AI, Mobile, and Eveything Around the Cloud

According to a study commissioned by Intel and Microsoft, computer power efficiency has doubled every 18 months. It has an additive effect. As components become smaller and faster, or through other innovations like faster memory, graphics card, and efficient screens, the system as a whole becomes more efficient. Interestingly, no mention of how more efficient programming or better coding could also make the system become even more efficient. Source: Greenjava .

It's been a slow news week for Apple. Certainly, Steve Jobs' resignation as CEO of Apple still has people buzzing some what but that was fine for a while. Now, I think the blogs that report on the Apple world wants to move on. And it really shows. Take this post from the NY Times. It basically summarizes all the rumors and minute details about the next iPhone that we have already read about on the blogs. It claims that the iPhone is only weeks ago. Heck, that's what I've been saying as well. And I didn't need the NY Times to tell me that. It just seems that mainstream media has been quite behind on this. It's likely that the Times, WSJ, Bloomberg, and others are just being used to spread information, mostly disinformation. And their willingness to participate is just shows that they're no different from blogs. In fact, I think most blogs have better sources and information than anything one else. That the NY Times would just take information f...

First, we lost unlimited wireless Internet access.  And now, it looks like we're going to be have to bear added cost of continuing our mobile experience.  It's not much, about the cost of a venti drink at Starbucks but it will add up.  It started with Virgin Mobile when they increased their prices a couple of months ago, and now, Boost Mobile is also increasing their mobile cost by $5.   Here's the sad, sad news.  This could be just the beginning.  And keep in mind that with AT&T's purchase of T-Mobile on the menu, things can only become worse over time.  It's unlikely that the AT&T and T-Mobile merger will make things better for us.  In the case of Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile, I don't think it's the case of greed but it may have more to do with the cost of doing business.  This I can understand. At the same time, I hope the mobile carriers can sympathize with us mobile warriors who live on Main Street - things are not exactly rosy...

Playbook has already been clobbered in the tablet market by the iPad.  There is no double that about.  And if you don't want an iPad, you buy an Android tablet.  At $500, there is a lot of competition for RIM's Playbook which only comes in at 7". And despite just how well built or how solid the specs are, no apps means no apps means only the most dedicated RIM fanboys will buy it. And even then, they have had to suffer through an incomplete OS.  In yesterday's financial call where RIM unveiled a profitable but admittedly difficult quarter in the numbers of Blackberries and Playbooks shipped, actions were promised.

This will double as Friday's movie as we see the iPad 2 go head-to-head with the yet to be released Windows 8.  We won't see this new toy from Microsoft for another year. Still, it looks good enough at this time.  I think all current Android and Apple fans should take a look and see if this is Microsoft's comeback in the tablet and mobile market. Video at  Clouding Around .

I know the the title is verbose. Coming from a science background, this title is short.  What it boils down to is Apple's OpenCL.  It's the ability to allow the Mac to offload certain non-graphic operations to the video processor in your Mac and allow them to help out the main processor, the CPU. This feature is ready supported in many graphics processors (dedicated or integrated), the GPU, from AMD and Nvidia but not by Intel's current integrated graphics processor. I think the Macbook Air is plenty fast for what it was designed to do.  Personally, I think heavier lifting should be handled by the Macbook Pro line.  Still, I'm never one to pass up on anything faster.   We can see up to 60% increase in speed from the Macbook Airs by this time next year. Source:   Appleinsider .

According to some insiders, Electronista is report that Google may be willing to put in serious money to make sure that Youtube has enough content to be relevant.  As for content, we're talking about TV and movies, not just stuff that some dude with a camcorder and an Internet connection puts up.

This is a picture of a supposed screen protector for the next iPhone.  With the iPhone 4 laid on top of it, we can clearly see that the next iPhone will be bigger.  Quite a bit.  It means bigger screen and probably a bigger battery.   From what I can see, it definitely is a 4" screen, an increase from the current 3.5" screen that the iPhone 4 and iPod touch sports. This could well be what gets me to upgrade.  Faster CPU and a better camera would help as well.  It comes down to battery life as well.  I know, I sound like a broken record on the battery issue but I think as mobile warriors, we need to be free from the power outlets. Give me close to iPad battery life and I'll be happy.   Now, there's a chance this may not be legitimate.  There is another picture that showed an elongated home button that I'm gonna make you click over the Macrumors and the original source to check out.   Why the elongated home button yo...

