AI, Mobile, and Eveything Around the Cloud

Over at Clouding Around , I got into what can undo mobile companies these days. Specifically, what has happened to Nokia and other mobile leaders: arrogance and not keeping an eye on threats from startups or new market opportunities.  And while I don't have any fear that Apple under Tim Cook will allow things to fall apart at Cupertino, one cannot help but feel a bit of anxiety from time to time with new product intros and what Apple's competitors roll out. The key for me is what Apple has planned for 2013 through the 2015 period.  This will be a pivotal time for Apple.  2012 Will continue to have a large Steve Jobs influence.  And while Jobs' spirit will permeate for decades, the echos of his rants and the efforts of his reality distortion field will diminished with time. iOS 6 will be just what it is:  new iOS improvements.  Where does this take the OS X for the Mac?  For a while, many assumed that OS X will languish in this post-PC era.  We...

It's back to zombies.  Actually, we don't post many scary or supernatural stuff for our Friday movie clips/trailers.  We went with the Living Dead game trailer a couple of weeks back but most of the time, it's been scifi or cartoony stuff. If you don't know,  World War Z  (wiki) is a book by Max Brooks that chronicled a zombie outbreak origin in China and how humanity dealt with the aftermath of an undead horde hunger for, what else, flesh.  It's written in the style of a documentary. Here is the  official website  for WWZ at Random House.  It has been made into a movie starring Brad Pitt.  Unfortunately, the film won't be released until mid-2013.  Meanwhile, if you can't wait and havent' read the book, go get it.  And if you have like I did, reread it again.  It's that awesome. Now, the video. And have a great weekend! This second video is Max Brooks' zombie survival trailer.  In this day and age, who does...

We know President Barack Obama's election team in 2008 made very successful use of social media to get their messages across and really got their base excited, particularly the youth vote. So you know team 2012 will continue that tradition and top even their successful effort.  Meanwhile, the GOP with Mitt Romney will at the very least try to duplicate that effort and may even have a few tricks up their sleeves. Mobile and social media roles in political campaigns are just in their infancy.  The successful Tea Party movement that toppled the arrogant Pelosi regime in the House of Representatives in 2010 showed just that.  Now, the Democrats and its allies will do the same to the rigid and impotent Bohner era.  As you can see, I don't like either parties much. In going through the presidential campaigns on the web, I tried to see how they compare on the mobile devices like the iPhone.  Not surprisingly, both the Obama and Romney campaigns wisely have their o...

Source:   CNET This is kinda scary, no?  The House just passed by an 80 votes margin the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, CISP.  It awaits voting in the Senate.  President Barack Obama has already threatened to veto it. Still, the day will come when we will not be as vigilant and with a president, who isn’t too concerned with basic sense of privacy, will sign a similar legislation into law. But don’t take my word for this.  You should try to learn more about CISP and privacy on your own.  However, when President Obama and Ron Paul agree on this issue, it is worth it for us to take note. It doesn’t matter if you’re politics is right or left of center, the far right as well as the far left are so extreme that should they ever come into power, the powers granted by CISP is simply too tempting not to abuse for their own political gains or agendas. And while amendments were passed to make sure that there would be enough support for its p...

Source:   Droid-Life  Via  Android & Me . This is sad on so many levels.  Samsung hired a marketing group to stage a protest outside Apple’s Australian store, completely with a mob and shouting.  The purpose, if you can it that, is to get the Apple fanboys to wake up – but to what?  That Samsung devices are superior?  Or that owners of Apple products are being “cultitized” (I just made that word up)? Sammie, your devices can stand on their own against Apple’s iThings.  No need to do this weirdness.  This would just turn people off.  I know this is just a play on those commercials you ran last year but this is a bit far. It'll only turn people off. Just recently, analysts are beginning calling the mobile war not one between Apple and Android but rather between Apple and Samsung.  That kind of attention is good for competition.  This ain't.

