Hey, everyone, I'm Molly Wood, and welcome to the CNET Mailbag, the show where we
take your feedback and answer your questions about the stuff we're doing here at CNET.
Let's get right into your emails, shall we?
First up, I have a little UPDATE for you on our HD encoding and Apple TV. A lot of you
wrote in when we went to HD and said you couldn't watch it the downloaded HD video
on Apple TV. I wanted to let you know that it's fixed ... but in FIXING it we had to lower
our high, high standards a little. The problem was that Apple TV only supports video up
to 24 frames per second, and our video was encoded at 29 frames per second. So, we
made it look worse so you could see it on Apple TV. But maybe you can email them and
tell them to step it up a little, eh?
Ok, now, on to this week's BURNING QUESTION. Deepak and many others wrote in to
say this:
I love cnettv and everyone's shows there. You guys rock!
One concern though is that iPhone.cnet.tv needs a major facelift and I often find a lot of
latest videos unplayable and the individual section un-updated. I dont know if it is just me
but it would be great if you can get a new application on the iPhone and also make sure
its updated on the go.
And others wrote in to say that the last Buzz Report on iphone.cnet.com is over a month
old. And TONS of you wrote in to say that you hate it and you want it to be better and I
get it. I get the message. And I'm talking to the one guy who created it in his spare time to
see if he can, you know, find some time to improve it, and I hear rumors that CBS
Interactive is working on an iPhone app and I'm trying to get more information about
that. I will find out, and I will let you all know next week. Because ... I know. I want it to
be cool, too.
A little correction, now, for Mark in Australia, who wrote last week about whether he
should buy a TiVo to get our CNET TiVo show. Ella Morton of CNET Australia wrote in
and said:
Just got to tell you one thing before your Aussie fan shells out the 700 clams for a TiVo ?
downloadable content is not yet available.
Our TiVos were launched in July with severely hobbled features and will only record
free-to-air channels. We've been denied a heap of things including recording from cable
channels, the 30-second skip and TiVo to Go, at least for now. Bogus!
At the moment the broadband connection is only used to download EPGs, but
downloadable video is supposed to be arriving in the next few months. So CNET content
should become available, but it might not be until 2009. Hopefully the Mailbag devotees
can hold out until then ;)
THANK YOU, Ella! And also, that is INTENSELY lame, and to all of you Aussies, I am
really sorry. Wow. That is no way to live.
A little note from Tommy, who says:
Memo to Brian Tong -- Please keep your shirt on while doing Prizefight shows.
Thanks.
Oh, Tommy ... I think some folks would disagree with you on that one. But I'll pass it
along. Speaking of Prizefight, Isaac says:
Dear Cnet, I enjoy watching Cnet's show's and product reviews, recently I was watching
the Prizefight show with the iPod Nano v.s. the Zune, and I started to wonder, " Why the
hell do they call it Prizefight when there is no prize for the winning product?" ( But I still
love the show)
Thanks for listening!!!
I, uh ... it's just ... that's what they call it, dude. Go with it. The prize is the GLORY.
People do not have enough respect for glory anymore. The GLORY.
Next up, A P wrote in and said:
Im only 14 but like this show a lot. I do have 3 questions though,
1. is there anyway to request videos on a product that has been out, but no video made
on it, like the Nokia N93i?
2. Does Cnet offer interships, i would really like to work there
3. Why does Kent German look serious all the time?
Thanks again, keep up the great work! :)>-
A P, here are you answers:
1. You can request a video, sure. I'll talk to some people.
2. We do offer internships, but I think you might be too young. But next time we're
looking I'll let you know. Keep an eye on Craigslist!
3. Why is Kent German so serious all the time? Because cell phone reviewing is serious
business. MP3 players, not so much. That's why Donald Bell looks so happy all the time.
You'll learn this stuff once you come work here.
Moving right along, Mando says:
dear molly -cool hostess- woods,
my friend wanted to buy and smartphone, so he asks me "whats the best and the coolest
smart phone out there?"
i assured him that the iPhone 3G is the best smart phone out there, so i went on to CNET,
and navigated to Cell phones>Best cell phone> Best smart phone, and guess what? no
iPhone on the list!
what za hell iz going on with cnet? i demand you put the iphone on the list! NOW.
p.s. i didnt check my spelling nor my grammar.
Well, Mando, I asked Bonnie Cha why the iPhone 3G isn't on the best smart phone list,
and she said what I thought she'd say, which is that the iPhone 3G ISN'T one of the five
best smart phones. Its email options are limited and its corporate security is weak. It's just
not ready for business time as much as the other phones on the list. BUT it is the top of
the list for best MP3 phones and best AT&T phones. It's not like we hate it. We just
understand its limitations. That's our job.
p.s. You should really check your spelling and grammar.
dear molly wood, i really love your show! and brian cooley's car tech videos, they're fun!
but.. where is he in the coverage of the 2008 paris auto show. was your boss too cheap
too buy him a flight to paris, or does he just not like france? anyway, would've been great
to see him actually being there and not just reading out press statements to other folks'
video materials. greetings from germany thaddeaus
And finally, good ideas for the world from Lorenzo in San Diego.
Hey, Molly
I noticed you displayed an image of the particle collider on the last mail bag. Just a
thought, since the collider part is busted maybe they should turn it into a ride and recoupe
some money, destroy the universe in the summer, neat-O ride in the winter.
Nice. HOpefully CERN is watching. And that's it for this week, everyone. Keep that
feedback coming! Mailbag@cnet.com, or send me a postcard. 235 2nd St., San
Francisco, CA, 94105. See you next week!
