AI, Mobile, and Eveything Around the Cloud

Here's a post I wrote at Onxo on dealing with iTablet rumors.  I think it's great to be able to indulge in them but we just have to prepare ourselves to be disappointed when what we hope for and what we get doesn't compute. Basically, enjoy the rumors but until we see Steve Jobs on stage holding an iTablet, it may as well be free because it still doesn't exist.  Yet. More at Onxo .

I know that Apple already has an iron grip on the app store approval process. Personally, I haven't had too many run-ins with the enigmatic exercise. But recently, I decided that I was going to get on board with Barnes and Noble's ebook initiative. Boy, was that a mistake. Here's a bit of my history with ebooks. I've been reading on a mobile device since Palm V back in 2000. Been reading ever since despite what Steve Jobs would like us to think. And for more Apple fans, I think you all pretty much read ebooks or otherwise. Some of these books are downloaded and other bought from eReader.com and Fictionwise (Fictionwise bought eReader and, in turn, Fictionwise was bought out later by Barnes and Noble). I have a couple of books with Kindle on the iPhone as well, one of the better things to have happen to the iPhone and iPod Touch in my opinion. But what has kept me from siding with Amazon is the little fact that Amazon feels it has the right to come into your ...

Qik . I like you to meet the company that’s going to be on the forefront of mobile video streaming. And it’s not just ordinary stream I’m talking about here. With the Qik app for the iPhone and Android devices, any mobile warrior can become a broadcaster. Qik has been around for a bit now but it was only recently when Apple allowed Qik to stream live video from the iPhone app that it has suddenly gained a lot of attention in the media and blogs. For instance, I was able to provide a live stream from my iPhone 2G tethered to the G1 via Wi-Fi Tether and show off a couple of minutes of video from last night’s dinner to a friend overseas. There is a wide range of implications for this new mobile app. Forget citizen journalists providing near instant updates with still pictures, now folks can report on news right from their mobile device. How about for folks who can’t make it birthday parties and weddings? No problem if someone at the event is kind enough to provide some l...

Here, I’m going back to the last financial call between analysts and Apple executives. Specifically, the part about the December transportation cost being higher than normal. I visited this in past posts but I think it’s time to do it again since we have some new developments. The first likely theory is that the transportation costs to air freight products is related to the iMacs. Apple in its wisdom has anticipated the popularity of the iMacs. Hence, we’re seeing a 2-week delay in shipment. I did a couple of walkthroughs myself and haven’t seen one in stock. In trying to satisfy its likely high net-worth customers, Apple is shipping backordered iMacs by air. Okay, that was the more likely scenario for the higher cost associated to shipment. Now’s less probable scenario. Apple has been stocking up on the iTablets. And once that announcement is made at a time and venue of Steve Jobs’ choosing, which most people agree it to be in January, he will also say that you can rush ...

It's hard to imagine Steve Jobs doing what others want because of external pressure.  Well, that pressure was upped a couple notch as Apple became the punchline and punching bag of a SNL skit. But I think this kind of publicity isn't what Apple looks for and this is compounded by the fact that Apple is unable to control the message.  Suffice to say, the iPhone continues to outsell everyone else without the need for special deals like Blackberries, Pres, or Droids.  So that says a lot.  Nevertheless, any bruising of Apple's image as far as Cupertinonites are concerned is a worrying sign. So I wonder if this will put back on the table any works that Apple might have to to move the iPhone onto another network something that is now pushed to the forefront of the mobile agenda. I think more likely, any deal to have the iPhone on Verizon or T-Mobile has already been worked out long ago. Still, that can't come any sooner.  I think any debate about ATT's worth a...

We're at the about the half way point of the a new iPhone release.  It's incredible how the iPhone 3GS has come so far in the marketplace.  More than 7 million iPhones sold in the last quarter and we're headed for another record sales.  For iPhone and Apple fans, things can't be better. Well, it can actually.  I've identified two things that Apple needs to Address in iPhone 4.0.  I'm talking specifically just about the OS. App management and navigation.  It's time Apple come up with a new innovative scheme to address this.  I've got all the desktops filled with apps.  I've ran out of room.  Fine.  I can deal with that.  Except all the swiping.  It gets kinda old, you know?  I can think of a couple of ways to deal with it but I'm sure Apple's talents have come up with 10 better ways to do deal with app management and getting from one app to another. I'm okay with swiping but as Apple is likely to increase the number ...

During the last financial call, Apple executives hinted at a higher than usual cost for air freight charges.  Immediately, the Internet was buzzing for what it could be for.  Added to the mix was that Apple said it was not for the iPhone. What can it be?  the iMac?  It is the most recent prodct Apple refreshed that's out on the market.  And it seems like supplies should be more than adequate for the other items in Apple's product line.  No issues with the iPods. It seems the Macbooks are selling well but also no reports or hints of tight supplies at the store. For Black Friday, foot traffic in the Apple stores were lighter than last year but sales online were up by a large margin.  So, things seem alright with having enough stock to sell for this quarter. Still, we're still left wondering what specific Apple product is impacting the shipping cost.  It's nearly the middle of December so nothing new is about to come on to the market from Ap...

Today, former Crunchpad, now called Joojoo, is unveiled.  And it won't be available for another 8-11 weeks, according the a news event unveiled and covered by Engadget reported.  It's no longer called the Crunchpad because of a legal dispute between Michael Arrington who first came up with the vision to develop a $200 Internet pad and Fusion Garage who Arrington picked to partner with.  If you want the gory legal details, you'll have to find it yourself.  It's interesting but ultimately, not worth knowing about. Here are the specs the Joojoo unveiled by Chandra Rathakrishnan of Fusion Garage : Intel Atom Chip 12" Touchscreen HD movies 4GB storage Wi-Fi only - 3G access in the future is possible Accelerometer 5 hours of battery life - I am guessing it's less.  More like 4 hours.  My Macbook does better.   2.5 pounds.  Heavy for a tablet. Simple and straight-forward.  Almost downright boring.  Now, here are what I expect Apple'...

You know those ads from Verizon Wireless?  They've been hitting ATT and Apple's iPhone pretty hard and it just got harder. But you know what?  I absolutely love it!  It's like the PC-Mac ads Apple put out but without the humor. I think this will get Apple, Steve Jobs in particular, pretty pissed off.  And you don't want Jobs pissed off.  I think the gloves are off as far as Apple and Google are concerned. More at Onxo Mobile Society .

I don't know what to do with iChat on my Macbook. I've used it a few times. Mostly, I click it by accident when I'm in a rush to fire up Safari. Instead, I've been using Adium since I found out about it. With Adium, like Trillian on Windows, I can put together my MSN, Yahoo, AOL, Gtalk, and, now, Facebook contacts in one application. It's really efficient. So far, I can use AOL and Gtalk with iChat but it doesn't let me do much else. Frankly, I'm not sure Apple really has any plans for iChat other than to just havesomething for the MobileMe crowd. But if there is a way for Apple to include voice, VOIP, or something else, that would be fantastic. And with Google snapping up Gizmo5 and merging it with Voice, Appple's iPhone and Macs are really left at the mercy of their Mountainview neighbor who is increasingly more of a competitor on the mobile and desktop front. I think it's about time Apple get serious about iChat and doing more with it. 3...