Glimpse to iTablet

Today, former Crunchpad, now called Joojoo, is unveiled.  And it won't be available for another 8-11 weeks, according the a news event unveiled and covered by Engadget reported.  It's no longer called the Crunchpad because of a legal dispute between Michael Arrington who first came up with the vision to develop a $200 Internet pad and Fusion Garage who Arrington picked to partner with.  If you want the gory legal details, you'll have to find it yourself.  It's interesting but ultimately, not worth knowing about.


Here are the specs the Joojoo unveiled by Chandra Rathakrishnan of Fusion Garage :

• Intel Atom Chip
• 12" Touchscreen
• HD movies
• 4GB storage
• Wi-Fi only - 3G access in the future is possible
• Accelerometer
• 5 hours of battery life - I am guessing it's less.  More like 4 hours.  My Macbook does better.  
• 2.5 pounds.  Heavy for a tablet.

Simple and straight-forward.  Almost downright boring.  Now, here are what I expect Apple's iTablet to be:

• Chip - unknown at this time but I don't expect Atom
• 10" Multi-touch
• 32-64GB SSD
• HD movies out with access to iTunes
• Wi-Fi with 3G option
• Acceleroter
• 10-15 hours of battery life.  This might be what Steve Jobs settle for but I think Apple will likely aim higher
• Runs a new variant of OS X or just the iPhone OS.
• Access to 100K apps in the App Store.
• 1.0-1.5 Pounds

This is easily a good look at that the iTablet competitors will look like.  I don't know what Joojoo runs on but it seems like something Chrome OS is claiming to do.  Other competitors will run Android or Windows.  The fact that Joojoo, it means "magic", can be rushed to the market in about two years' time is very impressive.  However, from the look of things, it feels a bit rushed.

Oh, the Joojoo will debut for $500.  Personally, I'll wait for the iTablet. And if by chance there really is no iTablet, I'll be sticking with my iPhone or get a new iPod Touch.  I'll also consider an Android tablet before I give the Joojoo a second look.

Why?  A number of reasons.

• It isn't an iTablet.  I've been spoiled by the iPhone and Android and knowing what I know is possible, the Joojoo falls short of that.  
• $500 for a keyboard-less netbook?  No thanks.  What ever happened to the $200 Internet pad?
• The legal issues between Arrington and Fusion Garage is going to be messy.
• Rushed.  Not a lot was said and to me, that's a bad sign.
• More legal issues - I get the feeling that there are patent lawsuits coming.  Call it my "blink"-esque feeling.

More at Engadget on the Joojoo and the live conference.

Note:  There is one that can change the game a bit and make Joojoo more survivable in the soon to be crowded MID market.  It runs Atom and it's possible that like the netbooks, it's hackable.

More Mean Ads From VW, Moto, And Google

You know those ads from Verizon Wireless?  They've been hitting ATT and Apple's iPhone pretty hard and it just got harder.

But you know what?  I absolutely love it!  It's like the PC-Mac ads Apple put out but without the humor.

I think this will get Apple, Steve Jobs in particular, pretty pissed off.  And you don't want Jobs pissed off.  I think the gloves are off as far as Apple and Google are concerned.

More at Onxo Mobile Society.

Apple, Please Let Us Do More With iChat (For iPhone too)

I don't know what to do with iChat on my Macbook. I've used it a few times. Mostly, I click it by accident when I'm in a rush to fire up Safari. Instead, I've been using Adium since I found out about it. With Adium, like Trillian on Windows, I can put together my MSN, Yahoo, AOL, Gtalk, and, now, Facebook contacts in one application. It's really efficient.

So far, I can use AOL and Gtalk with iChat but it doesn't let me do much else. Frankly, I'm not sure Apple really has any plans for iChat other than to just havesomething for the MobileMe crowd.

But if there is a way for Apple to include voice, VOIP, or something else, that would be fantastic. And with Google snapping up Gizmo5 and merging it with Voice, Appple's iPhone and Macs are really left at the mercy of their Mountainview neighbor who is increasingly more of a competitor on the mobile and desktop front.

I think it's about time Apple get serious about iChat and doing more with it. 30 Billion in the bank, I am sure Steve Jobs and company can put a couple of billions into some startups and catch up rather quickly. Hey, maybe even work with Cisco at the beginning to learn a few tricks about communication.

And the perfect time would be when iPhone 5.0 comes out. What happened to 4.0, you ask? While I hope to see the VOIP features in version 4 of the iPhone OS, I think it's too soon and Apple doesn't have to rush yet. They've got a couple of years before things get desperate. But I've got hope as there are evidence that Apple is working towards this end.

Since the release of iPod Touch, it has gained capabilities in hardware as well as other subtle features with each upgrade. First it gained the ability for Touch users to do voice (voice memo app). Then it gained small, albeit lame, speakers but speakers nontheless. It almost feels like Apple is using the current generations of iPod Touch users to fine tune a mobile device capable of so much more in a few years.

Note: I know that Apple probably gave the iPod Touch lame speakers as not to upset ATT or cannibalize the iPhone.

T-Mobile USA To Get iPhone Before Verizon?