I refuse to link to this post I just read on Yahoo.  And Yahoo, shame on you for posting it.  The gist of the article is that if you take China out of the equation, Apple would have missed its most recent quarterly earnings.  I like what one of the commenterx of the post said in response:  if you take China out of the equation, no global company would meet estimates. And while I won’t be linking to the post by Jeff Macke, who sounded like a douche,  I will tell you who the idiot Jeff quoted in his article.  His name is David Garrity, the head of GVA Research.  The head of this research firm.  Seriously, right?  The head of a research firm making this kind of analysis. My guess is that this dude (or both of them), not only doesn’t get the concept of a global economy, but he probably bought into the fear that caused Apple’s stock to tank over 10% in the last couple of weeks.  So, these two duches likely shorted the stock or had b...

Apple may have achieved nearly  60% of total smartphone share  in the US.  This news coupled with the talk that HTC and Facebook are working together to bring a phone that focuses on all things social within Facebook’s realm.  The question for Facebook is why brother and if it insists anyway, which OS will Zuckerberg use? I’m not sure that Apple can sustain this level of domination in the long run.  Nor am I saying that it won’t.  These things have a way of playing out and Android’s appeal does not seem to have diminished despite the iPhone 4S success.  The threat to Android comes from execution, not the OS itself.  Forking, delays in updates, and social issues like security and privacy are what could make things difficult in the long run.  It has nothing to do with what Apple is doing. However, the iPhone 5 is coming out in six to seven months.  While that seems like a long time away, the above mentioned issues for Android isn’t...

Check out this graph from Macrumors .  There is more info at there on Apple's latest financial call.  I'm not going over it much because not all of it matters to the regular mobile users.  However, this graph is telling. iTunes sales has iPad sales beat by 2% in the overall revenue pie for Apple. That's a 40% advantage iTunes enjoys over iPod sales.  Not long ago, iPod was king.  It was the single device that saved Apple and launched Apple's domination in mobile.   More importantly, iTunes content could be future drivers at Apple.  Right now, all the focus is on the iPad and iPhone but it'll be content accessibility that will help Apple's iOS hardware make further inroads into education and enterprise.  Not only that, should Apple finally unveil what Steve Jobs meant when he said he cracked television, the whole iTunes ecosystem is going to be key.   In a few years, we might see iTunes break beyond 10% of Apple's revenue. ...

It's official:   Google Drive  is live now.  You get 5 GB free. This is what the competition offers: iCloud: 5 GB SkyDrive:  7 GB Dropbox:  2 GB (but you can increase this if you get friends to sign up) Box.com:  5 GB (though some like Touchpad users have 50 GB) Which do you prefer and does standalone companies like Box and Dropbox have a shot against the mobile giants?  

Last night, I attended an event put on by KPCC, a public radio, in Pasadena that featured  Marketplace's Rob Schmitz , the man who helped exposed Mike Daisey's lies about Apple, Foxconn, and details about the Chinese workers he met.  It was an excellent event with a packed house.  And I'm grateful to be living so close to such great organization.  And Mr. Schmitz was a great and accessible guest. This morning, I read this  post from The Daily Beast  on manufacturing.  And it got me thinking about manufacturing and whether we can really bring back some of these factory jobs that Apple and others have been exporting for more than a decade now. I spoke a bit with Mr. Schmitz about it.  From the Steve Jobs biography, we knew that President  Obama asked Steve Jobs  how he could bring these jobs back and Steve pointedly told him they're not coming back. For a while, I thought if companies like Apple can invest in high tech consumer g...

When Verizon reported its earnings last week, I was surprised by just how well the iPhone held.  And today's earnings release from AT&T has me thinking that the gains made by Android over the last couple of years before AT&T lost iPhone exclusivity isn't holding well. I won't be editorializing here but just to present the fact.  A little more than a year ago, Verizon Wireless began carrying the iPhone, albeit CDMA version while the HTC Thunderbolt began making waves as one of the first LTE device.  Later in the year with the introduction of the iPhone 4S, Sprint joined AT&T and Verizon in carrying the iPhone. We don't know Sprint's results yet but we know those of the two biggest US carriers.  With AT&T's 5.5 million smartphones sold, the two biggest carriers sold a total of 11.8 million smartphones.  Apple accounted for 7.5 million of those devices, or 63.55%.  While Sprint has not reported their earnings, there is no reason to believe...

