AI, Mobile, and Eveything Around the Cloud

I abhor Facebook.  I think its campaign to erode privacy to allow Facebook to sell the best product it can, you the Facebook users, to the highest bidder is just horrible but it essentially undermines what privacy is all about for generations of users and it'll only get worse over time. It's why I am not on Facebook and it's why more folks are waking up to the realization that they don't want to be sold by Facebook to advertisers. However, not all tracking is bad if there is a benefit to the user as well.  Sure, companies like Google track users and also pushes ads out to us but at least we are getting great suites of apps and services.  Facebook offers none of that. Take Google Now.  It's been on Android for a while and most people who use it love it.  And now, it's also available in limited functionalities for the iPhone. So yes, Google is absolutely not giving away its apps and services for free out of the kindness of its corporate heart.  It’s ...

No  IPO for Twitter .  Not thinking about it. Good.  I think they see the headaches public companies like Apple have had to go through.  Apple buying back more than $50 billion stocks and dishing out $100 billion over the next couple of years. Other cash rich companies like Google and Cisco to name a few will eventually entertain this route. Don’t be surprised as time go on, Apple gets fed up and goes private.  Twitter, take your time on IPO or don’t go that route at all.  You’ve got enough cash to do small acquisitions you need and there really aren’t big companies you need to buy up.

Source:   Appleinsider . There is no doubt that monetizing apps, ads, and services is easier and greater percentage on Apple’s iOS than on Android even though Google’s mobile platform has the lion’s share of the market in terms of units sold.  Apple retains the grown in terms of profit with over 70% of the mobile profit and similar numbers in terms of app and ad sales. So, I found this Appleinsider post to have a lot to say about stickiness.  Once you’ve spent years using one platform and invested in it in terms of apps, music, and other media, it’s hard to make that switch to a new platform and having to start all over again. Without DRM, it’s easy to do that with music but iOS apps will not work on Android devices and iTunes video like TV and movies will only work in Apple’s iOS and OS X ecosystem.  It’s no wonder the analyst in the post changed his mind at the last moment and opt out of the latest and greatest from Samsung. So far, there is very little tha...

Source: Mac Daily News , 9to9Mac . This is huge and it looks legit. SWYPE has spoken to Apple about getting the SWYPE keyboard layout on the iOS devices. However, that is not to say that the talks went anywhere. On any given day, Apple is approached about new technology, features, or app ideas. Apple might even reach out to companies as well. However, with Tim Cook in charge, I can see the possibility of Apple opening up a few cracks in its walled garden for a privileged few like Twitter, Vimeo, and even Facebook. In the interview, Aaron Sheedy, a SWYPE VP, only confirmed that talks had taken place and called Apple smart. My guess is that Apple did not say yes (but it didn't completely closed the door on the idea) and SWYPE calling Apple smart was a way of it trying to make sure it doesn't run afoul of Apple's good grace regardless of whether Apple was receptive to SWYPE bring a keyboard option on the iPhone. If this happens and SWYPE is an option in the fut...

Since Tim Cook took over for Steve Jobs, what we have seen at Apple is quarter after quarter of growth.  It’s insane what Tim Cook has achieved.  And he has the advantage over other CEOs at competing companies in that he worked under Steve Jobs.  No matter now you look at it, I’m sure some of the reality distortion magic has rubbed off on Tim Cook. And despite the fall of Apple’s stock price, the reality is that Apple as a company has been dominating every market that it has a product in in terms of profitability. In the immediate aftermath of Apple’s latest earnings result that came out on Tuesday, we can safely say that Apple continues to be in good hands under Tim Cook’s guidance.  He has learn and grown.  Case in point is the iMac fiasco which he owned up and said that he should not have announced the iMac back in October of 2012 when Apple just was not ready to ship yet. No CEO at any other company would do this.  Think, folks.  This is hug...

The title said it all… NBC News  has more.  The rest of the Hostess brands also coming back. I should end the post here but I can’t help but take another dig at the union.  Look, I get that unions are good.  They have a purpose but when unions become an entity unto itself and tries to get bigger at the expense of the individual workers, well, it becomes what I like to call “cancerous”. Again, unions are good if they do what they are supposed to but in the case of the Hostess company, all those unionized bakers and support staff all lost out because it put its interests as an entity above the workers.  Isn’t that what cancers do? Once more, hooray!  Twinkies are coming back!!!  Now, to commemorate this occasion, someone make a Hostess mobile app and game!

