AI, Mobile, and Eveything Around the Cloud

RIM has its own arcane UI from eons ago (well, years) and Apple has its Palm-like UI on iOS.  And Google has its desktop like UI.  Now, Microsoft has its Metro UI.  It's nice.  I've played with it and I think there is a case to be made among mobile warriors to check it out.  However, Apple and Google can kill Windows 8 in its track now by allow/encouraging development of UI that looks and works like the Metro. Other hardware developers like HTC and Samsung have developed their own skins on top of whatever Android version they're running.  Only the iPhone doesn't allow for such a thing because, well, only Apple uses iOS. But what if Apple and Google allows apps that have UI based on the Metro concept?  Don't say it can't happen.  First, Google allows just about anything to go into Google Play.  And more recently, Apple approved  Tapose , an app, from  former Courier chief  before Microsoft killed it. J Allard  ...

What did you think of the second Tron movie?  Well, I thought the ending was lame.  I don't want there to be spoiler for folks so I'm not going to get into it.  However, I did like the new take on the grand scheme of things.  I just don't know if Tron 3, supposedly it's a done deal, will do much better. However, I'm betting the animated series, Tron Uprising will be pretty awesome.  It'll run on the Disney XD channel starting this June.  I'm pretty excited.  I've cut the cable a long, long time ago so I'm hoping this'll show up on Hulu or something. Meanwhile, here are the clips of it so far.  The first clip is from Comic-Con.  The second is the first trailer and the third clip is the latest trailer. Have a fantastic weekend!!!

Source:   iSource Typing on the iPad can be easy or hectic at times.  I'm general fine with it but as can see in this video, it can improved up. What do you think?  I like this a lot.  Being able to shift and drag would be an awesome feature.  How likely is Apple to implement this?  I'm not sure.  We've seen this done on regular laptop keyboards and with the mouse.  So, it isn't as if Apple will be implementing something totally new like their copy-cut-paste scheme. Personally, I've been training myself to do more dictation.  It has saved me a lot of time and, over time, I've gotten a more natural feel for it.  

With CompUSA and Circuit City gone, we should have guessed Best Buy’s better days are ahead.  Apparently, that wasn’t the case. When Best Buy reported bad earnings earlier, it was like the end of the world as far as big box electronic retailers are concerned.  In the brick-and-mortar space, who really does BB have to compete with?  Walmart?  Target?  Okay, Costco? Then the attention quickly turned to Apple’s gears at Best Buy.  Why?  Because despite close relationships with Apple, Best Buy selling Macs and iOS devices doesn’t bring in the big bucks because of the thin margins.  So, the best that Best Buy can hope for is that Apple displays and products will bring in foot traffic.  And with Walmart and Target potentially opening up mini-Apple stores (they’re more like small areas dedicated to Apple stuff), they are looking to bring in a higher income audience. But I think that could be the wrong way to go about it.  Rather than just ...

Source:   Cult of Mac . Tablets are wonderful mobile computing tools.  But have you tried to use your iPad or any other tablets in bed?  How about ereaders too?  Doesn’t matter.  Great tools when you’re using them upright. Really bad idea if you’re laying in bed and holding it up. I’ve had it slip a couple of times and really smashed my teeth in.  And guess what?  It happened to this kid in Taiwan when her iPad slipped out of her hand and chipped her front teeth.  Hope they’re baby teeth. Video to follow.  So, parents…Tabs, regardless of screen size, iPads, Kindles – great to use when it’s not hoving over your face.  Oh, and the mom went out to buy a case of her daugther’s iPad.  I don’t think it’ll help, lady.

The latest numbers showed that Apple has gained much since the iPhone went on sale over at Verizon and Sprint and it's lead over Android in the first quarter of 2012 could extend further from what I can see with its biggest competitor:  the Galaxy S III. Pic from Android Central So far, the response has not been overwhelming.  It's an evolutionary improvement from the II to the III and Samsung added a Siri-copycat that does do much.  It's as if Apple did not give Samsung enough to copy from with the iPhone 4S and their engineers and designers don't what else to do. Am I asking for a 10- or 12MP camera?  No.  Bigger screen?  Would be nice but not really.  I definitely want better battery life and if Apple can be so good as to make that wish come true, I'm definitely upgrading from my iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S.  That alone would do it for me. However, I don't think that would be enough to make everyone else happy.  So, where are a few ...

Here is a video from  Android Central  I found on Youtube of the just unveiled Samsung's new high-end device, Galaxy S III. It's got a quad-core CPU (dual-core for some markets like the US, maybe), 4.8" screen, and 720p.  It also has a 2100mAh battery and we're gonna need it to power this huge screen.  There are other bells and whistles like voice control, kinda like Siri. There isn't anything here that is going to have current Galaxy S II users upgrade in drove or iPhone users to defect.  4.8" screen is like but I wouldn't want this on a phone.  Maybe if Apple releases an iPod touch with a 5" screen, I would go for that. Putting a 5" screen next to my small head when I am talking on the phone just looks kinda weird.