I am live tweeting from the Crawford Family Form in Pasadena, CA. The subject will be about Apple, China, This American Life and the behind the scenes. Interview with Marketplace's Rob Schmitz who exposed Mike Daisey's lies. You can follow at @paul_onxo. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

This is a lesson for Apple. Something is seriously wrong at HTC.  Now, I like thin.  The fact that the mobile devices today like the Galaxy is pretty light and thin is something that I can appreciate.  The Motorola RAZR is thin too.  Very thin.  And both look very handsome.  I guess HTC is catching up to that.  At least that’s what HTC thinks its customers are tell them.  Sorry, HTC folks.  We like thin but we rather have longer battery life too. See, HTC said that customers have told them they want thinner phones over longer battery life.  I guess most HTC users like to see their devices tethered to a wall socket or simple stare at future thin HTC devices because they want out of power after 4 to 5 hours of use. I don’t know how HTC came to this conclusion but nothing could be further from the truth.  Many a blogs have ridiculed this notion.  Just look at the Motorola RAZR.  I’m sure it sold a few but considering h...

This morning, I woke up to this 9to5Mac post on this app called TV Premium. It advised the ability to allow users to watch live premium channels. Well, there are not many but enough for my to give it a try. And for the most part, it works. The question is how did this get through Apple's legendary app censors? Well, first, Apple's app approval process has not been what it was billed to be by the media. And with more and more app submissions, it's likely things aren't getting get better and apps like this will get through. Back to the app. I started using it at Starbucks' par wifi network. It is free and bless Starbucks for it but it's to as robust as what you're likely used to at home. With that said, the video playback was spotty. Again, I am using a public network shared by many people. Should you get this? Probably not because I figure it won't be there in a few hours. And even if you managed to keep this in your iPhone or iPad, you probably w...

That time of the week again.  I know I've featured Brave before.  That was a long, long time ago.  Since then, there have been a few new trailers and clips released.  And wow, I think Disney/Pixar could have another hit.  And I think this time, it's on par with Nemo's success. I know, despite being a dude and have no kids, I'll be there for opening weekend just the same.  The graphics and art are just that amazing. So, enjoy and have a great weekend.  I'm off to a Game of Thrones marathon this weekend. And here is Merida, her heroine.  Yeah, after this summer, expect a bunch of baby girls with that name.  It's not a bad name.  There'll be a bunch of babies born in 2012 and 2013 with that name is all.

You guessed it.  In the following video, these Korean mobile warriors are lining up for the new  Galaxy Tab .  Whoops, I mean the new iPad. What's be interesting is what kind of reception this'll get in China.  Or for that matter, how the next iPhone will go up against Samsung's flagship device, the Galaxy S III.  Remember, the iPhone 4S was poo-poo by many in the media because Apple didn't call it the "iPhone 5".  Still, it went on to break the iPhone 4's previous records. What can we take away from this?  Make no mistake that the Galaxy S II and probably the III are top-notch devices that appeal to a large segment of the mobile market.  Just ask HTC, Motorola, and LG how they are faring against Samsung, let alone Apple. If you're not into the iOS frenzy, I certainly would recommend the Galaxy.  However, there is still that secret sauce that Apple provides that has yet to be matched by anyone else on the market. Just this week, Ver...

I had similar thoughts about this  Forbes post  said about Apple using its cash to finance it’s future growth by acquiring and securing its own supply chain. Obviously, I cannot claim credit for this kind of thinking because Apple had been doing this for years with memory chips. The next step for Apple may be about changing the world of manufacturing and in ways that would leave its competitors gasping for air trying to keep up and really disrupt not just any one industry but a whole host of markets with new innovative processes. Obviously, what Tim Cook is having Apple do with its money in trying to own its supply chain and keep competitors out is brilliant.  Apple can and will move a few steps even beyond that.  In the past, I had suggested that Apple may even spend R&D money into new ways of manufacturing and patent the whole process. The initial discussion started when media reports began circulating about what Steve Jobs said to Obama about him being...

