AI, Mobile, and Eveything Around the Cloud

Sega has transitioned to the mobile devices nicely.  And it has been years since Sega has been on the console or handheld business.  And while Sega has brought a few games over to the iPhone and Android, one major studios and hardware maker has not, Nintendo. Yesterday, the blogs were excited by news that Nintendo investors were not happy with the performance of the latest 3DS sales, the surprised price from $250 down to $170, and Wii 2 still at least a year away.  Also part of the news was that some investors want to see Mario and company on the iOS.   Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo, a legend in his own right, has pledge to make first-title games for Nintendo hardware so long as he's in charge.  Having said that, in a gaming era where games can be had for $1 to $16 on iOS while Nintendo still charges $40 a pop, it doesn't seem like Nintendo is "with it" as the gaming market has moved beyond its comprehension of what the consumers, particularly mobile warri...

We are in the 21th Century. So I can ask this without strange stares. Are there apps for babysitters? Now, I am not talking about apps to entertain children directly. I've got those. Alphabet apps and games. I also have Netflix should the need arise. What I am talking about are babysitting or parenting apps that provide useful tips or instructions. For instance, how to put a twenty-month old to sleep. What to do when there are two of them and they each want to do different things or run odd in different directions. I haven't checked the app stores yet. I thought of this because I am watching my nephews. Love the little guys but I can't help wonder if I do a better job. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sometimes, we bloggers get expected and we talk about things in terms only we understand.  And sometimes, it can get pretty complicated.  So, when Dave the Mobile Sage sent me this post from  The Unofficial Apple Weblog  about how to set up a relatively cheap prepaid plan for the iPhone, I got really excited. But it was not all that easy to understand under the first read or the second read.  So I inquired the mobile sage about it and he put it into terms even I can understand. In simpler terms: Get a prepaid sim from att Set up an online account for the sim (you might need to a att prepaid phone to this) Buy a $100 prepaid card to fund the account Update the account to use a per-minute talk plan ($0.10 / minute, $0.20 / text) Call 611 to add a data package, the fees will be deducted from your $100 balance ($25 for 500 MB / $15 for 100 MB / $5 for 10 MB) When the balance run out, just add more money Unused data can roll over, you just need to top up with at leas...

As far as we know, the Playbook is still on sale for $500.   Earlier, I reported that Sprint is not going forward with a  WiMax version of RIM's Playbook .  Well, that's a bummer.  But for the moment, a LTE version running on Verizon's LTE network is still in the works.  And earlier this morning, we brought you exciting news that  7" Honeycomb based tablets  will go on sale this weekend for as low as $330. Then there's also the fact that the 10" Touchpad is now $100 cheaper than when it went on sale about a year ago.   I don't have to do the math for you to know where I am going with this. More at Clouding Around .

There are a good many folks who believe that at the end of the day, the patent lawyers currently involved in the Android suits will walk away fatter and richer.  Well, okay, that part is true.  What isn't necessarily true is that Apple will offer cross-licensing terms or simply collect patent royalties from HTC, Samsung and other Android devices makers.  And many "experts" and analysts believe that is how all this is going to end.   Think back to the iPods.  The scroll wheel.  Now, I ask you this:  which other companies out there have a MP3 player with a scroll/click wheel?  It's been 11 years, folks.  From Sony?  Samsung?  Creative?   That's right.  None.  And you know why?  Because Apple made it so.  It was a patented feature that it was not willing to share with anyone else on the planet (or on any other planet as far as we know).   Now consider the features that Apple is suing Android device makers ...

