Jonathan Geller:
The phone is too big. You will look stupid talking on it, people will laugh at you, and you’ll be unhappy if you buy it. I really can’t get around this, unfortunately, because Samsung pushed things way too far this time.
But, but, it has a stylus.
Twitter added swipe shortcut, copy and paste, link love and some other things.
Very cool looking lenses for those that want a little more from their iPhone.
China Telecom on Monday said it would begin selling the iPhone 4S on March 9. The company will start taking online reservations on March 2. […]
Alec Saunders is the Vice President of Developer Relations for RIM:
PlayBook OS 2.0 benchmarks better than any other mobile implementation (just point your PlayBook at HTML5Test.com), and better than every desktop browser, except Chrome 16. It also includes WebGL for accelerated 3D graphics, and with WebWorks, we can free HTML5 code from the browser, let you upload it to AppWorld, and turn that HTML5 website into a revenue generating HTML5 application. How ‘bout them apples?
Two things:
Make sure you’re near a Wi-Fi connection before pointing your PlayBook at any site because it doesn’t have 3G.
You think it’s a good idea to allow developers to sell an app based on an HTML5 Web site? That’s not a plus. People want real apps, not fake shit.
Matthew Panzarino: That’s not the same, however, as crassly transforming one operating system into another to cash in or exert more control. The ’10 ways that OS X is being turned into iOS’ headline is easy to write, and you … Continued
This is going to be fun.
Tim Bajarin:
From Microsoft and their partners point of view, they are really hoping that history literally repeats itself. Just as Windows was used to bypass Apple in the past, they are “praying” that Windows 8, with its ability to deliver a similar OS and touch UI experience across multiple devices can revive their fortunes and make them relevant again.
I don’t believe it’ll happen this time. Apple is different than the company that fought with Microsoft in 1984 for desktop operating system supremacy. In a way you could say that Microsoft has been trying to build a tablet OS for years and failed. Apple reinvented the way people think about tablets and mobile operating systems and in the process they have won the mindshare and market share of consumers. It seems clear from Windows 8 that Microsoft doesn’t even understand the war they are fighting.
Three congressmen on both sides of the aisle want the FTC to investigate Google for allegedly violating Mobile Safari users’ privacy.
Apple settled a class-action lawsuit brought by users of the iPhone 4. Antenna issues caused some users to lose their wireless connection. […]
I’m going to use the same faulty logic that some people have used to claim that OS X Mountain Lion is being iOS-ified to show how iOS is being Mac-ified. Calendars: On the Mac first as iCal, clearly Apple added … Continued
For many, the announcement of OS X Lion was viewed with a great deal of negativity. Perceived as subverting the complexity of OS X, Lion was painted by many as an unwelcome agent of change – an entity seeking to castrate the strength of the Mac. Boasting nascent implementations of iOS features, many were quick to point accusatory fingers at the budding mobile operating system. OS X was courting a younger, sleeker companion, and its personality was starting to change – starting to dress a little better and clean up its act. Many felt betrayed. […]
Tyler Tschida:
If you’re not up to speed on this issue, let me explain. About two weeks ago something terrible happened in the App Store, and we’re still not sure what. Apps that received any type of price change, whether it was a small discount or a short term free period, started randomly displaying this absolutely maddening message: “This item is currently being modified. Please try again later.”
I’ve never seen this error.
Apple launched a new promotion on Friday as it nears 25 billion app downloads on its App Store. As of today, nearly 25 billion apps have been downloaded worldwide. Which is almost as amazing as the apps themselves. So we … Continued
I said on Twitter this morning:
I’m amazed with all of the writers who claim Apple is making Mountain Lion more like iOS.Clearly, you don’t get it. […]
Asymco:
Here is a plot of each major computing product Apple sold throughout its history shown as a cumulative total since product launch.
Ina Fried:
Although they are doing it in different ways, Apple and Microsoft are aiming for a similar goal with their next desktop operating systems: To make the computer more like the phone.
This just isn’t what’s happening. Microsoft is trying to shoehorn one operating system into the desktop and mobile spaces, but that will ultimately fail. They are different platforms and should be treated differently. […]
Apple on Wednesday confirmed for The Loop that new pricing for developers and advertisers have been implemented on its iAd platform. The changes, according to one media agency executive, could help boost the platform into even more advertising budgets this year. […]
Zach Epstein:
In an effort to justify its policies surrounding data service throttling for subscribers with unlimited smartphone data plans, AT&T on Tuesday issued a brief report regarding data usage on its nationwide wireless network. Senior EVP of AT&T technology and network operations John Donovan wrote on a company blog that data traffic on AT&T’s network has grown a staggering 20,000% over the past five years. Usage has doubled between 2010 and 2011 according to the executive, due in large part to the proliferation of smartphones.
Oh, so it’s our fault.
“Apps that collect or transmit a user’s contact data without their prior permission are in violation of our guidelines,” Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr told AllThingsD. “We’re working to make this even better for our customers, and as we have done … Continued
Funny post by Abdel Ibrahim and Jon Dick evaluating the Galaxy Note. Check out the second pick for the timezone joke.
Realmac’s new Clear is a 99 cent task management app for iPhone and iPod touch.
The Verge:
Over the course of the past week, a firestorm has erupted in the world of iOS apps, thanks to the discovery that Path was uploading data from your iPhone’s address book without asking for explicit permission.Stated simply: any iOS app has complete access to a large amount of data stored on your iPhone, including your address book and calendar.Over the course of the past day, we have been using the method explained by Arun Thampi (who discovered Path’s privacy violation) to investigate several dozen popular iOS apps. Our findings should bring both comfort and concern to any iPhone user.
Redmond Pie:
Unlike the many clones and pretenders looking to essentially copy the format, Spire simply installs the necessary files of Apple’s voice-recognition utility, requiring a server host and a legit iPhone 4S certificate to leave users with an all-singing, all-dancing port of Siri. In order to prevent such treachery, Apple seems to have added a “SetActivationToken” which stops Spire right in its tracks.
Does this mean they are extinct?
Yawn.
Josh Ong: The U.S. Department of Justice approved on Monday several patent purchases and acquisitions, including a collection of Nortel’s intellectual property to be acquired by Apple, Microsoft, Research in Motion and others and Novell patents that Apple has purchased. … Continued
PBS:
Premiering February 20th and 21st, a biography of a president who rose from a broken childhood in Arkansas to become one of the most successful politicians in modern American history, and one of the most complex and conflicted characters to ever stride across the public stage.
PBS announced it was offering the first hour of the four hour documentary exclusively through its PBS iOS app – a full week before it airs on television.
RIM director Roger Martin speaking to the Globe and Mail:
I laugh at the vast majority of critics when they say ‘Oh, you should have made this CEO transition, like, four years ago.’ Yeah, right – like, to who?
I guess the co-CEOs aren’t the only ones that need to go.
Ben Brooks talking about the Path/Address Book kerfuffle:
If you live and play in the Apple world, you need only trust Apple. This is what Apple tells us — it’s a ‘feature’ of the Apple ecosystem.The fact is, that in this instance, Apple broke that trust.
I read that a couple of times and thought about what my reaction was to this whole mess. I don’t think Apple broke my trust though. If Apple told me my Address Book data was safe and this happened, then yeah, they would have broken my trust.
However, my reaction to this was that there’s obviously something that needs to be fixed.