Are we close to the day when we can vote for our elected officials via our mobile?  After all, we do mobile banking and other types of transactions that has enough security that we can live with.  So, maybe we are closer to being able to vote through an app? Here's how I see this can work. I am going to generalize this quite a bit.  Every registered voter who wants to sign up for mobile voting would have to go sign up.  Just register for online or mobile voting.  Also, the voter would have to provide a passcode.  Again, this will have to be online. Then the voter would get a special letter from the government with a special code authorizing online voting. This letter would also have a randomly generated code that the voter must enter along with the passcode they created when they sign up for online voting.  If they match, the voting process can begin. Okay again, I'm generalizing.  I'm sure you folks out there will have a better scheme fo...

Today, smartphone batteries are atrocious.  We’re lucky if we can make it half a day without charging up.  So, those con numbers about standby time, talk-times, and hours of use really doesn’t stand up in real world use.  A couple of months back, Intel was talking about all day battery life from devices running on their chips.  It’s likely they’re parsing between light use like checking e-mails, texting, taking a couple of pics and watching some Youtube video. Now, look at your own use.  You’re probably more a moderate user.  And if you examine how you use your Android or iPhone from when you first go it to today (maybe months or years), you’ll realize that you’ve come to rely on your smartphone a lot more than when you first started using it. Chances are, your Android LTE device will be running on fumes by late afternoon.  You’re lucky if you can get to an outlet in time or you’re just heading home.  What happens if you’re got a longer work ...

Twitter has grown up.  Not long ago, it was a way to tell your friends when you were going to the bathroom and what you were thinking while you sat on the toilet.  Then it became instrumental in helping people of North Africa get rid of a couple of dictators.  And now, Twitter is the weapon of choice for political machines, specifically, the operatives who are looking to slash their way socially to get their messages and mud across. Here is a prime example.  In an exchange between David Axelrod ( Twitter ), the man who is widely credited by the media for getting then Senator Barack Obama into the White House (I know Oprah would beg to differ) and Romney advisor Eric Fehrnstrom ( Twitter ), the two got personal and traded jabs. There more of this at the Washington Post piece.  Something about dogs mixed in with dogs and debates.  It's really quite interesting because, even now, Twitter is a vehicle for influencing the greater voting pu...

Source:   Tmo-News . Here's T-Mobile's first new look at Carly. Does it make you wanna give T-Mobile a second chance or make a switch from another carrier?  No but it does make for a very interesting pivot by T-Mobile.  I wish them and Carly the best.  We need more competition, not less. Perhaps, the new Carly will have a bigger impact with she uses the iPhone 5 this fall?

Source: From Dave the Mobile Sage who sent me the link to  Macstories . It’s spring so it makes sense that people do some cleaning as they come out from under the winter days.  It’s the same for companies.  In this instance, it’s Apple and T-Mobile.  Both are seeking to do something different from what they’ve done in recent years and so far, I’m liking T-Mobile’s rebranding better.  However, Apple is playing on its strength – Siri. Here, let’s start with T-Mobile.  This is the old Carly.  Me like. Girl I wanna marry. This is the new Carly.  Me like even more!  Schwing! Now here are Apple’s ads.  The first one features my other girl, Zooey D.  The second one features Nick Fury himself, aka Samuel L Jackson. It’s nothing earth shattering but you get what Apple is playing on – the strength of Siri.  And while T-Mobile’s new Carly look may have  Kate Beckinsale , my other girl, worry that there ...

My iPhone 4 with Verizon gets warm at times. It's nothing I have not seen before in other mobile devices and certainly no where near laptop heat or even close to the non-issue temperature on the new iPad that the media tried to create into "heat-gate". Still, I have concerns for the next iPhone. And that concern comes from the likelihood that the next iPhone will have an LTE antenna in it. And given Apple's drive to make its iOS devices lighter and thinner, heat concerns, even if it's not a real issue, will certainly bare more scrutiny than any other devices because it's the iPhone. And that's before we even get into the battery life issue. My hope is that Apple brings back the ability for users to toggle between LTE and lower speed wireless options. It could help with the heat issue and solve any battery issues we mobile users may be faced with. Right now, as I am composing this post, I am in an area with low signal and the iPhone could be struggling to ...

