AI, Mobile, and Eveything Around the Cloud

One of the better scifi movie that came out of a book that was also better than the book was Starship Troopers.  You might disagree with me but I think the movie took the idea and did one better than the author. Since, the first movie, we have seen others that followed up. And on top of that, was was a computer-generated cartoon version that was quite awesome for its time and even today. Now, get ready for Starship Troopers:  Invasion.  I've already pre-ordered it.  You can see for yourself why. Release is mid-August thereabout.  I can't wait.  Maybe if this movie does well, we'll see a new series for TV or even mobile games for the iPhone and Android.  Obviously, there is a large contingent of fans who can't get enough of these bugs and their human exterminators!

Source:   Mashable . Interesting post on colleges having trouble meeting the wireless demands on their networks.  The thing with this is that those colleges without adequate wireless Internet services should be pointed out because our students need them - it's practically as important as having oxygen. US News And World Report does an  annual ranking of the best schools .  Maybe they ought to include a section for schools best able to meet the mobile and technological demands of their students. More than 3/4 of US higher education institutions have problems meeting their students' wireless needs.  This is absolutely horrible.  And the thing is that it'll get worse quarter after quarter, sememster after semester, not just by year. And not just with students armed with smartphones and laptops but tablets will increasing become an integral part of their learning process.  Here are some disturbing information: Only 68% of schools offer unlim...

Interesting Appleinsider post  here about how Apple will use its own maps to replace Google Maps and deny Google valuable information about iOS users. I have to wonder if all this matters much in the long run.  It isn’t as if Google, with only location information data from Android users, arguably with a larger installed base than iPhone users, won't be able to create awesome new features and services.  In fact, Android users has had better mapping services from Google for years.  And it’s not as if Google Maps will suddenly disappear from the App Store either. It's only with iOS 6 that iPhone users will gain some parity with Android map apps from Google. Whether it is Apple, Google, or even Microsoft, their services has to provide value in ways that is unique it its installed base.  Maybe that’s what Apple is hoping to do.  However, last I check, there are quite a few Google developed apps and they’ve enjoyed a lot of downloads. Anyway, competiti...

Another example of (stupidity) why texting and driving don't mix.  It should be in the came category as drunk driving as far as I'm concerned. The idiot in the case lived but I hope they billed him for all the clean-up.  I might sound harsh but what if he had drove head-on into a family of four with young kids and killing them all - one of the kids could one day become a great doctor who find a cure to a disease or solve our energy problem? It's a must watch video.

Source:   Arstechnica . Microsoft will be abandoning the "Metro" name and in its place, the UI will be called "Windows 8-style UI". Talk about a mouthful.  Why the change? According to Ars, it's because a German company threatened to sue.  With Windows 8 launch happening soon, Redmond figured it would be easier to just work around it.  Unfortunately, while Microsoft put on a brave face about how "Metro" was only a code-name, a look around its website shows that Microsoft had long term plans for "Metro".  I mean, it's all over the place. Hope this doesn't trip things up for Surface and subsequent tablet and phone launches.  We general mobile fans and consumers need a strong Microsoft to compete in the market place.

Source:   blastr . I get scared easily but I love it.  Having said that, after watching Paranormal Activity 3 in a theater with a friend, and there were just the two of us in there for the matinee, we went back home and rented Paranormal Activity 1 and 2 to catch up. Needless to say, I did not sleep with the lights off for nearly a month.  It was only a powerful windstorm that knocked out power for three days that I had the lights off at night.  And my house is freaking filled with mirrors and very reflective windows. Well, Paranormal Activity 4 will soon be upon us.  And here is the trailer.  The only reason I was brave enough to watch it is because I'll have a house guest with me for a couple of weeks. See the end of it?  Puts a whole new perspective on using Facetime, Hangout, or Skype. Also, here is another movie, The Possession, that...sigh, I don't know why I do this to myself.  Yes, I look forward to scaring myself when i...

While there has been a lot of speculations about the screen of the iPhone, whether it'll have NFC (near field communication) chip to go along with Passbook, and how thin it'll be, I have wondered about what kind of camera it'll have. It's conceivable that Apple could go with the same camera as the iPhone 4S because of all the above features I've mentioned.  It could be that there will be enough new features and a form factor for the next iPhone that Apple doesn't see any need to upgrade the camera this time around. On top of that, let's not forget the CPU upgrade that the iPhone is likely to get.   Another factor that I think Apple might keep the camera at 8MP with marginal improvement at that is because of storage.  Let's say Apple goes ahead with a 10MP or 12MP camera upgrade.  The storage could be an issue for the 16 GB version of the new iPhone.  Then again, it could be because of the added storage requirement for photos that will drive u...