AI, Mobile, and Eveything Around the Cloud

Battery issues are something I write significantly if not almost weekly. I've bought myself a couple of 10,000+ mAh batteries that has more than once saved me. And currently overseas, they're getting the workout that they were meant for. I thought I would be one of there few folks who carry around a battery pack or two in the US and even less so in Asia. Boy, was I surprised. In fact, I think one out of every three mobile warriors here could conceivably be carrying a battery pack with them. I n fact, it is very common to see battery packs of all capacities bring sold right in phone stores, 7-11 stores (there are a freaking lot of these), small convenience stores, markets, and public transportation stops. It goes to speak about the state of mobile in Asia and the dismal state of the battery technology. Be it the iPhone, HTC, or Samsung, there simply isn't enough battery life in these phones to sustain the growing role of mobile devices in our lives. And the ra...

Source:   Macrumors ,  WSJ . A couple of weeks ago, the big news was that Apple acquired a motion sensing company, PrimeSense ( On Apple ) that once made sensors for Microsoft's Kinect for the Xbox.  Late today, we learned that Apple has made use of its billions with another buyout: Topsy.  This one is just as significant and targeted as are other Apple buys. According to reports, Topsy is a search (interesting) and analytical company indexes social data - like being in business with Twitter since 2006.  Now, in the past, people have suggested that Apple buy Twitter.  It's common sense that it would never happen.  So why buy Twitter when you can buy the tweets? Does that mean that Apple will begin spying on its own ecosystem - iOS And Mac users?  Not likely.  However, it's possible for Apple to push ads, apps, contents, and whatever else in its ecosystem based on user tweets or just general trends based on all the information it alre...

I'm currently in Taiwan.  On vacation and visited work for a short while.  During the trip so far, it's been fun.  I've also suffered from food poisoning.  Better now.  One of the things I've noticed about Taiwan is the great mobile service.  Great single and decent plans.  In fact, I got a 3G sim card for my iPad.  It costs about $20 a month and it's data you want.  Unlimited. And as far as I know, I have yet to encountered any throttling. However, there is one issue that I found perplexing.  Wi-Fi isn't free.  I walk into a Starbucks expecting the same complimentary free Internet access in the US was no where to be found.  I was met with a Chinese mention that requires a paid log-in.  (I was told the local Starbucks here, and maybe elsewhere in the world, are not wholly-owned by Starbucks and are franchises.) Then I was told that in the capital city of Taiwan, Taipei, blocks of the city is blanketed by a Wi-FI c...