AI, Mobile, and Eveything Around the Cloud

RIM is now cheaper to buy than Yahoo.  Even with a twenty percent premium, RIM can be had for $18 billion – plenty of companies are capable of buy them out with just even the cash reserves on hand.   Microsoft quickly comes to mind.  Intel.  Cisco.  Google.  Oh, and then there's the unlikely candid that is Apple.  Three questions need to be asked about a RIM buyout scenario: Who's more likely to pull the trigger?   How would it change the landscape? And is Apple really not as likely to be a RIM suitor? I think we'll know in the next few months just how likely RIM is going to survive and in what form.

Kaspersky, anti-virus maker, thinks Apple ought to open up the iOS because it is concerned that Android is kicking the iPhone's butt.  That concern is heart felt if not for the fact that the iOS as a whole is a bigger mobile platform than Android (including iPod touch and iPad) and that its has not been able to make money off of Apple's success like other app makers are. According to Kaspersky CTO, he's worried about Apple's walled garden being competitive with Android.   Okay...dude, just come out and say it.  And open iOS means you can sell anti-virus softwares to users who currently don't have a need for it.  And open iOS means it'll be inherently more insecure, allowing a bunch of apps with malware to enter the app stores like what's going on with Android.   Just, this week, Google removed 10 apps with malware alone.  What Kaspersky should be doing is to promote its services to Android users like myself worried the increasing malware threats.  Not...

Research In Motion, maker of the iconic Blackberry and Playbook (not as iconic), got clobbered yesterday as its stock is down more than 21% as of this writing.  As a publicly traded company, making hundreds of millions isn't enough to stem the ire of stockholders.   I know, it's all about being able to compete in the marketplace and RIM's mobile gears are not doing so well.  And while the two CEOs reminded financial analysts during the call yesterday night, RIM is still very profitable.  However, the fear is that it'll stop making money all together if it doesn't get its acts together. Increased competition from Apple over the years stunted RIM's growth and lead to losses of market share.   While management has pleaded for patience until new products reach the marketplace, those based on its QNX operating system, investors and bloggers think it might already be too late.  References to Palm has kept cropping up during user commenters on various blogs as the...

Today, Apple escalated its copycat and patent lawsuit against Samsung, one of Apple's largest sources for parts used in its iOS arsenal.  The epic battle between Apple and Nokia ended earlier this week and it probably freed up a lot of resources for Apple to go after Samsung, which is really a shot a Google. If anyone thought this would go away quietly, he or she could not have been any more wrong about anything in his or her life.  This battle will span continents and just about all other Android handset makers will be looking out for this.  Take the blatant copycat iPhone 4 running Android  on sale at Sears.  (Doesn't seem like a bad device either.) While I cannot see where Samsung has copied Apple, I'm not a patent lawyer so I cannot for sure.  Maybe a couple of devices but the Galaxy tablets?  Hmmm... Anyway, Samsung could be facing a new foe in the courts if not the marketplace soon.  Nokia, reinvigorated by its win over Apple, could be look...

Despite ATT saying that T-Mobile is good for competition, I just don't see it.  I'm not sure AT&T even tries to justify or explain that statement.  But if there is one example right now that shows we should be against this merger is the unlocked iPhone.   If you go out there and buy the unlocked iPhone, you can use it only with AT&T.  With a bit of an effort, you can get it work with T-Mobile by trimming your SIM card into a microsim card.    However, you cannot enjoy the HPSA+ network that T-Mobile is calling 4G which theoretically is faster than AT&T"s on "4G" network.  While ATT is at 7.2Mbps, T-Mobile is moving towards 42Mbps.  Having said that, if you manage to get it working with T-Mobile, you are stuck on EDGE because of the difference in frequencies on which the two HSPA networks run on.   Now, here's the part you're waiting for.  Even if you decided against signing up for a two-year commitment with AT&T and get the unlocked ...

