AI, Mobile, and Eveything Around the Cloud

Source:   Blastr . Sometimes finding the right Friday movie to post is a bit daunting because there is so much to pick from.  So many great shows and movies out there.  Not this week.  This is the first clip I'm posting that is from across the Pond. Doctor Who.  This is a 3-min video called "Good as Gold".  I suppose it's like a webisode of sort.  I like to see more of this from shows and movies.  I like to see a lot more of it. Apparently, the script for "Good As Gold" came from a school contest.  Go figure. Hope you enjoy this.  I did.

Source:   The Verge . Looks like Google is slowly but surely putting more effort into making mobile Google+ apps with more features that are, well, more mobile. Makes sense since Facebook has shown that it simply cannot make money as users stop using desktop versions and, instead, spend more time on mobile. According to The Verge, there are strings in the codes that references "events" and "local".  Both are welcoming news as far as we're concerned.  I reckon this could be the events feature that Google has featured about in a separate app and local like means check-ins and probably deals. We won't know for sure but I think Google realizes that it'll be just as hard for it to make money off ads on its mobile apps as it has been for Facebook.  And going local with local commerce where Google can get a bit of each transaction may well be how it can monetize Google+ and other location-based features. Let's hope we see this sooner rather than...

Source:   On Apple , MacObserver . In our previous post, we suggested that Apple's HDTV won't be a TV at all.  If anything, it will only be an Airplay-ready display.  Oh, it'll be HD but it'll likely lack even a TV tuner.  For that, you'll have to pay extra for an accessory, likely, from a third party. Apparently, others agree.  I'm glad that Forrester is turning to the corner to this idea.  And more and more, I think this is also what Steve Jobs said when he told his biographer that he cracked the TV conundrum.  Don't make a TV.  It's that simple. This is also supported by folks who have "seen" the Apple display as a giant Thunderbolt display . This Apple HD Display will serve as the center of all living activities while Apple's iOS devices serve as conduits through which content flows. And if you want extras like paid TV subscription like cable, Netflix, or iTunes content, you just have to pay extra for this.  All apps ...

It's official.  NYT has sold its soul and, now, it articles are mostly based on biased pieces that hit individuals or companies based on access or not.  And in Eduardo Saverin's case,  ES granted NYT  an exclusive interview without any sort of in-depth analysis whatsoever. I read the whole piece thinking I would find some hard hitting questions about Saverin's betrayal of the country that gave him and his family sanctuary.  He claimed his giving up his US citizenship was for other reasons other than avoiding paying taxes.  NYT mentioned a thing or two about the estate taxes but never drilled him further. Folks, use Google+, use Path, use anything but Facebook.  The dude is a jerk and NYT bought the act.

Today, Apple-centric sites are quoting a Wall Street analyst in saying that a sub-9.7” iPad will do well in school and be quite popular with gamers.  To that, I say, “no #$%, Sherlock!”  I think many bloggers are getting lazy.  The thing that would be more fun than talking about this is speculating how a 7, 7.85, or 8 inch iPad would impact not only the market but also change how tablets are used. Let’s do that here.  First, battery life.  I think I can say for everyone who has own an iPad, tablet, or laptop is that battery life is very important to just about every mobile warrior.  That’s like the first amendment of any mobile warrior’s bill of rights.  What’s the point of not having long-ish battery life on any mobile device. If the 7” iPad can keep up with the iPad in terms of battery life, look out.  You’ll be seeing a lot more of these devices on the go.  Be it for students, gamers, or business uses like delivery drivers or a mobile...

This is short.  Google TV is pretty good but it isn't spectacular because there are other platforms out there that does much of what Google TV offers.  And if Apple's supposed HDTV isn't awesome, it will fail.  In essence, Google TV has been Zuned and Apple's TV will be zuned if it is merely a "me, too" HDTV. It was foreseen with Microsoft's failed Zune experiment.  And this was as much as admitted by the man Microsoft tasked to make Zune go after the iPod.   Robbie Bach  essentially said it was chasing the iPod with a product that wasn't offering anything new in ways that could get people to abandon Apple's music player. This is the same thing that is happening to Google TV.  I don't have to buy a $300 Logitech device when a $50 Roku will do.  Nor will "Google TV" HDTV, with a premium in the hundreds, entice me to buy it when, again, a $50 Roku will do. That said, I am still not sure that Apple's rumored HDTV will be just ...

Is the tablet going to be the new camcorder, for older folks?  I was at my hospital yesterday where I go to donate blood and platelets.  Speaking with one of the nurses, she told me how she felt relaxed after her vacation to Hawaii and that she'd bring pics to show us. When I asked her what camera she used, they said, "I used the iPad, you silly..." Wow, I was thinking to myself.  But you know what?  I can see this pick up over time.  In fact, we haven't seen more of this because I think the iPad 2 camera just was not quite there.  And Android devices didn't really have any good camera and video apps. I think we'll see more tablet users, especially ones more portable, take them on vacations and use them as their digital camcorders and cameras. My nurse has an iPad 2 so I don't think the pics will turn out great.  Even she said something about that.  But she did say the videos came out awesome.