Siri - The Start Of The Spoken Platform

It's time that we realize what's going on. For the record, Apple did not invent voice command or even showed much interest in it on the Mac. However, with the release of iOS 5 along with Siri in beta, Apple has once again showed just how much foresight into the future of mobile computing for years if not decades to come.

At this moment and this time, we could very well be looking at a voice platform and trust me when I say that others from Google, Microsoft, Nuance, and others will soon follow.

On top of that and more importantly, we are at the cusp of a new AI implementation in Siri that will only become more intelligent with each passing version. One that will truly become a mobile assistant that augments our human abilities and expand our horizon.

Now, I am not saying that Apple isn't going to dominate this new AI platform but Apple has opened the door for other companies to pour billions into researching, innovating, and, for some, copying to develop their own intelligent assistant.

The equation for such a AI will require balance that few will be able to implement. Many will fail but those who bet on this big and is successful could rule a whole generation of computer user interface.

With intelligent voice control and interaction, Siri and others like it could spread its influence across multiple markets. And not just PCs, smartphones, or tablets but also the home, auto, and countless other industries.

Be prepared to be wowed. The future has already started.

Verizon Backs Off On $2 Fee For Payments

What does Verizon Wireless and Bank of America have in common?

Verizon Wireless is wisely backing away from the $2 fee set to be imposed on its subscribers, those who can least afford it, after foolishly thinking it could get away with this.  We are after all in the "Occupy Whatever" era with social media becoming a weapon of choice for consumers, vigilante hackers, and those who would seek to overthrown their governments.

And what's interesting is that VZW learnt nothing from Bank of America's own bone-headed adventure to raise debt card fees on its customers.

I think most readers, my fellow mobile warriors, will agree with me when I say that while the banks are getting a lot of hate from the general American public (or people of the world for that matter), wireless carriers come in  a pretty close second on this "dislike" list.

Galaxy Note Success Shows Any Screen Size Can Find A Market

The Samsung Galaxy Note is a 5.3" Android device with a stylus.  Forget what Steve Jobs and Apple feels about the stylus or the screen size for a sec.  Samsung, the current boogyman of the mobile war as far as Apple fans are concerned, has shipped (not sold) one million Notes and will bring it to the US market.

Now, having said that, it's an incredible opportunity.  Would I want a 5.5" iPod touch or iPad?  I would not mind having a go at it and seeing for myself just how such an iOS device would fit into my mobile warrior life and I'm sure that there are many of you out there that are thinking the same thing and agree with me.

Obviously, Apple's dogma to conform to the UI and experience likely is going to prevent this from happening.  Fine.  Still, smartphones to tablets with screen sizes from iPhone's 3.5" screen to the 10.1" Galaxy Tab are on the market.

Apple has a commanding control of the tablet market for now and it has a respectable 30% or so control of the smartphone market (and a huge, huge chunk of the mobile revenue/profit), Apple doesn't have all of the market-share.  I know, that's fine with me too but what I'm getting at is that there are a lot of people who does not agree with Apple's screen size issues.

And I would like a 5.5" iPod touch that can still fit in my pocket or an 8" iPad that weights like half a pound.  Just saying.  And as far as screen resolution fragmentation issues goes, who better than Apple to solve this issue.  I figure if it works on the Mac with different resolutions and screen sizes, why not the iPads?

Tablet: Apple Will Make a Sub-9.7” iPad

Would you get a $400 (if we’re lucky, $350) iPad with about an 8” screen?  I would in a heart beat if we’re talking about having at least 16 GB of storage.  And I think Apple will make it so.  So, that means I am disagreeing with Steve Jobs on this point.

Let’s refresh a bit.  Steve Jobs, a year and a half ago, blasted the 7” tablets that were just beginning to go on sale, in particular, the 7” Galaxy Tab from Samsung.  I would have to agree with Steve that that particular tablet sucked.  It was just a smartphone OS in a tablet.  And even today’s Honeycomb, Android 3, doesn’t measure up to what iPad’s iOS can do and, in terms of usability, doesn’t come close.

However, we have to examine what Android 4 means.  So far, we haven’t really seen a tablet with Android installed.  I think it’ll be awesome compared to what we’ve seen from the Android camp so far.  And iOS 6 should look about the same as iOS 5 on the iPad.  But my point is this.  While the iPad with its 10” screen is definitely better as far as viewing media, productivity, and general computing use goes, I’ve seen enough proof that a 7”, 8”, or even a 9” tablet can come close as far as allowing the user to be satisfied with them.

