Quick Thoughts on HP's Web OS Unveiling Today

Quick thoughts on today's HP Web OS announcments:

• Palm injected much needed DNA into the boring old HP culture.
• Web OS integration very much like Apple's iTunes-App Store-iOS than Google's loosy-goosy implementation.  You get a sense of what they hope to accomplish.
• Synergy - get to know this technology.  It's important to HP's Web OS ecosystem.
• Willing to working with 3rd parties and give them what they want than Apple is.  
• Web OS is coming to PC - Desktops and laptops  Probably netbooks as well.
• I don't get this summer announcement.  I fear it'll be too late with iOS 5 and Android 3 coming in weeks.  iPhone 5 is scheduled to be released in the "summer" too.  Remember how the original Pre go clobbered by the 3GS?
• Web OS integration is what Google is unwilling to take Android 3, Honeycomb.  
• Web OS likes somewhere between iOS and Android in implementation.
• Palm with HP's deep pocket is now able to do what it could not with the original Web OS.  
• Microsoft stands to lose a lot of HP starts selling Web OS PC/laptops than Windows.
• With HP's product reschedule and Microsoft's Windows 8 on ARM chips, look for Web OS and Windows to go head-to-head.  iOS and Android will still be in the top two positions in terms of units sold.
• RIM is fraked big time.  HP has deep enterprise ties.  Playbook dead.  Sorry, Blackberry fans.
• iPad 2 will be king again in 2011.  Playbook dead.  Oh, I said that already.
• Again, what's with the summer release?!  Xoom to be out in weeks.  iPad 2 soon after that, maybe April
• Playbook dead.
• No pricing on HP's mobile products.  No specs on battery life.  Lame on both accounts.
• Hoping to see Pre on T-Mobile since it supports HSPA+.  HP can make it happen.

Interesting Things I Read Today: SciFi, Android,

(Economy) Just in.  Refinery explosion in Texas.  Gas up before prices go up this weekend (ABC)

(SciFi, Stargate) I like the idea of a small team.  Of comradery, honor, and sarcrifice.  Wrap all that into a science fiction series, you've got a great TV show.  That's what I think Stargate Atlantis is.   Rewatching it last night, I wondered how folks were on the expedition.  Apparently, there were 50 to 60 on the original trip and may have expanded to as many as 800 by the end of the series.  Good to know our guys in the Pegasus Galaxy were not without company.  (Stargate Handbook)

(iPhone, Verizon) For those of you lucky enough to get your CDMA iPhone already, here's a video on how to enable the personal hotpsot.  Personally, I wouldn't pay any of the carrier a dollar more than I have to, which is why if you're not totally digging for an iPhone or top of the line Android, Virgin Mobile has a great deal on some low-end Android devices.  For $25 a month, you get the unlimited data, text and 300 minutes of talk time. Dave the Mobile Sage already picked up two of them.

(Economy, Politics) The lovefest between the President and powerful Chamber of Commerce didn't last long.  While the President got a warm reception for his speech, the members want to see action.  Specifically, they want to do away with what they perceive as overreaching government regulations and less burden on small biz.  

(Politics, 2012) GOP polled showed that they are willing to back someone, anyone, who can beat President Obama.  Unfortunately, it's the Tea Party that ultimately will have the last say in all this (CNN).  I think we are getting close to GOP announcements challenging Obama for 2012.  But take a look at this post on the list of potential VP candidates that can make or break (like Palin) the ticket (Yahoo).

(Politics, White House) President Obama and GOP Congressional leaders will be getting together for lunch with the topic like about the economy and GOP agendas.  Maybe President Obama can tell them to stop it with the nonsense of healthcare repeal which will not happen so long as he's in office and the Dems control the Senate. Still, a good sign. (MSNBC)

(Science) Days of human dominance on Earth are numbered and not necessarily by our own doing.  Monkey shows more complicated behavior, like covering their eyes to show that they don't want to be bothered.  This is the second story I've come across that demonstrated very complex primate behaviors.  Learned social behaviors was once thought possible only in humans. (Live Science)

(Green) GOP lawmakers sided with the Obama administration just this once in saying that the Court wouldn't know what to do about gas emissions in EPA's attempt to regulate greenhouse gases. Brief filed by GOP said that they are actively working on it with the White House, in ways that I'm not sure is good for the environment I'm sure. Oh, yeah, they also took a shot at Obama too. (NYT)

