Mobile Ads - FTC Should Just Watch

Apple's iAds should worry people in both good and bad ways. Apple is shaking up the mobile market while it is limiting choice. On the other hand, Google is the beast in the ad arena and this is why the FTC is asking around wondering if the $750 million deal for AdMob would go through. Word is that the FTCisnt keen on approving the deal.

The question for me is why. The mobile ad market is young and, in dollar amount, insignificant. It will be years of innovation and shakeout before we know how the mobile ad market will look like and whether we are still looking at banner ads or ads that are more interactive like standalone apps. Maybe there's even more creative means to deliver ads.

However, I do want to see the Feds keep their nose in things to make sure things are on the level and that no one is leveraging their position to wipe out competition.

I want to see iAds flourish and others trying to keep Google host. The mobile market is big enough for multiple platforms. It is also big enough for multiple mobile ad companies.

-- Post From My iPad

Flash War: Onxo Tweets About Apple, Adobe, Flash, & HTML5

Here's an aggregate of today's tweets that I put up called "Flash War".

The day started looking quite promising as the media latched onto "reports" from "sources" that the FTC and the Justice Department are negotiating with each other about who should look into whether Apple did anything wrong not wanting substandard apps in the iPhone platform.  I think iAds could also be thrown in.

However, there is certainly no indication that an investigation would even be initiated.  After all, Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor and advisors to other administrations, believe the FTC has better things to do than to investigate Apple (okay, the Justice Department is another issue).

The tweets:

• Flash War: Adobe mouthed off to the feds to get them to look at Apple's SDK agreements. Stupid, stupid, stupid... (part 1)
• Flash War: Adobe should shut up and work hard to make Apple regret it. Go crying to others is just weak (part 2)
• Flash War: Apple is now pissed. How does getting the government involved help Adobe? (part 3)
• Flash War: At the end of day, Adobe pissed off one of its better partners. Apple has billions to kill Adobe if needed (part 4)
• Flash War: Look for Apple to develop its own creative suite. Legions will follow. Adobe, dumb, dumb, dumb… (part 5)
• Flash War: Macromedia buy by Adobe was a bad bet. Apple will be developing own html 5 tools (part 6)
• Flash War: Adobe needs to shut up and circle wagon and innovate like crazy. Only way to out-Apple Apple. (Part 7)
• Flash War: Vids of Flash on Android. Very short. Both promising and worrying. (part 8) http://bit.ly/99ak7z
• Flash War: Scribd will abandon Flash & move to HTML 5 start tomorrow. 200K of the most popular docs will be ready. http://tcrn.ch/aJBWqG
• Flash War: ARM blames Adobe for slow smartbook beginning. Reason? Flash & Air delay since 2009. Effort also hindered by interests in iPads
• Flash War: Adobe will need Google to stave off Flash death. Probably can't wait for Chrome OS to be available later this year.
• Flash War: ARM had hoped Linux & Flash will be weapon against Intel's netbooks. Linux sales disappoint. But Flash was a no show.
• Flash War: Here is more on ARM's disillusion with Adobe and Flash. http://bit.ly/bp5nsB

Bottom line: Adobe has a lot to offer the Internet and computing in general. Instead of waging a publicity war that it isn't like to win, Adobe should put the energy into innovating its products. And if Flash on non-iPhone mobile platforms do shine, that'll just shut Steve Jobs up, won't it?

Note: You can follow my twitter feeds here at paul_onxo.

iPad Keyboard Dock: Need a Redesign

I bought a keyboard dock for the iPad when it came out a month or so ago. Along with the case, it was a very good investment. Yeah, it's how I see all of my Apple related gears. After all, I suppose I could invest that money in Apple stocks rather than Apple goods.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. I am currently hacking away on the iPad keyboard now. In terms of footprint, it's much smaller than my Macbook and it's about the same size of the iPad when it's laid on the tabletop in the Apple case.

With the keyboard along with the iPad, you've got a very portable mobile platform. However, I do have issues with the keyboard dock. It's not ergonomic to carry it around in a book or messenger bag. The back of the dock protrudes out and creates an unnecessary thickness.

It's unfortunate because the portability is unmatched for a tablet with a keyboard. I hope with the next design, Apple will make the dock detachable so the user can store the dock independent of the keyboard.

-- Post From My iPad

My iPad 3G Impressions - It Is A Game Changer

You know by now I've been okaying with an iPad for a bit now. A month ago. Now, I am playing with an iPad 3G. More precisely, it's my Mom's iPad 3G.

It is a mixed bag as far as how I feel about it. First, my iPad is a month older. Not dated by any sense because the iPad is the same as the iPad 3G except the iPad 3G has a cellular antenna in there that provides wireless Internet from AT&T.

I have had sporadic access to the iPad because it doesn't quite belong to me. It's my Mom's iPad. She spent some time getting to know it but it was really my job to maker sure the iPad is configured as closely as possible to her iPhone.

Let me get to the 3G service first. Configuration was a piece of cake. I did it while i was participating in a live radio show on planetary and rocketry show. It took all of three minutes to get everything up and running.

The next thing I did was run the newly minted mobile service though few sites I visit on a regular basis. It was refreshing to seed the speed of the mobile Safari. It was exciting to see who fast the pages rendered thanks to the fast home grown chip Apple decided to use.

