2013-12-30

Activations of Apple devices grew by 2.3 times on Christmas Day

Activations of Apple devices grew by 2.3 times on Christmas Day - The rate of device activations for Apple more than doubled on Christmas Day this year, though the real winner was Amazon, whose low-margin Kindle devices saw a 24-fold surge in new devices for the single day.


The Fire HD, in particular, is a ripping deal on a tablet.

2013-12-25

Turn Podcast into Live show on YouTube with CamCamX

b-l-a-c-k-o-p™ - CamCamX - A major announcement! Now use CamCamX for all your worldwide broadcasting needs.


Take a couple of inexpensive webcams and turn your podcast into a live streaming show on the internet. Back in 2010, I did some writing for a show on thestream.tv (now defunct). Now anyone can run a live show capable of scaling to millions of viewers.

2013-12-24

Apple releases videos, slides from iOS 7 Tech Talks developer conferences

Apple releases videos, slides from iOS 7 Tech Talks developer conferences - The iOS 7 Tech Talks are small developer conferences that give app creators a deeper understanding of the new core technologies available in Apple's latest mobile operating system.


Learningversity for the new iOS. Just add Coursera and WWDC videos.

2013-12-19

Google's reaction to Apple's iPhone unveiling: 'We're going to have to start over' on Android

Google's reaction to Apple's iPhone unveiling: 'We're going to have to start over' on Android - "I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple's $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong," Jobs told biographer Walter Isaacson. "I'm going to destroy Android, because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this."

It's just so unfortunate that Apple also is prone to "stealing" products from 3rd party developers. If "steal" is taken to mean: "Hey I like the design and general idea of this, I'm going to emulate it in one of my products."

www.idownloadblog.com/2012/01/03/is-apple-stealing-app-ideas/


http://legacy.macnn.com/thereview/reviews/conflictcatcher8/conflictcatcher8.shtml
http://www.macnn.com/articles/04/06/30/dashboard.vs..konfabulator/
http://www.macnn.com/articles/04/06/28/apple.stealing.ideas/

And last, but not least, Alan Kay's Dynabook. I guess it's not stealing if it's not a business success. http://www.tomshardware.com/news/alan-kay-steve-jobs-ipad-iphone,10209.html

2013-12-14

iPhones Dominate Sales at All Four Major U.S. Carriers - John Paczkowski - Mobile - AllThingsD

iPhones Dominate Sales at All Four Major U.S. Carriers - John Paczkowski - Mobile - AllThingsD - Prior to the launch of the iPhone 5s and 5c, the iPhone 5 was Apple’s sole Top 3 entrant at the big four carriers, and it held the top spot at AT&T alone; it was the second-most-popular handset at Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile, where Samsung’s Galaxy S4 led the pack.


Still, that's a lot of Galaxy there.

Anonymous Internet Poster - Android Apps on Google Play

I was starting to get tired of watching crappy Instagram clones consisting of 5 composited layers of pre-rendered textures and copious amounts of gratuitous UI/UX chrome get featured in the iOS App Store. So I hunkered down with the new Android Studio. I was pleasantly amused at how easy this was:
Anonymous Internet Poster - Android Apps on Google Play

AnonymousPoster

And for reference, here's the iOS App:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/anonymous-internet-poster/id586164292

The great thing was that it ran on Katie's Gingerbread phone without any testing whatsoever. For testing, I have a turkey Android tablet that I got on Black Friday for about the cost of a lightning cable. Which says a lot.

Apple pulls another anti-censorship app from China's iOS App Store


Apple pulls another anti-censorship app from China's iOS App Store - The app, called FreeWeibo, bypasses government restrictions on the Twitter-like Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo and was pulled from the App Store on Friday, according to a report from Agence France-Presse.


I'm fascinated by the situation in China, which is fast becoming a major factor in geopolitics using a unique system of government. It's just unfortunate that it has to be at the expense of the Tibetan people.

2013-12-13

Apple partner ARM acquires graphics software firm Geomerics

Apple partner ARM acquires graphics software firm Geomerics - Geomerics — based, like ARM, in Cambridge, England — is the maker of Enlighten, a product that game companies can integrate into a game's rendering engine to provide dynamic radiosity calculation.


I love real, physical radiosity, I use it all the time when lighting scenes.

2013-12-11

Apple's iPad Air, iPad mini take 6 of Japan's top 10 tablet sales spots

Apple's iPad Air, iPad mini take 6 of Japan's top 10 tablet sales spots - During its first month on the market, Apple's iPad Air has taken four of Japan's top ten tablet slots while iPad mini has taken two additional spots, giving Apple 60 percent of the sales charts.


Hai! High! Hai!

2013-12-10

How Minecraft Creator Persson Almost Took a Job at Valve - Eric Johnson - General - AllThingsD

How Minecraft Creator Persson Almost Took a Job at Valve - Eric Johnson - General - AllThingsD - This chapter from “Minecraft: The Unlikely Tale of Markus ‘Notch’ Persson and the Game that Changed Everything,” excerpted with permission of the authors, tells the tale.


I think it's pretty clear that none of the "innovative" companies like Apple, Microsoft or whatever would ever green light a project like Minecraft. I mean at Apple, for 20 years, if you were a 3rd party developer and didn't have an icon that looked like a piece of furniture from The Sims you were treated like a leper.

2013-12-09

Sony Plans a 4K Fest for CES - Ina Fried - News - AllThingsD

Sony Plans a 4K Fest for CES - Ina Fried - News - AllThingsD - Sony may not use the term “4K” 4,000 times during its CES press conference and keynote. But it will surely come close. The electronics giant is betting heavily on the next big-screen technology to help reestablish Sony’s name as the kind of brand that consumers aspire to buy.


This is super cool. I saw a screening of Beowulf special effects in 4K. Amazing!

2013-12-07

Here's a first look at the Tesla statue in Palo Alto | VentureBeat | Business | by J. O'Dell

Here's a first look at the Tesla statue in Palo Alto | VentureBeat | Business | by J. O'Dell - Tesla memorial statues also have been erected in Croatia, the inventor’s birthplace; Long Island, the site of his laboratory; and Niagara Falls. Here’s a slideshow of Tesla monuments around the world:


This is a statue of the historical Tesla, not the electric automobile.

2013-12-06

Microsoft Takes Action Against Alleged Ad-Fraud 'Botnet' ZeroAccess - WSJ.com

Microsoft Takes Action Against Alleged Ad-Fraud 'Botnet' ZeroAccess - WSJ.com - Microsoft doesn't know precisely who is behind ZeroAccess, nicknamed after code in the malware, but suspects the operators are based in Eastern Europe.


Nice win for Redmond.

2013-12-04

Calling Overseas on Wi-Fi - Walt Mossberg - Mossberg's Mailbox - AllThingsD

Calling Overseas on Wi-Fi - Walt Mossberg - Mossberg's Mailbox - AllThingsD - The Motorola Moto X sold by Republic is a modified version that defaults to making calls and sending texts via Wi-Fi and only relies on cellular networks in the U.S. when Wi-Fi is too weak or unavailable.


Cool phone. Shape of things to come, methinks.

2013-12-03

Samsung's #Galaxy11 viral ad fumbles when Franz Beckenbauer tweets from iPhone

Samsung's #Galaxy11 viral ad fumbles when Franz Beckenbauer tweets from iPhone - A global ad campaign to promote Samsung devices, involving soccer stars and an alien invasion story, instead revealed that the fantasy campaign's star manager Franz Beckenbauer tweets from his iPhone, not a Galaxy device.


Lots of comedy in this article!

2013-11-29

Apple widens lead over Android in worldwide ad impression share, now twice as large

Apple widens lead over Android in worldwide ad impression share, now twice as large - For the third quarter of 2013, worldwide ad impressions recorded from devices running Apple's iOS doubled those from rival Android.


In the early days of Mac, when people were "Thinking Different", the Apple platform was not considered best at blasting ads into consumers faces.

