AI, Mobile, and Eveything Around the Cloud

Source:   Macrumors , 9to5Mac . Apple has been working on Apple TV for years now.  It's one of the longest beta, oops, I mean hobby I know.  The original Apple TV was introduced on January 8th, 2007.  It's been more than six years.  And Apple just posted that they are looking for engineering manager to run the Apple TV project. I find the timing a bit weird.  And on top of that, Apple was very open about what the job is for.  Based on the wording and timing, I wonder if this was an open attempt by Apple to mislead the media through the blogs and its competitors. I've got no proof of this.  However, Apple has been through three generations of one of the most paid-attention hobbies, not to mention expensive in terms of R&D resources put into it, in six years so I like to think Apple already has a team and structure in place to move things forward. If I'm right and Apple is trying to throw us off the Apple TV scent, I've got a couple o...

So, all the rage is about Apple working on a watch with connectivity to other iOS devices or what not.  I've been a bit behind on it because there just is too much going on from the NYT and WSJ to former Apple designers who are opening up about what an "iWatch" would be like. So I decided to check on a URL that I think Apple might call its watch.  First up is obvious "iWatch.com".  This is what I got. Okay, so iWatch is a bit too obvious.  Still, don't be surprise if Apple does pick up this URL.  So, URL and trademark squatters, ready, set, go! Next up, I gave igrab.com a try.  Why not.  The watch will be on your wrist and it'll "grab" anything your hand grabs.  Also, one of Apple's watch's main function will be to "grab" notifications from your Mac or iOS device. Finally, I gave iWrist a try.  You know...the watch sits on your, well, wrist. Interesting about iWrist, no?  Forbidden? As a bonus, I decided to ...

Source:   Marco.org ,  On Apple . This is post from the creator of Instapaper, which I use and think is a great app, argues that there is no reason why Apple can't ship a 5" iPhone with the same resolution as the current iPhone 5, which is 1136x640.  He listed many reasons, among them being that it's close to 720p that most users won't care. I agree.  And I also think he has made a very compelling argument.  However, I also question why Apple isn't above going 4X on the next generation iPhone isplay.  Meaning that the 5" iPhone resolution would increase to 2272x1280, essentially doubling the resolution and four times the pixels. After all, when Apple went from the iPhone 3GS to the iPhone 4, that was exactly what they did. And it's been two years since that happened and will probably be another year from the release of what comes after the iPhone 5.  I really think a compelling argument can be made that Apple has been working on trying to make t...

Source:   CNN . Wow, this is an incredible sight.  More than one thousand people were hurt when a meteor exploded over central Russia.  You'll want to watch this video from CNN. If you recall, one of the biggest explosion in recent memory was the 1908 Tunguska impact that leveled 80 square miles of Siberia.  Meanwhile, a near-earth asteroid will be making its closest pass to Earth around 11:24 PST. And yes, folks, this meteror was a itty-bitty tiny one.  This second video here offer more dramatic views of the impact.  Hollywood ain't got nothing on the real thing.

Source:   News.au ,  Mashable ,  ZDNet If you buy apps from Play, you might want to reconsider though you don’t have a whole lot of choices. Google has been passing along app buyer information to app developers? To what end? So far, Google has been pretty quiet about this which isn’t a good thing.  I like to think that this is a flaw but the stories about when this started happening and the fact that it could be a deliberate move by Google has me worried. However, I do question why it's taken so long for someone to speak up.  Now, if you're a malicious developer looking to steal user information or perpetuate some sort of criminal activity like identity theft, you probably thanks Google silently and go about your biz and not say a word about this. Google has said that they could potentially share user information with magazine publishers but this is going beyond that.

Windows 1.0 didn't work so Microsoft went back and worked on it some more.  Then after a couple more tries, Windows 95 took the world by storm and has not relinquish control of the PC market since.  And it never will. Xbox was okay but Microsoft learned quickly, put together some exclusives like Halo, and Xbox 360 pushed out Sega, relegated Nintendo as a second class console maker, and really turn up on heat on Sony. Those are example of Microsoft, even when down and seemingly out, always has a way of getting back into the game.  It clawed, scratched, and fought really dirty to make it happen. Here is another example.  The browser war.  Netscape who?  It's Internet Explorer all the way and despite competition from Firebox, Chrome, and Apple's weak Safari challenge, IE still dominates the browser market. And right now, Windows 8 devices, smartphones and tablets, does not appear to be doing so hot.  And as we transition away from the PC market to...