I like for Apple to find a way to punish AT&T.  It's not likely to ever happen.  Apple does what it does which is to make the damn best device it can.  It doesn't spend a lot of time worry about what Google, Microsoft, or the carriers will do.  However, for AT&T to try to push Lumia 900 over the iPhone after Apple's iconic device revolutionized the wireless industry and gave AT&T years of profit, it simply doesn't sit well with me. However, Apple probably won't.  However, Apple can continue to come out with the best damn iPhone it can make.  Cook, Ives, and the rest of the designers and developers can continue to build the best damn device they can and continue to dominate the smartphone sales over at AT&T and charge them the premium that the iPhone commands. If Apple does exact any kind of punishment, it's likely through services and the iOS ecosystem that continues to make carriers irrelevant.  I don't know what future devices and...

I was running a couple of errands and listening to a Windows Phone podcast.  It was a good podcast in general because the folks running it are very good and I like the information they provide. The kinds of folks you'd wanna have a beer with. The podcast is from WP Central.  I recommend it if you're even remotely interested in keeping up with what Microsoft is offering on the mobile front.  Having said that, in one of the episodes, they commended AT&T for bring LTE to Windows Phone.  They liked that AT&T convinced Microsoft to make this happen. Maybe they did but they certainly deserved no praise.  AT&T, even by the podcasters' own admission, never have subscribers' interest at heart.  They don't take in your or my interests when they make any decision whatsoever. Windows Phone was AT&T's final and only chance to break away from the domination of the iPhone.  Plain and simple.  The Lumia 900, the latest and greatest of Windo...

Note: This isn't really just a mobile tip because it also works on desktop browsers as well. Paid walls are going up left and right.  It’s getting ugly out there.  Frankly, I don’t mind it so much because there is still a lot of content out there.  Having said that, it is irk-some when you click through and you cannot access the page without paying.  It’s free-enterprise.  We as mobile readers, or desktop ones, will just have to accept this.  However, it doesn’t totally mean that just because we’re not willing to pay for content, say on the WSJ or the LA Times, that we cannot access here.  Here are a couple of tips that might help. Let’s go with the WSJ.  See the following pic? Annoying but manageable.  Simply copy and paste the title of the article and search it in Google and you’ve got this.  The whole enchilada.  Awesome, isn’t it?  Don’t free too badly for News Corp.  Vast majority of their readership pays...

I use Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and even a couple of check-in apps like Foursquare.  I'm wary about what the data I share are being used, especially Facebook.  Let's be honest, privacy is still a big deal to a vast major of us despite what Facebook's Zucky and Google's Creepster-In-Chief Schmidt say.  Now comes Placeme. What is Placeme?  I've included a video, more than 30 minutes long, that is worth watching.  I REALLY REALLY REALLY think you should watch it.  It's an interview conducted by Robert Scoble with the creator of Placeme, Sam Liang, a former Googler. What Placeme does is use the sensors on your mobile device to track you.  Scary yeah?  But there is a lot of potentially good use from the data that the app can collect and help the user.  It can use the ambient light, accelerator, Bluetooth, GPS, and other services on the phone to keep a log of your daily routine.  It will eventually know how you get to work, when you get...

Does the end just the means?  That is the question in the anti-competitive suit brought on by the Department of Justice against Apple and two book publishers.  As far as I am concerned, that is the legal issue here.  Today, the DOJ sued Apple, Macmillan, and Penguin while Hachette, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster backed down and settled with the government.  At issue is whether the seemingly anti-competitive actions by Apple and the publishers to allow the publishers to impose their own prices on ebooks good for the consumer. More at Clouding Around .

