 17+ years, I’ve seen peaks and valleys.

I’m looking forward to another ride up!

Healthcare and biotech? It’s possible, but with all the uncertainty swirling around the government of “change,” it’s hard to predict. What about the Enterprise? I imagine that corporate IT will continue to push their investments long and longer. Software is more bloatware than ever before. Just implementing technology on the hope of increased productivity is not going to cut it.

I believe that mobile Internet will continue to drive new revenue. Alternative power has to be an area of growth. Finally the migration from traditional media and entertainment moving into a digital home is likely to drive an exchange of money from consumers pockets. These are the places that I’m watching.

And as for Windows 7? I’m encouraged by what I’m seeing.

The U.S. has fallen behind in speed, too. In the same study, conducted by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank, the U.S. ranked 15th in the average advertised download speed, at 4.9 megabits a second. That’s slower than the 17.6 megabits a second in France and the 63.6 megabits a second in Japan, which ranks No. 1 in this category. In other words, it takes a little over two minutes to download a movie on iTunes in Japan, compared with almost half an hour in the U.S. The average U.S. download speed is even slower, according to other estimates.

I pay $55.00 a month for “basic” speeds from Comcast. I could get faster if I would also buy my cable TV service from them. This may have been the direction I went when I first moved into my new home 5 years ago. However, Comcast didn’t offer cable or high-speed when I moved in because they didn’t have my new neighborhood “wired” when the development was created. Since I produce videos, uploads speeds are nearly as important as my download speeds. I’m averaging only 43-48 Kbps uploads. I would love to get some of the Japanese speeds here in the USA.

I just counted and realized I’ve interviewed about 20 percent of this year’s members as part of my social media and marketing exposure efforts at Rocky Mountain Voices.

Rick Alden, Skullcandy, CEO & Audio Guerrilla

Kirt Bailey, Celio Corp, President & CEO

Bob Barnes, Zonder, CEO (filmed with Dennis Wood)

Jay Bean, OrangeSoda, CEO

William Borghetti, Sendside Networks, CEO

Adam Edmunds, Allegiance, CEO

Bjorn Espenes, Infopia, CEO

Jeremy Hanks, Doba, Cofounder, Chairman & President

Richard D. Hanks, Mindshare Technologies, Chairman & President

Nathan Hatch, Center 7, President & CEO

Scott Johnson, AtTask, CEO

Kimberley Jones, Vérité, CEO

Jeff Kearl, Skullcandy, Chairman of the Board

Abraham Knell, AtTask, Co-Founder & Vice President, Sales

Darren Lee, NextPage, CEO & President

Ty D. Mattingly, Primary Colors, Managing Director

Dr. Tom Ngo, NextPage, CTO

Brent Nixon, Cymphonix, President

Michael Proper, DirectPointe, President & CEO

Eric Smith, Control4, CTO

Jack W. Sunderlage, ContentWatch, President & CEO

Cydni Tetro, NextPage, VP Marketing

Will West, Control4, CEO

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has always been the place where companies announced and demonstrated the newest gadgets and electronic devices. Phil and Scott are joined by three attendees, Brad Baldwin, Scott Barlow, and Randall Bennett, to discuss some of the products.

They talk about Vuzix, a company that demonstrated new visual devices for gaming. They also review how robotics continue to become more sophisticated. They also assess how power consumption continues to be an issue that needs to be considered as newer devices are developed.

After the reunion, I came home and dug up an audio track that I recorded while talking to my Uncle Morgan. It was a fun story about my early construction career. I discussed a scarey moment when I shot a 16 penny nail from a nailgun through a beam, off Neil Baird’s cheek (he’d just come out of a coma), and into the shoulder of my Uncle Davawn who happened to be visiting the job site. With the today’s knowledge that all turned out okay, it’s really a pretty funny story when you look at it from Morgan’s, Davawn’s, and my perspective.

Sure am sorry about that Uncle Davawn!

Play/Download MP3

I’m back at work. Working on releasing the update to Blackboard Backpack. The new product is Backpack 2.5. This version is so much better that the previous version. We’ve simplified the UI, enhanced peformance as much as 100x, added Blackboard course download wizards, included a Flash overview, enhanced with attractive HTML pages, improved searching, and much more. Should be better for students.

We posted a Preview build that can be downloaded from the Backpack site. Give it a try if you get a minute.

Dan Cane has always said that he’s “the biggest fan of Backpack.” It only seemed fitting that Dan would be the one that attended and picked up the 2006 Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) CODiE Award. Blackboard Backpack won the category for Best Education Technology Solution for Productivity/Creativity.

As I’ve written before, Agilix has partnered with Blackboard to develop Backpack. Backpack is a personal learning and student productivity software application that extends the Blackboard Academic Suite into “offline” study settings.

Students use Backpack help students to:

• Download courses for anytime, anywhere use
• Organize their life
• Personalize their study with digital annotation, note taking, and search.

Another picture of Dan…