(Green, Leaf, EV) Nissan dropped the ball with supplying enough Leafs.  Only 20 units were delivered in December 2010 and 89 in January 2011.  It has a backlog of 20K.  And they think they can get it all done by end of summer.  Whatev...Volt vastly outselling the 100 miles per change Leaf so far (CNET)

(Green, Economy) High speed train plan will cost $53 billion on paper, meaning we'll go over budget. Oh, and before we get there, we still have no way of paying for it. China plans to spend about half a trillion.  (MSNBC)

(Google, Android, iPhone)  Android and iPhone makes up 50% of all smartphones sold.  While Apple has more than 50% of mobile profit, one would think that Google stands to make in a large sum through search and ads. However, many of the Android activated were done without Google as the default search engine. (Cult of Mac)

(Apple, Macbook) Looks like Intel has resumed shipping the next generation CPU to manufacturers.  There are words on Blog Street that Macbook Pro supplies are running low.  I reckon Intel's chipset defect has put on hold product launches (there were already recalls). It's not known if Apple will be the beneficiary of these shipments though my Sandy Bridge Macbook Air isn't likely to be refreshed for a while anyway.  (Appleinsider)

(iPhone, Facetime) Dave the Mobile Warrior asked me if I think Facetime is a flop.  Yes, so far, big time. (On Apple)

(Apple, iPad)  EU newspapers are postering over Apple's decision to allow in-app subscriptions, something publishers have been asking for all along.  I, and probably Apple, am confused over the uproar.  Again, it's what they wanted since day one.  Personally, I think they should wait to hear from Apple when they unveiling the subscription feature in the next iOS update. (BBC)

(Android, G-Slate) When it comes to tablets, it's all about Motorola's Xoom and nothing else (hmmm...).  Well, check out LG's G-Slate for T-Mobile with 3D, Tegra 2, 9" screen, and support for T-Mobile's fast HSPA+ network.  Check out the video demoing what it can do.  Still, I recommend going into the store to play with it before order.  (TmoNews)

(HP, Palm, Web OS) Remember tomorrow.  HP's Palm event will either make or break Web OS.  I'm expecting HP to revolutionize mobile devices and tablets.  Anything short of that will be a bust.  

(Android) The whole Android ad market will be worth more than $1 billion by 2012.  A long way to go before reaching $10 billion that former Google CEO predicted.  At $10 a user, that's one billion Android devices.  Yeah, I think it's do able.  (Phandroid)

(Dell, Microsoft, Windows)  Dell has an Android tablet or two but it's also looking to bring some out with Windows.  The Windows version will target the enterprise market.  Not a bad idea.  Maybe with a docking station, it'll be a viable replacement to laptops and challenge Apple and Google. (Liliputing)

(Facebook, ID Theft, Privacy)  Facebook and Twitter users are twice as likely to have their ID stolen. All thanks to Zuckerberg... (MSNBC)

Facetime - Verdict: It's A Flop

Dave the Mobile Warrior posed this question to me regarding FaceTime:  Do you think it's a flop?

My response:

It's a good blog topic :)  

Right now, I think so...it's supposed to be open-sourced too right?  No one has seen it so far outside of Apple.  Like you said, few folks from Apple even talked about it anymore.  Apple is known for taking the long view on stuff like this.  Look at how long it has taken Quicktime to get to where it is today.

But Facetime just has too many missing pieces.  It cannot do anything else other than video chat with other iOS devices unless it has a camera and with Macs installed with the beta Facetime app.

I think it put the fear of God into a lot of folks when Steve Jobs demoed it but since then, life has moved on for Skype, Fring, and everyone else.  Even Google has their own video chat coming for Honeycomb (Android 3.0).

Also, keep in mind that there is still no Facetime chat via 3G yet.  And yes, you can conduct video calls over 3G with Skype.

So yeah, it's a big flop so far.

Two Product Updates For Mobile I’m Anxiously Waiting For From Apple

Steve Jobs promised good things coming for MobleMe, competition to Google's suite of webapps and cloud services in an e-mail to a customer.

That is one thing that I am waiting for anxiously from Apple.  Currently, subscribers pay $99 a year to get services that we can already get for free from Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo.

What makes MobileMe special is that it is highly integrated into the Mac and iOS devices.  Still, is that worth paying $99 more?  

More and more, I'm doubting it.  I'm running my own personal website and Greenjava using the MobileMe hosting but Apple has not upgraded the iWeb app in the last iLife update so I'm finding what is there a bit long in the tooth.  

Still, I want to wait and see if there is anything to MobileMe that Apple can bring to the service that is worth paying for.  

There is worth that many components like mail will be free.  And I think that is something that even non-Apple product users might be interested in even if you're running Android or WP7 devices (I don't know why but you can).

