AI, Mobile, and Eveything Around the Cloud

Do games help change our behaviors in real life? There are a lot of debates about that. They are ongoing and subjective to interpretation based on one's philosophy on the matter. But I believe green games can help in ways children's games help teach certain learning skills. Take for instance the games mentioned in this Sci Tech Today post . They teach about recycling, saving mythical whales, learning about a delta ecosystem, or knowing what to price to set at a yard sale based on what can be reused. Those kinds of games are valuable to teach aspects of conservation and what is involved in green living. Fate of the World puts the player in charge of a full city dealing with 200 years of near real world scenarios of population growth, food management, and other socioeconomic issues. Okay the last game might be a bit far fetched but nonetheless brings attention to problems we deal with outside of the confines of a virtual earth. All of these are excellent topics for gaming develo...

Privacy is a big big deal for me.  It's why I detest Facebook and I have virtually stopped using it and why I am hoping Google+ will act as a good counterweight.  So, when I read that Apple has removed the unique device identifier (UDID), I initially did not pay much attention to it until I realized that this could be a preemptive move to protect user privacy.  At worse, give Apple an advantage over other networks and developer. So, what is this UDID, what is used for, and why did Apple remove access to it?  Privacy concerns, to gain an unfair advantage over others on the iOS devices, or both.

All along, I believed that Apple will not release another iPad this year.  Certainly, not another 10" iPad, as some would call it, iPad 3.  However, I still do hope out hope for a larger screened iPod touch. Why am so sure?  iPad 2.  And iPhone 5.  But there's also a third reason.

I don't remember where I read this but before HP finally bought Palm, Apple was reported interested in Palm. If this is true, I wonder if Apple would still be interested in Web OS and its own treasure trove of patents. Considering that Palm has its own zealots, it would not br a bad idea for Apple to own them as well. Furthermore, there are multiple reports today that Web OS ran faster on the iPad than on the native Touchpad hardware. And that was running Web OS as a Webapp . So what do you think? Apple hooking up Web OS to iOS? Oh, man... - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Via Bloomberg, a Wall Street analyst upgrades RIM, maker of Blackberry and Playbook, because HP decided to end its mobile experiment and kill of all Web OS development. This really shows just how much brilliance it takes to work on Wall Street. Which is to say none at all. RIM's problem isn't HP. Nor was HP's problem in the market blackberries specifically but rather it's the iPhone and the legions of Android devices out there. Right now, everyone's problem in the tablet market is the iPad. And the only mobile platform out there that will challenge Apple's iOS is Android. RIM's dismal performance in the tablet market isn't that Touchpads were outselling Playbooks. Now, I know that just maybe RIM might begin to pick up some disenchanted Web OS users but I doubt that'll be enough to suddenly vault the company back to a rate of growth that puts it on par with iOS or Android's growth. The analyst might just as well be ready to upgrade RIM should ever...

According to HP, the tablet effect that Microsoft and other PC makers tried very hard to ignore is all too real. While HP doesn't specifically mention the iPad, no one thinks HP is referring to its own Touchpad, Playbook, Xoom, the Tab, or other Windows-based tablets. Obviously, with the iPad controlling a majority of the tablet market, consumers as well as some businesses are buying iPads and not buying laptops.  Last quarter, even Apple admit that the iPad has cannabilized some Mac sales. The only thing is there is a way bigger chunk of PC market for the iPad to cannibalize. What's funny is that data companies like Gartner, which refuses to admit that the iPad is a computer but rather categorize it as a media tablet, never admit that the iPad was affecting PC sales.  Now that the world's biggest PC maker admit the "iPad" effect, I wonder what will these firms say the next time they release their PC data.  And speak of the biggest PC maker in the world...

Pretty soon, you'll see some very good back to school apps posts all over the Internet.  And you know what?  If you're a student and you are lucky enough to have an iOS device, like an iPod touch or iPad that you'll be taking to school with you this fall, you could be arming yourself with some pretty neat apps. Here are some from iSmashPhone . And if you're not a student, you might think this doesn't apply to you.  But it does.  Evernote is one of the apps and sevices recommended.  And it's definitely not build with students in mind but definite has its uses across multiple disciples:  school, business, or just our plain old lives. Dropbox is the other app that is recommended, which, too, has uses beyond school or work. Growing up, I sometimes thought of school as work.  You don't get paid but you go anyway.  Obviously, as a kid, you don't appreciate some of the good times (and awkward ones) that go on until you're out of school and joined...