I love to see Groupon, LivingSocial, and these gift-certificate services take off.  I think they're absolutely an indispensable new social service that is far more important than anything Facebook can ever provide.  And I welcome what Google will bring once they bring Deals to more cities around the country (in the US). Initially, I was cool to these companies.  I don't need that many massages or work on my face (it's too late for me, unfortunately).  However, I am seeing a lot of deals for yoga, gyms, and other workout regimes.  And you still get your massages as well.   So I wonder if one times things right, an user can maintain a healthy and active life just through the use of these coupons.  Recently in LA, there are martial art lessons, juigitsu, yoga classes, hypnotherapy (I don't know how effective these are), pilate classes, and I can go on.  I would not say they're a great deal but they're decent enough if you want to try different things...

It looks like two high profile mobile devices, Apple's next iPhone and the first Android 4 device, Prime by Samsung, will be going head to head next month.  According to Droid-Life, an e-mail captured in a screen shot from a Verizon employee suggests this to be the case. Obviously, the e-mail can be faked.  Nevertheless, this only confirms pretty much what everyone expected.  Furthermore, Prime will have some pretty good specs.  However, while there are rumors about specs for the next iPhone, no one knows the details at all.  At least not publicly. While Prime may not (this could be Google's next Nexus phone so it can still happen) going to get the debut that the iPhone will on multiple carriers and regardless of the specs, it should be interested to see how iOS 5 and Android 4 go head-to-head in this mobile fight.   As for specs, Prime is supposed to get a 720p screen.   Source:   Droid-Life .

I'm gonna become a sponsor as soon as I get home (forgot my wallet).  This new concept keyboard for the iPad is like none other we've seen.  First it's thin enough.  But more than that, it has a flat surface and the keys emerge when you press a button and they elevate from the surface. It's called the Levitatr, a Bluetooth keyboard, again that has a smooth surface. And the keys only surface if you press a designated button. If you're interested, you can go to their Kickstarter page to sign up for one. You've got to see the video to understand what I'm talking about. What do you think?  It's gimmicky enough that I think I want one. Source: GigaOM .

iChat has been sort of a bastard child for OS X.  It's just there because Apple needed an instant messaging app for the Mac.  But for years, it was just there.  And then came iMessage in iOS 5.   Almost immedaitely after that, I wondered if iMessage will be a part of OS X.  No word from Apple obviously.  We wont known until Apple tells us or we see evidence that it is.  And now, there could be evidence that Apple will incorporate iMessage into iChat   Two new protocols are found in iChat by Macrumors that were previously not there. And these two protcols are currently being used in iMessage of iOS 5 beta.  It stands to reason, that it's there because a future release of iChat will incorporate iMessage.   The only issue to settle now is when will this happen?  I think it'll happen on or around the launch of iOS 5.  Maybe a bit after that if Apple thinks it needs to time to make sure all the kinks are ironed out for iMessage for ...

This  post from iLounge  says quite a bit about Apple, iPhone, and China.  A lot.  First, China Telecom will invest close to a quarter billion US dollars on marketing the iPhone.  A quarter alone on just a single device.  Sure, it happens to be Apple's iPhone.  What does that mean?

Relgion.  Politics.  Okay, I get why those matters get people riled up.  Sports?  It's all in good fun.  But whatever reasons, tech, especially mobile and computing, seems to get generate such a passion among fans that it's borderlines on insanity.   Why is that?  I'm a mobile warrior first.  And while I like new technology, I like to see all platforms do well.  Okay, I am quite partial to Android and iOS but that doesn't mean that I'm going to go around disparaging other platforms.  And when the need arises, I will call out Apple or Google. However, there are those who believe their supported tech company can do no wrong.  I understand why bloggers do it.  They need eyeballs.  Okay, I do too but I generally like to look at the positive side of things.  And when there is an issue, like something Apple or Google did that I don't like, I'll bring it up. But why tech?