I spent a lot of time with the Galaxy Tab 8.9 and I was blown away.  As far as the OS is concerned, Android 3 doesn’t have it and it’s too complicated compared to iOS and even Web OS.  But as far as tapping on icons and general typing goes, it’s doable.  It’s even doable on a 7” tablet like the Kindle Fire.  Yeah, I spent time with the Fire as well.  With the 7” tablet, you definitely cannot type with both hands like you can with the iPad but you might be able to get away with it if you don’t have gigantic hands on an 9” screen.

So, giant fingers and filing them down aside, here are five reasons why I think Apple has found a way to make it work with a sub-10” tablet.

First, split keyboards.  Apple has instituted split keyboards on the iPad.  You can now type and hold they iPad in portrait mode and not worry about overreaching with your thumbs.  It’s very reasonable to expect that when (no longer if) Apple releases a smaller iPad, the split keyboard will be featured prominently.

Second, reading on the iPad is something folks do a lot of.  I’m not talking about ebooks but reading pages on the browser.  With the Reader function, the user can now access text on the Webpage without having to double tapp or try to zoom in.  I mean, if you can read a Webpage, tap the links, and multitouch your way on an iPhone, why not a 7” or 8” iPad?  And with the reader function, it becomes massively easier.

Thirdly, if typing is an issue, there is Siri.  Well, not Siri but the dictation function.  I find the dictation on the iPhone 4S very good, even superior to Dragon Dictate on the iOS and it’ll get better over time as well.

Fourth reason is that Apple is meticulous.  Painstakingly so.  It will not release a half-baked product.  It did release Siri as a beta because it had no choice:  Apple needed public participatioin to help make Siri better.  However, with its other products, Apple doesn’t release them until perfection is achieved.

I don’t find carrying about the iPad difficult.  It’s light.  Lighter than my Macbook Air and at times, with the wonderful battery life, it’s my choice of mobile weapon when I venture out.  I see a lot of mobile warriors carry around an iPad instead of their laptops.  I reckon a smaller iPad could help expand the tablet market further.

So, I’ll hold off a bit and continue to use my original iPad (we do have an iPad 2 but the original iPad has a special place in my heart) and see what Apple offers as far as a smaller iPad goes.

Light Versus Moderate Versus Heavy Use

When I read reviews, good and bad ones, of mobile devices, one think I like to concentrate on is the battery life.  And with battery lives, it's very subjective.   There is no universal standard for this.  It is probably easier to do this on the iPhone and other iOS devices but not so with other mobile platforms that have more than one handset.  I'm talking about Android, Windows Phone, and whatever other platforms that are still left competing in the mobile market.

So, I find it a bit irritating when reviewers talk about their moderate or heavy use.  I know that I've discussed this in passing on other posts regarding batteries and battery technologies, however, I feel these reviews are a disservice to the end-users of there is no concrete description by the reviews on what these subjective definitions of battery uses are.

What has started me on this has been the reviews for Galaxy Prime and, before this, the battery issues that some iPhone 4S users have reported.  So, I'm gonna lay down some ground work on what light, moderate, and heavy mobile uses are and you let me know what you think.

Light.  That mean you hardly use your device at all.  You take a couple of calls at a minute or two and, perhaps, you check your voicemail.  Then you get a couple of texts or e-mails and you answer them throughout the day. You'll also check the weather and stock prices through the day.  Maybe dabble with Google+ instead of stocks.  Also, you scan your Google Reader on the latest mobile news.  That's your day.  And on days you do go out, you check-in on Foursquare.  That's light.  Maybe there is some gaming going on but no more than five to ten minutes.  You also use your device to listen to about two hours of music.  Catch up New Girl on Hulu Plus.

With this kind of use, you'll have no problem knowing your iPhone or Galaxy S II will take you through the day with plenty of juice left on that battery indicator.

Moderate.  You do all of the above in light except do you it more often  A lot more often. You take pics and maybe two minutes or so of video.  You also school Alec Baldiwn in Words with Friends and about thirty minutes of gaming.  You also chat for about a thirty minutes by voice.  And you also IM a bit or send message on Groupme or Whatsapp here and there.  Maybe a friend will e-mail you a Youtube video and you watch it or you watch a drama episode on Netflix.  Or instead of watching a video, you FaceTime or video Skype about 10 minutes.  Of if you're like me, you also take your mobile device with you on a run as you play some music or podcast with you as you use the GPS to track you.