Source:   Southern California Public Radio . So, kinda a full circle. In middle school, we were told how drugs, expecially like LSD, was going to ruin our lives and I generally still believe that which is why I don’t ever be experimenting with any kind of mind altering additives for whatever reason.  However, a psychedelic conference will be discussing how LSD and other similar drugs can be of benefit to neuroscience and medical benefits to treating conditions like alcoholism. Of course, as you well know by now, Steve Jobs tried LCD during his younger years and had an eye opening experience.  Whether that is attributable to his genius or not, well, who knows.  Jobs certainly thought it was one of the most profound experiences of his life. He also suggest that Bill Gates should try it because he was just such a boring guy.

Source:   Wireless Week . When President Obama was about to sign into law the Affordable Care Act, an open mic caught Vice-President Joe Biden telling POTUS “it’s a big fraking deal”.  I substituted “frak” with the other well known “f” word.  And whether you agree with it or not, it was.  And while recent moves in the wireless merger and acquisition market are that earth shattering, T-Mobile bulking up with MetroPCS after its revamping of the whole wireless industry in the US with its new pricing plans and Softbank (though it isn’t over given Dish is trying to muscle in) looking for a foothold in the lucrative US market by buying Sprint, those are big deals too. Today, MetroPCS approved of the deal to merge with T-Mobile.  The newer bigger company will provide competition to AT&T and Verizon Wireless neither have seen before.  And Softbank will give Sprint a life line that not even the iPhone can provide. Both companies will offer greater variety ...

Someone ask Tim Cook during Apple’s financial call today.  What Tim Cook gave as an answer was very interesting. First, he gave the same Apple line about iPhone’s screen.  It’s the best out there. Of course, you think that would be it and then ask for the next question.  What he said next was interesting and gave me hope that we might see a future iPhone with a bigger screen, 4.5”, 4.8”, 5”, or greater than the 4” screen on the iPhone 5.  Cook said that as long as certain trade-offs exist, it’s a non-issue.  So, if whatever these trade-offs are met, then we will lkely see a new form factor iPhone with a bigger screen. What could these trade-offs be? While near 5” and 5” screens on iPhone’s competitors exist and are flooding the market, such as the Galaxy S 4 and HTC One, Cook seem to suggest that they are made with these technological trade-offs.  Screen quality is one thing.  However, from what I can see, 720p and 1080p screens on 4.5” and 5”...

Windows used to be the playground of malware and viruses and it still is but as more and more users migrate over to mobile, the spread of bad apps and data stealing malware have spread especially on Android.  There is no denying that. Here is a sort of a  beginner's post from Read Write  regarding virus and malware on your mobile and signs that your device might be infected.  While the post is directed at Android devices, make no mistake, it's about all mobile including iPhone, Windows Phone, and other platforms as well. First, your battery life.  True if the malware is doing stuff in the background.  The post talked about displaying ads.  I think worse things can and probably are happening. Then there's dropped calls.  I'm not so sure about this one.  While the post hesitates to blame the carrier, I don't have that issue.  However, the rest of the post are more interesting.  Slow performances, higher than usual phone bills, ...

There are a couple posts since this week that seemed like an orchestrated effort to discredit Tim Cook specifically and Apple in general.  See, there are folks who are suggesting that Apple has begun looking for Tim Cook’s replacement.  Bull crap (feel free to go stronger than that).  I’m not going to be linking to them because it just feeds this beast. So, I’ll like to Fortune’s counter post on this and I recommend reading it as it puts what’s going on at Apple in perspective – namely, a dysfunctional stock market with blatant abuses and manipulations that the government is helpless to do anything about and an once respected business magazine (Forbes) that has turned to company hacks with agendas or axes to grind. Apparently, and I've felt this as well, Forbes has hired itself out to be used as an investment and agenda driven blog site for "financial" and tech bloggers that has questionable analytic skills and documented biases towards one company or an...

Source:   Pocketgamer . AppGratis as we know by now gets developers to pay for installation.  It’s a manipulation of Apple’s ranking as Apple sees it but others like the AppGratis investors think it’s a form of advertising.  The way to set things right would be for AppGratis developers to try to talk to Apple and find a common ground.  In fact, AppShopper probably did just that – opening a dialogue between itself and Apple.  The result?  It’s now back in the App Store. On the other hand, CEO Simon Dawlat lied about AppGratis’ business model which he said the app doesn’t take payment from developers for installation and promotion in an attempt to manipulate app ranking. And when documents leaked online that showed he lied, he still would not back down.  In Apple or anyone’s book, that’s a no-no.  This TechCrunch post explains it all. What also isn’t likely to make Apple happy is an online petition to get AppGratis back into the App Store. ...