Android isn't open.   Let's put that issue to bed.   What is awesome about Android is that programmers have access to the various builds that allow the community to build on top of it or, in some instances, stripping away skins that are for the most part, unwanted and give users something to rail about on their blogs or in forums.     Once stripped, the native OS became more useful, faster, and took up smaller amounts of foot print.   Take my G1, it's running a customized Android 2.2.   This is a device that was left for dead by Google and T-Mobile.   This is the maiden device that introduced the world to all that is cool and great about Android.   And take HTC Desire which HTC on Monday said it was abandoning.   I wager my year's salary that through the community of Android programmers, the Desire will be a couple more Android updates long after HTC has moved on.     And jailbreaking or rooting isn't just Android. ...

Wi-Fi routers are nothing we typical give a second thought about.  We get it up and working and pretty much forget about it.  Some people don't even change the admin password.  In the current models, Apple even stick in a hard drive for backup and file storage.  Now, Apple could be giving them the same insides as a typical iPhone or iPad.   What would this kind of power be used for?  One possibility is iCloud.  It isn't a bit of a stretch here.  iCloud is the link that Apple hopes will propel us from beyond the desktop or laptop and relegate the PC to just another accessory from which we are linked to the iCloud.  And new powerful routers like the ones that Apple is working will enable that vision. On a smaller scale, I would like to see these routers work as Apple TV as well.  It would go a long way in help iOS enter the living.  Imagine having a router, media streaming device, and a home cloud storage system all in one neat little...

Months ago, there was rumors that Apple could be looking to release iPad 3 later this fall.  That was even before the iPad 2 was even out.  Various factors were in play that contributed to that rumor.  After Steve Jobs called 2011 the year of the iPad 2, those rumors, which were burning like wild fire, was quickly doused.  Now, it's back. Hidden within iOS 5 was indication that the next iPad will have 2048x1536 resolution, essentially four times the resolution of the current iPad and the one before that.  Really?!   Look, I want this to be true as much as the next Apple fan but has it occurred to anyone that if it's in there, it could simply be Apple preparing for the future?  After all, Retina display for the iPhone 4 and future iPhones.  Retina display for the iPod touch and future touches.  So it is simply a matter of connecting the dots that Apple will also be increasing the resolution of the iPad. But will it be for iPad 3?  Or perh...

When the International Trace Commission rules that you haven't violated someone's patents, that's usually a good step forward.  That is the case with the patent spat between Apple and Nokia - the preliminary ruling was in Apple's favor.  So why did Apple settle with Nokia and possibly paid them hundreds of millions and also future royalty payments? Could Apple have simply "threw the game" so to speak to open the door for Nokia to go after the Android makers, an indirect shot at Google?  You know that "the enemy of my enemy" thing.   We'll see in the coming months just how Nokia takes this victory. Source:   Gigaom .

Should the deal between T-Mobile not go through, it would need to be in a position to once again find a way to find to get back all those customers that they've lost. Unlocked iPhones might be the ticket here. A great number of unlocked iPhone users remained with T-Mobile through the years because of the customer service and the fact that AT&T was unreliable. T-Mobile should give anyone who uses an unlocked iPhone 4 on its network credit that will go towards a contract. For three reasons. One, there users are going out there to buy their own devices, unsubsidized. Second, these iPhones will not run on T-Mobile's 3G network. And lastly, it'll help stem losses. In fact, T-Mobile should offer an EDGE only data plan for anyone who uses an unlocked iPhone with a voice plan. These are subscribers any way you put it. And right now, T-Mobile needs them more than ever, merger with AT&T not withstanding. Note: I stream Netflix on my iPhone over T-Mobile's EDGE now and for...

And so it has begun. Apple started selling unlocked GSM iPhones in both black and white and in both 16 and 32 GB configurations. Regardless of the color, the 16 GB and 32 GB models are going for $650 and $750 respectively. Everyone is asking why...just because they can now? After all, we are so close to Apple releasing their next iPhone update. Here's my theory Right about now is when Apple usually introduces new iPhones. So perhaps their contract with AT&T is up. That's the reason. Apple's multi-year deal with AT&T was probably more complicated than just giving Ma Bell the right to BR the exclusive iPhone carrier until Verizon started selling the CDMA version earlier this year. Once June rolled around, it freed Apple to start selling unlocked iPhones in the US. Now, we have to see what happens when the new iPhones are on the market. Will Apple continue to offer the new updated iPhone unlocked or is there a deal in place with AT&T to lock them down for a per...

