How Fast Is iOS 7 Adoption? Fast. Very Fast.

Thanks to Dave the Mobile Sage, he sent this website (mixpanel) that tracked iOS adoption.  Specifically, iOS 7 is what we're interested in.  In less than 24 hours, it's already at 1/3 of the iOS market.

That's fast.  Can you imagine this kind of adoption for any other platform.  Certainly not Android and, even with closed ones like Blackberry, Web OS, or Windows Phone, you can't get this kind of adoption rate.

It's good for the platform.  Great for the end users.  And all around high-fives for developers.  

Mobile: Binge Watching Of Shows Through Online Video Services On the Rise - Duh? It's The Only Way To Watch Shows

This CNET post about binge watching of TV shows seems to suggest that its a Netflix only phenomenon but it's not.  It's happening on other online video services as well.

(Nielsen Chart)

This should not come as a surprise.  Folks are watching shows on Netflix, Hulu, and others through their phones and tablets.  Maybe on their TV too.  And the ability to watch these shows anywhere, at home, on the go, or even at work makes this new video watching behavior easier.

But while mobile is important, what's more important is that online services makes the whole season of a show available at the same time.  With all two seasons of Scandal on Netflix, I would not have been able to binge watch it since Sunday night.

Should Windows Phone Go Open Source? To Buy Time But Still Need Something More To Turn Things Around - It's Own iPod Moment

Source:  Wired.

Here is an interesting Wired post about what Microsoft should do about its mobile situation, which is bad, and maybe to turn things around, it should open up Windows.

The post has a thing or two to say about past attempts at open source.  It's likely, in my opinion, Steve Balmer, current and outgoing CEO, didn't go for it.  Just like he didn't go for projects that could have put Microsoft ahead and put the iconic software company in a stronger position.

It's why the post believes a new CEO could utlimately do what Balmer was too afraid to do.  It's unlikely.  I'm tell you that now.  But even if somehow, the new CEO was brave enough to try, it would only be the first step.  It may slow the bleeding but won't stop it.

Microsoft will still need something new that convinces hardware makers, software developers, and, more importantly, businesses and consumers that it has something new and innovative.  The new CEO will need its iPod moment.  It's the only way to turn Microsoft around in the eyes of the media and public.

It can't not compete with Android and iOS head-on.  It's losing big time and will continue to. And the wearable computing device revolution on the horizon is a good place to start.

When Steve Jobs came back to Apple, it didn't try to hit back at the PC market.  Apple first stopped the bleed and found that it could be a big player in the rising MP3 player market.  And it used that to launch an innovative device to get the company back into the public's mind set.

Sure, Microsoft would have to continue to release new phones and Surface tablets. New Xbox devices will need to be released and updated.  But it's this new product or service that is needed to get Microsoft back on the path.

Why is this important to Apple and Google fans?  Well, word is that Blackberry is looking to sell itself off and may be looking to lay off 40% of its workforce, we can no longer count on the former smartphone champ to put up a fight in the mobile market anymore.  Only Microsoft remains with the muscles and, yes, smarts, to do it.

We want more competition.  Not less.

With iTunes Radio, We Could Be Moving Towards A Free-To-Listen Model For All

Starting today, anyone with an iOS device that can install the brand new iOS 7 will also get a special new treat and feature:  iTunes Radio. I'm assuming that Apple will release the iPad version of iOS 7 as well.

Essentially, iTunes Radio is Apple's new modern answer to give users the ability to stream music that they like and, hopefully, discover new ones.  There's word that Apple is also hiring special human curators for this new feature.

Did I also mention that it's free?  This is significant because this will really hit some music streaming services hard.  Today's music streaming services like Pandora, often used as the service most likely to be hurt by Apple's entry into the radio streaming biz, offer limited free services and rely on paid services in order to generate revenue.

And even if Spotify doesn't directly compete with Apple's iTunes Radio because Apple doesn't let users picks specific songs to stream like Spotify, free is going to be a big deal no matter what.

But I don't think services will go away because of this.  If anything, they'll need to evolve, innovate and provide users with features that Apple does not offer and deemed worthy of paying for.

Trojan Found Using Image File

A Trojan file for the OS X on the Mac has been found.  Right now, the threat is benign because the backend server where commands are send to and from is down. Still, it does mean that the threat of this and future malware is very real (Macnn).

Essentially, the image file is a real app that will try to install itself but will require admin permission.  It could mean that the user will be prompted to enter a password for their account.

The Macnn does try to point out and sell that the threat is low but I think it's overdoing it.  Threat is a threat no matter what it is supposed to do, damage or not.  This Trojan and others all depend on element of social engineering and lack of smart computing practice.

I did read a post a few weeks ago regarding such threats.  Best line of defense is to think before you click.  Second, for general day-to-day use, your account does not need to be an admin level account.  Without it, such malware would not no where to install itself on your Mac.

Want To Get Rid of A Murderous Dictator and His Chemical Using Army? There's An App For That

This pic says it all.  Not sure what iPad app the guy is using to fire the mortar.  Maybe it's Angry Birds.  More speculation here at MacDailyNews.

Mobile: Google's Gutsy Move To Tether Google Glass To Android, Paving Way for Future of Wearable Device Data Access

Source:  Phandroid.

As you know by now, Google Glass is a very neat idea but also controversial because of the privacy nature of the device.  However, unlike what stuff like Facebook is doing, Google is actually advancing technology and a potentially useful device in society.  But this isn't about privacy here now.  It's about the technology itself.

See, Glass need a data plan to work.  Carriers are more than happy to accommodate user's hunger for data. As long as you pay a separate plan for it.  Stupid right?  Because they won't just let you tether it off your mobile devices, your Android smartphone.

Until now.  Google made a gutsy move by releasing an app that would allow Glass to tether to the smartphones running Android.  In the latest Glass update, you can pair Glass to the dedicated app on your device and have it pull information that way.

Neat.  It's a tether to an app so carriers cannot object, right?

We'll see.  In the future, devices like watches and other wearable gears will essentially work the same way.  I'm glad that Google, someone huge that carriers cannot ignore or make go away, is doing this.  By going after the carriers now even before they're ready, say making users add an extra $10 or $20 just to tether their weable devices, maybe Google can do enough so that users are trained with the idea that they can just tether outer devices to their phones without paying extra for it.

It'll be interesting to see how this play out.  As soon as Apple releases its own wearable devices, even iOS and Mac users will benefit from this move.