AI, Mobile, and Eveything Around the Cloud

I have had a chance to play with the new iPhone 4 for a week now. And while all the thousands of posts and news articles singing its praises and condemning it for the antenna problems were all compressed into a matter of a week or so, it does feel like it’s been out for a long time already. While I’m ready to move on to other Apple products, I can’t help but feel sad that I’m going to have to give it up today. See, I was testing out the iPhone for a week until I give it to my aunt. It’s actually a gift from my cousin. I suppose in the end, he felt the gift basket of wine and treats from Costco wasn’t enough to compensate his parents for standing in line for 9 hours to get his reserved iPhone for him (my cousin had to go out of the country). I don’t want to go into a full on review here. I just want to note a couple of things.

Yesterday, I was reading about the declining revenue source the iPod line would be for Apple. And it's likely going to be the case with each passing year. And with each passing year, uni-purpose devices like the iPod and GPS will cease to exist, giving way to more useful and powerful devices like the iPhone. At the same time, game consoles like the DS will also be discontinued or it will evolve into something more like the iPod Touch. This isn't a pro-Apple post but rather what I see as a reflection of how consumer electronic devices are changing to adapt to the mobile needs of the users. When I go out, I still see kids holding tightly in their hands their DS or iPod but I also see a lot more now with an iPod Touch. I also see older kids with mobile devices than just a MP3 player that they are constantly texting with. In a case, I envy this generation and the next ones going forward given the amount of mobile technologies that is available to them, provided these dev...

Is 2GB of monthly allotment enough for myself? That's what I endeavored to find out tonight. And why 2GB a month? Well, that's what whacky ATT decided on recently by killing off their previous unlimited data plan. With my G1 acting as a Wi-Fi access point, I linked up my iPad and put both devices through a series of apps just to see how the G1 handled the load and how much data was downloanded and what the real world speed is. Skype, Slingplayer, ABC video app, and Netflix. I came away with some interesting conclusions. More at Onxo .

I've waited a whole day to weigh in on the announcements from the WWDC. I've made some notes but I'm not about to weigh in just yet. For some reason, this is very different. This is a very different beast up at Cupertino. Maybe it's because there is no Steve. But it's more. Just a few quick notes here: Phandroid wondered if the $99 iPhone 3G was an attempt to clear out the stock. No. It's not. I've wondered about that myself but this is Apple going for the kill. The iPhone is the one to beat. And here's what amazing about the competition (except maybe Android): they're trying to beat the iPhone with smartphones. Folks, the iPhone and iPod Touch are a part of mobile computing platform (iTablet will be too when it's finally released). The iPhone just happens to be a handheld computer that makes phone calls. Moving the 13" Macbooks up to the Pro league. It's been talked about as a mini Pro but who would have thought that Apple...

Over at  On Android , I've updated my user experience with Cupcake and I focused on the onscreen keyboard. Go on over and see if the new Android OS has made things better for G1 users and how it compares to the iPhone's input scheme.

Walt Mossberg does indeed know that Pre (going on sale this Saturday) is being pit against the current iPhone and it has a lot of folks excited. But next week, Apple may finally show us if there is anything else in iPhone 3.0 that they've kept from the public. There's been a lot of speculations about unannounced features and hardware additions. Walt seems to believe that Apple will be surprising us at the WWDC or whenever new iPhones are announced. In fact, he seems to believe that claim strongly. Over on Onxo , we've summarize the current reviews (most came online in the last few minutes) and the Pre is probably the device most people will look to if the iPhone doesn't exist. So just in case you're wondering, based on the reviews, the Pre is pretty good but the iPhone is still the go-to mobile device. Here's are some perceived advantages the Pre may have over the iPhone: physical keyboard, WebOS, background apps, Synergy, removable battery. Now, I did ...

I totally get that people love their iPhone or want an iPhone if not for the fact that it exists only on ATT. I was reading a post on Verizon's LTE deployment and wishful thinking by TUAW (hey, I do that all the time - thinking wishfully) about the possibility of the iPhone working on Verizon's LTE network in 2010 instead of waiting for ATT to take it live in 2011. But here's the larger issue.  You go with the network you like or go with the iPhone and have to tolerate an arguably inferior network?  Well, that's the great thing about the iPod Touch.  You can get the iPod Touch with all the great features of the iPhone OS, iTunes, and the app store and then go with a Storm on Verizon or Pre with Sprint when it comes out.   I understand with the iPhone, you carry one single device.  That works the ideal situation.  What about folks are locked into non-ATT contracts or live in areas where ATT just plainly have no signal?  Since I've been trying out the G1 for the last ...

I love rumors but I don't write about them. Why is why you are wondering why I'm getting this from MacRumors of all places. Well, MR likes to delight us with rumors but they also provide news as well. And this is more news than rumors. According to this post, MacRumors has found evidence in the iPhone's firmware (I'm guessing it's the 2.2.1 that was just released). What is it? Well, it's not like Apple wrote "iPhone 2009" or anything like that. It's the iPhone code designation, "iPhone2,1". It's not a designation Apple simply use to upgrade capacity between models. The original iPhone was "iPhone1,1" and the iPhone 3G is "iPhone1,2". How does Macrumors know for sure? Well, they point to how Apple labeled the original iPod Touch and the current generation iPod Touch. Well, not iron-clad but very convincing. Less certain proof is a new iPhone is instored is a developer who has seen it used via logs from an ad...