Looks like it's really happening.  Apple will begin selling GSM unlocked iPhones some time this week.  Multiple sites have confirmed this so I figure it's okay to share them with you. So far, there is very little known about them.  They will come in both white and black as well as 16 GB and 32 GB models.  Four total. What does this mean for the US market?  It is difficult to say at this point.  Right now, potential iPhone owners can only buy iPhones through AT&T and Verizon Wireless by signing for two-year contact commitments.  Hefty costly contracts. And since these are GSM models, anyone who wants to use the iPhone on on a more reliable network will still have to buy them through Verizon - for them, nothing has change.  However, AT&T customers will face the choice of signing up for a two-year contract just like before or buy the device outright for use.  What we don't know is whether AT&T will offer a lower rate monthly for owne...

iCloud is meant to put information at the tip of iOS users.  Literally.  Whether you're on the iPhone, iPod touch, or the iPad or a combination of all three plus a Mac or PC, Apple wants to make it seamless for the user to have the most updated information at their disposal. In my previous post, I mentioned just how rosy the Techcrunch post was all clear skies.  This Engadget post kinda went the other way. However, their conclusion is this.  Most loyal Apple fans will stick with iCloud and will find great use for it.  I agree.  I am looking forward to it with an abundance of caution.   The bottomline is this.  Apple users, competitors, and its blog watchers are all anxiously seeking answers and trying to see it is as awesome as the WWDC keynote last Monday specified.  It will have a huge impact on iOS and Mac users.  Just about everyone who runs iOS 5 and Lion will be impacted by iCloud to one degree or another.   iCloud competitor...

This Techcrunch post paints really rosy picture for iCloud, setting the stage to conclude that all is lost for Apple's competitors, Google, Microsoft, and maybe even Facebook. While I am excited by iCloud and its potential, there is just way way too many questions about it that Apple has not given us answers to.  It took an iWeb user to get out of Steve Jobs whether he needs to look elsewhere to host his personal website (yeah, iWeb is officially dead).  So, I just have one word:  MobileMe.   It works well enough for me but I signed on to it and dotMac for the last few years mainly because I expected more and more from Apple each and every single year.   Until we all see iCloud work the way Apple intends it to and "it just works" for the rest of us, I'm gonna hold back on its praises.

I was emailing back and forth with Dave the Mobile Sage about a rumor going around that Apple might start selling unlocked iPhones through AT&T this week. And with phones continued to be carrier locked, it is possible that Apple's unlocked iPhone in the US could spark a rash of other mobile devices being sold unlocked. I know that iPhones have been sold unlocked in other parts of the world for years but the US market is one of the biggest and most influential mobile market. Suck unlocking could mean greater access to the latest and greatest mobile devices for users across markets. Right now, Apple and others stagger launches in different markets. Take the iPad launch as an example. US users got it first but the reseller market is where the action's at whether we like it or not. And if Apple begin selling the next iPhone unlocked, totally expect a huge rush of demand for it from Asia where the markets typically trail US launches anywhere from 3 to 12 months. And this could s...

I am an iWeb user for my personal site, Greenjava , and the demise of it was confirmed last night when a user e-mailed Steve Jobs about it  When asked if he should look else where to host his website by the user, Jobs answered in his usual manner .   Just a month ago, I took an Apple solicited survey on iLife and it directed me towards iWeb.  It was an exhaustive survey that gave me hope regarding Apple's plans for it in the future even as most blogs were already saying how it was already dead. Keep in mind that iWeb is not Apple's first time getting into the web development market.  Remember Home Page from Claris before it became just Filemaker Inc?  Years later, iWeb was an unexpected surprise.   And now without iWeb, that is Apple really saying?  After all, Apple fought a very public Flash war with Adobe and seemed to have won.  It's main weapon was HTML 5 and how it was better and friendlier for the Web.   Without iWeb or any other tool, ...