I think this  Reuters post  has it wrong.  It suggests that Apple is after Samsung, HTC, and Motorola (if I miss anyone else, my apologies) because Apple is fight a proxy war against Google via the patent suits.  They're read wrong. Think before Android.  Things were good between Apple and Google.  Eric Schmidt was sitting on Apple's board of directors.  Albeit a spy of sort but still he was there a long while. It was not until Google released Android, changed how the original Android phone looked and and feel and the whole UI did Apple felt betrayed.   I know that there are a lot of "he said, she said" but the point is that Apple and Google were fine before the first Android release in late 2007, the G1 by T-Mobile.   If tomorrow, Google suddenly said they were relinquishing control of Android to a true open source community and publicly declared that it will not contribute any more resource to its development, it may just be enough, over ti...

Uh-Oh...this might not be a good thing for AT&T.  According to a leaked document posted by its a law firm representing AT&T in the merger, AT&T does not have to buy T-Mobile at all for it to build out its LTE network to adequately over 97% off the US market. DSL Reports indicates that all AT&T has to spend is $3.8 billion to make that happen.   One has to wonder just what is AT&T trying to pull here.  The conclusion is just this:  T-Mobile represents a GSM threat and it's trying to pay for its elimination. No more, no less.  We'll get into it as we have time to examine what's going on.   Source: DSL Reports .

Yahoo is considered to be one of the top bidders for Hulu and it makes sense for the Web portal to try become something beyond just providing Web contents.  After all, things haven't turned out the way they expected one of the survivors of the first wave of Internet companies from the late 90s and the first tech bubble. Hulu is fast becoming one of the top destination for watching television shows and movies.  And note that I used the term "television shows".  That remains to be so today but will change.  Let me introduce the term "episodic shows".  The reason for the change is also the reason why Hulu is worth many times more than what's being bid on.   And it'll be worth so much more than whatever the winner pays for. 

I don't know what this means for RIM's Playbook plans for future grades and such but in the short-term, this piece of news out of WSJ ain't good. Sprint has decided against going ahead with a WiMax version of the Playbook. I would have thought that since the Playbook is the only tablet for use by the US government, RIM's tablet would soon have a lot of wind on its back. And we know nothing so far about what plans RIM has for its future tablet plans. My recommendation is that it focuses the the superphones first. Those are already pretty late as it is. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

There are some things the general public look for to.  Fall premiers of new seasons and new TV shows.  The first kick off of the NFL season.  I'm not talking about preseason but the first week when the crowd is just nuts about the whole experience.  Then there's the Apple events for us geeks.  We get a few of these a year. You've got WWDC in June and a September iPod event.  And along the way, we might see the iPad launch in the spring.  In the past, there was more.  Macworld keynote.   Until this year, we had the iOS introduction in April.  So, you can't blame us for getting excited about these Apple events.

I have a 11" MacBook Air. And I love it. More than even the iPad...almost. And it looks like with the death of the netbook, Intel is looking to replace them with te ultrabook. Ultrabooks are a new class of light weight notebooks inspired by Apple's MacBook Air and the iPad. Don't believe me? Them believe Intel's Greg Welch, director of Intel's Ultrabook division. And Intel is putting $300 million into this new effort to keep the PC alive longer. Furthermore, it was Apple's telling Intel that it was dissatisfied with Intel's mobile effort that served as a wake-up call. Because of Apple's unhappiness with the power hungry chips, Intel worked to lower the typical 35-40W power consumption down to about 15W. So yeah, we can thank Apple for this. Looking forward to see Windows ultrabooks to complete with the MacBook Airs next year. More at WSJ . /

According to MacNN via Apple 'N' Apps, Apple could be releasing a $400 iPhone san the storage we are typically used and will rely mostly on iCloud and other cloud services. First, ANA stressed the number of sources they have on this breaking news to validate it.  Second, the $400 price point for this iCloud iPHone is exactly in the ball park of how much Apple is willing to let loose an unsubsidized iPhone go for on the market. The goal is to have to iCloud device leverge cloud computing and allow Apple to save hundreds if not billions in storage cost.  To further reduce costs, Apple will be using many of the same components as the iPhone 4.  Which leads me to believe that in addition to the iPhone 5 this iCloud device, the iPhone 4 could still be on sale after the iPhone 5 is released. On top of that, the new iPhones will have upgraded components like the processor and share similar designs. It's said that the iCloud iPhone will look like a smaller iPad while the iPhone 5...

