Nokia has recently announced that it is opening a new online music store called Ovi. Apparently that means something like “Open Door” in Finnish…who knows.

All this is happening at the same time that Sony has announced that it is shuttering its online music play Connect.

So let me get this straight, Sony, who has its own record label and has a lot of experience in the music business is throwing in the towel while a cell phone maker is getting started… hmmm. It sounds to me that Nokia’s music store is on death watch before it even gets started. I don’t think it will work.

If you read blogs, listen to podcasts or spend anytime on message boards you will have no doubt come across someone who is complaining about their cable company.

I listen to a number of podcasts that originate out of San Francisco. They have Comcast Cable, and nearly everyone complains about it. Comcast has a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) they make available to their customers. It has resulted in howls of pain and hours of misery. I did some investigation to find out what DVR box Comcast gives to its customers, and as it turns out, it is the same Motorola box that Cox Cable gives to its customers (at least in Northwest Arkansas). This gave me pause because over all I have been very happy with my experience.

The Comcast San Franciscans complained about the awful user interface on the DVR. The user interface on my box seemed pretty good, even polished. It works pretty well. My only complaint may be that it gets a little sluggish when the box is tuned to an HD channel, but other than that I’m happy. I was vexed.

A couple weeks back, I was down in Little Rock, Arkansas. They have Comcast down there, and the people I was visiting had the DVR in question. I asked if I could fire it up and see what all the commotion was about. I was a little nervous that I was going to see the interface that I have come to like on my DVR.

The DVR booted up, and I pushed the guide button, and it became very clear why the Comcast San Franciscans were howling. The interface was horrible, ugly, less useful and less intuitive. It’s nice to know that I am not insane.

I Like Cox Cable

I have been noticing more and more that I am increasing pleased with my cable company. I know, it’s almost unheard of these days, someone who is happy with a cable company, so that is why I am blogging it. People are very vocal when they are angry or dissatisfied. Today I feel like being the opposite of that.

Cox Cable is doing a great job of providing Cable. We have a ton of standard def channels…way up into the hundreds. We have a growing assortment of HD channels, and now on-demand programming. Lately they have had a steady stream of upgrades. I am very impressed.

There I hope that counteracts some of the negativity that is out there in the blogosphere. I am not being paid by Cox to say this… I am just pleased.

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Now playing: Nickel Creek – Stumptown
via FoxyTunes