I Am Early For Dinner; Mobile Helps Diffuse Frustration

I like spending time with friends and families so generally when I am out, I leave some personal issues and worries at home. They get in the way of fun. I marvel at my ability to do this.

Being fashionably late, especially in Los Angeles, seems to be something that more people are taking to a whole new level. But with my mobile devices with most of the time, I have had something to do while I wait 15 minutes or half and hour while people I am having dinner with or just meeting up for coffee shows up.

And as I write this post, I am an hour early. Actually, no. The people I am having dinner with are an hour behind. Again, this is entirely fine with me. Most of the time, I am okay with it.

I got a chance to update my calendars, fire off a couple of emails, mod a pic I tool this morning donating blood and write a couple of journal entries (both on my phone and actual moleskin notebook).

In recent years, I almost never leave home without something to distract myself with. Before the smartphones, I had my Palm devices.

And before that? I shudder to think about those time. I recall being frustrated a lot.


- Posted using Mobile Devices

Cases Leads To Redesigned iPhone; Could There Ever Be Another "One More Thing" Anymore?

iPhone cases has always offered a clue about what Apple's future plans for its mobile devices.  And while this is confirmation that Apple's next iPhone has a resigned shape, we cannot help but feel that there simply is no way for Apple to control information the way it once did.

Like when Steve Jobs one-more-thing'd us with the original aluminum Powerbook.  That was totally unexpected.  These days, we simply have to way for obscure Chinese or Vietnamese website to leak the information to seal the deal on whatever rumors we've been hearing weeks or months prior. 

So, I ask this.  Can there ever be another "one more thing" from Steve Jobs or Apple?

MacBook Air 11" - Good Enough To Replace the MacBook?

Apple recently moved to disrupt the laptop market by removing the white MacBook from public market and replaced it with the 11" MacBook Air. It seems to be as a big a deal as the the release of Lion, Apple's newest OS, and new hardware.

There was a few reasons for this. First, solid state drives are going mainstream. they are fast and has less moving parts that makes traditional hard drives more prone to failure.

Second, iCloud will supplant local storage. Gone are the nice big storage for music and video. Access to your media and files are all going to be on Apple's servers.

Third, the Airs are super thin and has no room for SuperDrive. Physical media like the DVD and CD-ROM are on the way out. Sharing videos will take place on sites like YouTube. And if you want to watch a video, download or stream it.

Fourth, reverse scrolling will be preparing millions ready for the tablets.

Put all that together and you can clearly see that Apple is getting rid of the old and ushering the next stage mobile computing.

The question is whether the general public will be receptive. I can see many people lamenting about the loss of the SuperDrive and smaller storage.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Google Improves Tablet Search - Looks Really Nice, Especially Pic Layout

Google continues to do great work on the search front. And while it's debatable how some of their UI looks and feel, at least with search, they're doing pretty nice by me.

They've made the UI better for tablet by way of adding and move search buttons and drop-down menus for easier access.

On top of that, this is my favorite part. The image results layout has imrpoved with bigger previews so you know exactly what you're looking at. Continuous scrolling is nice and faster load time.

It may not seem like much but with tablets fast becoming mainstream devices for consuming media and text, it makes sense for Google to make it easier for us early adopters to latch on. Bing, your move.

Live Blogging A Jog

I ran 6.2+ miles yesterday. Applause. Thanks! It was fun and could have ran longer it or hadn't been for the fact that it wad just way too hard to see.

As I was running, I thought I'd do something fun. Live-blog the experience through Google+.

Okay. It was just a couple of pics of landmarks and some info about my run.

You can see here.
















As you can see, I had some fun with it. Did some touch-ups of the pics, added zombies.

Again, it was fun. Gave me time between updates for a breather it two.

I hope to do it again. And maybe I'll find a way to make it more efficient.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Patent Wars And What Will Reform Do?

I'm trying to keep an open mind regarding this but patents are supposed to protect the inventors...when when Acer/HTC suggests that Apple should innovate rather than ligitate, I'm trying to understand their logic behind it.

I know that prior patents does keep competitors from using one's technology. And the way to work around it is to innovate or find an even better way to implement a trait or function.  

I think what Apple is doing is unprecedented so it's making a lot of people feel uneasy.  New rules and all that.  

From the patent reform information that I could find on the Web, specifically, Wiki, I can see why Google would want to push for it.  It seems that it would make it harder to bring patent suits while prolonging the process of litigation.  

And yet, many of the companies involved in the mobile patent wars, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Oracle support the Patent Reform Act of 2009.  However, even a wider range of industries are against it.  Obviously, this isn't a left versus right kind of thing.  

Perhaps if there is to be reform of any sort, maybe Congress can enact one solely for technology based patents and industries. 

Given my interpretation of the Patent Reform Act of 2009, I found it surprise that Apple supported it since they're the only suing a bunch of Android device makers.  I guess Apple is more concerned about patent trolls while they remain confident while they remain confident that should such a legislation pass Congress and sign into law by the President, it would have no impact on the current patent war.

At the same time, I don't see such a reform offering incentive to innovate since it does little to protect certain inventors who are without the armies of lawyers protecting their patents from infringement.

I'm just getting a feeler to all this.  I have much to research and understand.  I am tempted to get a patent bar just so I can understand what's going on.  (My science background allows me to do that.)

iPad 3: Separating Reality From Rumors; Possibility of a Smaller Tablet

iPad 3 is coming. It's not coming.  It'll have a high rez screen but it'll cost more than the regular iPad 2.  Oh, and Apple may or may not be lining up manufacturers to make it.

If you're a close watcher of Apple, the historical progression of rumors and such all tells us one thing.  There obviously is a successor to the iPad 2 but it will not be coming until Q1 of 2012 at the earliest.  

Right about now, Apple is ramping up production of the iPhone 5. That means for the iPad 3 to make a fall, even a late fall, debut, Apple will have to start production real soon.  And according Taiwan Economic News, to Apple is still finalizing suppliers to make it. Furthermore, does Apple really want to be concentrating on two brand new products at the same time?  

And let's not forget the annual iPod refresh as well.  

So, iPhone, iPod and iPad 3.  That's quite a lot in the mix.  Then there are some of the Macs that will need to be refreshed as well.  If anyone can handle all this, it would be Apple.  Still, an iPad 3 launch is an unnecessary move at this point.  

Speculations.  I think Apple might still surprise us with something brand new.  And addition to the existing product.  I think there is an outside chance but still a chance that we'll see a bigger sized iPod touch with a screen 5-7".  I'm going to make you come back later for what I think is strong evidence of this.

So in conclusion, no iPad 3.  But I hope I'm wrong.  I can sure use a higher resolution tablet, not that I've got anything to complain about my iPad 2.