Verizon Wireless will  be instituting a $30 penalty if you want to sign up for a new phone.  Yup, they call it an upgrade fee.  I call it a “penalty”.  This is for obvious reasons.  And leigitimately, there is no reason for VZW or anyone else to charge us for this.  However, it is within their rights to do it. Having said that, it is within our rights to take our business elsewhere.  That means once your contract is up, tell your carrier you don’t want to pay that fee.  Lie to them if you have to. Tell them that you’ve spoken to T-Mobile and they’re willing to waive that fee.  Maybe they will.  Maybe they won’t.  Honestly, I can tell you that I have never had to pay any such nonsense fees. Even big bad AT&T caved when I told them we’ll take our family plans elsewhere. And on top of that, there are now plenty of pre-paid options available to us.  It’s well worth it to explore that route.  Not only will you not ha...

Sometimes, it makes you wonder why certain thing gets on a roll and goes viral.  Apparently, "texts" from our Secretary of State, former US Senator from NY, and former Co-President, Hillary Clinton, is gaining steam.  Anyway, came across it from Google+. Here's my favorite one so far. More here at  Texts From Hillary  (TUMBLR).

Here's a 20 second video why the texting should be separate from other forms of physical activities.  In this case, it's as simple as walking down the street.  You never know who or what you'll run into.  As in the case, texting while driving is also a pretty bad idea too. I'm pretty sure the guy learned a really valuable lesson.

I’m still trying to figure out why Facebook spent $1 billion on Instagram.  Obviously, they could have just put a team together to build an app or feature into its current Facebook with a bunch of filters, more than anyone else if they wanted to, and put it out there for users.  In speaking with Dave the Mobile Sage, we have come to the conclusion that Facebook wanted the Instagram community. First, why $1 billion?  More at Clouding Around .

9to5Mac has a post with pics on what a 4" iPhone would look like.  This seems to be the ideal size that many mobile fans are looking for.  Personally, I would love to have a 4" iPhone.  My aging eyes would not only appreciate it but I reckon the additional real estate would allow for more interesting mobileness. Don't get me wrong.  Even if Apple doesn't come out with a 4" Retina Display on the next iPhone, the one after that, or ever, I would still very content with the current 3.5" display on the iPhone 4 and the 4S. The question is would Apple be increasing the resolution of this theoretical 4" display?  Perhaps in the beginning, we might not see this.  Apple could still retain the same 960 x640 resolution with lower DPI and still call it a Retina Display because Apple marketing will rationalize that since this iPhone has a larger screen, you'll be holding further away from you and you still would not be able to distinguish the pixels. I...

The future of mobile is about control.  Even as Apple, Google, RIM, Microsoft, and a few others battle for control of the mobile hanset market, it’s only a smart part of the larger wireless domain in which there are dozens of other companies struggle for the upper hand.  We’re talking about control.  With the right control, the winners get to tell not only end-users what they have access to but has the ability to dictate to others how they can interact with the customers. This is why this post from a Wall Street analyst skews the picture.  A revolt against the iPhone?  Not quite.  Rather it’s an attempt by carriers to wrestle control they previously had over the handset makers.  With the popularity of the iPhone and Android devices like the Galaxy, companies like Apple and Samsung can dictate terms to the carriers. And this had been a big alignment in the balance of power in the wireless realm that had previously favored carriers. I’m not advoc...

I got an exciting e-mail from Dropbox over the weekend.  In the past, Dropbox gives us 2 GB of free storage when you sign up for the free account access.  But you can increase that over time if you invite friends, families, acquaintances, or whoever else to sign up.  If they sign up, you get additional storage. The idea is that Dropbox hopes to convert you or someone else you invited into a paying customer.  So far, I think they're doing pretty well.  There was rumors that Apple considered buying Dropbox.  Now, iOS and Mac users have the iCloud.  Meanwhile, Google should be coming out with its down Dropbox competitor in the next quarter. So, it's likely due to competition from these tech giants and other cloud storage players that Dropbox increased the invitation allotment from 250 MB to 500 MB.  This is fantastic news.  I was able to create dummy accounts to increase my space in the last (I also use those accounts for photo...

