Reflections & analysis about innovation, technology, startups, investing, healthcare, and more .... with a focus on Minnesota, Land of 10,000 Lakes. Blogging continuously since 2005.

Tag: Glue Conference

Hands-On Review: Olympus LS-20M HD Video/Audio Recorder

I had the good fortune to get my hands on a very cool, brand-new gadget in late May before it was due to hit stores in June, thanks to my friend Robert Stephens, CTO of Best Buy.  He asked me to shoot video interviews at the Glue Conference, which he wasn't able to attend, and I told him I'd love to try it with a new device I'd just heard about, the Olympus LS-20M, if he could get me a review unit. He scored one for me a day or two later, and I ultimately shot 18 interviews at the conference, May 24-26 in Denver (all of which appear just prior to this post). My net assessment: I loved it!

Olympus_LS-20M This is one heckuva device for the money (list price $299), really unlike anything before it that I had seen.  In a sentence, here's how Olympus describes it: "The new LS-20M is the first Olympus recorder that captures and edits 1080p HD video while recording 24 bit/96 hHz Linear PCM stereo sound…(it) enables users to create home movies that look and sound like professional productions in a device that’s so compact it fits in your pocket."

 I like to call it a hand-held, studio-grade recorder, the same way I'm used to describing my Olympus LS-10 — but that's an audio-only device, which I've been doing interviews with for a couple of years. This adds HD video to my game (finally) and, combined with high-quality audio, lets me record much more interesting interviews at all the conferences I attend.  Sure, I've had an iPhone for some time and shoot videos with that, but not for serious journalistic kinda stuff, and I somehow never got around to buying a Flip (and why would I now that Cisco killed it off?). 

Summary of My Experience:

• The device was very easy to use. The review unit I received came without a manual (because it wasn't printed yet), but I was able to quickly figure out how to operate it. Of course, I had the advantage of having used the LS-10, and the controls are very similar. I just began shooting video interviews without even practicing first. (And some of my interviews show it!) I was challenged by difficult lighting conditions, and it did take me a while to get the hang of shooting with it, but I was generally pleased with how my candid interviews turned out. They averaged 3-4 minutes in length.

• Using a mini-tripod as a handle is the only way to go when doing hand-held interviews. (There's a screw-mount in the bottom of the unit.) I was used to doing this with my LS-10, to aim the device, and of course it's even more critical when shooting video! LS-20M_wTripod My mini-tripod is 4-5 inches high when fully closed and fits perfectly in my hand to support the device and hold it conveniently and comfortably for shooting. A mini-tripod can also double as a stand when doing tabletop interviews, as shown in the accompanying photo (this one and others copyright GizMag, and see the link to their article below). My tripod is smaller than this one and has straight legs, so it's ideal doubling as a handle.

• I bought a high-speed 16GB SD card to use with my LS-20M review unit, to make sure I'd have hours of recording capacity while I was doing all my interviews at the conference. The LS-20 comes with a 2GB card, but that won't hold a lot of video. (Note: you can alternately do audio-only recording with the unit, via a switch on the right side, and MP3s take up a lot less space.)

• The fact that the unit does not have little wheels for volume and audio level on the side is a good thing, as I found with the LS-10 that they could inadvertently be adjusted too low without me realizing it! (All such controls were thankfully made digital on the LS-20M, accessible via the Menu button.)

• The unit doesn't have built-in wifi, so there's no "Upload to YouTube" button. But in my experience at the conference (which had very good wifi), I simply pulled my SD card, put it into a reader, plugged it into a USB port on my MacBook, and quickly uploaded my short videos via the YouTube site. Then, I simply copy-pasted the URL for each video into the Typepad new-post interface, entered a title, clicked publish — and, voila, each video was published as its own post. I was able to post several videos each day of the two-day event, just by working a bit during breaks.

What Could be Improved?

• The one big issue with the LS-20M is the fixed, front-mounted lens, between the dual mics (which you can see in the top photo). That makes viewing the LCD screens a challenge when you're shooting. In order to see the shot you're framing, you have to angle the unit upwards a least a little, and shooting up at a subject is not the most flattering angle.  I had to be very aware of this while I was shooting, constantly trying to minimize the angle while craning my neck to see my shot. LS-20M_front-left (Otherwise, it is so crazy-easy to chop someone's head off!) LS-20M_front-right I got used to that quickly, though, and was able to shoot pretty good video, adequate for my needs. Suggestion to Olympus: make the lens rotatable downward! Even just 15 degrees or so would help immensely. I will not be surprised to see that improvement in the next release of the product. It is a design shortcoming.