I think that was the job of big brother.

2013-11-27

Silicon Valley Isn't a Meritocracy. And It's Dangerous to Hero-Worship Entrepreneurs | Wired Opinion | Wired.com

Silicon Valley Isn't a Meritocracy. And It's Dangerous to Hero-Worship Entrepreneurs | Wired Opinion | Wired.com - But if the tech scene is really a meritocracy, why are so many of its key players, from Mark Zuckerberg to Steve Jobs, white men? If entrepreneurs are born, not made, why are there so many programs attempting to create entrepreneurs? If tech is truly game-changing, why are old-fashioned capitalism and the commodification of personal information never truly questioned?


Sili is the new Hollywood.

2013-11-26

Apple patents Lytro-like refocusable camera suitable for iPhone

Apple patents Lytro-like refocusable camera suitable for iPhone - The patent describes a plenoptic camera, otherwise known as a "light-field camera," that uses a microlens array in the form of an adaptor rather than a fixed and integrated component as seen on what is arguably the most famous consumer light field camera, the Lytro.


It's Lytro-like. How unfortunate for Lytro.

2013-11-24

Amazon's Black Friday deals kick off today, with new bargains every 10 minutes throughout the week

Amazon's Black Friday deals kick off today, with new bargains every 10 minutes throughout the week - Amazon is getting a head start on the competition by launching its Black Friday deals a full five days early, promising new bargains every 10 minutes throughout the week.


Check out the price of the Galaxy S3.

This social video app is more popular than Facebook among Japanese teens | VentureBeat

This social video app is more popular than Facebook among Japanese teens | VentureBeat - Facebook started in colleges. Japanese live video startup TwitCasting said yesterday that it owns 50 percent of the college market in Japan — and it’s coming here.


Big in Japan!

2013-11-22

Rumor: Apple field testing 'iPhone 6' with 4.9-inch display

Rumor: Apple field testing 'iPhone 6' with 4.9-inch display - Apple has begun field trials of a next-generation iPhone sporting a larger, 4.9-inch display, according to new information from one popular tech-focused Far East website.


I don't know why you'd need a mockup when the larger display size was clearly pictured behind Craig Federighi at the iPhone 5s rollout.

2013-11-20

Apple updates iMovie for Mac with support for older video cards

Apple updates iMovie for Mac with support for older video cards - Apple on Wednesday released an update to its consumer-level video editing and management software iMovie for Mac, adding support for machines running legacy video cards.


Good news for people who use Macs. As opposed to people who sell Macs.

2013-11-18

Insights from an app-developer veteran: Think simple, low-risk | VentureBeat

Insights from an app-developer veteran: Think simple, low-risk | VentureBeat - Rob Jonson is a self-taught programmer who has been releasing apps under the Hobbyist name for 10 years. Rob makes his living selling apps (including the best selling VLC Remote and VLC Streamer) direct to customers via app stores.


Weird and small and specific. Yay!

NASA to launch robotic explorer to Mars | Fox News

NASA to launch robotic explorer to Mars | Fox News - NASA is sending Maven to Mars to study its upper atmosphere. Scientists want to know why Mars went from being warm and wet during its first billion years, to the cold and dry place it is today.


To infinity and beyond! Go Buzz!

2013-11-11

Thanks to iPhone, Japan becomes Apple's hottest market

Thanks to iPhone, Japan becomes Apple's hottest market - With an estimated 37 percent of the smartphone market and 50 percent of the tablet market, Apple has seen explosive growth in Japan.


The Japanese love American design and Jazz.

2013-11-07

Amazon Studios Upload - 10.8.5 - Safari - Firefox - Mac

After several hours of hair-pulling-out activity, I was able to successfully upload a video to Amazon Studios using Firefox 25.0 (how's that for a version number) and Java 7 Release 45.

Here are some combinations THAT DO NOT WORK:

  • Safari and 10.8.5
  • Safari and 10.6.8
  • Firefox and 10.6.8

In theory, the Safari upload should work, but the Java plug-in is unable to enumerate the list of movie files in my home folder (where it has read permissions).


Hopefully this will save many directors hours of angst!

2013-11-06

In "Hatching Twitter," a Billion-Dollar Company That Almost Wasn't - Mike Isaac - Social - AllThingsD

In "Hatching Twitter," a Billion-Dollar Company That Almost Wasn't - Mike Isaac - Social - AllThingsD - Twitter’s founders may indeed have tapped into one of the most pervasive new forms of communication in the past century


Simplicity and utility are sometimes more compelling than a service which bloats itself into uselessness. The Google home page is a prime example.

2013-11-02

Review: Apple's late-2013 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display

Review: Apple's late-2013 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display - Users who want more power from their portable machine in the form of a discrete GPU will be forced to upgrade to Apple's 15-inch model, and even then it's not a standard inclusion.


The sad news is that now the iPad has a better GPU than the MacBook Pro. Pro? I mean in relative terms.

Apple-backed patent consortium sues Google, major Android manufacturers

Apple-backed patent consortium sues Google, major Android manufacturers - It is widely believed that thanks to the agreements, Microsoft makes more money each year from Android than Google does.


And if they wanted to, they could join the Android consortium, which is an open standard. If the telephone switching system wasn't an open standard, you would need an iPhone to make a call to another iPhone.

2013-10-30

Facebook earnings show that desktop ads — and Google — may soon become irrelevant | VentureBeat

Facebook earnings show that desktop ads — and Google — may soon become irrelevant | VentureBeat - With the social network’s monthly active userbase up 45 percent year over year, ad money from mobile added up to around 49 percent of all ad revenue ($1.8 billion) from this quarter.


It's wonderful wishful thinking. But I deleted the Facebook app from my phone and am enjoying greater productivity as a result. Google is the center of it.

2013-10-26

UnitedHealth Unit Tapped to Repair Health-Law Website - Jennifer Corbett Dooren - News - AllThingsD

UnitedHealth Unit Tapped to Repair Health-Law Website - Jennifer Corbett Dooren - News - AllThingsD - The Obama administration said Friday it has named a unit of UnitedHealth Group Inc. to oversee repairs to its troubled health-insurance website and for the first time gave a specific estimate — the end of November — for when the site would be fixed.


They should've hired Big Nerd Ranch to code it in WebObjects. On time, fully functional, delivered early.

2013-10-24

Samsung Fined Over HTC Smear Campaign - John Paczkowski - Mobile - AllThingsD

Samsung Fined Over HTC Smear Campaign - John Paczkowski - Mobile - AllThingsD - On Thursday, the agency levied a $341,037 fine against Samsung’s Taiwanese subsidiary for hiring students to post fake online reviews criticizing HTC devices.


Anyone with a critical eye for reading can see that many online reviews are suspect.

2013-10-22

Apple's updated 15" MacBook Pro features Intel Crystalwell graphics, starts at $1999

Apple's updated 15" MacBook Pro features Intel Crystalwell graphics, starts at $1999 - Along with the $200 price drop, which extends down to the new 13-inch model, Apple's latest flagship notebook features faster PCIe flash, as well as an optional GeForce GT 750M graphics processor.


I don't think Steve Jobs would've shipped a top of the line Mac with a crappy integrated Intel GPU. No offense to Intel and low power consumption, but NVidia chips are where the action is.

2013-10-21

YouTube Becoming a Mobile First Company - Peter Kafka - Media - AllThingsD

YouTube Becoming a Mobile First Company - Peter Kafka - Media - AllThingsD
Larry Page announced that 40 percent of YouTube’s traffic was coming from mobile devices. That’s up from 25 percent a year ago, and six percent in 2011."


Clue: Little sister in the living room with the iPad.

2013-10-19

Voxeljet: From 3D printed James Bond cars to a wildly successful IPO | VentureBeat

Voxeljet: From 3D printed James Bond cars to a wildly successful IPO | VentureBeat - For the 2012 James Bond movie Skyfall, Propshop Modelmakers used Voxeljet’s 3D printers to create three full-scaled replicas of the ultra-rare Aston Martin DB5. The cars, which are ultimately destroyed in the film, are almost indistinguishable from the original, thanks in large part to Voxeljet’s printers.