At some point, the patent wars between Apple and the rest of the world will have to end.  Its competitors will find a way to get around those patents.  These skirmishes are meant to buy Apple some time, to stunt the growth of Android or even kill it.  It's good for Microsoft to say the least.  Then what? Looking at the PC market as a parallel, when the first laptops came out, couldn't the first maker patent that idea and prevent others from producing a competing one with a keyboard with a LCD cover attached to it?  The clam shell design?   In some sense, Apple is doing the same thing with the iPhone and iPad.  Okay, not exactly the same but similar.  Again, competitors will wise up and work around Apple.  At that point, it will be Apple who has to answer. New compelling designs will be out but the key to all of this is going to be iOS.  In a 5-6 years, it's possible that iOS and OS X will merge or be virtually indistinguishable.  An...

If you win, you're a rebel fighting against injustice.  If you lose, you're a looter, anarchist and/or criminal. The Egyptian protesters wanted to change their country for the better.  And those kids on London streets?  To those on the streets of England at night, this is what I have to say to you (I made sure to not say "the UK"):  you guys are criminals and opportunists looking to use an unfortunate event for your own nefarious gains. There  is one connection I like to make between the Arab Spring and what's going on in London.  And that is the use of social media and mobile tech to spur action.  But that is where the similarities end.  The Egyptians used social media like Facebook and Twitter and mobile tech to exact political change in hopes of building a better future for their country.  That was what also happened in Libya and neighboring Tunisia.   However, according to Wireless Week , the use of mobile tech and social media in L...

Apple still has a long long way to go before it captures the mobile market the way it dominates the MP3 market with the iPod.  There is no indication that Apple can keep up the momentum with the iPad in the tablet market and while the iPhone is flourishing, the market is simply too big and competition too fierce.   Whatever happens, at some point, Apple will need to also move into a new market.  Or create one as it has done once or twice in its lifetime.  The best bet is HDTV.  Fine.  That seems to be what everyone's thinking.   Suppose Apple hits its mobile plateau and fights it out with Sony, LG, and Samsung the next couple of years in the HDTV market, then what? What will Apple do after that?  What new market can Steve Jobs look to dominate? What new market can Apple create – a new tech or service that we did not previously know we needed?

I can't help but feel that sometimes, Wall Street reads our blogs.  And not just mine but everyone else's when it comes to Apple speculations, rumors, and discussions.  And here's another one.   Yesterday, I wrote just how folks are underestimating just the kind of force Apple has become.  When you pick apart the individual products, iPhone, iPod, iPad, or the Macbook Air, you see how they stack up against their respective competing devices.  That is the wrong way to go about it.   You need to take Apple's whole mobile strategy, the mobile gears along with iOS 5 and the Lion and then stack that up against its competitors.  And you see that Apple really has no peers in this respect.  The iPhone was leading a "fellowship" (I used a Lord of The Rings reference) of Apple gears down a very very profitable road. Furthermore, Apple is on pace to selling more than one hundred million iPhones in a year.  And if you translate Apple's market share tod...

Just yesterday, I wrote about Facebook’s  HTML 5 push  that they were developing and why webapps offer some pretty compelling advantages to mobile users.  And it’s significant to today’s two major webapp news.  First let’s go back to 2007 when Apple introduced the iPhone for a moment. On the original iPhone, there were very few apps outside of Apple’s own and certainly no app store.  It was only when the jail-break community that got in on the action did we have dedicated apps.  Then a year later, the app store took the mobile world by storm. To make the story short, Apple to this day has tight control of the app store.  And certainly, started enforcing a policy that require apps that sell services or content to remove the “buy” button or face giving Apple a 30% of the cut.  So, companies what came naturally to protect their profits – innovate.  Sometimes it works, sometimes, it doesn’t. What does some companies do when restricted by A...