So, AT&T decides to screw its users by going with an all-or-nothing texting plan.  And yeah, they call it streamlining but those of who have been watching AT&T closing since 2007 when the iPhone went on sale call it “desperation”.  How are they desparate? Simple.  The days of texting as a revenue are coming to an end and AT&T knows this.  According to Daring Fireball and Paris Lemon , it has to do with iMessage that will be on any device running iOS 5 and the Macs.  That’s tens of millions of users who will be moving beyond texting. Personally, I’ve given it up a long while back. What will the other carriers do?  Well, here’s the interesting part.  They may follow AT&T and do the same thing.  Furthermore, I think something else will happen. Soon, carriers will need to bundle texting into their voice plans just to keep users.  If rumors about pre-paid iPhones are true, you can see the iPhone running on Virgin Mobile o...

Ouch...HP is having a really bad day on a generally bad day for the stock market. HP trading was halted as news reports confirm that it was getting rid of its PC business via a spin-off.  And just now, HP announced it will cease Web OS development and find other means to optimize the $1.2 billion Palm buyout. Can you say patents? HP's statement is that it will ""continue to explore options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward." Any guess who will pick up the pieces? Source:  Marketwatch ,  Statement on WebOS  (multiple sources)

Looks like HP is doing what IBM did a few years back when it sold its PC business to Lenovo. While there is no word if Web OS will be part of the spin-off but I hope they're smart enough to keep it in the mother ship  Source:   Bloomberg .

We all know there is going to be an LTE iPhone some day.  A true 4G iPhone.  And we also know that there will be a 5G iPhone as well.  Of course, it’s a matter of when. Recent posts from popular Apple sites have clues that points to LTE but they don’t tell us when that’ll be. As someone who loves things go fast, it isn’t easy for me to say this.  I rather have Apple build the next iPhone to last.  By that, I mean I want it to have longer battery lives.  I want what I’m getting on the iPad on the next iPhone. It will not be HSPA+ or LTE support that I care about.  Keep in mind that there are pockets of the US where they don’t have broadband.  And there is an even larger portion of the world without access to high-speed Internet.  So I think I can chug along on my CDMA 3G speed. Plus, without unlimited access plans anymore, any increase in wireless speed only that you’ll reach your monthly limit faster.  After that, you either get...

Here's an interesting post on the continuing saga surrounding Monday's announcement of Google buying Motorola Mobility.   Forbes (via MacDailyNews ) pointed out what we all know:  how Motorola put the squeeze on Google and forced Google to cough up $12.5 billion. Honestly, $12.5 billion isn't a lot of money to the likes of Apple, Google, or Microsoft.  And these guys are the ones fighting the vast majority of the patent war.   So, how did Motorola walk away with an over 60% markup to its market value?

In another he said, he said (or she said) scenario surrounding Apple, one institution has Apple having a poor back-to-school Mac sale while another sees the Macs doing very well despite rising living and educational costs. So, who's right?

While I love to be wrong about this, TechRadar UK is tipping the next iPhone to come out on September 12th.  And yesterday, the general consensus among Apple blogs is that the release date is actually October 7th .  So, who's right? Well, this is one of those things I like to iCal can come back later and see just who's right and who's not.  Me? I'm sticking with the Apple blogs on this one. And it goes to show that while general tech sites do sometimes receive rumors about Apple plans, they generally report them without knowing that they're mostly wrong.  I know it's a click-bait thing (kinda what I'm doing now?), but if they do a bit of a research, Apple almost never release a product in an early part of the week. Now, TR could be almost right about one thing.  September 12th, which is a Monday, could be a good day for Apple to hold a media event to introduce the iPhone 5 and refreshing the iPod line.  Then again, I reckon it'll probably be a Tues...

Before tablets, the closest things had have to gestures and touching on a computer are trackpads that have become ubiquitous on laptops.  Especially Macbooks.  My first laptop was the Powerbook 500, the first laptop that I know with a trackpad.  It was awesome to see folks marvel at it and lamented how their trackballs would lose traction or require cleaning. Since then, Apple and other PC makers have improved on the trackpad, but especially Apple. And then came the multitouch features of the iPhone. And today, we now have the iPad.  Of course, there are dozens if not hundreds of other devices out there that have similar features.   Interestingly, by watching babies, they seem to be more at ease with screens that respond to their touching.  An author gave a Blackberry to 20 different babies and they instinctively went to touch the screen.  Obviously, nothing happened.  This The Unofficial Apple Weblog suggests that perhaps Apple simply has tapped ...