Back in July, I began speculation about possibility of T-Mobile getting the iPhone some time in 2010.  Here's the low-down on why I had thought this was a possible, if somewhat improbable, scenario.  3G and GSM.

In the United States, if you want access to a GSM network, you've got one of two major choices.  ATT and T-Mobile.  As you know, T-Mobile is the smaller of the two.  It's in the 4th place as far as the major networks are concerned, behind Sprint.  As Apple as repeatedly said that there will be no CDMA version of the iPhone.  Conventional wisdom is that Apple will wait until LTE, the next generation wireless network, has sufficient coverage before the iPhone becomes available to Verizon's customers (both ATT and Verizon Wireless will migrate to LTE as their next generation wireless broadband network).

So why T-Mobile?  40 Million reasons.  More at Onxo Mobile Devices

Quick iPhone Musing

I recently downloaded a couple of blogging apps for the iPhone in an effort or become even more mobile than I already am. One is free while the other a new introduction from The Blog Herald. It's called "altBlogger". It gives writers the ability to create links to sites that many other more rudimentary apps don't allow. As you can see, I've included a link.

Of course, if you don't see it, then either I did something wrong or the app isn't working properly. I won't know until I publish this post. Well, we'll see, won't we?

Why two apps? Well? altBlogger doesn't allow me to save drafts but thend second app, BlogPress Lite, does. But BPL does allow me to create links, which is needed at times.

Anyway, many readers are interested in mobile blogging so I'll post my experiences about it later.

The second musing I want to share is that as I try to become more mobile while sharing my experiences, I ind the iPhone to be an excellent replacement for a standard laptop or netbook for basic computing. I've got an assortment of apps for office work, writing, creating and editing arts, and references. Anything that I might need are quickly and easily accessible through mobile Safari.

Plus I've got my music, games, and videos all with me as well.

I have to say that while push notifcation is great and all, omitting the ability, even a limited one, to allow some apps to run in the background has created inefficiencies. Hence, it's why I needed two diff blogging apps.

Plus I recent got a battery case for my iPhone that gives me three times more battery life. I think I am all set to run three or four apps simultaneously, Apple.

Posted with altBlogger.

iPhone - Great For Gaming? Nah...But Sega Thinks So

Is the iPhone and sibling, iPod Touch, for gaming as well as a countless of other multi-purpose functions? You know, a mobile computer?

Sega thinks so. In fact, according to IGN, they're more than just excited. They've got stuff cooking that they can talk to anyone about. The first game in a long time from Sega is Super Monkey Ball 2. It's not out yet but it certainly looks pretty good.

So, what are these developments that Sega cannot talk about? I guess we'll know shortly. No matter what they are, it's important to understand what's being said. Sega, creator of Genesis, Dreamcast, Game Gear, and tons of gaming properties, believes the iPhone is for real. Hey, if it's good enough for Sega, it's good enough for me.

At the moment, you'd think Gameloft and EA were the only two big development houses making games for the iPhone but you should take a look at the app stores and you'll realize Sega has 5 games already in the store.  But it's been a while since Sega released anything new and the games they released, besides, Sonic, are known properties, but they've created nothing new or port over their other their A-list games.

I'm talking Virtual Fighter, Phantasy Star, and Total War.  Sega has dozens more top games that can bring over to the iPhone.

To really make a splash on the iPhone, I'm hoping for Sega to create a new slate of characters like for the iPhone.  I'm looking for Sega to make history once more like they did with Sonic for the Genesis.

Personally, I think Apple has changed the dynamics of mobile gaming but I don't know if it has what it takes to take on Nintendo yet.  Maybe with Sega in Apple's corner, that just might really happen after all.

Now for some video on Sega's upcoming Super Monkey Ball 2.


More at IGN, and Touch Arcade.

Apple Hiring Game Developers - More Than Just iPhone I Think

Apple is hiring someone who has worked on a big title possibly for some in-house gaming development to work on something that has to do with iPhone gaming.  Maybe.

Here's what I've learned about Apple over the years.  Never take what they let us see at face value.  I know this has to do with gaming but I don't necessarily fall in line with those who automatically believe this is for the iPhone platform.

While it's not likely for the Mac, there is still the possibility.  Plus, you've got to think that Apple thinking bigger than just iPhone or Mac gaming.  There's still the Apple TV that Apple is slowly but surely working to "get it right".

We ought to know in a year or so just what Apple intend for its new gaming team to be doing.  Don't be surprised if Apple does intend for the OS X to be more gaming friendly for developers as well as gamers.

• Develop games for the iPhone.  Not likely.
• Develop games for the Mac.  Not likely but possible.
• Develop games for the Apple TV.  Not likely but possible.
• Develop games for the forthcoming iTablet.  Not likely.
• Make changes to OS X to make it easier for developers to create games.  Likely. Along that line, Apple can develop a couple of games to show OS X's new gaming potential.  After all, year after year, the Mac has always been an after thought to Windows in the realm of gaming.  So, yes.  This is a likely scenario.

So though the listing specifically mentioned the iPhone and iPod Touch, I doubt the job parameter is that narrow.  If Apple improve the OS X for gaming and all of its hardware uses OS X in one form or another, Apple's products across the board stand to benefit.

More at Gaming Nexus,  Industry Gamers