Apple has cleared out their stores of inventory to avoid being targeted by rioters.  It's an indictment on the handling of the rioting so far in London. This started when a suspect was shot and killed three days ago.   Also, resellers are doing the same thing as well.  Just hope everyone's safe. More at 9to5Mac .

It looks like things have been to this point faster in Europe. A German court granted Apple's request to keep Samsung from selling its Android tablet in Europe.   Samsung will obviously appeal the ruling.  However, that could take up to 4 weeks.  I'm of the opinion that Apple isn't in this for the money.  It's in this to protect its patents and what it perceives as the uniqueness of its devices like the iPhone and iPad. Meanwhile, the patent wars will continue in Europe and else where.  If you recall, Samsung has delayed the Tab debut in Australia last week. Also interesting note: the same judge who issue the ruling will also be hearing Samsung's appeal.   I've included a few links from neutral to pro-Android to pro-Apple for you to check out and see just how each side sees this issue.   More at Gizmodo , Android Community , Appleinsider , MacDailyNews  - Telegraph .

There is this one scene in the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Arwin , the elf princess, with Frodo Baggins near death, raced through the lands as the Dark Lord's minions, the Black Riders raced to catch them and retrieve the one Ring.  In some respects, this is a parallel that seems to be going on in the mobile market While Android does have the bulk of the marketshare, it seems like Apple is still leading the charge in some respects.  You can point out specific features of one platform that is better than another.  However, it is undeniable that the iPhone is one the most sought after single device on the mobile market. In fact, the iPhone 4 alone has Apple in first place:  the biggest smartphone maker in the world.  Meanwhile, the rest of the market is trying to catch it. 

One of the great things about Apple's Mac and iOS ecosystem is that you're can buy once and install on many devices - depending on your assortments of Macs and iOS devices.  I've got three Macs, iPhone, iPod touch, and a three iPads.  That's eight devices right there.  And if things go according it as Apple planned, I'll have only two more devices to authorize my account on. According to The Unofficial Apple Weblog , the new policy is already two months old.  And not only is the limitation now to ten devices (Macs included), there will be a 90-day wait period before the device can reassign a new ID.  That is what I'm a bit perplexed about.  Personally, I thought this was all about making users pay media than anything else. If I give or sell a device, it would make more sense for Apple want to release the device for a new ID and use. At the end of the day, ten devices is very generous.  Still, I can't help but wonder I will need to create a new ID for s...

For some, the utopian app environment for mobile is one in which the progenitors of mobile platforms do no exercise any control over what apps are allowed or disallowed.  And while there are some directories already available in the Web, we are quite a long time from that day.  Meanwhile, the push towards that day continues.  The most powerful push in this direction is  Facebook's HTML 5  based apps for the mobile browsers.  And there are a few reasons why this is important.   First, freedom .  No more walled gardens.  For better or worse, we are looking at just such a future.  I don't know about you but I fully expect a web-based apps to come close to what regular apps can do.  Webapps may even rival standalone apps years from now.   Second, accessibility . I like to see a scheme in which webapps can be downloaded and used like a regular app is something just in its infancy. Third, always updated .  With webapps, we're al...

I've been watching Star Trek the Next Generation for the last three weeks on Netflix. I finally finished " All Good Things… " early Saturday morning. It was an experience in and of itself going back to " Encounter At Farpoint ". All hight tech and suddenly, I'm back in the 1960s with " Mad Men ". I went from a show where anything is possible technologically to typewriters. I don't want to give away any spoils but during one point in season one of Mad Men, the main character, Don Draper, surprised his family by saying that he was going to join them for Thanksgiving. His wife was surprised because of his high-stressed job and workload. What would those characters have done differently had they live today with our technology or those on the Enterprise? More at Clouding Around .