Super cool. I saw a lot of 3D printing technology at an LA siggraph event recently. At once both fascinating and practical.

2013-10-18

Meet Blogger Mobile Biz Stone's Idea for Twitter Before Twitter - Mike Isaac - Social - AllThingsD

Meet Blogger Mobile Biz Stone's Idea for Twitter Before Twitter - Mike Isaac - Social - AllThingsD - This is quintessential Twitter before actually becoming Twitter. The entire premise was to easily post messages from your phone — a concept foreign to most folks who only had feature phones (which basically was most people with cellphones at the time).


The genesis of twitter: the insane idea that people would want to blog from their mobile phones.

2013-10-15

Rocket flight as we’ve never seen it before: SpaceX captures Grasshopper rocket via hexacopter | VentureBeat

Rocket flight as we’ve never seen it before: SpaceX captures Grasshopper rocket via hexacopter | VentureBeat - SpaceX is continuing to test its vertical takeoff and vertical landing rocket, Grasshopper, with small hops to test the rocket guidance and landing technology needed to return a rocket to Earth in exactly the way it slipped the surly bonds of our planet.


Some say privatization is preferable to government. This catches my imagination for same.

2013-10-14

Why developers should build on iOS before heading to Android | VentureBeat

Why developers should build on iOS before heading to Android | VentureBeat - Sensopia chose an iOS-first approach for the development of MagicPlan. We are now releasing our software on Android, after having developed and iterated on iOS for a while.


It's called rapid prototyping and let's not forget that the original version of DOOM by ID Software was prototyped on the NeXT. Or at least the level designer. It's not an event, it's a theme.

iPhone IP Wars: Apple & the thorny issues of patent protection

iPhone IP Wars: Apple & the thorny issues of patent protection
Apple's win against Franklin apparently left the company confident that it could also protect the Macintosh from software infringement through similar copyright claims. But things didn't work out that way. "


Another fantastic article that completely fails to mention the role of Xerox PARC in creating the GUI.

Jeff Bezos Amazon Book Excerpt - Jason Del Rey - Commerce - AllThingsD

Jeff Bezos Amazon Book Excerpt - Jason Del Rey - Commerce - AllThingsD
“He has Ted’s laugh!” the stepson told Stone. “It’s almost exact.”"


Whodathunkit? A laugh is nature and not nurture.

2013-10-09

Mac shipments continue to shrink as Apple loses ground in US PC market

Mac shipments continue to shrink as Apple loses ground in US PC market - But the numbers don't include Apple's growing international share, nor does either firm track tablet shipments, such as Apple's market-leading iPad.


Sort of a weak comment because tablets have nothing to do with the article, which is about Mac market share.

2013-10-08

Apple’s next iPhone will have a big 4.8″ screen (analyst) | VentureBeat

Apple’s next iPhone will have a big 4.8″ screen (analyst) | VentureBeat - we didn’t see a larger iPhone from Apple this fall when the company released the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C.


Apparently they were not looking at the screen behind Craig Federighi's head.

2013-10-07

Piper: More than half of teens own an iPhone, iPad immensely popular

Piper: More than half of teens own an iPhone, iPad immensely popular
iPhone and iPad remain popular among young people, according to a new study that shows the iPhone in the hands of more than half of American teens. "


Twiffic!

2013-10-06

HBO COO Kessler -- Who Spearheaded Digital Strategy -- Is Departing - Kara Swisher - Media - AllThingsD

HBO COO Kessler -- Who Spearheaded Digital Strategy -- Is Departing - Kara Swisher - Media - AllThingsD - According to a memo from HBO CEO Richard Plepler, COO Eric Kessler will be departing the premium cable channel.


Trying to read the subtext in this article. Since the success of Game of Thrones is attributed to bit torrent, does that mean he was sacked for not having an effective digital strategy?

2013-10-03

Apple's 'spaceship' campus clears another regulatory hurdle on way to breaking ground

Apple's 'spaceship' campus clears another regulatory hurdle on way to breaking ground - Cupertino's planning commission gave Apple's new corporate campus the go-ahead this week, clearing the way for a final vote on the project by the Cupertino City Council later in October.


Let me be the first to say that I've been sitting on pins and needles waiting for this announcement.

2013-10-01

Twitter Founder Reveals Secret Formula for Getting Rich Online | Wired Business | Wired.com

Twitter Founder Reveals Secret Formula for Getting Rich Online | Wired Business | Wired.com - “The internet is not what I thought it was 20 years ago,” Williams said. “It’s not a utopian world.”


It's not a utopian world. Unless you count myspace.

2013-09-30

Fifteen Years In, Google Revamps Its Search Algorithm - Liz Gannes - News - AllThingsD

Fifteen Years In, Google Revamps Its Search Algorithm - Liz Gannes - News - AllThingsD
Google had last revamped its search engine in 2010, calling that boost Caffeine and replacing years of incremental improvements to the original Google PageRank."


This is the kind of announcement that makes SEO marketers have heart palpitations.

How to Escape the Dark Valley of Your Hadoop Journey - Gary Nakamura - Voices - AllThingsD

How to Escape the Dark Valley of Your Hadoop Journey - Gary Nakamura - Voices - AllThingsD
Hadoop Distributed File System into something halfway manageable. "


Or maybe less is more.

2013-09-27

Leaks hint at second-gen iPad mini with A7, Touch ID, gold option | Electronista

Leaks hint at second-gen iPad mini with A7, Touch ID, gold option | Electronista Claiming to have photos of a gold-colored second-generation iPad mini with a Touch ID sensor. The authenticity of the photos is difficult to determine, but it's widely anticipated that Apple will bring the Touch ID technology to other devices as soon as it can...


I'd like a Mini with Retina. I think that is the last frontier.

2013-09-26

Retina display-toting iPad mini may not ship with 'iPad 5' this year, report says

Retina display-toting iPad mini may not ship with 'iPad 5' this year, report says - "The Retina Mini looks less certain for that time," said IHS iSuppli's director of Tablet and Monitor Research, Rhoda Alexander.


Let us be the first to say DANG!

2013-09-25

Microsoft signals it's committed to Surface hardware for the long haul

Microsoft signals it's committed to Surface hardware for the long haul - Though Microsoft has lost hundreds of millions of dollars on its Surface tablets, the company made it clear on Monday that it has no intention of backing away from the platform


I think it's important to remember that Windows NT started in response to NeXT and Microsoft didn't perfect it until Windows XP, which essentially resulted in 10+ years of market dominance. It's called the second mover advantage. And don't think that having a full version of Office on your tablet isn't an advantage.

2013-09-19

Logitech, ClamCase tease iOS-compatible game controllers

Logitech, ClamCase tease iOS-compatible game controllers - The materials emerged Thursday in the form of a teaser trailer fromClamCase and a post (via MacRumors) to Logitech's Facebook page. Clamcase's video shows glimpses of the form factor for a device called the GameCase.


Look ma, it's a Nintendo-like device with no special NDA and SDK.

2013-09-18

2013-09-17

Apple's iOS App Store now offers 'last compatible' versions of apps for older devices

Apple's iOS App Store now offers 'last compatible' versions of apps for older devices
The new app accessibility, first spotted by a user on Reddit, allows owners of older Apple products like the iPhone 3GS or 3G to download a compatible version of an app if the most recent update does not support their device's firmware."


I think this is really good news. I even ran into this problem with Snow Leopard / Lion / Mountain Lion.

2013-09-15

Michael Dell Says He's Not Taking Company Back Into the Phone Business - Ina Fried - Mobile - AllThingsD

Michael Dell Says He's Not Taking Company Back Into the Phone Business - Ina Fried - Mobile - AllThingsD - Michael Dell has lots of plans for his soon-to-be-privately-held company. But getting back into the mobile phone business is apparently not on the list.