Today's jobs report was subpar and had the stock market been opened today, I'm sure there would have been a three-digit sell-off on the DOW.  Still, today's economy,while still in a slow recovery mode, is off life-support from when it was in 2008.  Apple was still under Steve Jobs and he vowed that Apple would innovate its way out of the recession.  No doubt Tim Cook would do the same.   Should we go through another slowdown (very likely due to EU contagion), Apple's stock could be just as safe as US bonds.  Demand for Apple products are still strong.  So strong in fact that Apple is building a second Rome store in Italy, an EU country is could be counted as one of the likely to default.   This isn't a stock post for Apple's finances.  Rather, we are wondering what it is about Apple products that make them so sought after even during the Great Recession and continues to sell in record amounts.   What do you think Apple seems to...

First let me see I’m an Apple fan.  I would not go to the point of labeling myself a fanboy because I don’t get everything that is Apple. I like to have a good balance of Apple branded and non-Apple branded tech.  Over all, I’m just a mobile fan.  So, I say this next thing because it needs to be said. Apple, you have to do more about security for the Mac.  Lately, there have been rumors cropping up about Trojan horses that have infected at least half a million Macs (luckily, my Macs are fine, as are my PCs).  In the past, I would have dismissed such talks as fear mongering by anti-virus app sellers that want to expand their reach into the Mac market.  For the most part, it’s the PCs that needed protection in the past and Mac users have largely require very little protection from viruses and other malware. That was in the past.  Today, Macs are flourishing in the PC market and it’s a larger and more tempting target for hackers. In the most recent...

T-Mobile still doesn’t have the iPhone even as Apple adds 5 regional carriers that will start providing Apple’s iconic mobile device to their subscribers.  I know that the reason has more to do with the technical GSM deployment rather than Apple simply unwilling to make this happen.  Or maybe T-Mobile simply did not give Apple enough financial incentive to make iPhones that will take advantage of T-Mobile’s 3G network.  For speculation sake, let’s suppose there is another reason why Apple has yet to make the iPhone available on T-Mobile’s network. Apple wants to show carriers what happens when they don’t deal with Apple on its terms when it comes to the iPhone.  With And T-Mobile, already kinda dying when AT&T tried to merge with it, Apple decided it would not harm its bottom line if it used T-Mobile as an example to any carrier that decides to cross it.  How else can you explain why regional guys with as little as 400K subscribers getting the iPhone ah...

I'm from UCLA and I hate USC.  With a passion.  I dislike everything about them.  Particularly how they cheat in sports.  And we are a better school.  Obviously, this is the duty of every Bruin just as it is the duty of every Trojan to show disdain for all that is Westwood.  At the end of the day, we're all Americans and it's mostly in good fun. I have seen this behavior with fanboys from Apple, Google, Microsoft, and RIM.  This is particularly true when it comes to the blogging community.  Some of it are in good fun but mostly, it's not.  It reminds me very much of the GOP versus Democrats.  However, I did not expect this bantering to extend to regular mobile warriors. And this is especially evident in the harsh treatment of iOS users against Android users over the Instagram app. Seriously, some of the comments are just down right nasty (and funny). I'll leave to them to you over at  Cult of Mac  and  Pha...

Source:   iMore . Apparently, a hair-cut more than a third of US high school students have the iPhones.  That's an astonishing high number.  Apple only recently reached 30% of installed base in the US after the release of the iPhone 4S. There are a couple of comments worth mention. Could something be wrong with this?  Here's why I believe so.  iPhones are pretty expensive and so are the plans.  I can't do the 200 MB of data per month.  I don't know how these kids are doing it.  If this is true, they've learned a great deal about self-control. Now, if the information is correct, I reckon it's the apps that are attractive to the students.  After all, app discovery is a pretty important part and so far, Apple does have an advantage here over competing platforms.  Google Play just came out but when it comes to discovering social apps or ones they can use for schools, the students could have a better time finding what they need. The...

We previously discussed how Sprint would take us to an LTE world , virtually assuring that the next iPhone would have to have LTE and then we discussed how Apple would get there given that LTE chips are so power hungry.  What I did not anticipate was just how important LTE is until a bunch of Wall Street guys started pricing Apple at $1000 or so a share and calling it a trillion-dollar company. Why?  LTE. Crazy?  I guess.  As of this moment, Apple is priced at around $630 with a market value of $580 billion.  And I suppose given how strongly the iPhone is perform against WiMax and LTE devices, with a major of smartphone sales at AT&T and Sprint being iPhones and about 50% of all Verizon Wireless sales, it definitely would be scary when Apple puts LTE on the iconic device. Scary for competitors that is.  And who knows just what other new features Apple will offer. In the past, I've blasted Wall Street guys for being clueless and spreading rumors...

