Apple Fans Needs Google To Release The Nexus Tablet

We've seen the Android 4 and what it is doing with the Galaxy Nexus - and anyone without the Nexus  simply will have to wait, either for the hardware makers to make Android 4 available as an update or to wait for new hardware like the Samsung Galaxy III to be on the market.  And while Android has done great in the smartphone market, Android tablets have not.  In fact, it has been the Kindle Fire, which really isn't an Android tablet given what Amazon has done to the OS, that has helped stem the iPad tide.

This is why we need the Nexus tablet more than ever.  And there are many reasons why a Nexus tablet is so important.  Again, Apple continues to push ahead with the iPad and the next version, the iPad 3, is likely just weeks away.  And as much as I like the Galaxy Tab 8.9, Samsung for whatever reason is pricing them right up there with the iPad and has limited success as far as market-share goes.

Furthermore, Windows 8 is coming and if it does well, we are talking about Microsoft's OS becoming the default alternative to the iPad.  Keep in mind that after Honeycomb's release along with Xoom, we were all thinking it would only be a matter of time before Android overtakes the iPad.  Nowhere was Windows in the discussion.

And now, Android is in danger of fight for a second place, possibly a distant third.

Second, as a mobile fan, regardless which mobile platform you're using or a fan of, we need competition in the marketplace.  The harder Apple, Google, Microsoft, and even RIM or HP compete, innovate, and fight for our hard earned money, the better off we are as mobile warriors.  We'll get better tech and innovation faster than if it was just a one-horse race as it is now with the iPad.

Third, look at what the Nexus One did to the Android smartphone image.  Before that, it was my G1 from T-Mobile, the very first Android device, the original Google phone.  But it was really the Nexus One that served as a template on which others like the Droid and Galaxy S was built upon.

Essentially, Google said to its partners as well as the marketplace, "Make it as good as this or try to do better".  And Android devices have improved each year as competition with rivals as well as with the Nexus line.  After all, if the Galaxy line sucked, people, would would be turning to the Nexus devices.

Competition, innovation, and benefits to mobile users are all great reasons why we need Google to step up and make their tablet plans known as soon as possible.  Perhaps, we'll see it at the Mobile World Congress in Spain in a couple of weeks.  And if that happens, it could not happen fast enough.

Personally, I love to see a Nexus tablet with a quad-core chip, Android 4, 32 GB, Retina Display screen like those that we are expecting on the iPad 3, and 12-15 hours of battery life all weighing in at around one pound, which is just .2 lbs less than what the Galaxy Tab 10.1 weighs in or weighing 25% less than the iPad 2.

So, Google, show us your Nexus tablet already, ya?

Note:  I left out how much I think Google's Nexus tablet should weigh in at.  I honestly don't think anyone can keep up with Apple on pricing in the near term, like the next three to five years, because of the huge investment Apple is able to make on components and the supply chain.  Only Amazon is capable of competing with Apple in this regard and only because they're selling the Kindle Fire at a loss.

Google Exploited Holes And Act Like The Bad Guys But Apple Also At Fault

Let's be clear about the settings for Google using a vulnerability in Safari that allows itself and other online advertisers to set cookies even when the user has explicitly disallow third-party cookies to be uploaded.  Google acted like a hacker in this.  Forget about the technical details of how this happened.  They did it, got caught, and came up with the only explanation they have:  the opportunity was there and we took it.  And Apple is at fault for allow this to happen because this vulnerability is only inherent with Safari, not even with Chrome or Android's browser which shares the same Webkit framework as Apple's own browser, Firefox, or Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

Now, Congress is looking into this matter.  The thing is that Apple could have made this all go away had they come up with the patch to plug this old from the start.  I can't understand how Apple could have possibly not know about this.

So far, Apple has stay customarily silent on this matter.  And even with a more vocal Tim Cook at the helm, I think for the moment, they would be happy to allow the various reports on the Internet to crucify Google and allow Google's own explanations to hang itself.

That doesn't mean that Apple should not say more publicly about this.  After all, Congress is looking into this and, probably, the FTC, FCC, and the DOG are going to want to chime in.