Without Apple's redesigned unibody Macbooks (which I have and love) and the refreshed iPod Touches, and certainly the iMacs were no help, Apple stock price could have end up much lower.  The record quarter revenue and profit did stunt any effort from Jobs not being at the helm, at least until June. But with Macbooks selling really hot, let's not forget the iPod Touch.  the iPhone had a great quarter but nothing like the 7 million sold in the previous quarter.  So, let's focus on the iPods. It's unfortunate that Apple doesn't break out individual numbers for the different iPods but I'm willing to believe that the second generation iPod Touch did a lot to exceed analyst expectations (from Wall Street to Internet bloggers/analysts).  I got the 2nd gen 8GB iPod Touch and it's just absolutely incredible.  I have the iPhone as well and this design is just incredible.  More than just the design, it's what it represents.  It's a mobile computing platfo...

There is an iPhone Nano.  There's also an iPhone Flip, flip phone for the iPhone.  With that out of the way, let's talk about the reality of such a device, the iPhone Nano, Nano for short in this post The iPhone 3G screen is just the right size, making the case easy to hold in your hand.  Now, with the Nano, we would naturally have to believe the screen is going to be quite a bit smaller.  The iPhone sports a 3.5" Multi-touch LCD screen.  Many other devices on the market with some sort of touch technology vary in screen size but one will never identify them as being small due to bulk and thickness.  Not to mention weight.  But coming from Apple, mobile users would have to consider a smaller screen, about 2.8" and just as think as the iPod Touch. First the screen .  Why 2.8"?  I did a basic search into Verizon's touch screen offerings from LG,  HTC, and Samsung.  They fall between 2.8" to 3.2".  The T-Mobile G1 also h...

According to Gizmodo, folks with iPhone and still use ATT services (not T-Mobile) should be able to access ATT hotspots again, like at Starbucks. This is terrific news.  And it's about time.  There have a Jekyll-And-Hyde thing going with ATT giving iPhone owners access to hotspots. Let's hope this time, it sticks. Also, if you're an iPod Touch owner, and you feel left out, Starbucks offers a couple of hours of free service if you buy coffee or use your Starbucks card.  And also, if you have DSL through ATT, you also get free access to ATT hotspots. Things are looking good once again. Via Gizmodo Note:  G1 owners also get access to T-Mobile's hotspots for free.  Well, it's part of your service.

RIM sold 5.4 million phones.  Valued at $2.1 billion.  Their best quarter.  This comes out to $389 per handset.  That's very good. But  Apple  sold 6.9 million  iPhones  valuing at $4.6 billion.  I'll let you do the math...no wonder RIM is getting killed.  As good as the Storm is, Blackberries have not been able to hold serve since the iPhone 3G came out.   One more thing...Apple stock was about to tank when the guidance looked bad but then Jobs show up during the financial call and stock jumped 10%...ended the extended session up 13%.   Look at the analysts who commented on the  iPhone    before it came out. Also of note for Apple fans: Wired reported the Android Marketplace, which I found virtually abandoned yesteryday and today, should be stock up with 50 apps by tomorrow.  the iTunes app store came ready with 500 at launch.    The iPhone app store has ballooned 11X from when it debuted ba...

Macworld has been busy.  I didn't think they would be this fast but they've got benchmarks up for the new Macbooks.  It's ready for your consumption. I just want to point out some things about the benchmark as it relates to the new Mac portables. The 2.4Ghz MB more than held its own against the Macbook Pro.  Of the nine tests, it won four of them.  Adobe PS Suite, MPEG encoding, iTunes, and zip archive. With it's dedicated Nvidia 9600 GPU and larger cache, the new MBP won the Speedmark 5, unzip archive, and, obviously, the Quake 4 frame rate with 59 FPS. The 2.4Ghz MB achieve a wonderful 39 FPS in the Quake 4 test, coming at 67% of the MBP number. The 2.4Ghz MB with 39 FPS in the Quake 4 test is more than 5X the early 2008 Macbook.  The new 2.0Ghz MB also bested the early 2008 Macbook more than 5X. The new white Macbook bested the 2Ghz Macbook in 4 of the 9 tests, likely because of the higher clock rate. Personally, I'm still leaning towards the 2...

I totally get what a post on Pocketables was talking about when he complained about blogging in the iPhone. Some of my issues are not dificult to solve and I am sure will be resolved eventually. - Cut and paste. Specifically, I want to be able to great links I find on Safari. This was mentioned in the post as well. - Ability to add images. I recently posted about LifeCast which I love because I can now post to Blogger. But now, I am not able to send text and images in the same post. - Limitation on Safari. A lot of blog sites offer iPhone versions (except Blogger...). Still, it is a tripped down version due to mobile Safari. - Adding tags. I am posting this from LifeCast now but since I am limited by what I can do on the iPhone, I am going to have to reference Pocketables as the app let me. Maybe we will get what I want soon. Maybe not, but we will have to see where we stand once developers have more time to get to know the SDK and Apple offers more features such a...

You may know by now, Google has released G1, the first Android phone with partners HTC and T-Mobile.  For some quick notes about it, head on over to On Android for my thoughts and concerns. Now, how does this affect us, iPhone and iPod Touch users?  Well, competition is good.  No doubt about it.  But for some Apple mobile warriors, should be concerned this new upstart will such up all the air in the room and make iPhone, for the first time in its short history, fight for the media lime light? Not a chance.  Not yet.  The G1 is a good mobile device.  It's a platform device much like the iPhone is in that it's not a smartphone but a device built on top of a mobile platform.  Blackberries and Nokia phones are smartphones, phones with computing features.  Nothing more. So, how does our competition look like?  Well, it's got a built-in compass.  A physical QWERTY keyboard.  Removable battery.  That's a big plus for me. ...