Pretty sweet.
Michael Dell bristles when his beleaguered PC company is compared with mighty Apple Inc. – MacDailyNews - Welcome Home -


Twitter Co-Founder Evan Williams Lays Out His Plan For The Future Of Media | TechCrunch

Twitter Co-Founder Evan Williams Lays Out His Plan For The Future Of Media | TechCrunch - In another example, Aron Solomon put a national spotlight on smartphone taxi app, Uber, after it unintentionally instituted surge pricing during Toronto’s massive summer storm. A few news outlets covered the embarrassing incident, but nothing else went viral like the voice of an innocent bystander outraged at the negligent price gouging in his hair-raising post, “The Don’t Be An Asshole Rule.”


I like the idea of realtime price gouging. To go along with all the established price gouging methods we have already embraced.

2013-09-14

Canon shows off new CMOS video sensor in nighttime firefly video | Electronista

Canon shows off new CMOS video sensor in nighttime firefly video | Electronista
Canon has released a promotional video shot using one of the company's new 35mm full-frame CMOS sensors.


It's great to see Canon continue to improve their image sensors. Not exactly sure what's going on these days with Foveon.

2013-09-12

Hugo Barra Talks About His Future at Xiaomi and Why He Left Google - Kara Swisher - Mobile - AllThingsD

Hugo Barra Talks About His Future at Xiaomi and Why He Left Google - Kara Swisher - Mobile - AllThingsD: "He was even more interested when Android design head Matias Duarte told him he thought Xiaomi had done one of the best jobs of anyone extending the Android platform. "


I think China is a very exciting backdrop. It's like a slow-burning revenge for the boxer rebellion.

Bling bling y'all

Hands-on with the new 64-bit A7-powered iPhone 5s with new M7, camera features & Touch ID: "The new iPhone 5s joins the previously considered iPhone 5c as a pair of new options that take the company's existing flagship iPhone 5 in new directions."


Gold phone to go wicha gold grille. Fo' shizzle.

Apple's iPhone 5c uses unique design, precision manufacturing to avoid 'plastic' stigma

Apple's iPhone 5c uses unique design, precision manufacturing to avoid 'plastic' stigma
"This whole process culminates in an extraordinarily rigid structure and a solid, dense feel that you would not expect from a plastic product," Ive says in the video.


Personally, I love plastic. My $300 white MacBook is my fav.

2013-08-29

If Steve Jobs applied for a job at Apple today, there’s no chance in hell he’d get hired | VentureBeat

If Steve Jobs applied for a job at Apple today, there’s no chance in hell he’d get hired | VentureBeat
Not political. Collaborators. People who really don’t care who gets credit. Those are the type of people that Apple looks for in new employees, Apple CEO Tim Cook said recently. In other words, if Steve Jobs was applying for a job at Apple today, he’d probably get shown the door double-quick-time."


I was so naive, I didn't even know what small politics were until I started observing people's behavior in Hollywood. Silly rabbit.

Flickr for iOS update brings new live filters, editing tools

Flickr for iOS update brings new live filters, editing tools
Yahoo's official Flickr app for iOS was given new filter capabilities in an update on Thursday that brings it into direct competition with Instagram


Yayr for flickr!

Apple's 'iPhone 5S' to use 31% faster 'A7' chip, feature motion tracking - report

Apple's 'iPhone 5S' to use 31% faster 'A7' chip, feature motion tracking - report: "Citing inside sources, Clayton Morris claims the so-called 'iPhone 5S' will be powered by an Apple-designed 'A7' system on a chip that is some 31 percent faster than the current A6 silicon used in the iPhone 5."


It's already redonkulously fast.

2013-08-24

Ashton Kutcher on "Jobs" -- "I Loved a Man I Never Knew" - Kara Swisher - Media - AllThingsD

Ashton Kutcher on "Jobs" -- "I Loved a Man I Never Knew" - Kara Swisher - Media - AllThingsD
In fact, he answered several questions on Quora — such as, “How did Ashton Kutcher prepare for his role as Steve Jobs in the new movie Jobs?” and “Why did Ashton Kutcher decide to play Steve Jobs in the upcoming movie Jobs?” "
I think the real question here is: what is quora?

Samsung Galaxy Mega Coming to AT&T, Sprint, U.S. Cellular - Bonnie Cha - Product News - AllThingsD

Thats not a phone
Samsung Galaxy Mega Coming to AT&T, Sprint, U.S. Cellular - Bonnie Cha - Product News - AllThingsD
Looking like something out of The Onion or a “Saturday Night Live” skit, the gargantuan Galaxy Mega smartphone was announced today by Samsung, which is bringing the jumbo device to the U.S. via AT&T, Sprint and U.S. Cellular."
That's not a phone, this is a phone.

iPhone 5C captured in high-def video: red, yellow, green, blue, white | VentureBeat

iPhone 5C captured in high-def video: red, yellow, green, blue, white | VentureBeat: "As always with rumors and leaks, your mileage may vary, but the case seems identical to previous leaks from other sources."


You heard it last here, folks. The inexpensive VW Beetle iPhone is coming soon to a network near you.

2013-08-17

Early Apple employees Kottke, Fernandez comment on new film 'Jobs'

Early Apple employees Kottke, Fernandez comment on new film 'Jobs'
"It seems to me that there's a lot of fan fiction about Apple Computer and about Steve Jobs," Fernandez elaborated, "and i think that this is the biggest, flashiest piece of fan fiction that there's been to date.


Can we just call it what it is? IOW "too soon"

2013-08-15

Steve Jobs's $1.1 billion AAPL windfall & Steve Ballmer's $11 billion MSFT blunder

Steve Jobs's $1.1 billion AAPL windfall & Steve Ballmer's $11 billion MSFT blunder: "In 2000 the non-voting stock was converted into 18.2 million common shares at $8.25 per share, and were subsequently sold off between August 2000 (the earliest date allowed) and 2003. "


Some fun with math here.

2013-08-13

Google: Gmail Users Can't Legitimately Expect Privacy

Google: Gmail Users Can't Legitimately Expect Privacy
Google doesn't believe that people can reasonably expect their emails to stay private. At least, that's what the internet giant articulated in a brief that was filed last month in federal court and recently surfaced by Consumer Watchdog. The document was written in response to a class-action lawsuit accusing Google of violating wiretap law when it scans emails to serve up targeted ads."


Who cares if an automated bot reads your email? It's not like a creepy nerd is sitting over your shoulder watching things. It's more like a robot without a real brain.

2013-08-10

Photos show front panel, digitizer for fifth-generation iPad | Electronista

Photos show front panel, digitizer for fifth-generation iPad | Electronista: "Macfixit Australia, is claiming to have obtained a front panel and digitizer assembly for the fifth-generation iPad."


Leak leak leak!

2013-08-09

Twitter Activity Can Boost Live TV Ratings - Nielsen Study - Peter Kafka - Media - AllThingsD

Twitter Activity Can Boost Live TV Ratings - Nielsen Study - Peter Kafka - Media - AllThingsD: "And that pitch is more important than ever, as Twitter starts to get very serious about ad money, and about an impending IPO."

Tweet it like that.

Rumor: Apple planning development center in Taiwan for future iPhones

Rumor: Apple planning development center in Taiwan for future iPhones: "An alleged internal communications document from Apple was detailed by VR-Zone on Thursday, claiming that the company is currently in the recruiting stage for a new engineering development team in Taiwan. "


I think this is a terrific development for a California company with a huge global following.

2013-08-06

New 'Jobs' trailer reveals a few new scenes from upcoming biopic

New 'Jobs' trailer reveals a few new scenes from upcoming biopic: "'Jobs' features Kutcher in the title role, with Gad playing Steve Wozniak, while other players include Dermot Mulroney, Lukas Haas, J.K. Simmons, Matthew Modine, and James Woods."


Think about it.