So, Apple is at fault in some of this.

Now, about Google.  It acted like a hacker.  It broke the faith that users have with Google and went against even the spirit of the Internet as far as trust and privacy is concerned.  Google was very much evil in this situation.  We did not want to be tracked and Google used a form trick to allow them to install cookies on other sites we visit.

Again, we said "no" to tracking and Google insisted.  I hope they get burn big time, regardless of the fact that they claim no personal information was taken.  Who really knows if that is even true?  We trusted Google on this "no tracking" thing so we can't well take Google's word at this either.

Back to Apple.  They really need to make sure that our mobile privacy is protected.  Apple has to institute an opt-in policy, which will make it stand out among its competitors like Facebook and Google that has a much more privacy-busting opt-out policy at best and "we're sorry" policy at worst when they are caught trying to circumvent fundamental understandings of privacy.

And Apple should not only allow universal privacy settings like some others have.  I like Apple's notification and location services options in settings in its iOS devices.  I like to see Apple bring those kinds of control to not just contacts but also other Internet services.

So, hopefully, with future iOS settings, Safari updates, and the upcoming Mountain Lion update for the Mac, Apple will give us the tools to fend off these predatory practices coming from Facebook, Google, and other ad companies.

Why We’ll see a 8-9” iPad – Because Kids Don’t Need To File Their Finger Down (Plus, They’ve Got Better/Newer Eyes)

First of all, we’re been pecking on our 3.5” iPhone screen for years now and we’re doing just fine.  On top of that, Steve Jobs, who’s known for misdirection on what Apple will or will not ship, said that we would have to file down our fingers just to use the icons on them useless 7” screens.

Well, as limiting as those 7 incher screens are as far as screen real estate goes, I can life with a 8 or 9 in because I’ve tried it with the Galaxy Tab 8.9 and it works great.

So, we’ve got years of great multi-touch experience on 3.5” iPhones, not just one finger touch and proof from Samsung that their 8.9” tablet works great, what is keeping Apple from releasing an 8” tablet?

Oh, them fingers that need to be filed down?  Don’t worry.  8” iPads would be great for kids.  First, they’ll probably be cheaper to make and sell.  On top of that, those grade-school kids have little hands and fingers.  I’ve been them on my two, five, and eight years old nephews and seven year old niece.  Their fingers will work great on an 8” iPad.

So, I’m wagering we will definitely see a sub-10” iPad, maybe not in 2012 but beyond.  Keep in mind that when Steve Jobs was blasting away at the Android tablets, he specifically referred to the 7” models.  He never said anything about bigger sized screens like an 8 or 9”.

Apple Like to Buy Twitter Before End of the Year

This is just my prediction:  Apple will eventually take over Twitter and integrate it more into its ecosystem for its Mac and mobile users.  So, folks who want dividends, sorry, I hope you don’t get it.  I rather have Apple spend its money in this manner.

How did I come to this conclusion?  Well, of all the social media properties out there, only Twitter seems to be more open and less about selling user information than the likes of Facebook, My Space (yes, they’re still around), or Google+.  The reason is because Twitter users, more than anyone else, are more open with their tweets knowing that what they broadcast is for general consumption.

On Facebook, your updates may be for your friends or a group of friends on a list but Facebook still sell that information to the highest bidder.  The same could be said of Twitter but the vast major of Twitter users don’t go turning on the feature only their followers or a subset of their followers to get their update.

And this works better for Apple than others.  And should Apple eventually buy Twitter, Apple is likely to integrate its own ad system, iAd, which is on life support at this time after failing to “revolutionize” the mobile ad space.  And Twitter’s social network would probably be similar to what Apple would create had it done so from scratch.

And today, we learn that Apple’s upcoming OS X update, Mountain Lion, will gain the same Twitter integration as iOS 5 devices have.  And with a Twitter buyout, Apple would instantly gain hundreds of millions of users that it could potentially convert and add to its ecosystem.  Apple is likely to sweeten things up by offering iCloud integration, making Twitter the social component of Apple’s cloud strategy.