I went next with the Slingplayer. It worked as expected. The quality was decent but it's nothing to write home about. The fact of the matter is that. It worked well enough and I can't wait for the iPad specific version. I don't expect the quality of the video on 3G to improve markably as AT&T is probably throttling down the speed for this video streaming.

Aside from video, my mom is interested in making VOIP calls. And though AT&T gave the go-ahead for VOIP apps, there really hasn't been a flood of services and apps rushing to fill the voice need. Truly, it's sad. Truly, Skype...I'm talking to you.

Fring was subpar. It worked last night but in the morning, I got the warning signal that calls are only available through WiFi. But an hour after that, I decided to give it another try and calls started going through 3G once again.

Here's the changer for me: a very portable computer with perpetual wireless Internet connectivity. It has a long battery life that offers excellent UI with a huge library of apps. And to my surprise, the GPS in the 3G model is an added bonus.

I don't have the 3G model as you know. I really am amazed at those displayed superhuman patience by waiting an extra month.

-- Post From My iPad

Illustrator Alternative on the iPad

The iPhone is a very good device for artists. The iPad is an even better device for creative work given its significantly larger screen real estate.

I've downloaded four different apps to drawing but I wonder if anyone know of an app that allows an artist to duplicate some simple features we find on the Illustrator or similar application.


I have LiveSketch, Brushes, Draw, ArtStudio, & Adobe Ideas. In combination, I think I can get pretty much what I need. However, I am not an artist by any stretch of the imagination. Not even a long long stretch.

I am sure given another six to twelve months, we will mostly certainly see better tools for writers, artists, and developers dealing with artwork.

iPad: Can Be Pretty Damn Productive On it

I finally got the opportunity to get out a bit this weekend with the iPad in tow. What’s my impression of it so far?

First, I want to say guilty as charged. I’m an Apple fan. That doesn’t mean I subscribe to the party line, to borrow a political term. I’m not a hardliner. I like the concept of “it just works” that Apple is making their elegant mobile products around. And I want to mention that I’m not hot on Apple TV just yet.

Second, I’m a mobile fan. I like Android and what it brings to the market. I don’t hate Google and I’m happy about what it did in China no matter what they reasons are.

So, finally the iPad. I counted down the days and hours until morning of April 3rd when I went early to wait in line, got my hand stamped by an Apple employee to indicate that I preordered, and even wowed Apple’s workers who had not seen a working iPad until that morning.

Since then, I’ve been busy and I did get to play with the iPad a bit here and there. And on weekends, I have been getting visitors and they’re usually the ones playing with it. I’m a gracious host.

So this past weekend, I finally had the time to go out and take the iPad for a mobile trial for hours at a time. At first, I was a bit shy about taking it out in public. I’ve not seen it in public and I don’t want to appear that I’m showing off.

So I said screw it and took it out while I was at a Starbucks. I logged into the AT&T hotspot, check my FB and mail updates, and the next time I knew, a hour had passed while I hacked away on a paper.

In a word: Seemless. In a few more words, it just works.

I took a break and watched a video I uploaded featuring the actors from the Simpsons being interviewed with Homer entertaining the audience.

Then I went back to do more work. All the way, I didn’t have to worry about battery life, space on the smallish table I was using, or that the iPad doesn’t offer multi-tasking.

I like to point out that the lack of true multitasking is what makes the battery life last so long and possibly contribute to the distraction free environment that allowed me to be so productive over weekend.

I like what I see coming out for the iPhone 4.0 but until then I’m not going to worry about that. I’ll get into the other aspects of the iPad use in future posts.

Second Gen iPad Needs Cameras

I've got the 32GB iPad as many of you already know. And I'm loving it. Even now, I am typing on the dock/keyboard I bought as I sip my coffee on a Saturday afternoon.

I've already write about 5 pages of another project I'm working on while I switch between Pages, Mail, Safari, and answering IMs from Meebo, I started thinking of the iPad as just another laptop that I am using instead of the Macbook.

The point I'm coming to is that as I work on the iPad, I'm also in a Skype conversation with someone else on the Macbook. More and more, the iPad will serve my daily mobile needs while I unload the heavy duty stuff, rendering iMovie files and working on Rapidweaver, over to the Macbook.

But there could be times when I'm on the road and I need to Skype with someone. Even conduct video chats. Over the next year, I see that happen often.

This is why I think it would serve the iPad market if Apple adds a frontal camera to their new mobile device just for this purpose.

Plus, given the number of iPads that Apple will be selling in 2010 and even more in 2011, the iPad will serve as a platform to launch another revolution change in mobile computing with a frontal camera. Apple can spark a huge shift in mobile communication from voice to video.

There is already talks within the developer community about evidence of video conferencing protocols in iPhone 4.0. There are also talk that the next iPhone will sport a frontal camera.

Bottom line is that a frontal camera for video conferencing is coming to the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. It is better for the millions of mobile warriors who rely on Apple's gears for their computing needs if Apple includes this particular function sooner rather than later.

Note: Teardown of the iPad show a spot where there is space for a frontal camera. Video conferencing is coming. There is also word that many of Apple's competitors plan on including a frontal camera in their slates and tablets.

-- Post From My iPad