• The small LCD screen below the main one is okay, but I noticed the little icon for battery capacity only after I'd run out of battery in the middle of an interview! It was crammed into the upper right of the display. The charger worked quite fast, though, and I found the battery life to be good. (I didn't time it, but it seemed like several hours.)

Those were really my only complaints about the unit.  It worked flawlessly otherwise, and the quality of the video and the audio is nothing short of tremendous.  I would whole-heartedly recommend the LS-20M for anyone needing to do journalistic, remote/on-site interviews as I do.  Beyond that usage, however, the device will surely be popular for general consumer use, including family videos. I didn't even mention (nor did I need to use) this cool feature: it comes with four different optional "Magic Movie" special-effect filters.  But I will surely give those filters a try for personal videos, once I get my own unit.  I do intend to make the LS-20M my video cam of choice when I want to capture serious, quality videos.  The quality of cell phone videos (including the iPhone) only goes so far — especially the audio.  And the LS-20M is easy to take with you in its nice, little zippered black-fabric case. One cool optional accessory is a remote control, which would be be handy in situations where you want the unit stationary or on a tripod, and you need to start and stop the recording — say at an event like a concert or a wedding.

Other sites have written about the LS-20M, at least when it was first announced. I'm not aware of any other reviews yet based on hands-on usage, however. Here are four of the best reports I read on the device, all published in early May:

Ubergizmo

CrunchGear

Engadget

GizMag

The LS-20M will be available in stores and from online sites sometime in June — the company didn't say exactly when.  Retail is $299, but I see prices as low as $230 already listed online, and I assume some sites may be accepting pre-orders now.

 

Startups: Apply for Your Free #Gluecon Demo Pod (Deadline March 24)

Can the Glue Conference get any better? This will be the third annual, and I can honestly say this year's event will blow the roof off. Listen: if you're a developer or tech startup founder, get your ass to Denver, May 24-26. You will kick yourself over and over in said ass if you don't! The quality of the programming and attendees is the best of any cloud/developer/big data/mobile conference out there. Trust me — I go to a lot of conferences. I know these things. And the #Gluecon crew is making it even easier for a bunch of startups to get visibility there this year…

Glue-DemoPavilion-banner How? Thanks to the main event underwriter, Alcatel-Lucent (and its OpenAPIservice), the Glue Conference is awarding 15 startups with a free demo pod at the event. Here's the post on the great Gluecon Blog that will tell you all about this oportunity.  You have till March 24th to apply, so go for it!

What will the conference program offer?  Well, that's taking even more shape as we speak, but check out this post on the Gluecon blog for juicy details about just some of the Gluecon sessions.

A quote from event organizer Eric Norlin: "We're working our butts off to make sure that Gluecon is the single most impact-filled conference for cloud/API developers this year. I hope you'll choose to join us."

[UPDATE: In a previous post, I wrote this: 'Glue' is a Cloud Conference That's Different – It's for *Developers* (and some interesting new twists on the next one)]

For basic details on this year's event, hit this register page and read the summary. Omni-BroomfieldThen register while the price is the lowest! (Try this code and see if it still gets you an even lower discount: alu12.)  And make your hotel reservation. The venue is a very cool place called the Omni Resort in Broomfield, and the rate is quite reasonable. Gonna be tons of great learning, killer networking, and it's always lots of fun, too!  See you there.

 

‘Glue’ is a Cloud Conference That’s Different – It’s for *Developers* (and some interesting new twists on the next one)

GlueConf-logo You may know I've attended the Glue Conference in Denver since its inception.  I've reported on both of those great events, in May 2009 and May 2010.  The last one I live-blogged, and that is luckily archived here.  The '09 event, however, I only covered by live tweeting — i.e., all my coverage was done on Twitter — so good luck finding that archive. And it was probably a couple-hundred "posts" long, too. Shees…

Anyway, the next Glue is coming up in May 2011, and I certainly plan to be there — live-blogging, not live-tweeting!  So, why would I be talking about that event now, when it's several months out?  Well, because I have some important *advance* news about it for all my developer friends, whether you're involved in a cloud-based startup or not.  Here's the deal:

Eric Norlin runs the event (and sister event Defrag, this month), and makes clear Glue is aimed at developers. That makes it different from other "cloud computing” conferences, which he thinks is a big echo chamber. "Glue seeks to explore the connective tissue of the web and IT infrastructure," says Norlin. EricNorlin-Defrag2007 "That connective tissue can be called a lot of things — service oriented architecture, web services, APIs, cloud computing, etc. Call it what you will, developers know that it’s not the name that counts, it’s the building of the application, and the underlying infrastructure that supports it."