Source:   Fortune . From this chart from  Asymco, it's very easy to see who's making the big bucks in the mobile market and how things have changed since 2007, when the iPhone was introduced.  Back then, Nokia was the king of profits.  Today, well, it's the iPhone maker, Apple. Some hard and fast data: Apple has less than 9% of the handset market but accounts for 73% of all the profit. Android accounts more more than 50% of the market share but probably has the rest of the 27% profit. Of the 27% profit for the Android device makers, Samsung, now the world's biggest handset shipper, has 26% of that 27%.   Apple and Samsung has smothered the dollar count with 99% of the profit. However, a second chart (which I'm gonna make you click over) shows that it isn't as if Apple or Samsung is taking money away from others.  Rather, it's that the pie has grown since 2007 but it's these two rivals that are getting the lion's share of the profit.  ...

Source:   iDownload Blog Gimme, gimme, gimme!!! I want this concept iPhone 5 as envisioned by  Antoine Brieux, a French designer.  So far, the  device looks quite like what I described  as how Apple could give us a bigger than the current 3.5" Retina Display without doing too much to make the next iPhone's body bigger, thus, harder to use with one hand. In may difference from what I described and this concept iPhone is the home button is gone.  The screen itself is the home button.  How that'll work UI-wise, I can't say I have a good idea for.  However, given that multi-touch gesture on the iPad that allows the user to swipe between apps and for the multi-tasking panel at the bottom, Apple can certainly go that route. Yeah, I want this iPhone!  Recently, I told a friend of mine that she should go ahead and get the 4S because I don't think the body of the device will change too much.  Boy, if Apple does unveil the ...

RIM showed off its newest but yet to be released Blackberry 10 OS today.  So far, all signs points to things stabilizing in the short-term for RIM if the Canadian mobile giant can deliver as promised.  However, how long before things start crashing down again?  Don’t get me wrong.  We want RIM to succeed but it’s not as simple as coming up with a mobile device that is on par with the current mobile trend-settings like Android.  Look at how long it took for the Playbook to get features like e-mail?  And even then, the Playbook has not managed to make any kind of inroad in the tablet market. Let’s say RIM manages to deliver on what’s promised – a new Blackberry handset running the latest and greatest OS with some very impressive features, what then?  It would not only have to show that it can keep up with the big boys but RIM has to show what it has planned beyond that.to give supporters what is beyond mobile. For a while, RIM might be able to do a...

Just got this in my inbox from WB.  Said it's a new trailer for the sure super hit, The Dark Knight Rises. Definitely the must see movie of the summer. Sorry, Avengers is awesome looking but Batman is where the story's at - pain, sweat, and, of course...Vengeance! I've already watched the trailer 3 times before I realized I haven't shared them with you yet.  I'll be watching this in 3D on IMAX.  Hopefully at an Arclight theater without kids yapping and texting (or kicking the back of my seat).

Source:   Boy Genius Report . We know that Apple had contemplated creating its own wireless network through a bunch of WiFi hotspots that obviously did not happen.  Perhaps some day, we might see that happen with White Spaces.  Until then, the best opportunity for Apple to become a wireless provider is as a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO.   Billed as an "industry expert",   Whitey Bluestein said Apple has the resource to make this happen.  However, he doesn't say how Apple will go about making this happen, if it's even on Tim Cook's plate at the moment.  He doesn't suggest that Apple will operate as a MVNO either. As much as  I like the speculation,  I'm going to call this one now:  not going to happen.  If there is actually rumblings about this, it's more likely Apple-generated to get the carriers to fall back in line regarding any shift in subsidies.  And it would make sense for carriers to give...

Source:   Electronista . The Walking Dead game is out.  In the first episode, you have many decisions to make that will be critical to your survival.  You play Lee, a convict who will lead a group to safety or becoming food for the walking dead. This is like yesteryear's Choose Your Own Adventure books except you'll being playing this on your Mac or PC.  Mobile versions like those for the iPhone and iPad will be out later this summer.  Me?  Ain't gonna wait until then.  This is what I'll be playing this Friday! Here's a video from the developer on the game dynamics.  First, the trailer. Episode 1 Video: Interview with Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead I especially like the world that is being created here.  You're not focused on the comic and television main character, rick Grimes, a sheriff deputy who was hurt in the line of duty and woke up in a world overrun by the dead. Here's an extensive video...

I've been trying to figure out just how Apple can make an iPhone with a bigger screen without screwing up the resolution and forcing developers to redo all of their apps to make it work on a potentially and mostly speculative bigger screen for the next iPhone. A few weeks ago, there was talk that perhaps Apple can make the iPhone taller to accommodate a longer screen.  Obviously, this would break the current 3:2 ratio.  If so, so be it.  I don't see Apple necessarily married to this if it can provide a more meaningful mobile experience.   What I don't think is absolutely necessary for Apple to do is to change the form factor of the iPhone by making it longer.  If you have an iPhone, take a look at it.  There's a lot of space on the top where the mic and Facetime camera are.  Also look at the home button area at the bottom.  Can the home button be modified a bit - make it smaller and wider or even get rid of it completely.  The whole bo...

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...