Source:   Macdailynews . Steve Jobs and Tim Cook has an unique of explaining about Apple's unmatched position in the PC and mobile market when it comes to trying to innovate and create magic.  And Apple truly believe its devices and services are magical.  It's what they strive for. And I agree that when it comes to Apple's services, apps, and products, its easy to use, gets you excited about using it, and waiting for the next generation of innovation. No Magic – But Not Inferior Having said that, Apple's rivals don't have this kind of magical formula.  However, they don't need it.  This is evident by Microsoft's dominance and Google's Android market share of the mobile devices even though Apple's products and customer satisfaction are so much better. Yes, yes.  Market share means nothing and I agree with you.  But those less willing to look past that only cares about that as do many who cares more about cost.  And iOS devices do cost th...

Source:  Appleinsider,  Tizen . Google or Samsung could be in for a rude awakening.  See, Samsung could be in the process of unfriending Android as Google become more and more of a competitor than a partner as Google is looking to dethrone not on the iPhone but the premier Galaxy devices as well. First a little history of how these tech giants used to be friends but changes and advances in technology has forced their hands and shifted alliances. So we know that Apple and Google don't get along these days.  It wasn't always like this.  Back during the PC days, it was Apple versus IBM and then Microsoft.  As Apple floundered and came back to life again with Steve Jobs' second coming, newcomer Google and Apple buddied up to take on Microsoft.   The Apple-Google alliance was one to be reckoned with.  It would take on mighty Redmond and relegate Microsoft to the fringes as computing, both desktop and emerging mobile, shifted to browsers...

Source:   Business Insider . Via Twitter, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner gave each of his 3,500 employees an iPad mini.  That's about $1.2 million which I am sure Apple gave him some sort of a discount.  At least, I hope so. And why not?  LinkedIn is on a tear and there really is no end in sight as the social network has found a way to monetize is service and actually provide value for its users and partners.  Whereas Zucker is still trying to figure things out and Facebook continues to deploy shady schemes to sell out its users to the highest bidders. Yeah, I just don't see Facebook ever doing something like this. That awesome moment when your CEO dishes out iPad minis to EVERY employee @ linkedin @ jeffweiner — Darain Faraz (@darainfaraz) February 13, 2013

People don't like lawyers and where Apple is concerned, no one likes Wall Street or tech analysts.  And there are many reasons we hate them.  And this Cult of Mac post documenting all the wrong predictions of one analyst, Peter Misek, is just so juicy.  Dude has been more wrong than most Apple blogs.  And for the blogs, they have a reason to traffic in rumors (which we don't do unless it is for a specific reason other than to spread them).  Blogs rely on readership to generate revenues. Analysts are to do what?  You like to think they know what they are talking about but it's just been the opposite.  Analysts often ask wrong questions if they were not stupid questions to begin with.  They often bring attention to one data point and make absurd assumptions.  What's worse is when they blame Apple for making them look stupid. Also, they are like spoiled children - wanting things both ways as in the case of iPhones.  Analysts had assume...

Today, all the media seems to focused on Silicon Valley and advances in moble technology but it’s the greening of the auto industry that may be more exciting.  Furthermore, they represent the early days of a revolution in how we view cars and the energy it takes to power them. I consider the Priuses, Volts, and Leafs just the early stages of this new auto revolution we are witnessing.  Cars before the hybrids were like regular cell phones.  Single purpose. Hybrids came along.  The mobile parallel would be like the old 3COM’s personal digital assistant, the Palm Pilot.  You can do a bit more. As we go down this road, it’s tempting to call the Telsa all-electric cars the iPhone of the auto industry but I don’t think we’re there yet.  Maybe the Telsas are more like Blackberries.  Because the Telsa cars are expensive, only a few can afford them.  Just like the early days when Blackberries existed mostly in the corporate world. The true “iPhon...

This  CNet post  wondered if Amazon Price is worth the $79 annual fee.  It's a good read and very fair in its praises and criticisms.  Personally, I don't think so.  Here's where I'm coming from. I'm a Netflix subscriber and I enjoy the experience thoroughly if not for the occasion video that I want to watch that goes missing.  Case in point is that I'm a science fiction watcher.  And the very popular Stargate TV shows are not gone from Netflix.  I irked me immensely.  However, that had no made me quit the service and go over to Amazon Prime where the Stargate TV shows are still available for steaming. Sure, Netflix cost more but it also has a wider selection of videos.  On top of that, Amazon's video is not available for streaming on most major platforms.  Like the post said, it's not on Android at all.  You have to buy into Amazon's Apple-like ecosystem if you want to stream videos on a tablet.  And yes, you can now...