Norlin says his goal with Gluecon has been really simple: to make it *the* gathering place for developers in the API/cloud space. "With that goal in mind, we’re setting out this year to change the game for developer conferences," he says. "And the only way that I know to change the game is to open things up in such a way as to get maximum involvement from the community. As such, I’m extremely happy to announce that Alcatel-Lucent is signing on to be the Community Underwriter and Partner Sponsor of Gluecon 2011."

So, what does that mean for the event?  It's this: Alcatel-Lucent (which runs OpenAPIservice.com) will be underwriting 15 companies to have demo pods at Glue 2011. The participation of these companies will be based solely on merit, not the ability to pay for an exhibit, says Norlin.

"We’re announcing that 15 companies will be selected to have completely free demo space at Gluecon. The demo pod will include passes to the show, signage, Internet — everything you need. Just show up with a laptop."

To select the companies, Norlin says he and Alcatel-Lucent have put together a top-notch selection committee: Chris Shipley (Guidewire Group), Mathew Ingram (of MESH and GigaOM), John Musser (Programmable Web), Laura Merling (Alcatel-Lucent), Alex Williams (ReadWriteWeb), Jeff Lawson (Twilio), Jeff Hammond (Forrester), Ian Glazer (Gartner), Ben Kepes (Diversity.net), Krish Subramanian (CloudAve), Vinod Kurpad (Best Buy), Seth Levine (Foundry Group), and Eric Norlin.

"The process will be simple," says Norlin. "We'll accept applications for the 15 spots, and every person on the selection committee gets to vote for their favorite 15 companies. The top 15 vote-getters will have a demo pod."  He points out that Alcatel-Lucent will have just one vote (two if you count Programmable Web, which is owned by Alcatel-Lucent), but not nearly enough to swing a decision. The company wants to maintain the credibility and neutrality of Glue, Norlin says.  He points out the selection committee purposely includes analysts (Guidewire, Gartner, and Forrester), journalists (GigaOM and ReadWriteWeb), a manager inside a large corporation (Best Buy), and even other company CEOs (Jeff Lawson of Twilio) to help run through this process. Alcatel-Lucent’s involvement, he says, is altruistic: enlarge the size and interaction around this developer community — "and everyone benefits."  Other exhibitors will be still be able to secure exhibitor space, Norlin adds.

But wait — there's more. "We’ll be doing some awesome things leading up to Glue — like holding 'hackathons' around the country, and then flying the winners to Gluecon to participate in a major league hackathon at the conference. And that’ll just be the beginning – stay tuned," he says.

PREDICTION:  Minnesota friends, I'm going out on a limb and predicting that one of these hackathons will be held right here in the Twin Cities.

"I’m excited because I feel like we have the ability to really change the game with this one." says Norlin.  "If you take away the company-specific conferences — Google I/O, Twitter, F8 — there really just aren’t that many national-level gathering spots for developers in the cloud/API space. There are a lot of 'business level' and 'workshop' conferences that happen around cloud computing, but we’re talking about developers.  And even where there are developer gatherings in the cloud/API space, the ability to pay has always been a limiting factor for startups and companies wanting to show their wares and exhibit. That ends with Gluecon 2011!  Now, developers in the cloud/API space will have the ability to participate in a pure meritocracy. Wow the selection committee, and you’re in."

Norlin sums up: "At the end of the day, what I want to see is 500-plus developers coming to Gluecon to build apps, figure out cloud infrastructure, scaling, security, and solve the tough problems around API construction, usage, and maintenance."

How does one apply?  The process starts here.

Gluecon 2011 will cover a broad spectrum of cloud/API topics that matter to developers — "from Hadoop to Clojure to Active API event processing to Cloud Scaling to Big Data databases (of both the NoSQL and SQL variety) to web protocols (activity streams, PUSH, etc)," says Norlin. "We’re going deeper, getting more technical than ever, bringing in a third day of workshops, just generally stepping up and kicking ass."

So, my developer friends, you think you can hang with the big boys and girls at Gluecon? Well, now you can apply for a Gluecon demo pod, and prove it.  (Want more info?  Email Eric at enorlinATmac.com.)

See you at Gluecon in May!

UPDATE: Just after I posted, this popped up on ReadWriteWeb: Weekly Poll: What Cities Should Be Chosen for GlueCon Hackathon Tour?  So, get busy all you Minnesota tech supporters out there, vote for the Twin Cities!!

 

 

Gluecon 2010: A Chat With Mark Carlson About the State of Cloud Storage and the CDMI Standard

SNIA-cloud-logo I first met Mark at #CloudCampDenver on the evening before the Glue Conference (the event was also called CloudCamp @ Gluecon).  Mark volunteered to head up the breakout group on cloud storage, and he facilitated that quite well. I knew I'd want to interview him before Gluecon was over, with his great background in storage. 
MarkCarlson-Gluecon
I didn't understand till later that he was also Chair of the Cloud Storage Work Group within SNIA. Mark's long career in storage includes 12 years with Sun (recently acquired by Oracle).  His title is now Principal Cloud Strategist at Oracle. Follow Mark on Twitter here: @macsun.