Source: Arstechnica . Apple is donate about $8 million dollars to the Sichuan region of China that was hit by a major earthquake.  On top of that, it’ll also be donating devices to schools affected by the disaster.  It’s a PR move.  It’s also a good move.  And Apple is letting the Chinese know about it. However, knowing the leech mentality of the Chinese government, they’ll find some way to discredit the help from Apple and other foreign entities by suggesting it was inadequate or something worse while playing up domestic help that may not even come close.  This kind of myopic focus on national pride has already shown signs that it is wearing thin on the masses.

I'm sure the voice dictation function built into iOS and OS X devices will eventually work off-line, like Google's does now.   Eventually, Siri I have phone functions that were off-line.  By off-line, I mean without having the need to connect to the Internet and send the voice thing Apple server farms. I started thinking about this when I thought how great iOS will work if it also has a powerful transcription. It will serve a lot of professionals.  Doctors, lawyers, writers, journalists, and even students. It has taken me a while to get used to voice dictation. I try to use it as often as I can. So the most part, I avoid doing it because either I am in public, at work, are at a place where there is no Internet connection. And of course, speaking into an iPhone and having that information sent through the Internet to Apple and getting the results does take a valuable battery power. No, iPhone battery life these a lot to be desired. I have found a few apps that doe...

My mom called me today and said the iPhone 5 sucked.  Well, she didn't exactly used those words but I know the lady, giving birth to me and all.  In fact, I gave up the iPhone 5 and took her iPhone 4S for my own.  I think she considers the 4S to be Steve Jobs' last iPhone.  But that's not the reason why she wants to give up the iPhone 5. She thinks the screen is too small.  I think she saw more and more of her friends with Galaxy devices from Samsung.  Maybe even the Note 2.  I don't blame her.  I've thought for months about getting a Note and I'm think I'll wait for the Note 3. My only issue for not getting her the Note 2 is because she's overseas a lot and if she has a problem now, I would not know how to deal with it because I don't have a reference unit here to help walk her through it. So, Apple, you may have to think twice about the perfect size for the iPhone.  I do think the 3.5-4" screen is perfect for a major of the mobi...

I have been thinking long and hard about this for a while.  Even before Facebook released Home for Android.  But I think Apple should do something about Game Center and I'm not talking about the look of GC but about what it can offer.  From day one, I thought it would make sense for Apple to allow messaging.  Then of course, we got iMessage instead. What Apple should do is turn GC into Social Center.  Notifications, messages, widgets, game updates, and social components that give Apple users, Mac and iOS, a place where their social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and even Apple's own updates, can be located in one place. It is possible? I don't know if that's the direction Apple would ever consider taking but it does make sense to do this.  Social Center would gather up iTunes, Messages, social networks, gaming and media into one place. And what's more, the value of Social Center will only serve to augment other features and products that Apple ...

Apple's price has been down and out of Wall Street favor for a long time now.  Maybe a better part of a year since reaching high into the 700s.  Personally, while I like to see stocks rise, not just Apple but for Google, Microsoft, or any other company, I take a particular interest in Apple because I've been a long time Apple product user and have lived through the "dark days".  Yeah, you know what I mean and that brought back bad memories for those of you who knows what I'm talking about. The difference here is that Apple today is in a much stronger position than the Apple in the 90s that was weeks away from bankruptcy before Steve Jobs successfully turned things around.  And that took years to do.  Today's Apple was not an overnight success.  It took around seven years before people started to believe. It's not Apple's successful story that I want to discuss here.  Rather, it's Apple's lost decade in the late 80s and 90s that I am afra...

Source:   The Guardian . Here is a must read post regarding Google, Facebook, and Android.  The gist of the post stemmed from statements from Microsoft’s head of Windows Phone division.  Needless to say, Terry Myerson provided some analysis and statements that took digs at Google while promoting how Windows Phone was actually doing.  The Guardian went to Google chairman, Eric Schmidt, for his response. I agree Schmidt who at one point asked who was anyone listening to Microsoft about Google.  Google isn’t doing a thing to stop Facebook from making Home more widely available on Android.  It runs counter to Google’s claim that Android is open.  So, it can’t and won’t stop Facebook doing Home or eventually forking it or adding its own app store if it wanted to.  Just like Google could not stop Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or the plethora of Chinese vendors making their own Android variants.  However, it remains to be seen if Facebook won’t e...