Jawbone Up Getting Endorsement From Assad's Wife (Syrian Strongman)

Source:  Huffington Post.

My first wrist pedometer/calories counter/sleep band was the Jawbone Up. The first generation one and it gave folks trouble.  Which is why I switched to the Nike Fuelband as a backup. But even the Fuelband (already with one exchange) is dying (battery).  So I'll soon be in the market for something new.

So, as I was googling and checking out the Fitbit, I came across this.  Apparently, Bashar Assad's wife uses Up.  So, I don't know what Jawbone thinks about this or if they even know.

The thing is, whatever reason the wife of a despot who brutalizes, murders, and rapes his own people and armed terrorists would choose Up, the thing is it is a very good device now that the kinks from the first generation has been worked out.

I'm looking hard a the Fitbit because it means stairs but I also like the ruggedness of the Fuelband.  And unlike the Fitbit, I won't lose the Fuelband or Up because they're constantly on my wrist.  Plus, the Jawbone Up has awesome battery life.

My main issues with Up are two.  One is the cap that I constantly loses and the other is that there is no display to show progress.  I would constantly have to sync it with my iPhone.

Until my Fuelband is completely dead, I'm hoping we'll see updates from these companies in time for Christmas.  And maybe with better features and longer battery life.

Researches Slipped Malware Into App Store, Good To See Apple Bruised A Bit

I generally only install apps from big developers or ones that have a level of trust within the community of mobile warriors regardless of whether they're on iOS or Android.  However, I do have to admit that I'm more adventurous on my iPad and iPad than on my Android devices like my Nexus 7.  

In general, all those stories of Android's malwares, security holes that Google isn't willing to plug or won't get to, and apps that just wanna steal my contact lists has me a bit wary.  Very wary in fact.

However, this story about how researchers at Georgia Tech found a way to sneak in malware into Apple's walled garden was delicious and eye-opening.  However, it was not totally unexpected because anyone can climb over a wall.  It's just whether you've got a tall enough ladder or the right tools to dig underneath it.

And it's good to see Apple bruised a bit on this.  Because of the walled-garden mentality, good or bad or open or close, it can give users such as myself a false sense of security.  I'm sure this will zero long-term (or even a short-term) effect on Apple's reputation as far as security goes, it goes to show that mobile platforms have to continue to keep an eye out for this kind of things.

The post is a very important read because of how the researchers managed to get their codes past Apple's app store guardians.  And this is one that I've thought of that is possible.  Codes that are not strung together during the review process but could be reacted and put together later.

And as mobile devices get more complicated, smarter forms of attacks, whether it's against Apple, Google, or anyone else, will surface.  

Security Or Convenience: Saving Docs To Your Mac Instead Of The Cloud

I'm not entirely 100% up and up on how I feel about saving my data in the cloud with Apple, Google, or anyone else.  Least of all Google since we all know they look through them, not for any real malicious reasons, to sell ads to us.

But the main reason is that we know they're sharing our data with the US government and, probably, others as well.  And you can forget about Facebook.  They're probably the worst in my opinion.

Which is why I think there is room for the need to save data to the Mac and on the Mac, which is better for some who are more concerned with privacy than convenience.

Macworld here has a tip on just how to do that.  However, it's not something that we are used to with Windows or the older OS X system which allows us greater choices and freedom.  For the average Mac warrior, Apple's emphasis on iCloud isn't going to be an issue.

As time rolls on, iCloud will only get more robust and features, both good things.  For those of us older folks who are used to saving them where we like, less so with each update.  Again, not a bad thing.

It's all about convenience and, for some, privacy.  I think in general it's alright to save to the cloud.

Financial Times Post On Blackberry's Fall

Here is a very good FT post on Blackberry and how/why the once mobile king who owned the mobile market fell from grace to a deathly 3% of the market (or less by come accounts).

The reason I recommend it as a must read is because of all the various signs that were missed by Blackberry executives over the years on the threat of the iPhone back in 2007 and the emergence of Android.

Along the way, the post also brought in bits about the reign mobile device makers, Apple and Samsung while it named the other players that at one time or another also controlled their own destiny.  Nokia, Motorola, and, of course, Microsoft who recently took a charge of nearly one billion dollars to clear away its unwanted Surface tablets.