And besides, should Apple make a more compelling MobileMe or opening up some of the current services for free, it's a good thing as it'll increase competition with Google and Microsoft.

The second product I'm waiting to hear from Apple about is iWork.  This is Apple suite of productivity apps – Pages (work processor, page layout), Numbers (spreadsheet), Keynote (presentation).  The last update from Apple was more than a year ago, and while it was pretty sweet but it's time to do another one.

I'm hoping Apple will add features in Pages regarding ebooks and publishing to the iBooksstore.  Maybe even allow Website creation as well. And obviously, the iwork.com needs to be updated as well.

Right now, it's already February and we have not see anything yet.  Come on, Apple.  What's the holdup?

Apple’s in-app purchase policy – Some Clarity, Please

I don't mind Apple jerking publishers around because that's what Apple does, for better or worse.  But in light of the recent follow-through on enforcing guidelines in the app store policy, there is still a lot of uncertainty.

I understand why Apple needs to do that.  One, they aren't ready to talk about it yet.  In fact, at the unveiling of "The Daily", Apple has said we'll hear from them rather quickly.  

Second, tipping its hands prematurely isn't good for business and it's never been Apple's policy to do that.  The few times I remember when Apple spoke before it was ready were disastrous.  

Having said that, I hope Apple will clear things up for publishers sooner rather than later.  As customers, it helps to know what we are buying into or know what to avoid.

Interesting Posts, Thoughts - politics, iPad, Android, Aliens

Interesting stuff I read today:

(Politics, Economy) President Obama spoke at the Chamber of Commerce today and is looking to reconnect with the biz community.  This LA Times post has a good summary on the challenges facing the Administration and the biz guys. It's looking like everyone is looking for the middle ground where it's easiest to do work.  Not a bad approach except there are still issues that need to be tackled where things could still get ugly (NYT)

(Green) EV owners in the Carolinas would be getting free charging stations for a study.  Not bad.  Still, Considering the drip-paced production for the Volt and Leaf, I think these owners will be waiting for a long while.  A very long while.  Meanwhile, CA is allowing electric companies to hike prices for EV owners because they would be considered customers who use more electricity than the average household.  Talk about an idiotic move.  I hope some kind of exception is in the works.

(Apple) Macbook Pro refresh is due.  However, given Intel's problem with the next gen Sandy Bridge defect, I wonder if Apple will need to fire up the old lineup and make the older Macbook Pro for a while longer.  Also, looks like Apple is moving big time to eliminate retail software in stores.  It could spark a revolutionary change in how developers, retailers, and customers get their apps.  I wonder if Frys, Best Buy, and others will start opening their own virtual app store to cash in on the coming change.

(Android) If you didn't see the Xoom commercial last night, well, it wasn't much of anything but the $800 price is.  On top of that, it's $30 less than Apple's 64GB 3G iPad (versus Xoom's 32GB) and requires a month of data access subscription in order to activate the WiFi. Maybe with enough outcry, we can get Motorola and Verizon Wireless to drop that stupid requirement. Also, check out Kyocera's dual screen device running on Android.  I like it a lot except I know it won't last more than a day in my clumsy hands (it's why I've passed on the G2).

(Health) Lifehacker's post suggests something I already know about and practice:  eat healthy and smaller frequent meals is both good for your body and wallet.  I remember times when I've starved and ended up getting whatever is easiest.  Most of that time, it's expensive and has a lot of calories, the bad kinds.  

(Green) Americans who could not stand the Bush Administration's policies (except for the Baldwins, I doubt anyone picked up and left), including it's seemingly pro-oil stance, had the option of moving to Canada during the 8-year term of President Bush.  But with Canada's economy relying more in oil production, they stance on green tech and EV is not what I had expected.  They're afraid of EVs and hybrids as it turns out, especially in the tar sands province of Alberta, which I'll liberally renamed the "Arctic Mordor".  (Gas 2)

(Android, PSP) Sony's Xperia Play will go on sale in the coming weeks.  Great and all but it's single core CPU is not what I expected.  The new NGP is going to be 4-core.  I was excited until I saw the specs.  I suggest serious gamers pass on it and wait for the NGP.

(Android) Finally a review of the LG Optimus 2X (Engadget).  Everything panned out as I expected.  But it's a no go for me.  the 2X's anemic battery life was expected, though this issue has consistently plagued high-end Android devices.  I think the Tegra 2 chip works better in a tablet where you can stick in a much bigger battery.