We know that Apple will be adding a new carrier or two in the US soon.  The candidates are obvious and if it's both, well then the argument is pretty much settled.  We're talking about Sprint and T-Mobile.   But what if Apple decides to go with only one?  Should it be Sprint or T-Mobile?   Before I get into it, I want to say that I have been a happy T-Mobile subscriber for 8 years.  Had been.  Their latest moves regarding "unlimited" data reminds me of the early days of evilness that AT&T went through to quantify what "unlimited" means.  It's false advertising and obviously, no one is doing anything about it.   So, I'm gonna say that if Apple wants to add only one more network this fall, then it should be Sprint.  And I would happy go switch over.  And I know, chances are that Apple will only support CDMA on Sprint rather than WiMax.  But that's okay.  I'm fine with that.   However, if T-Mobile does end up getting...

There's iChat from years go.  As it flounders, we gained Facetime last year.  Facetime was Wi-Fi only but that might change depending whether a carrier allows Facetime chat over 3G. And now, we've got iMessage coming to iOS 5 only.  And three apps don't work with each other.   This post from The iPhone Blog summarizes the situation well.  For me, I think the best way to solve the situation is to allow iChat take over Facetime and iMessage duties on the Mac.  On the iOS side, Apple should integrate Facetime into iMessage for simplicity sake and to eliminate an extra and unnecessary icon.

One of the wildest rumors ahead of the WWDC last week was Apple incorporating more sophisticated voice control and a more buff Siri in iOS 5.  Well, as you know by now, we saw nothing about that from Apple.  While it was a fun rumor, it was just a rumor.  Until now.  Appleinsider is reporting a couple of screen shots showing new voice control tucked away in the developer release of iOS 5.   It shows a important feature called "Mic on space key" which presumably means users can dictate to the iOS devices instead of typing the words out.  This evidence is important because right now, Google has put Android way ahead of Apple with much more sophisticated voice control features.  Even if the final version of iOS 5 does ship with some voice and dictation features, I don't expect anything revolutionary at this point.   Also, we still have no evidence that Siri, which Apple bought last year, has been improved upon.  I had hoped that Siri would be a ...

I have the iPod touch as you know and from an earlier post regarding its battery, you can probably tell that I use my touch as one of my main mobile device.  It's an valued part of my mobile workflow.  I almost leave home without it. At times, I cannot help but think that Apple is using the iPod touch as a way to introduce people to the iPhone, especially for those who cannot afford a two-year commitment that is required to own an iPhone.  And for kids in school, the touch is a great way to get them ready for the iPhone someday.   Instead of seeing the iPod touch as a device to help Apple up sell users to the iPhone, I think Cupertino needs to reevaluate this and perhaps give the iPod touch just as much innovative and marketing attention as the iPhone.   With the introduction of the fourth generation iPod touch with Facetime camera running iOS 4, this touch has has true become a mobile device with a lot of productive power.  Yes, it is missing 3G wireless a...

I spent all morning talking to an online friend on the other side of the world on Skype since about 7am this morning.  It was a Skype video chat lasted about 75 minutes which forty minutes in got disconnected but I quickly dialed back.  As you know by now, I'm obsessed with battery life.  How power did this call chew up?  40%?  50%?   At the start of the call, I had read a little bit on iBooks and made a few queries about today's weather and the movie times for Super 8 on Siri.  In all, I had been using the iPod touch for about 30 minutes before making the Skype calls.   In all, the call took about 33% of battery life.   Is that good?  Well, it's better than I expected.  At the end of the call, I expected to see the battery indicator closer to midpoint of the icon than the  two-third point by my estimation.   The reason I am sharing this is because I do have a full day until 5PM PST when Game 6 of the 2011 NBA Finals s...