Facebook's HTML App Store - Future Or Folly

For some, the utopian app environment for mobile is one in which the progenitors of mobile platforms do no exercise any control over what apps are allowed or disallowed.  And while there are some directories already available in the Web, we are quite a long time from that day. 

Meanwhile, the push towards that day continues.  The most powerful push in this direction is Facebook's HTML 5 based apps for the mobile browsers.  And there are a few reasons why this is important.  

First, freedom.  No more walled gardens.  For better or worse, we are looking at just such a future.  I don't know about you but I fully expect a web-based apps to come close to what regular apps can do.  Webapps may even rival standalone apps years from now.  

Second, accessibility. I like to see a scheme in which webapps can be downloaded and used like a regular app is something just in its infancy.

Third, always updated.  With webapps, we're always updated.  Today, a developer publishes a standalone app, we pay for it, and then later on, we get an update or two and maybe a new feature will come with that.  Then with the next version, we go through that all over again.  With webapps, I honestly cannot see the scheme of payment and updates.  But rest assured, you'll always be updated in one manner or another.

I try to use web apps as much as possible.   Standalone apps are the way to go for now.  Obviously.  But if Facebook and Google, both making pushes with HTML 5, the future of webapps looks pretty bright.

The Future Is Here: From Strek Trek To Mad Men To Today

I've been watching Star Trek the Next Generation for the last three weeks on Netflix. I finally finished "All Good Things…" early Saturday morning. It was an experience in and of itself going back to "Encounter At Farpoint". All hight tech and suddenly, I'm back in the 1960s with "Mad Men". I went from a show where anything is possible technologically to typewriters.

I don't want to give away any spoils but during one point in season one of Mad Men, the main character, Don Draper, surprised his family by saying that he was going to join them for Thanksgiving. His wife was surprised because of his high-stressed job and workload.

What would those characters have done differently had they live today with our technology or those on the Enterprise?

More at Clouding Around.

Mobile And Pets

My friends' dog Louis doesn't like me. He just bit me.



Just look at him. He's adorable. I don't know. This isn't the first time I've been bitten by one.

So it got me thinking about apps dealing with pets. There are a bunch. Mashable has a few that you might to check out.

But how about those of us who are victims of man's best friend? Like a whistle to ward them off or something.

Anyway, maybe I am just not a dog person anymore. We had a chow-chow and that had never happened.

And this my second time getting bit. It wad a different dog before this. A big dog then.

$70 Tablet From India With Solar Charger - I'll Take Two Please!

I started blogging because I wanted to share my experience with the XO laptop, the very first batch from the OLPC project.  It was a good laptop for the price.  The first ever netbook of sort that was under $300.  It was $250 actually.  Good bet.  Still got it.

Then I moved on.  MacWind, another Macbook.  Then a Dell.  iPads.  

Now, I've come across something that might be just as perfect for a mobile device that I can use for writing, surfing the Web, and 90% of other tasks I do on a laptop or iPad on the cheap.  I'm not saying I would get this but for $70, it's hard to pass up.

The device is manufactured by an Indian company, Bharat.  Not much on specs but this is what has me interested:  It has a solar charging unit.  What I like to know is just how much power this sun-powered unit for the tablet.  

I think we are nearing a time when our mobile devices' battery will be augmented by solar power.  Sitting under the window or through the lights provided by our office or coffee shop.  And why not?  

We have had solar powered watches and calculators for over two decades now.  And as chip sets for our mobile devices become smaller and smaller and the screens and components become more efficient, I reckon there could be a time when our devices are powered by ambient light alone with the battery serving only as a backup instead of being the main power unit.

So, who will be the first to come out with this?  I'm going to go with HTC or Samsung.  Then Apple will have a go at solar power in their own different way.

Oh, from the pic from Engadget, it looks it it runs Android.  Obviously.

More At Engadget.

All Day Battery Device Powered By Texas Instrument Coming

TI promised by 2013 that our mobile devices, probably those that power Android or Windows Phone devices will be able to power our mobile needs for a whole day per charge.  I can't tell you how long I have been waiting to hear this and how badly I want this today.

Today, the longest battery life in a mobile device like a smartphone or tablet is the iPad 2 with a real life battery of 11 hours and the Xoom with about 10 hours.  The smartphone battery mileage varies from device to device and as you well know, they don't come close to what the battery life on the tablets sport.

Now, I suppose TI is talking about smartphones rather than tablets.  Imagine your mobile device, Android, Windows, or iOS, being able to run as long as you need no matter.

This is what we know.  According to Phone Arena via TechCrunch, the 2012 chip, OMAP5, will have three times the performance and five times the graphics chip of the current TI chip on the market.  

It'll have to be the following generation before we get the day-long battery life.  The difference between the OMAP5 and the day-long chip is that in 2013, TI will manufacture it with a 20nm process.

Now, while we don't know if TI can actually deliver, personally, I'll settle for even 75% of the promised battery life.  On top of that, what of TI's competitors, Intel, AMD, Apple, and Nvidia?  Will they follow suit to get us the day-long battery life in 2013 or later.  Perhaps, even sooner?

One thing I have to mention regarding this day-long chip is that TI could be shopping the mobile chip to a competitor.  And making such a declaration could be an attempt to fetch a higher price.  And there is no promise that the buyer will stick with the 2013 timetable.

S&P Just Dumped The United States' AAA Rating

I think my title to this post said all that needs to be said.

Well, there is more actually. S&P also has a negative outlook on the US and there could be another downgrade 12-18 months from now.

Basically, S&P said what neither party has the guts to say: the White House and Congress decided on a deal that raised the debt ceiling but did not go far enough to cut the deficit. And they decided to put off the issue like they have always done.

So there you have it. Sad, eh?

Apple's New Domain Name Points To Possible New Product; My Guess It's...

Pico means "little' in Spanish.  Or one-trillionth according to a definition I dug up.  So, Macrumors along with other blogs this morning are wonder why Apple registered this the domain, www.applepico.com.  

So, what can it be?  The speculation is that Apple could be considering adding pico projectors to the iPhones but I higher doubt that Apple would consider registering a domain name just for a specific feature.

There are two possibilities.

One is that Apple may be refreshing the iPod line with an entirely new product.  Pico, by definition, is smaller than a nano.  I don't know if Apple is going to shrink the nano even more.  It just doesn't seem possible but I want to throw this out there to cover the basis.

The other like possibility is that this pico could be a new iPhone.  The iPhone pico.  Apple could just as well call it the iPhone nano but I wouldn't put it past Apple to just screw with the media and bloggers.  The pico may well be the less expensive iPhone to go after the lower end of the smartphone market.

Just yesterday, Apple executives affirmed that they are indeed going to address that segment of the market as well as the pre-paid mobile market but won't do it unless they can enter the market with an "innovative, category-killer experience".  This is just me putting two and two together.  

But if you're an Apple watcher like I am, two plus two rarely equals four for the iPhone maker.  The fact that Apple registered the name now does seem to indicate that Apple is closer to releasing this pico product, a diminutive iPhone if I'm right or another product if I'm wrong.  

We'll know in a couple of weeks whether this leads anywhere.  And it's entirely possible that Apple did this just to screw with us with a series of updates to its product lines coming up in a matter of weeks