Source:   Joystiq . Holy Cow!  Pokemon, the company which is not related to Nintendo, has just released the Pokemon TV app that allows viewers to watching videos, including the Pokemon cartoons ANYTIME and ANYWHERE! I've already downloaded it and I'm freaking watching Pokemon on my iPhone!  Woohoo. Guess what I'll be doing at the Lakers game tonight against Phoenix during time-outs! I've got a few comments to make about it.  The video seems a bit off for some episodes and, right now, I am not getting any sounds out of the iPhone app. Also, I don't see how I can access season one where is where I want to start - from the beginning.  According to the press release, there are more than 700 espisodes and it looks like they'll be refreshing new episodes on a weekly basis. Hey, nothing to complain about.  It's free.  It's Ash, Pikachu, and the gang.  What more can you ask for?  Oh, yeah, Pokemon games on iOS and Android.  Yeah, ...

Source:   CNBC . This came out of nowhere.  Intel will be getting into the video biz.  We're talking about live streaming video.  Stuff we already see on cable/sat TV.  Okay, it's not cord-cutting but its still quite interesting that the world's premier PC chip provider is doing this. I don't know why they're doing this or why they think they will succeed but I like it a lot.  Thinking outside of the box. So, when?  Well, we just got a vague "this year" from CNBC and that Intel is still talking about it with content providers. So, why?  This is fun.  Well, as Apple and Google move into the living room along with console makers like Microsoft and Sony, these devices, Apple TV, Xbox, and Playstation will be sitting in the living room without "Intel Inside".  On top of that, Google's efforts also like involve ARM-based chips. By providing a bundled video service along with a set-top box, Intel is trying to assure it has a place...

Source:   GSM Arena . I came across this post from  GSM Arena  when I was looking into the Droid DNA's battery life.  It was adequate but it was the comoparison between the DNA with the iPhone 5 and Motorola RAZR MAXX that got me going a bit. In the post, the iPhone 5 and the RAZR never went head-to-head in the battery tests.  The RAZR blew away the field of Android devices in just about every category.  The iPhone 5 dominated in the Web browsing categoy but the RAZR was not a part of it. Based on the information provided in the post and what Apple listed for the iPhone 5 in its  tech specs page , we can surmise, though scientifically inaccurate, that the  RAZR with its 3300 mAh battery  has about a 60% advantage over the iPhone 5's 1440 mAh battery. Here's what I gather and I think I've been right about this.  Companies sacrificing battery life in the name of the thinness and lightness race.  I'm glad Motorola came out wit...

Apple’s Tim Cook will be joining FLOTUS for President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address to Congress and America (and the world).  I’m sure it’s about giving lip service to innovation and entrepreneurship.  But what if it’s more? I don’t think it’ll be about President Obama saying something like “Apple has given me permission to tell the world about the iWatch…”.  So, it makes me wonder about why Tim Cook is flying across the country for this. Obviously, when you’re invited by POTUS for an event, you don’t say no.  And it helps Apple’s agendas to have your CEO chatting up the President.  I’m sure Tim Cook whispered a thing or two about Apple’s feelings on immigration, corporate tax holiday and rate, and patent reform.  And maybe about the dismal state of American schools and how having and iPad the hands of eager students will help propel America back to the top again. In 2012, Steve Jobs’ wife, Laurene Powell Jobs, was a guest of Michelle Oba...

Source:   Macrumors . Apple just released iOS 6.1.1 for those who have had connectivity and/or battery issues.

Here is another opportunity for me to discuss a rumor in a different context other than to spread them and take a jab at the media by pointing out how stupid they are.  WSJ and the NYT both reported that Apple is working on a smart watch, AKA iWatch as it is called in the blogworld.  But then again, who isn’t working on a smart watch either as a replacement for the smartphone as another mobile device or as an extension to the smart devices like the iPhone, iPad, or Galaxy devices? I bet that Apple is working on this but so is LG, Sony, Samsung, and even Google and Microsoft.  There will be plenty of these smart watches on the market soon enough.  It’s not certain that Apple will be among them. You never know what Apple will or will not do.  At the same time, do expect a bunch of these smart watches running Android, Linux, and, perhaps, Windows 8. Another point I like to make is that not only are these guys, Apple included, play around with watches, they are...