2013-08-04

Rumor: Video shows partially assembled next-gen iPad with translucent Apple logo

Rumor: Video shows partially assembled next-gen iPad with translucent Apple logo: "seen through the front glass is the Apple logo, which is revealed to be a translucent white color when viewed from the back, much like Apple's MacBook.


As long as it's mini size and has a retina display, I'll be happy.

2013-08-02

Apple Store app for iOS now giving away paid apps for free

Apple Store app for iOS now giving away paid apps for free: "The first paid app to get the free app showcase in the Apple Store app is Color Zen, a puzzle game that usually sells for $1. "


A lot of people I talk to who are using iPhones don't really go to the App Store to browse. They only go to download something directly they heard about somewhere else. Like, in an Apple direct mail piece. Er.

2013-07-31

Starbucks Ditches AT&T Wi-Fi for Google - Liz Gannes - Mobile - AllThingsD

Starbucks Ditches AT&T Wi-Fi for Google - Liz Gannes - Mobile - AllThingsD: "The 7,000 Starbucks stores in the U.S. — which already have better and more reliable Wi-Fi than a lot of other places you can walk in and park yourself with a computer"



Praise the Lord! This is an example of fiber being good for digestion.

YouTube Show "Dick Figures" Plans Movie for September - Peter Kafka - Media - AllThingsD

YouTube Show "Dick Figures" Plans Movie for September - Peter Kafka - Media - AllThingsD: "Here, for instance, is Dick Figures, a very popular YouTube series — 350 million views in three years — featuring animated stick figures who make the sort of jokes familiar to anyone who has ever been or spent time around a 12-year-old boy."


When I was a kid, I spent an inordinate amount of time engrossed in computer screens like the Apple ][ and Commodore 64. I'm sure the "knowing" adults were sure those newfangled toys would never amount to much of anything.

2013-07-29

Chinese scalpers booking & selling Apple Store Genius Bar appointments online

Chinese scalpers booking & selling Apple Store Genius Bar appointments online: "Local ticket scalpers are online in Beijing charging between 10 and 40 yuan ($1.63 to $6.52) for a Genius Bar appointment after booking up all available appointments months in advance, according to Beijing Morning News."


This is a funny story about entrepreneurial Chinese businessmen.

b-l-a-c-k-o-p™ - Mac Free Download | webcam Live Streaming Video Mixer | Graphic | Design | Art | Apple: Fake Webcam Latest Safari Apple Mac - Free Download Apple/Mac/OSX

Fake Webcam Latest Safari Apple Mac - Free Download Apple/Mac/OSX: "CamCamX is capable of serving as a fake webcam with the latest versions of Mac desktop browsers"


Cool little program for those hard to reach webcam places...

2013-07-28

Rumor: Photo may show retail packaging for Apple's low-cost "iPhone 5C"

Rumor: Photo may show retail packaging for Apple's low-cost "iPhone 5C": "The photo, which appeared on the same WeiPhone forums that have produced several other early peaks at Apple devices, shows a manufacturer's bin full of dozens of new plastic retail boxes in the size, shape, and style "


It's in the color you want: cheaper.

2013-07-24

Three Terrific Freehand Sketch and Drawing Apps for the iPad

Saying more downloads means an app is better is like saying more lemmings makes jumping off a cliff better.

You've probably heard of Paper 53 and Apple Design Award winner Procreate, but you may not of heard of these three terrific freehand sketching apps for the iPad:

  1. FLIPINK - I was amused to read the user reviews complaining that Flipink had "copied" Paper. Steve Jobs is rumoured to have said "good artists copy, great artists steal" So pipe down fanboys and just download and try it. The drawing tools are really, really great.
  2. SKETCHES - Sketches by Tayasui is another terrific freehand drawing app for the iPad. Not only it free. It's also free of gratuitous UI animation chrome and candy. More like an actual set of papers and ink.
  3. ZEN BRUSH - Finally, a list of this kind would not be complete without my favorite app for the iPad, Zen Brush. Zen Brush isn't so much a freehand drawing app as it is an introduction to traditional Japanese calligraphy. The UI is uncluttered and free of bogus animation and distracting crapola which seems to dominate "popular" apps. Not that popular has ever meant anything in pop culture.

2013-07-19

Why Startups Are Sporting Increasingly Quirky Names - Lindsay Gellman - News - AllThingsD

Why Startups Are Sporting Increasingly Quirky Names - Lindsay Gellman - News - AllThingsD: "The New York cousins who started a digital sing-along storybook business have settled on the name Mibblio."


I think high tech VC funded startups are this generation's rock bands. Which is probably a good thing because A) rock is dead and B) startups probably make you smarter, unlike heroin, which makes you a better singer.

On the other hand, I think it proves that people started rock bands to get famous and make money, which seems to be what startups are doing these days as well.

2013-07-18

Google to Host July 24 Event With Sundar Pichai - Bonnie Cha - News - AllThingsD

Google to Host July 24 Event With Sundar Pichai - Bonnie Cha - News - AllThingsD: "Google has sent out invites for a July 24 event in San Francisco, hosted by Sundar Pichai, senior vice president for Android and Chrome at Google."


I like Chrome, but every once in a while, Chrome will get in a sockets war with other TCP apps running on the Mac. Neither app will have any performance and the spinning color wheel takes precedence.

2013-07-16

Apple's free promotion led to 5.7M new downloads of 'Infinity Blade II'

Apple's free promotion led to 5.7M new downloads of 'Infinity Blade II'
The success of the promotion was revealed by Chair publicist Laura Mustard in an interview with AllThingsD. She revealed that 1.7 million downloads occurred on the first day of the promotion, totaling 5.7 million by the end of the week."


Like I said before, er, like the publicist said, "The App Store is a meritocracy."

2013-07-15

Amar Bose, Pioneer of High-End Audio, Dies at 83 - Stephen Miller - News - AllThingsD

Amar Bose, Pioneer of High-End Audio, Dies at 83 - Stephen Miller - News - AllThingsD: "Mr. Bose, who died Friday at age 83, had been a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His discoveries led to new designs for speakers and other audio components that reputedly made him a billionaire."


Being in Boston, he had a front row seat to the post-Edwin Land Polaroid experience. Good call Mr. Bose!

2013-07-12

FlixMaster brings interactive videos to the iPhone and Android | VentureBeat

FlixMaster brings interactive videos to the iPhone and Android | VentureBeat
FlixMaster’s platform for editing and publishing interactive videos is going mobile."

Close your eyes and say web instead of mobile and this article reads like it's 1997.

Apple drops 'App Store' lawsuit against Amazon, says no need to pursue case

Apple drops 'App Store' lawsuit against Amazon, says no need to pursue case
Apple and Amazon on Tuesday asked U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton to dismiss Apple's lawsuit over the App Store name, according to Reuters."

Hopefully this is an example of Apple wising up to Kleenex and the seminal marketing classic "Positioning" (Al Ries and Jack Trout) and not some other thing.

2013-07-07

Editorial: Apple, Google and the failure of Android's open

Editorial: Apple, Google and the failure of Android's open: "The ideological allure of 'open' is very strong. Really, who doesn't want technology to scramble ahead as quickly as possible, unfettered by the proprietary barriers erected by companies trying to make money? Except, of course, said companies trying to make money."


Kind of an embarrassing article for Apple enthusiasts if you take into account how long it took Apple to become as successful as it is at the present moment. As far as I can tell, Apple would not have a single product on the market without GCC or LLVM, let alone any of the other open technologies that are present in all their products. How's that proprietary network based on IPX/SPX working out for you? Or that telephone that only calls other telephones in it's own loop?

2013-07-04

The shocking truth about Silicon Valley genius Doug Engelbart | ZDNet

The shocking truth about Silicon Valley genius Doug Engelbart | ZDNet
Logitech, which made a lot of money from the computer mouse, one of Mr Engelbart's creations, gave him permanent office space."

This shows that there are still a few good people in the world. Even as Egypt falls and insta rises.