Today's Intel Developer Forum has a lot of red meat for Apple fans, not just Wintel like the last. And while Apple was never mentioned, the fact that Apple still uses Intel chips in Macs says a lot. And a new chip coming out in two years will be able to take mobile computing to a whole new level compared to today. In two years, Intel's mobile chip will consume 20x less power than chips used today and will be able to use ambient light as an energy source. On top of that, they could last up to a day of full use!

It looks like Microsoft will be storming the tablet market with a vengeance. But you know, and I know, that the iPad 2 is what the tablet market is all about.  Does Microsoft have a chance against Apple? Here's a video of Windows 8 being demo'd on a tablet from Samsung.  It looks like with Apple stopping Samsung's Android device being sold just about anywhere in the world that matters, Microsoft might be Samsung's only option left in the tablet market. What do you think?  Should we Apple fans be worried? Source:   Clouding Around .

HTC's US president (who's name doesn't matter, it's what he said that's important) suggests that iPhones are no longer cool because kids think that because their parents have it, they don't see it as being cool any longer. True?  I've always that that could be a possibility some day. He suggests that is what's going on today.  Kids are carrying around HTCs, Samsungs, and even Chinese models.  I guess Apple's doomed.   More at Cult of Mac .

Here is AT&T's new iPhone ad pointing CDMA only for Sprint and Verizon for the next iPhone.  Why else to release the ad so late now with the new iPhone on the verizon.  So, any chatter about LTE iPhone or LTE cell towers in Apple stores are nothing more than rumors. What AT&T hopes to do is that as we approach the release of the new iPhone, it wants to remind everyone, including folks who currently are on AT&T but looking to jump ship, that the iPhone, current and the next one, is the only one that allows the user to surf and chat at the same time. Personally, I've yet to encounter a situation where I've had to do both.  Here is AT&T's ad. Source:   Edible Apple .

One intrepid analyst is putting his neck out on the limb and suggests that there is not going to be an iPhone 5 in a few weeks but just a slight improved iPhone 4, dubbed the iPhone 4GS. What'll be the diff?  Just an improved camera and redesigned antenna.  And he noted that iOS 5 will be released to assemblers as soon as next week. No other word on whether we'll see the A5 chip inside.  I think he's wrong. Source:   CNET .

Yup, the difference between Apple and Samsung is very dramatic.  Actually, the different between how Apple markets its iPhone and iPad and how Android device makers market their devices really shows with their mobile vision. Here is one commercial from Samsung that debut yesterday along with the NFL games. And now, here is Apple's latest iPad commerical, called "Learn". Obvously, they are both pretty successful in what they do.  But you cannot discount how Apple sees its products and how it can be used and how Android device makers see their products and who are they market them to. Source:  Android Guys ,  Apple .

It's going to be cloudy this and cloudy that for Apple from now on and that's a good thing if they get iCloud right.  Given the number of betas of each feature, iOS, OS X, and iCloud and the number of betas of each mentioned, Apple is working very hard to make sure that iCloud will not be a repeat of MobileMe.   And it goes beyond just cloud computing because, as you know, Apple isn't just about one specific product.  It has a comprehensive strategy that it has put together to come up with a UI that users have come to expect from Apple. It'll be interesting to see if users can appreciate Apple's mobile and cloud plans.  And with new iOS hardwares on the horizon, Apple is poised to change just how mobile warriors work, play, and stay connected with friends and family. By come reckonings, we are looking at a lot of new hardware  iPhone 5, a revised iPhone 4 for the low end market, and iPod touch possibly with 3G. And I'm still holding out the possibility that we...

It doesn't look like Samsung will be looking to pick up Web OS from HP but HTC might.  It probably is a good move and a very aggressive one if true.  HTC is in, what appears to be, a losing battle against Apple in the patent wars right now. Picking up Web OS might help and it might also help it be less dependent on Google and Microsoft in the mobile OS realm. Will it happen?  I hope somebody picks up Web OS.   Source:   Appleinsider .