AI, Mobile, and Eveything Around the Cloud

Skype just released an update allowing the iDevices running the iPhone OS to make calls overe 3G. I just tried it with the iPad over WiFi and 3G. I also tried with the iPhone over WiFi. For the time, I think I am happy with this ability. The quality was par but if you move around with the iPad, the quality degrades for so reason. I hope Skype will make some adjustments for the 3G calls. I know a lot of people who are counting on Apple and Skype to pry them from the clutches of the wireless providers. -- Post From My iPad

Do I want just about any app on the iPhone or my iPad? Well, sure. Maybe not any app but I would not mind the freedom should the desire arises. No, I'm not talking about porn. But...for those who do, I think I have a solution for Apple. Two separate and distinct app stores. And I am not speaking of sanctioning Cydia or any of the jail-broken options. Even I would not go there unless I absolutely have to. And Cydia is sitting on my homepage even now. So, what is this guy talking about, you ask? Simple. One app store will exist just as it is now. On top of that, there will be a second app store with everything else. For the sake of this post, let's called the current store as we know it as iTunes App Store or iAS. The second store will be called freedom App Store or fAS. iAS will simply operate in ways as we have come to know it. Approval processes and all. Essentially, trusted but restricted. Then there is fAS. Here, any app that isn't going to get Apple's...

We're not likely going to see Firefox on the iDevices though it does seem more likely after the entry of Opera into the app store. However, I wouldn't quite count on it. I think it was done at a time when there is a lot of attention and negative press directed (in some ways, I think rightfully) at Apple's App Store policies. Fear not. Mozilla will represent. Firefox Home. Mozilla is putting the final finishings on the app that allows the user to sync history and bookmarks across the various platforms supported by Firefox. However, don't look for the familiar feel of Firefox on the Mac or the PC. As a matter of fact, it won't be the Gecko engine at all. Perhaps, Mozilla might be able to make the appearance look like Firefox but, in order not to run afoul of Apple's approval process, it will be based on Webkit, the underlying browser engine that powers Safari on the iDevices, OS X and Windows, as well as Chrome from Google. Is this a smart move by Mozilla...

With anywhere from $6 to $9 billion in app revenue by 2014, depending on who you choose to believe, I think here's a small piece of action for me right? I think so. Even it's a couple of bucks, there are a couple people will just buy any app just to test it out. Maybe I'll give it out for free and then collect revenues from the ads. I am pretty sure I'll give the iPhone market a try first given how much Steve Jobs has hyped iAd if I plan on going about the free app route. Plus, Apple just announced today a new program for indie authors to submit books to the iBooks store. As a matter of fact, I just just mention this in a post at On Apple . I will be tweeting and updating my progress. I hope you will also consider giving writing apps a try as well. Whether it'll be for the iPhone, Android, or another platform, there is certainly plenty of opportunity for a create soul to make some extra money. -- Post From My iPad

Frenzy is not the word I'd to describe the mobs that have sprung up from all over the countries that are part of the first of many wave of iPad launches.  That would be an understatement and a wrong depiction. I'd say it's more of a block party.  For international readers, think of it as festivities that spontaneously take place out of nowhere without planning.  Certainly, outside of plans by Apple to offer coffee and donuts (well, we were given donuts, not sure what they gave in Japan), no one asked that the crowd show up. No one said we should call the media and have them do live broadcasts of launches.  But it happens anyway.  Why is that?  I honestly can't say.  I think society has changed in such a way that we treat our gadgets as "man's best friend" (or "a woman's best friend").  They allow people to do things they could not previously.  SMS was a huge advancement in social exchange but the iPhone really revolutionized how we consume in...

I have wondered why Apple included iWeb as a part of the iLife too. I understand that it's a part of iLife and MobileMe integration but it's not all that useful as a tool beyond personal use. In the beginning, I used it to put up videos and pictures of my family and friends and to share them. Then later, Apple offered the ability to use a number of features that one might think iWeb can be used for business purposes too. iWeb allows Adsense integration, HTML input, ability to set up your own domain name, and to publish podcasts. These are not features to be used for someone who just wants to share news, videos, and pictures with friends. So where can Apple take iWeb next? Well, I am hoping two features be added. See, these days, its about apps and mobile. What do I want Apple to include in the next iWeb update? First, I love to see Apple give us iAd integration but still keep Adense as well. Apple went through all three trouble to innovate ads, it might as well compete wi...

Video-conferencing is coming to the iPlatform.  You know what else would be cool?  If you can toggle between the frontal camera and the back camera. It's a reporter's dream.  Cameramen, you're screwed!   I am sure by now, you know that the next iPhone has a frontal camera for video conferencing.  So what does that mean for the future of visual communication? I think most folks are still thinking about this.  We've seen in on TV in scifi but we hardly use it in real life.  Almost every I know has a webcam in their laptops, certainly on their Macbooks. And it's rare that we sit there and actually chat with anyone for a length of time. I've communicated with folks overseas.  Families mostly.   But the iPhone offers a true mobile experience.  Can you imagine talking to a friend while you sit at a Starbucks or stroll through the mall?  Yeah, I think I'll be doing stuff like that in the beginning. And if I'm a reporter and I see a news br...

I will be getting an Android device soon. I already have a G1 and I am looking for an upgrade. I've yet to decide if a phone with Android 2.2 installed is my next phone or the next iPhone with iPhone 4.0 installed. That's the point. Now, before I go further, I just want to make somethings clear. Some Android devices, at this time and point, are excellent alternatives to the iPhone 3GS. Take the HTC Incredible for instance. I got the opportunity to play with the Nexus One over the weekend for an "extended period of time" and I think I can be happy with it. The Droid, well, not so much. So, I repeat: some Android devices are good alternatives to the iPhone and with the right one, you can't get go wrong in that direction. However, folks are comparing Android 2.2 to iPhone 3.0 and making the switch. Hey, if they're happy with that comparison, more power to them. I know that many folks who have made this mistake end up coming back to the iPhone, sometimes...

For the majority of users of Apple products, we really don't care too much about the struggles in wireless politics and the open warfare between Apple and the rest of the industry. Nevertheless, it's good to know the maddening pace of innovation and the visions for the mobile computing future from Apple, Google, and others. As you may have heard, Android is doing well. Even if you don't get the iPhone as your next mobile device, going with an Android would be a wise choice. That's how good it is now. In the past, I wouldn't have recommended it. But with Nexus One, Evo, and Incredible from HTC powering Google's mobile growth, it has highlighted some shortcomings of the iPhone. However, with iPhone 4 release weeks away and, possibly, a new iPhone, Apple will practically erase any advantage the Android has and put the mobile market back even further. So right now, sit back and see how Steve Jobs will dazzle us at Apple's next press event in June. ...