Mark is one of the key guys behind SNIA's relatively new Cloud Storage Initiative, the mission of which is stated as "working together toward enabling easier cloud solutions deployment." A big part of this initiative is the new Cloud Data Management Interface (CDMI) Standard, which was the topic of Mark's presentation at the Glue Conference on Thursday afternoon, just prior to my interview with him (link below).

The Cloud Storage Initiative has a full slate of activities planned for 2010, including one that Mark is very much involved in: the 2010 Storage Developers Conference, being held September 20-23 in Santa Clara, CA. 
SNIA-SDC-logo
Now in its seventh year, this event is surely being energized by the seemingly never-ending buzz of "cloud" — which Mark's ultimate boss, Larry Ellison, once called "the orange that's the new pink." (Makes me laugh out loud every time I think of that video clip.) Cloud storage is now being touted by virtually all the traditional storage vendors, and certainly a whole bunch of startups. The SDC event brings together developers, engineers, architects, product/program managers, technical marketing managers, and C-level storage execs as well.  I sure hope I have a chance to get there and cover this event. It would be great to live-blog the proceedings, as I did at Glue.

To stay connected with what's going with SNIA's cloud storage initiative, here are some key links:

1) Join the Google Group

2) Follow the Twitter account: @SNIAcloud

3) Subscribe to the SNIA Cloud Storage blog

4) Engage with others on Google Buzz


Download or listen to Graeme's interview with Mark Carlson about cloud storage, the CDMI standard, and the upcoming Storage Developers Conference (MP3)"


GlueCon 09: My Interviews with VCs Brad Feld and Seth Levine

While I was reporting from the first-year Glue Conference the past few days in Denver, I had the opportunity to interview two of the guys behind the scenes in launching and planning this great event: Brad Feld and Seth Levine, partners in VC firm Foundry Group, which is based in nearby Boulder, CO. (Actually, of the two, Seth was more involved in Glue, while Brad was the main guy behind launching a sister event called Defrag, which is held in the fall in Denver, the first one being in November 2007.) 

I had noticed in the days leading up to Glue that Foundry Group had announced a new investment (Gist, whose founder was at Glue), then I saw two more investments they announced on their blogs while the event was going on (Medialets and CloudEngines). So, I decided to see if I could interview both Brad and Seth during breaks on Day 2 of Glue to learn about these latest new portfolio companies of theirs.

Brad (left photo) and Seth typify what I’ve called before The New Face of Venture Investing — a post I actually did in December 2007, which specifically called out Brad. BradFeld   I’ve also written previously about Seth, in a post from June 2008 called The Best Advice I’ve Seen Lately on Using Startup Advisors. They are both really nice guys, wicked smart, and doing great work helping many entrepreneurs build successful startups in a place that…well, is not Silicon Valley.  Yes, they’ve proved in spades that it can be done. SethLevine And, unlike your typical VCs, they do believe in investing outside their own backyard — as is the case with all three of their latest investments.  Sure, many of their portfolio companies are in Colorado, where a lot of innovation is going on (which they’re involved in on a day-to-day basis — including the TechStars program, which they helped launch).  But they’re also smart enough to know great ideas and great teams can live anywhere. I love the way they get involved in these events of theirs — they’re right in the middle of it all, very much a part of the “community” that each of these events they’ve launched really has become. It doesn’t take long to realize that both these guys are “people persons” through and through.

I spoke with Brad first, about the Gist investment, which had been announced the week before, and in particular about the investment they had just announced early that morning, on Day 2 of Glue: CloudEngines.

Download the MP3 of my interview with Brad Feld.

Later the same morning, I spoke at greater length with Seth, primarily about Foundry Group leading a $4M Series A investment in Medialets, which had been announced on Day 1 of Glue.  We also spoke a bit about an earlier investment of Seth’s in the advertising space, AdMeld.

Download the MP3 of my interview with Seth Levine.

For more about the Glue Conference, see my Twitterstream for the past three days.  I must have tweeted darn-near a couple hundred times!  And I saw this morning after I was back in Minneapolis that conference organizer Eric Norlin said he’d just read through all the tweets on the event — 62 pages total!  You can find the whole shebang by going to search.twitter.com and entering “gluecon” in the search box. It was a very successful event by all accounts.  I’m really happy I was part of it, and have already said I’ll sign up for next year!