Right now, the lack of a cohesive social network for Apple’s other social efforts like iTunes (forget about Ping), Game Center, iMessage, and iBooks could be solved with a Twitter buyout.  I mention iBooks because a virtual book club is just something that Apple can go next with its ebook effort.

You’re arguing right now that Apple can achieve all this now without buying Twitter.  Absolutely. Just without the control that Apple traditionally have.  Keep in mind that the disagreement between iTunes data with Facebook has kept Ping from being something that Steve Jobs hope.  And Twitter could well become someone else’s takeover target in the future.

After the Twitter buyout, Apple should and will continue to keep Twitter as we know it now the way it is.  The only different will be seen by those who use Twitter along with iOS devices or Macs.

I believe the deal between Apple and Twitter in iOS 5 was just a test run for Tim Cook and company.  It’s worked out great for both and in the coming year (I’ll allow myself to stretch that into 2013), Apple will make Twitter officially a part of the family.

Mountain Lion - What It Means For iOS Users

For many of you, you might be on a Mac running Lion or a variant of the Leopard OS, regular or snow.  But today, Apple unveiled "Mountain Lion", an update to Lion that was released almost a year ago.  It gained many new iOS features like iMessage and greater iCloud integration.  Oh, and for gamers, Game Center is coming your way.

I've left my Macbook Air at home backing things up while downloading Mountain Lion.  You'll have to be an Apple developer in order to do that.

I'll check back with actual user notes later this evening.  I can't way to try out iMessage.  Oh, by the way, iMessage is free to download right now. You' don't need to be a developer in order to do that.  So, go give it a go!

Privacy Should Be Apple's Stronghold But It Let Users Down - Twitter Steals Contacts

Bad Apple!  That’s about all we can say about the Twitter accessing user contact information without telling people about it and without asking for permission first.  What’s up with that, Apple?  This is just plain stupid and wrong.

And here is Twitter’s response after getting caught red-handed:  “We want to be clear and transparent in our communications with users. Along those lines, in our next app updates, which are coming soon, we are updating the language associated with Find Friends — to be more explicit. In place of ‘Scan your contacts,’ we will use “Upload your contacts” and “Import your contacts” (in Twitter for iPhone and Twitter for Android, respectively).” (Source:  Media Bistro)

Seriously, this is the type of behavior I expect from Facebook, maybe even Google, but certainly not Twitter, Apple’s iOS social partner.

What now?  Certainly, apps like Twitter and Path last week should never have had access to user contacts with their explicit approval.

Now, Apple is saying that future apps will need to get user permission before getting access to those private data.  

Congress will certainly be looking into this because privacy is becoming a hot topic due to past bad behaviors from Facebook and Google.

What Apple needs to do now is review the whole approval process as well as app policies to make sure this doesn’t happen again.  And Apple has to be very transparent about privacy.  Done right, it could make Apple the champion for the average mobile warrior and force competitors to follow.

Google First With NFC But We Still Need An iPhone With NFC To Make Mobile Payments Ubiquitous

I saw my first Google Wallet payment system over the weekend at a gas station of all places.  There are probably more in my area that I am not aware of.  But let’s be honest, Google, for most folks, is about search and gmail.  Androids they know about but that’s about it.  And even with the attention given to the Galaxy Nexus with its NFC feature, there simply isn’t enough of them out there for merchants to begin rolling out mobile payment systems.

Even a leading Android blog, Droid-Life, admits that until Apple has an iPhone featuring NFC will mobile payment actually begin to take off.  Just ask Starbucks about their app for mobile payment.  It’s taken off as more and more iPhone users embrace it.  Helps that you get rewards for using it.

Unless Google is willing to “pay” or reward users to use NFC to pay for goods and services and has enough devices with NFC capability to reach a critical point, it’ll be a long time before I can pay for my bean burritos at Taco Bell or my nephews’ Happy Meals at MacDonald’s.

But we’ll definitely get there faster if Apple adds a NFC chip to the next iPhone and they begin to flood the market by the tens of millions.

So, if you’re a mobile warrior looking to leave your credit or debit cards at home, I personally look forward to the day when I can leave my wallet at home, then let’s hope Apple comes through for us soon.