Toy Story 3 Review

Took the gang to see Toy Story 3 in 3D tonight.

There are not many sequels that come close to matching original flicks, but you have to give the Pixar and Disney folks credit. Every scene is quality. Nothing is wasted. Everything wraps up into a nice perfect bow.

I have heard some say this plot is darker than the first two movies, but I was more scared of Syd in the original than anything in this movie.

There are many special overtones in this movie that make it work for multiple audiences. For my 11 year old, the plot and characters on their face were highly entertaining. For my older sons, they clearly identified with the "growing up" theme through out the film. I hope they were touched by the "give it away" theme that played out at the end of the film. They grew up with these films and I think this entire portfolio will carry special significance for their generation.

For any parent of a teen / young adult, this film will pull at your heartstrings more powerfully than you might expect. I was touched by the way the characters transition at the end of the film. You'll also be jarred by the reality that Andy is your kid, growing up fast and launching into the next chapter of life.

I was a bit disappointed in the 3D effects. When you pay a premium for 3D, you expect a lot more than this flick delivers. It is my one knock on this film.

I like movies that cause me to reflect. Toy Story 3 delivers. Entertaining. Touching. Thought provoking. Complete.

Save a few bucks. Skip the 3D version. You won't be missing a thing. but don't miss this movie.



-- Post From My iPad

iPad: Will it Meet Expectations?

Well, now we know. After all the waiting, Apple unveiled the iPad today.

Like the name or not, I personally think this product will succeed.  While some tech geeks are probably disappointed that the iPad doesn't cure cancer, it looks like it will deliver an expanded "iPod Touch" experience for users.

I love my iPod Touch. The experience is great, and I became hooked on the device when I began using it as an eReading device. I always thought, "Man, if this thing was just a bit bigger, it would be perfect." Apple has tapped into that iNsight and appears to have delivered a platform that will open opportunity for new content delivery moving forward.

Here are some of my initial thoughts, pro and con about the iPad.

What I like:

Expanded iPod Touch experience:  As I mentioned earlier, I really like the similarity to the iPod Touch experience that is built into the iPad. If the experience is comprable, this platform will far exceed the experience of the best Kindle device (or any other reader I've seen).  I use my Touch to read the news, read multiple books, play an occassional game...and listen to my favorite tunes while I'm at it.  The apps make the Touch superior. The fact that the iPad will automatically use all App store apps out of the box makes it a winner to me up front. And who knows where the creativity of the app developers will lead. The sky is the limit.

WiFi: I'm glad Apple opted to go with a WiFi only version of the iPad. It's a model that is working with the Touch and it will work here. I'm assuming I would not travel with the iPad, but use it primarily at home. If I travel, I still have my Touch, which is an acceptable alternative to me.

Price: I think we were all surprised at the $499 price tag for the iPad. While prices will vary, it sounds like a 16GB or 32GB WiFi version will still come in lower than what the experts were predicting.

Content:  Again, the sky is the limit on content. It will be interesting to see if magazines and print publications develop apps to bring this platform to life. I believe there is a market for eContent on a platform like the iPad. I hope content creators and publishers agree.

Kindle App compatability: The iBook store looks cool, but I was won over on this device when I heard the Amazon Kindle app will work on the iPad. It'll be interesting if Apple enhances (or allows the enhancement of the Kindle app) to drive sales for the Kindles store. The iBook store appears to be a direct challenge to Amazon, so we'll have to pay close attention to where this goes.  And hey, if Apple can sell me on iBook, I may abandon the Kindle app and drink the Apple kool-aid on the reader.

What I don't like:

AT&T 3G:  I was tremendously disappointed that Apple is opting to stay with AT&T on an exclusive basis. But the more I process this, it makes good business sense. Truth be told, AT&T probably decided to go along with the "no contract" 3G support for the iPad to keep it's exclusivity with Apple. Apple is in the driver seat and probably used the potential to expand iPhone compatibility with other carriers to get what it wanted from AT&T on this launch. We can only hope this marriage doesn't last so more of us can have access to the iPhone.

No multi-tasking. I'm disappointed on this front, but not as much as some. Multi-tasking isn't that big a deal to me. As long as the device works, I'm ok.  As long as I can listen to my music while I read, I'm ok. I am kind of shocked that Apple put so much horsepower in this puppy and missed the opportunity to multi-task.

No camera:  All this effort, and no camera. This is intentional. Apple will make a future device like this with a camera. And those who buy this one, will have to hand it down to their teenager, so they can buy the upgraded toy. It's all about marketing. I don't like it, but I get it.

No Flash. I thought it was interesting that during the demonstration, it appeared very clearly that Flash plug-ins will continue to not be compatible with the Safari browser. Apple has to resolve that. Flash is becoming more and more ubiquitous and we can only hope a future Safari upgrade resolves this significant gap in "experience."

Unanswered questions:  In coming days, the tech geeks will come up with more and more questions about what this device can and cannot do.  That's ok, but I feel I know enough to be very attracted to this platform.

Bottom line for me:  No it doesn't have iPhone compatibility, but can you imagine people holding this thing to their ear? I already have a cell phone. Jobs even said it's and "in between" device.

As I stated earlier, some tech geeks who want holograms, hyperspace, etc are never going to be satisfied, but I think the iPad will satisfy a huge need for a superior multi-media experience that is only just emerging in our WiFi society.  At the $499 price, count me in.

It'll be a fun experiment. I can't wait to get my hands on an iPad and start play.