(Politics) The Groupon Tibet commercial for yesterday's Superbowl was idiotic and exploitative to say the least.  But with so many folks blogging and reporting about it, I reckon more Americans probably know more about the issue now than they did yesterday about the struggles of the Tibetans.

(Apple) I stumbled into this Wired post on some of Steve Jobs' quotes over the years.  It's something to tie fans over until he returns to Apple from his current medical leave.

(Privacy, Security)  Here's a great post on why I'm gonna go home and change all my passwords...damn...my secrets words are a lot more complex but it's a good reminder to change them again.

(Apple, iPad) iSuppli and others believe in iPad domination for a few more years.  The scary thing is that Apple stands a good chance to dominate in this market like they did with the iPod in the MP3 market. Unless its competitors wake up about the whole ecosystem thing, they don't stand a chance.

(Android) With ATT's feelings hurt by Apple over loss of iPhone exclusivity, it is now focusing more on Android.  And interestingly, its focus on tablets could be just what will save the wireless provider somewhat over the mass exodus in the coming months to Verizon as iPhone swtichers move on.

(Media) AOL buys Huffington Post for $315 million!  Congrats, Arianna!  

(Politics, Terrorism) Wedge between Taliban and Al Aaeda could be good for US policies - meaning our troops can come home earlier.  Interesting, I heard in the Daily Show that the average Afghan has a 62% favorable rating of the international presence in their country. However, any policy to further create a drift between the two allies is a very delicate balancing act War will rage on with 1 in 50 active participants there being robots.

(Privacy, Facebook) 10 Settings we ought to know about when trying to do what we can from Zucker and company from exploiting what we already share.  The most important ones for me are not allowing friends to be able to check you in and public search. Come to think of it, they're all important. (Mashable)

(Space) New recon satellite goes into space on a secret mission for the NRO.  Take that, Chinese and Russians!  Meanwhile, I think we are closer than ever to finding life in the universe other than our own with a bunch of planets discovered in the habitable zones in other star systems.  I still think we are inching towards the day when the government acknowledges the existence of alien life. 

iPhone Verus iPad Touch (With iSpot or a MiFi) Update - Mobile Platforms Need To Free Themselves of Traditional Phone Services

I had a full weekend.  Dinners, coffees, trips to visit friends.  And it was my iPod touch with my Clear iSpot versus everyone else who had regular cell phones, Android device or two, and a bunch of iPhones.  How did that go?

Before I get into that, I want to say that I am very tempted to pull the trigger on the Verizon iPhone in the coming week.  I have said that my wireless combo of iPod touch and iSpot was how I want to go from now on.  And while it works very well for me, it isn't working too well for some friends and families.

I had an okay day on Saturday when I met up with friends for lunch.  It was like the old days.  We set up a place and time a day before.  And we met on Saturday as it was supposed to be.  And it worked out.  There was no opportunities for anyone else to try to call just before we were supposed to meet up and change the venue or the meeting time.  Personally, I found that to be annoying. And since no one could call me because I was on the way had really had no way to reach me. Just imagine driving on the freeways across LA in all that traffic and having to change and turn around or something.

Of course, if there was a need, they could still text or call me Google number to leave a message and with the iSpot, I would still be able to receive e-mails.  But I think the risk of me not receiving it was just too big of a risk.  And going forward, I think that would be the case.  

Obviously, I was still connected.  I was at Starbucks just before lunch and I was connected to the wifi there.  And obviously, the iSpot provided WiMax connection.  

Dinner went okay.  There was just too many moving pieces and the schedule was set up a couple weeks ago.  

However, this morning, it was a lot more difficult.  I met up with some close family friends for dim sum.  When I got there, there was a couple of hundred people ahead of us.  And waiting in line was crazy.  I was the first one there so I signed in for a table.  And I texted my friends that I had already gotten a number and they could take their time.  Meanwhile, they called me and left a voicemail telling me that they were going to be late.  

Then I called them back via Skype but that went to their voicemail.  Then then they called back and it went to my Google voicemail once again.

Finally, when our table became available, they had arrived.  

I supposed in some circumstances, having a phone would have been more convenient.  

Right now, I am waiting for a comprehensive VOIP solution.  And not just any VOIP app but a service built exclusively with mobile features in mind. 

Whether it's Apple, Google, or Microsoft, I like to see more more robust VOIP features built into the OS.  For Google, I like to see them open up Google Voice for developers to build into their apps.  This goes the same for Skype as well.  As for mobile platforms, it's time to take the next step and unleash the users from traditional phone services and really take communications mobile.