AI, Mobile, and Eveything Around the Cloud

There has been some talk about the next generation iPod Touch and if some 3GS features will eventually migrate over to the Touch.  Most obvious would be the camera.  In fact, don't be surprise if the Touch has more features like HD recording.   But the most surprising of all is the talk about a microphone included with the Touch, thus, providing a true VOIP solution.   So the issue isn't whether the next iPod Touch will incorporate a microphone like the iPhone or users will be forced to use the headset but rather whether it is Apple's intention to position the Touch as a VOIP device as well as a music, video, and game player.   If that is what Apple is attempting to do, regardless of its reasons (like trying to wrestle some control away from the wireless providers), there is something that Apple must enable that it has not done yet:  allow fully or partial background processing. At the very least, there has to be parity between someone making a call using an iPhone versu...

For my fellow iPhone and iPod Touch mobile warriors who have been waiting patiently for an official Google Voice app, I can tell you that I love using Android's GV app as it allows me to record important calls (of course, only with permission - even with family members), send free SMS, and access everything from the app or Web.   Would it be great if the IM apps in iTunes also support Voice?   If you're aged, like me, during the era of IM craze, you've got an account from ICQ, gTalk, AIM, Yahoo, MSN, and, now, Facebook or Myspace.  You want to stay in touch with everybody across the various chats so you likely use Adium or Trillian.  If not, you're truly missing out.   So this morning, just as I was considering beejive with push  ($9.99) because it now supports push and there's no point in waiting for Trillian's iPhone app.  And while beejive does support SMS, it doesn't provide the voice and text center that GV support.  And it doesn't even try.  Tha...

I am immensely jealous that my Macbook doesn't sport one of those newer enclosed batteries.  So, while I've got decent battery life with my 8-month old unibody Macbook, I don't have insanely great battery life in the neighborhood of 7 hours (or 8 as some have claimed). And if you're in the same boat as I am, here's a quick mobile tip I heard while I was running and listening to one of my favorite podcasts,  Powerpage . It's so obvious.  You can turn off your browser plug-ins when you're running your laptop or netbook off the battery. I only heard it tonight so I'll give it a go tomorrow and let you know if it makes any difference.  And whether you're running Firefox or Safari makes a difference in how you manage plug-ins as well. On top of that, make sure you use this great application to monitor your battery use.   Coconut Battery . As you can see, it provides you with information about your MB or MBP battery.  Charges, capacity, and cycles....

Apple reported their earnings today.  May you know about it.  May not. I'm reading blogs from the financial conference call.  So far Apple has been selling the the 3GS in 18 countries where as the 3G is available on 80 countries.  And when the 3G launched, it was available on more countries as well.  And still, Apple managed to sell over 5.2 million iPhones while supplies are tight. Oh, and 130% increase in iPod Touches sold compared to a year ago.  This number will go up next quarter and next year.

We've got the iPhone 3GS.  Maybe we'll get the iPod Touch V for VOIP.  It's a matter of when and under what wireless connection. Maybe i'll be with a LTE network.  Perhaps it'll be white spaces or under President Obama's vision of an utopian wireless society.   Fact.  We know that a version of the iPhone 3GS without the phone and GPS is coming to the iPod Touch.  Without knowing what's it going to be called, we'll call it the iTS (iPod Touch S).  It's been speculated and it only makes sense that with all the features that are being talked about for the iPhone 3GS, Apple will include many of the features and updates in the next Touch update. This means camera.  But it's the evolution of the Touch that is the headliner.  It no secret that I'm no fan of the wireless providers. Nor you I suppose and I know Apple, Google, and perhaps even Microsoft are all plotting their destruction one days in their own ways.  But suppose the telecoms go away, ...