By the end of the work day, you should could end up with anywhere from 25-30% left on your device.

Heavy.  You're a moderate user except you do a lot of gaming and watch a bunch of video.  You somehow found time to watch a two hour movie on Netflix while still managed to get in an hour of gaming.  You still chat for about 30 minutes (who talks for more than that anymore on the phone?) and you also do a lot of writing and some productive work on your device.  You also use a lot of social apps updating your peeps on what you're up to or thinking.  

By end of lunch, you're probably down to about 40% or less and you're getting nervous if that'll last you through an hour's run with GPS on and music playing.  

I would say I'm a light user on most weekdays and a moderate user on weekends.  Note that I've not mentioned if the uses above is on a 3G or Wi-Fi network.  I'm assuming about 50-50 on this.  And you can forget about LTE – you'll need to take whatever numbers above and reduce your battery usability by 2-3 times because from my weekend of researching about battery life on the Galaxy Nexus and other LTE devices, that is just how bad they are right now.

So, I've laid some groundwork on what each category of mobile activity to measure the battery life.  Right now, there seems to be some consensus that the iPhone's battery life lasts longer than Android.  Maybe.  To me, it might be just a tad better compared to some of the high-end 3G Android phones.  And we can forget about comparing the 3G Androids and iPhones to the LTE devices when it comes to battery life.  There is just no comparison.

If anything, these reviews on mobile devices need to be more clear about what their uses are when they are trying to convey to us what their subjective views are on the battery life.

Sometimes Apple/Jobs Just Goof'd

When the iMac first came out, it had a tray CD-ROM.  Then the moved onto a slot based while its competitors continue to use tray CD-ROM but they can burn CDs which the iMac could not.

At the time, I remember thinking it was just another move by Apple to offer incremental upgrades.  It turned out, as you will read in the book, that was not the case.

Sometimes, Apple, as forward looking as they are, can still screw up.

Back to today and the iPhone. Not having 4" screens.  No NFC chip.  Keeping Siri only on the iPhone 4S.  I don't know.  Maybe it could be a calculated move.  However, I am not discounting the possibility that Steve Jobs just does not see the 4" screen as right for the iPhone just as he doesn't see a 7" iPad as something viable.

Expecting NFC?  Well, Apple has a few patents but we may still not see it.  I go to Starbucks a lot and I'm able to make payments with my iPhone.  No need for an NFC app.

So, what are reasons for some omissions of features for the iOS devices?  Who really knows.  Maybe there will be another book about Steve that explains all this or we'll have to wait for one about Tim Cook or Jony Ives.  I do know this.  Apple is very much fallible.  The only thing is that they are heck of a lot more often right than not.

And this is imperfection, a human characteristic, is what makes Apple as a company and story so compelling.

Subscription Comes To iOS Gaming; Totally Expect Other Computing/Mobile Platforms To Follow Suit

This is one of those things that came out of the left field.  Far, far left field.  Apple is allowing a gaming developer that many Mac gamers should be familiar with, Big Fish Games, to utilize the subscription model that Apple developed for magazines and periodicals and let users subscribe to play games on a monthly basis.

Terrific deal?  You'll have to be the judge of that.  However, it is just another mobile innovation that we like to see.  Don't be surprised if this feature is adopted for other uses as well and not just gaming.

I reckon it's possible for studios to release sets of video in a similar fashion.  Take SyFy.  They can release an app just for science fiction fans to indulge themselves with content from the network and other materials.

After all, multimedia does mean multimedia.  And for any developer or studio out there looking for additional revenues, well, this could be it.  Google, Microsoft, or even Facebook could be doing something similar.

And it doesn't have to be just for handsets like the iPhone.  This subscription model for gaming can be extended to tablets (iPad) and onto the PC as well.  Facebook could be a great platform for just such a service to be launched.  Movies, TV shows, games, ebooks, etc. are just the beginning.

It is something for you?  Personally, I tend to buy games and only games that I like with replay value.  However, to entice users to sign up, BFG can offer added value for some games like new levels.  Angry Bird would be a perfect game just for something like this.

Source:  Bloomberg via Cult of Mac