'Jobs' movie poster shows Kutcher as technicolor vision of Apple founder

'Jobs' movie poster shows Kutcher as technicolor vision of Apple founder: "With tag lines encouraging viewers to 'Turn on your mind,' the 'Jobs' promo poster shows Kutcher as the iPod-era version of the late Apple CEO, and the color palette isn't too far from what one might have expected from an iPod commercial for that period."


Technicolor - now that's an interesting technology story in itself. Along with Polaroid, a lesson in what the bankers do when the founder is away (or goes away)...

2013-07-01

Apple Plans A Reno Solar Farm To Power Its Data Center - Mike Isaac - General - AllThingsD

Apple Plans A Reno Solar Farm To Power Its Data Center - Mike Isaac - General - AllThingsD
In conjunction with Nevada utility company NV Energy, Apple plans to build a solar array next to its Reno, Nevada data center, eventually powering the center as well as providing energy to the surrounding community, the company said on Monday. The new solar farm is in addition to two previously announced centers in Maiden, North Carolina. "

Such a better way to grow the renewable energy field than government handouts to shysters who go bankrupt on the way to pocketing a fortune in taxpayer dollars.

2013-06-14

US assembly of Apple's new Mac Pro to be handled by Flextronics - report

US assembly of Apple's new Mac Pro to be handled by Flextronics - report: "The official Flextronics website reveals that the company already has facilities in a number of locations across the U.S., including Texas, California, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and both North and South Carolina. The report did not indicate which U.S.-based Flextronics facility will handle assembly of the new Mac Pro."


You can see why the highest priced, highest margin Mac would be a good candidate for stateside manufacturing.

2013-06-07

MacTubes - Best YouTube Downloader for Mac

MacTubes - YouTube video Player and Downloader for the Mac.

I had been a fairly faithful user of keepvid.com, using it anytime clients sent me videos that would need to be edited into a reel or otherwise repurposed. But after the big Java security scare of 2012, keepvid never seems to work correctly. So I decided to do some googling and found MacTubes. Likely, it's a secret because the web page is mostly in Japanese, but the app itself works great.

It's a free download.

2013-05-24

Apple announces WWDC 2013 keynote for Monday, June 10

Apple announces WWDC 2013 keynote for Monday, June 10: "But in a rare move, the company has already revealed that it will show off the next major releases of both iOS and OS X at WWDC 2013. Upgraded MacBooks featuring Intel's new Haswell processors are also expected to be introduced at the event."

Lucky for me, session videos are online!

2013-05-21

Google's Chrome team developing app launcher for Mac

Google's Chrome team developing app launcher for Mac
Because the Chrome OS platform runs Web apps instead of traditional programs, the app launcher is a vital part of the experience. Instead of having to enter Chrome to execute app functions, the launcher breaks out the Web-based titles into a separate window. "

This may seem like an innocuous announcement, but in combination with Google Native Client, there is a bright future here. Call me a naysayer, but I don't think the future is written in Javascript. Unless of course you want to write a lot more code than you need to. Maybe typescript tho'

2013-05-19

Cook: US-built Mac will be refreshed version of existing product

Cook: US-built Mac will be refreshed version of existing product: "While not a major topic of discussion, the Apple chief told Politico that Apple's upcoming domestically-made computer will not be a new product, but a revision on an existing machine. "

This is an interesting story in general and worth tracking. Virtually every device consumers obsess over is built somewhere in the world under less than ideal working conditions.

2013-05-08

Smartphone companies, including Apple, have little to show for patent litigation

Smartphone companies, including Apple, have little to show for patent litigation: "Courts around the world have rebuked claims made in lawsuits from smartphone manufacturers, The Wall Street Journal detailed in an industry profile this week."

But the lawyers are making out like whoo hook hook!

2013-05-07

As its shares rebound, Apple seen as ready to 'change the narrative'

As its shares rebound, Apple seen as ready to 'change the narrative'
Reitzes expects Apple to announce new software, services and Macs at WWDC, followed by another event in September, where the company is expected to announce a new iPhone.

Bouncing back from hugely successful to insanely successful?

2013-05-05

Editorial: Apple's iOS is the new Windows

Editorial: Apple's iOS is the new Windows: "How is it possible that Apple has managed to rapidly sop up the majority of the entire mobile device industry's profits, and has since then continued to dominate the direction of the industry? "

My opinion: the combination of Xcode + Obj-C and mature frameworks makes for the highest levels of programmer productivity, both within Apple and in the 3rd party dev community.

I had 2 cents and now you have it too.

2013-05-02

Google Glass is creepy, but augmented reality doesn’t have to be | VentureBeat

Google Glass is creepy, but augmented reality doesn’t have to be | VentureBeat
“Creepy” is a word that often gets thrown around when we’re talking about Google Glass, somewhat rightfully, and somewhat not"

I thought a woman was following me around the Metro station afew days ago taking pictures with her iPhone. It brought out my inner paranoid delusionist because I'm sure she was doing something else and merely keeping the camera in the iPhone pointed in my general direction. Cameras are everywhere, being monitored by god knows who, and I'm not sure why Google glass is any creepier than Big Brother. What you don't know, don't creeps you.

2013-05-01

IBM makes the world’s smallest movie with atoms | VentureBeat

IBM makes the world’s smallest movie with atoms | VentureBeat: "Andreas Heinrich (pictured below), principal investigator at IBM Reseach, said in an interview with VentureBeat that his team used the tool to move thousands of atoms into precise spots, creating 242 frames of stop-motion scenes. "

This is a cool and unusual story.

2013-04-27

New Apple iPhone 5 Camera Ad - Peter Kafka - Media - AllThingsD

New Apple iPhone 5 Camera Ad - Peter Kafka - Media - AllThingsD: "Apple’s newest iPhone ad is one minute long. It has a single sentence of voiceover dialogue. It conveys no information about the iPhone 5’s capabilities."

You know you're doing something right when a news reporting organization is running your advertisements with commentary. How could this be news?

2013-04-24

Yahoo Adds 38-Year SNL Archive to Site - Kara Swisher - Media - AllThingsD

Yahoo Adds 38-Year SNL Archive to Site
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer said in a blog post that the Silicon Valley Internet giant had reached an agreement with Broadway Video to “feature Saturday Night Live content exclusively on Yahoo! "
Yahoo, it's paaaaaaaat and grumpy old man...

2013-04-22

Celebrate Record Store Day

BlackBook - The insiders' guide to style and culture.: "Who among you remembers a time when record stores were an important part of your life? It's a dwindling number, to be sure, but we're out there. "


In L.A. Amoeba, and in L.B. Fingerprints.

2013-04-19

Viral Video: Harrison Ford's Wookiee Problem - Kara Swisher - Media - AllThingsD

Viral Video: Harrison Ford's Wookiee Problem - Kara Swisher - Media - AllThingsD
Here’s a brilliant segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live when Harrison Ford, who will be forever known as “Star Wars’” Han Solo, said he did not want to answer questions about the iconic, fan-addled movie."

Here's a fun comedy video featuring my friend Tommy Bechtold (who I know from iO and Groundlings). Tommy is the second questioner.

2013-04-17

Funny or Die's 'iSteve' hits the web one day early with 78-minute run time

Funny or Die's 'iSteve' hits the web one day early with 78-minute run time
"iSteve" was originally slated for debut on Monday. The film was rescheduled to air tomorrow, but it appears that those interested can can watch it now. "

Even the Justin Long Steve is hilariously ill-realized!

Google Fiber TV adds HBO & Cinemax to its programming lineup | VentureBeat

Google Fiber TV adds HBO & Cinemax to its programming lineup | VentureBeat: "Google has forged an agreement to bring premium TV channels HBO and Cinemax to its Google Fiber TV customers, the company announced today."

Because when you're on the fastest internet in the world, why would you want to torrent Game of Thrones when you can Tivo it?

Please bring Google Fiber to me!

2013-04-15

Even Apple isn’t sure whether AppGratis actually violated Apple’s app store guidelines | VentureBeat

Even Apple isn’t sure whether AppGratis actually violated Apple’s app store guidelines | VentureBeat: "There seem to be a lot of assumptions flying around about AppGratis."