This is it. A bunch of sites are independently reporting the next iPhone, call it iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S if you like, will go on sale October 7th and should be available for pre-order starting on September 7th. What's interesting is that earlier, most speculation has the iPhone going on sale by the middle of September to late September but then a couple of news sources moved that to October.  But this October 7th date seems more genuine than what we've been reading earlier in the summer. So far, we have 9to5Mac  pointing us in this direction.  Part of the reason is that ramp up has been going along nicely (thank you, poor poor factory workers).  (Also, TIPB has some information on the iPad 3 - don't read if you're waiting for one this fall, you're going to be disappointed.) Here is what we don't know.  Will the next iPhone pre-order be like the last iPad situation?  I certainly hope not.  While I did get my iPad 2 on a timely basis, there was this "wai...

An Apple Macbook Pro that was stolen during the London unrest created by criminal opportunists was recovered and the thief is headed to an extended vacation at the taxpayers' expense. Right now, there is only one way to get security for your laptop that allows you a chance to recover it.  You buy a software and install it yourself.  A future version of iCloud should have a feature that will allow users to locate Macs as well. In this case, the man in London used an open-sourced software that he later upgraded to a paid service to get more frequent reports and to track down the perp  He was able to eventually obtain very detailed information on the thief and gave that information to the police. It's a great story and not the first we've heard of this.  Nor will it be the last.   Perhaps, it's time that PC makers (not wait for Microsoft) do more to protect their customers' investments.  Again, Apple will have its Find My Mac feature working once iCloud comes ...

Here are some of the better links analyzing today's deal between Google and Motorola Mobility.  I was tempted to use the term "blockbuster" but honestly, given what we know and what we don't know, this deal could go either way.  I don't think there's going to be a middle road here  Google will successfully integrate Motorola into its mobile plan or watch Android crash and burn in a couple of years. We know one thing.  Google bought MM not from a position of strength but one of fear.  I think the great paten war has a lot to do with this but it also is looking at a way to make sure Android can survive beyond Google's search on other platforms.   I've broken down the links into three sections, general news, analysis for the deal, and analysis against the deal. On Android : Google partners "endorse buyout" Wired - Move could alienate other Android device makers Engadget - $2.5 billion break-up free, and Microsoft likely prompted Google's d...

This is one of those things that I wish Apple had developed but it doesn't matter since someone else is now working on it:  a case for the iPad that adds a Braille so that blind users can use the tablet as well. It's still in the concept stage but if I had money, I would provide funds to help with its development.   Known as the Omnifer case, gas pockets would raise braille points depending on what's displayed on the screen of the iPad.  An special app would read what pixels are being lit on the screen.  At least that the gist I'm getting.  I wonder though, if there is an easier way.  Simply (perhaps, not so), an app would "read" what's being displayed and the braille would layout the points accordingly. Regardless of how this is implemented, I do wish that Apple would put some effort into this.  I know that the next iOS should have better voice control.  Maybe even the ability to read out what is being displayed.  Personally, I would love th...

What is causing the glut of tablet inventories as  Channel Register  reported.  And these are not iPads sitting on the shelves but Android tablets and the recently lower-priced Touchpad? And it’s hard to discuss this issue without bring up the iPad but let’s try. More at Clouding Around .

Boy Genius Report is saying that Apple is now testing a version of the iPhone with LTE network support.  BGR apparently obtained a special iOS build from a carrier.   That's fantastic and all but what does this mean about release dates? Personally, I am gamed for an LTE version of the iPhone on Verizon's network.  But I'm not hopeful that we'll see it happen this year.  If Apple becomes more flexible about iPhone release schedules instead of the annual releases it's been adhered to, then we might see the LTE version early in 2012 rather than late 2012.   I know that many of you are hoping against reality:  that Apple will not have a LTE iPhone in a matter of weeks.  I like to say that I hope to be wrong but that simply will not be the case.  LTE chips are still power hungry and Apple doesn't want to release a product that is crippled by the battery life.   The Thunderbolt from HTC, the first LTE device on Verizon's 4G network, simply could n...