I set up a Slingbox for my uncle last night.  He’s an avid NBA and golfing fan.  We got an Apple TV hooked up to it and he’s able to use the SB to watch his videos and cable TV from anywhere.  Just about anywhere I hope because he travels a lot on business, especially, overseas.  He’s pretty happy about this.  He can keep with his golf games as well.  I know he’s big on cable news too.  All in all, the Slingbox is an incredible device.  I’ve wanted something like this since, well, forever. But the Slingbox can only do so much.  It doesn't do more than offering an extension and convenience to whatever HDTV or other box setups you've got in your home.  And as great as it is, the Slingbox is last decade's innovation.  It's time for something new. Now, I don’t know what people are talking about when they said that Steve Jobs cracked television when it came to digital and cloud deployment.  Most think it has something to do wit...

We learn that Sprint will stop work on WiMax devices and focus only on LTE going foward. What about Apple?  We know what the first LTE device from Apple is.  It’s the just released 2012 iPad with the “resolutionary” Retina Display.  So, we have an idea what Apple’s thinking is. First, the Retina Display along with the LTE chip is very power hungry.  It just so happens that Apple managed to fit a vastly bigger battery into the 2012 iPad and that only managed to keep the battery life on par with the previous generation iPads.  I’ve used mine for a couple of weeks now and I find it on par.   Second, the new iPad is a tiny bit thicker and heaver, which goes contrary to what Apple has been doing over the last few years by trying to shrink the weight and thickness of its iOS devices and Macbooks.  While it isn’t noticeable, it shows that Apple under Tim Cook is more pragmatic about design until technology allows for Apple to continue its st...

Source:   Android Guys . Sprint says no to WiMax and will focus on LTE.  It’s not a surprising thing considering where its competitors are headed and what is going on in the wireless market as more consumer focus on faster LTE deployment.  What this does mean is that WiMax users should be able to keep their devices a while longer before having to chuck them for LTE. So, in the short term, I reckon Sprint WiMax device sales could suffer until they bring their own LTE devices to the market.  According to  Android Guys , Sprint could move more than a dozen LTE devices but little is known about when that’ll happen or when and where its LTE network will go live. It’s likely we’ll see Sprint advertise the heck out of it but still rely mostly on the older CDMA network to provide wireless Internet for those with LTE devices.  So yeah, you’ll be paying for a LTE device running on 3G.  This isn’t that much different for the early adopters of WiMax or ...

It looks like Ashton Kutcher will be tasked and given the honor of playing iconic and legendary figure in today's most revolutionary tech market, Steve Jobs. Man, I really killed that first sentence didn't I? Here's the things, I don't know what to make of it. Steve Jobs' role in bringing about the computer revolution on the 80s and the mobile revolution with the iPhone. Along the way, Apple, under Steve, really changed more than just music, computer, and mobile but with the whole ecosystem, it changed the way society operated and how we deal with each other. So, a guy who has done well for himself but can hardly taken seriously as an actor will play this man, the man who was mourned by millions upon his passing. I seriously hope Sony knows what they are doing.  

Apple has commissioned a fuel cell plant that will run on animal waste to power its North Carolina data center. You know, iCloud, iTunes, and, hopefully, some secret plan that will power Apple's TV plans. It's a 4.8 MW plant. There should also be solar panels as well. Macrumors reported that these will be 20% effecient Sun Power panels that will provide an added 20 MW of power. All along, I thought it was Google that has lead the green charge but it it is good to see Apple trying to get its power from more efficient and renewable sources. Perhaps, we'll see Apple put more into newer battery and renewable tech for its mobile devices. With possibly around 400 million devices in the wild by the end of 2012, imagine just how carbon will be offset if Apple allows solar charging to be built into its iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Source: Wired .