Basically, the App Store isn't really an app discovery tool. Don't believe me, on many instances I've typed the exact name of an app into the search field, only to get pages and pages of meaningless results. And I'm not talking about Facebook.

2013-04-12

Rockmelt Ends Its Browser Dreams - Mike Isaac - Social - AllThingsD

Rockmelt Ends Its Browser Dreams - Mike Isaac - Social - AllThingsD
Rockmelt announced Thursday it would soon end support for its desktop browser service, instead transitioning its user base to its mobile apps and newly launched Web-based product."

Is it still a startup company if they discontinue the reason the startup started up?

2013-04-10

Avid announces Pro Tools 11 and Media Composer 7 for Mac & PC

Avid announces Pro Tools 11 and Media Composer 7 for Mac & PC
Avid's new Pro Tools 11 brings new high-powered audio and video engines, 64-bit architecture, expanded metering, and direct HD video workflows."

It's been awhile since I've been avid on Avid, but I'm definitely feeling avid for new products from Avid.

2013-04-08

Google drops UDID support with latest AdMob SDK for iOS

Google drops UDID support with latest AdMob SDK for iOS
In an update to its AdMob software development kit for iOS, Google finished the process of deprecating UDID access in accordance with Apple's privacy policies, completing the transition that began over six months ago."

Use the Mac address. Hash it with a SHA1. Be creative.

2013-04-05

Chernin, Comcast Investing in YouTube Tools Startup Fullscreen - Peter Kafka - Media - AllThingsD

Chernin, Comcast Investing in YouTube Tools Startup Fullscreen - Peter Kafka - Media - AllThingsD
Old media companies keep lining up to invest in YouTube. Here’s the latest: The Chernin Group and Comcast are putting money into Fullscreen, "

Nothing more exciting than the beginning of the end.

2013-04-03

Computing pioneer Alan Kay calls Apple's iPad user interface 'poor'

Computing pioneer Alan Kay calls Apple's iPad user interface 'poor'
Alan Curtis Kay is recognized as one of the few people behind the concepts that have defined much of personal computing over the past three decades."

Mr. Kay makes some important points here, although I do believe "authoring" photos (photography) and videos (videography) are not underrepresented on the iPad, but I do think a Smalltalk-like environment for creating iPad apps on the iPad is probably what he imagined.

2013-04-02

Trailer offers first glimpse at Steve Jobs biopic from 'Funny or Die'

Trailer offers first glimpse at Steve Jobs biopic from 'Funny or Die': "The short film will star Justin Long, former Apple stand-in for the company's 'Mac vs. PC' commercial campaign, as Steve Jobs. James Urbaniak is said to play Bill Gates, with Michaela Watkins as Melinda gates and Jorge Garcia as Steve Wozniak. "

FunnyOrDie Steve Jobs parody, the teaser trailer.

Here’s Hyundai’s dorky vision for the future of personal transportation | VentureBeat

Here’s Hyundai’s dorky vision for the future of personal transportation | VentureBeat: "Any vehicle that requires riders to wear that sort of thing isn’t going get any traction. And that’s a fact."

I'm dorky and proud of it and I think the helmet on this thing is really cool. Anything that keeps bugs out of your teeth is really cool. Essential, really.

2013-04-01

‘Game of Thrones’ premiere shatters torrenting records, pirates take over the Seven Kingdoms | VentureBeat

‘Game of Thrones’ premiere shatters torrenting records: "‘Never before has there been a torrent with so many people sharing a file at the same time, more than 160,000 simultaneous peers,’ TorrentFreak founder and editor-in-chief ‘Ernesto’ wrote."

I think there is an important idea at work here. And it's not "love will find a way".

2013-03-30

Thuraya SatSleeve turns Apple's iPhone into a satellite phone

Thuraya SatSleeve turns Apple's iPhone into a satellite phone
The system, which includes an iPhone holder that docks into a separate satellite communications unit, allows iPhone owners to place voice calls and send text messages nearly anywhere in the world."

Gives new meaning to the phrase "Think global, act local."

2013-03-27

Understanding the New Boom in Subscriptions - Dan Burkhart - Voices - AllThingsD

Understanding the New Boom in Subscriptions - Dan Burkhart - Voices - AllThingsD
Fast forward to today. We are in the midst of yet another explosive expansion of subscription business models. "

It's so hard to find a real article about the technology boom, er, anywhere. This is one. It raises interesting and important points. I sense a cloudy future.

Twitter's Developer Event Will Deal With Cards - Mike Isaac - Social - AllThingsD

Twitter's Developer Event Will Deal With Cards - Mike Isaac - Social - AllThingsD: "At the event, Twitter plans to announce additional types of Cards beyond the three that third parties currently have available, according to sources. "

A sure sign that a company no longer has an intelligence at the helm when they go from a coined word like "tweets" to an incomparably generic nomenclature like "Cards". 'Tards.

2013-03-26

Quicksilver Mac app launcher sees release after 10 years in beta

Quicksilver Mac app launcher sees release after 10 years in beta: "Quicksilver's main draw is its ability to locate files and folders with abbreviated search terms, and launch the assets in the appropriate OS X applications. "

What I like about this story is that the developer took their time rather than rushing shovel ware into the app store. The latter is a big problem.

2013-03-23

Briefly: Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak talks Apple I, Jobs, and more in rare video from 1984

Briefly: Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak talks Apple I, Jobs, and more in rare video from 1984: "In the videos, Woz discusses everything from being a college prankster to working on some of the most important products in Apple history. "

A trip back in the time machine to visit with WOZ in 1984 (Not 1984).

2013-03-20

Microsoft Says Paying Developers Not Main Strategy for Windows Apps - Ina Fried - Mobile - AllThingsD

Microsoft Says Paying Developers Not Main Strategy for Windows Apps: "In a statement to AllThingsD, a Microsoft representative said that paying developers is not its primary strategy."

$100? That's the same amount you'd get by uploading a $0.99 app to an App Store. Too bad you actually have to make the app. Maybe they would accept a Photo Shop mockup. Which is what most apps are anyway.

2013-03-18

A Third Steve Jobs Movie? Please Tell Me They’re Not Calling It iSteve … - John Paczkowski - News - AllThingsD

A Third Steve Jobs Movie? Please Tell Me They’re Not Calling It iSteve: "Because two Steve Jobs biopics aren’t nearly enough, Funny or Die will release a third that will beat the Kutcher and Sorkin projects to market. "

This will be the good one. It's too soon for a serious biopic, the time is ripe for a skewering.

3 Quirky Free Graphic Design Software Programs for Mac

1. DotMatrix FREE from b-l-a-c-k-o-p.com.

DotMatrix FREE is a retro graphics generator that uses the Mac's built-in webcam (iSight or FaceTime) camera. Hundreds of customizable retro art presets are available with virtually unlimited color customization.

The higher priced pOpOp version can output vector graphic PDF files.

The tool includes a variety of integrated masking, posterization and halftoning tools which are combined in unique and suprising ways.

The product claims to make art creation accessible to those "without talent" and I think they have a point.
2. InspectPNG for Mac.

InspectPNG is a tool that only the techically inclined will love. If you find yourself with a weird PNG file that doesn't display correctly somewhere/anywhere, InspectPNG will probably have the answer. It seems that the new Retina ICNS on Mountain Lion are using new PNG features. Who can keep track? Isn't a PNG just a PNG? Apparently not.
3. FaceBoof! may be unique in claiming to be absolutely useless. Whimsy and comedy abound in this simple application which is sometimes free and sometimes cheap. You may want to use an App price monitoring tool to determine the best time to download.

2013-03-16

Briefly: 'Jobs' biopic release date delayed

Briefly: 'Jobs' biopic release date delayed
According to people familiar with the matter, the film's production company Open Road wanted more time for marketing after the film debuted at this year's Sundance Film Festival in January."
This can't be a bona fide Apple movie, because if it was, it would "ship on time".