What's interesting is that the post mentioned Google twice, it is important to point that it was only mentioned as the owner of Android and Motorola.  Like Samsung's last keynote on the Galaxy S 4 which hardly mentioned Google and nothing about Android, the post seems to suggest that Samsung is synonymous with the Android market.

Also, the post tried to tell us what options are left for the iconic Canadian company, it left me without a doubt that the future is bleak and that, in fact, Blackberry, without buyers and bandoned by loyalists, really will only be remembered in the history books.

It's also fitting that the post finished with the question "Remember the Palm Pilot?"

Note:  You'll need to register for a free account in order to read it but it's worth the effort.

Mobile Gaming: Notifications Are A Part Of The Experience

Interesting post here from Touch Arcade about gaming notifications.  In general, the average mobile warrior doesn't play enough games to warrant any kind of annoyance due to the gaming constantly asking you to play or update or help banish a group of bandits or whatever.

In iOS, I do get game challenges from users which is as annoying as I find it and I don't find it all that annoying at all.  In fact, I like that the mobile gaming experience is engaging.  Mobile gaming provides a new dimension to the experience that did not exist on the console or handhelds like the Gamboys or even today's systems.

I play lots of chess and other turn-based games with friends and even strangers.  Chess with Friends?  You  know that game.  And if you don't, you absolutely know Words with Friends.  And before that, Draw Something was very popular until it quickly fizzled out.

All these games brought an online and social experience that was not really there before.  And that experience comes with the system telling you when it's your turn.  And you make your move whenever you want and wherever you want.  I've played online games in the past and it forces you to just sit there.  Not so today.

The post from TA honed in specifically on unwanted types of alerts.  There are those on iOS games and I haven't played enough Android games to experience that.  Developers should be keen on the types of notifications that will help players stay engaged but not to the point that it leaves them when a bad taste and ruin the experience.

Even then, that's also a fine line to that as well.  I think we should let the market decide.   If anything, I like more social engagements than less if it makes games more enjoyable.  And I'm not talking about simple alerts or connecting merely through social networks.

iPhone 5S/6 with Gold Color and 128 GB Option? Makes More Sense Separately

Source:  Macrumors.

There is chatter that there could be a gold color option in addition to the white and back already on the market for the next iPhone (I'm still out on whether to call it the iPhone 5S or 6).  My reaction?

Meh. Not all that excited about it.

However, the 128 GB option would make sense and be inline with what we believe to the natural progression of the storage upgrade from Apple for the iconic mobile device.  There is already a 128 GB iPad option (that'll be my next iPad storage size when the new one is released this fall).

What I'm worried about is whether Apple will only make it available to the gold option.  There is sketchy details about that.  Frankly, I'm not sure the gold part is even true.  Talk about catering to the one-percenters, you know?

But a 128 GB white iPhone.  Where do I sign?!

Small Crack: ESPN3 Available For Free Streaming Via College/Military WiFi On the iPad Only

Source:  GIGAOM.

Ever watch ESPN3?  You should as I do.  Sport, baby!  Lots and lots of it.  And it's not even better if you happen to be a student, in the military, or happen to be on a college or military base because Disney has made available free streaming of ESPN3 to students and the military.

What's significant about this is ESPN is a very hot property for Disney and ABC.  For them to open up access in this manner shows the growing confidence the studio/network has in the future of live video streaming beyond just the television in your living room or bars.

Here is the caveat.  You need to have an iPad.  I know.  No Touchpad, obviously.  Surface? Forget about it.  But more importantly, troops and students armed with Android tablets are also a no go.

It is a point worth mentioning because the growing number of Android tablet users.  Perhaps, the closer relationship between Apple and Disney a la Steve Jobs' legacy has something to do with this being iPad only.

Still, in the grand scheme of things, this is big.  You see apps on tablets already and even on set-top boxes and consoles like the Apple TV and Xbox. And I see ESPN3's liberation, however small a step, from any kind of bundling is a big step on the march towards wrestling the control of the archaic cable/SATTV system that exists now.

Also, you might point out that this is ESPN3, not THE ESPN channel itself.  But it's still ESPN, folks.

I wager we'll see even more changes in the content and media market on the months to come.  Currently, Apple is trying to gain a foothold in the living room with its "hobby" the Apple TV and Google just released the Chromecast.  Efforts by these giants will continue to weaken the hold that cable companies have and give it back into the hands of the viewers and mobile warriors.