2013-03-13

Microsoft Now Supports Adobe in Windows 8, Windows RT Browser - Ina Fried - News - AllThingsD

Microsoft Now Supports Adobe in Windows 8, Windows RT Browser - Ina Fried - News - AllThingsD
Microsoft has changed its mind, yet again, on when and how to support Flash within the latest versions of Windows."
The enemy of my enemy is my friend and other illogicisms.

2013-03-06

TV Is Changing Before Our Eyes - David Pakman - Voices - AllThingsD

TV Is Changing Before Our Eyes - David Pakman - Voices - AllThingsD: "As more of our viewership takes place over IP, we lose our allegiance to networks as the point of distribution and allow new distributors to guide us toward content choice."
We'll never put our television shows on your stinky internet! We have our own dedicated network.

2013-03-03

QOTD: Money Changes Everything - John Murrell - Voices - AllThingsD

QOTD: Money Changes Everything - John Murrell - Voices - AllThingsD
Andrew Mason, in an interview about a month before he was fired as Groupon’s CEO"

Yet another entrepreneur learns what it means to be owned by bankers.

2013-02-26

Google denies plans to build its own retail stores

Google denies plans to build its own retail stores: "Andy Rubin said in a roundtable at this week's Mobile World Congress that he feels there is no need for Google to create its own retail stores, according to All Things D."

Drop in to your nearest Google store to type a phrase into a search engine.

2013-02-23

Glenn Reynolds: The Hollywood Tax Story They Won't Tell at the Oscars - WSJ.com

Glenn Reynolds: The Hollywood Tax Story They Won't Tell at the Oscars - WSJ.com
Iowa ended its motion-picture subsidies in 2010, after officials misused $26 million in state money, leading to criminal charges."

Meet your government, part one of many.

2013-02-22

Morgan Stanley expects 6% dividend, cheaper 'iPhone mini' after meeting with Apple CFO

Morgan Stanley expects 6% dividend, cheaper 'iPhone mini' after meeting with Apple CFO: "That's why she expects Apple to expand the iPhone lineup, and also to introduce new services that can 'unlock significant value' and drive device sales."

iPhone Mini is just another way to say I love iOS.

2013-02-21

Google Glasses Are Great for Skydivers, Ballerinas and Snake Charmers - Lauren Goode - Product News - AllThingsD

Google Glasses Are Great for Skydivers, Ballerinas and Snake Charmers - Lauren Goode - Product News - AllThingsD: "If you were itching to get your hands on a pair of Google Glasses … well, you still can’t."

We note that Google takes the Microsoft approach to pre-announcing launches rather than the Apple approach of announcing when there is an actual product ready to ship.

2013-02-20

Apple likely to debut $199 iPhone as low-cost smartphone market hits $135B in 2013

Apple likely to debut $199 iPhone as low-cost smartphone market hits $135B in 2013: "Following up on his report from early January, analyst Gene Munster on Tuesday reiterated his stance that Apple is likely to release a more affordable iPhone targeting developing regions like China and India. "

Any Apple phone that runs iOS and has a programmable GPU is going to be a big hit. Trust me on this one.

2013-02-18

Burglar breaks $100K custom glass door with rocks at Boulder Apple Store

Burglar breaks $100K custom glass door with rocks at Boulder Apple Store
The damage caused to the glass door in the burglary of a Boulder, Colo., Apple Store was more costly than the goods that were actually stolen."

Further evidence that criminals are not necessarily the sharpest tools in the shed.

2013-02-14

Why Twitter Paid $90 Million for Bluefin Labs - Dive Into Media - Mike Isaac - Dive Into Media - AllThingsD

Why Twitter Paid $90 Million for Bluefin Labs - Dive Into Media - Mike Isaac - Dive Into Media - AllThingsD: "Twitter just paid a lot of money for Bluefin Labs (around $90 million, we hear), a social analytics startup that marries two key streams of data to Twitter in its pitch to advertisers: What’s happening on TV, and what’s happening on Twitter."

Thr's a fw thngs happening n th ntrnt.

2013-02-01

Ashton Kutcher on Steve Jobs biopic: 'This was done with the utmost love, admiration, and respect'

Ashton Kutcher on Steve Jobs biopic: 'This was done with the utmost love, admiration, and respect': "The 29th annual Macworld conference kicked off today at the Moscone Center in San Francisco with Macworld GM Paul Kent interviewing Ashton Kutcher and Josh Gad, stars of the Steve Jobs biopic JOBS. "

In other words, inside a reality distortion field...

2013-01-30

Steve Jobs action figure rears articulated head again

Steve Jobs action figure rears articulated head again: "A 12-inch collectible action figure depicting late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is once again for sale on a Japanese site, marking at least the second time in a year that a figurine company has attempted to cash in on Jobs' likeness."

sJobs Mini.

2013-01-27

Wozniak on jOBS biopic: 'So far from anything that really happened'

Wozniak on jOBS biopic: 'So far from anything that really happened': "Wozniak's comments came after a sneak peek of Ashton Kutcher and Josh Gad as Jobs and Wozniak debuted on the Internet Thursday. Speaking to 'Good Morning America' this week, the Apple co-founder was harshly critical of the first footage to emerge from the film."

This is entertaining! I'm only Woz, was there, was alive at the time.

2013-01-24

First footage of Ashton Kutcher as Apple's Steve Jobs emerges

First footage of Ashton Kutcher as Apple's Steve Jobs emerges: "The clip, obtained by ETonline, shows Kutcher (as Jobs) excitedly attempting to convey to Gad (as Wozniak) how important the Wozniak's nascent operating system is. "

Ashton Kutcher announces the Apple ][e.

2013-01-23

2013-01-18

Crowdfunding Efforts Draw Suspicion - Jean Eaglesham - News - AllThingsD

Crowdfunding Efforts Draw Suspicion - Jean Eaglesham - News - AllThingsD: "Regulators are scrutinizing about 200 websites set up by entrepreneurs to profit from a more lenient law on the sale of shares in small companies."

Bankers will always find novel ways to steal investor money. It's endemic.

2013-01-16

With Help From Fusion-io, Facebook's Data Centers Are Going All Flash - Arik Hesseldahl - News - AllThingsD

With Help From Fusion-io, Facebook's Data Centers Are Going All Flash - Arik Hesseldahl - News - AllThingsD: "Flynn, who only half in jest refers to hard drives as ‘spinning rust,’ says that once data centers convert to all flash, their energy requirements become a little looser."

Say goodbye to spinning rust!

2013-01-11

Apple to receive technical Emmy award for streaming TV content to mobile devices

Apple to receive technical Emmy award for streaming TV content to mobile devices: "Apple will be awarded a Technology & Engineering Emmy on Thursday for its work on streaming tech that allows mobile device users to view TV content in real time without requiring specialized production hardware. "

I stream, you stream, we all stream for ustream.

2013-01-09

Cox reveals future live streaming, remote control iPad app | Electronista

Cox reveals future live streaming, remote control iPad app | Electronista: "Cox Communications has shown off a new version of its mobile app, which it hopes will give a more personalized TV experience to customers."

I call this the future of "television".

America in Need of National and Local Bandwidth Initiatives - Blair Levin and Ellen Satterwhite - Voices - AllThingsD

America in Need of National and Local Bandwidth Initiatives - Blair Levin and Ellen Satterwhite - Voices - AllThingsD: "South Korea is now number one in the world for computer download speeds, and the U.S. has fallen to number 15."

It's amazing how such seemingly small things can have a marked impact on the economy.

2013-01-03

'jOBS' biopic to hit theaters in April

'jOBS' biopic to hit theaters in April: "Open Road Films and Five Star Feature films on Thursday announced that distribution agreements are in place for the Steve Jobs biopic 'jOBS,' which will arrive in theaters sometime in April. "

The photo comparison between Kutcher and the real Jobs is compelling. Check it!