AI, Mobile, and Eveything Around the Cloud

Source:   Touch Arcade . We don't write enough about games here.  And we totally should, you know?  Zombies rock and we're less than a week from Halloween.  And this "choose your own adventure" type of game here is exactly what mobile devices like smartphones and tablets are made for. This RPG game, if you can call it that, has all the elements of those old 80s and 90s book RPG games that a game master would use to create adventures for other plays.  Those were great times.  And if you have never tried it, well, you simply have missed out. But this game, available for iOS and Android, should help bridge that gap.  It's a zombie game, Blood of the Zombies, the title kinda gave the plot away a bit. And there isn't a lot of gore so it makes the game focused on the adventure than say something like The Walking Dead game offers.  It's all for good old fashion fun.  It's a big pricy compared to other games in app stores but definitely offe...

Source:   CNet . Meet Google and Samsung's answer to the iPad.  From this picture supplied by CNet, it looks like a giant Nexus phone. I refuse to believe that Samsung cannot design something that isn't the iPad and still look good. Maybe pricing will make all the diff for potential buyers.  $300 or even $250 would be a good point from Google.

Source:   Cult of Mac  (I don’t recommend clicking through – just an idiotic post). I hate pollings like this one.  Folks with new iPads from April were asked what they thought about Apple releasing a new iPad with a speed increase just a couple of days were.  Well, if they didn’t know about it as most iPad owners would not have, they would not care.  Their early-2012 iPad was the best tablet they’ve owned. So what if about 50% of the folks are upset.  We live in a world where people feel entitled and they are constantly looking out for things to be upset about.  Case in point.  At a local meeting, parents were upset with the current school board because another school board eons ago agreed to a cell tower on school property. Not one of the old school board members who signed on to that are now serving on the current school board and a recall effort against the current board is beginning to take form. So seriously, iPad owners love their ...

Source: Digital Reader . First, let's get this out of the way. The iPad mini was a response to the sub-10" tablet market, not necessarily the 7" tablets alone. And second, the iPad mini has a 7.9" screen that has a full 35% more screen real estate than the 7" flavors. So in his post, the DR writer uses Steve Jobs, as if he really gets Steve, said he would have priced the mini at $199 or close to it. He doesn't really say but given the rumors that were flying about, I guess he was one of those who believed it to be true. However, once you get pass his profanity, and there was lots of it, you are reminded that Apple never competed on price. Sure, the iPad at $499 was incredible but it is a whole new category of mobile computing no one has seen or experienced before. It was a new market for Apple to do as it will including pricing it at $499. So for Apple to price the level entry mini at $329 isn't that far fetched. Remember, Apple was unwilling to produce ...

Interesting theory here from CNet. Apple's event today was not just about the iPad mini. It was not about putting some distance between the iPhone 5 introduction and the iPad mini. It was meant to bury an old foe once and for all. Now, obviously today's focus was on the iPad mini. However, Apple did introduce a refresh of virtually all Mac line. Only the MacBook Pro and a MacBook air or not refreshed because they were just updated months ago. Perhaps, it was a coincidence. A coincidence that Windows 8 is just around the corner as well. Call incidents that Microsoft tablet, the surface, is about to be released. Obviously, Apple's event today could've been aimed at Google, Amazon, or anyone else who wants to compete against Apple's ecosystem during this Holiday season. Personally, I surprised Apple did not bring forth any new media development. So, maybe it's just a matter of timing. It's not Apple's fault that everyone wants bunch all their new gadget in...

Source:   Cult of Mac . Here are a couple of detailed hands-on with the new iPad mini introduced by Apple today.  I’m sure you’re reading this because you’re in the market for a sub-10 device.  I don’t’ know what to tell you.  You can always expect Apple’s products to be designed well. At $329, how does this compare with the $199 Android devices like the Kindle, Nexus, and the Nook tablets?  You’ll have to ask yourself some familiar questions about this.  It is worth the premium just to have a bigger screen (35% more real estate than standard 7” tablets), longer battery life, and being locked into Apple’s iOS ecosystem. You’ll have to decide if this is the route you want to go.  I’m sure Google and Amazon will match Apple with different features and form factors so, again, there is a lot of competition now in the tablet market. And it’s critical for all of these companies to be able to carve a piece of the tablet pie out for themselves. ...

This morning, we learn that Amazon UK wiped a woman’s Kindle, killed her account, and promises to do the same in the future if she ever tries to open up another Amazon account.  Oh, thank goodness for DRM, says Jeff Bezos. All of this came from Martin Bekkelund (via The Guardian ).  Right now, it’s one sided because Amazon’s public records (e-mails to the distressed woman) suggests that is is being a hard-ass about all this and is looking to stir up some really bad PR just before the Holidays shopping season in the Western world (and China). Not only will folks, and they should, start to reconsider buying Kindle and other DRM’d media from Amazon, they will have choices from Apple who will release their Kindle killer, the iPad mini, Google will quite possibly release their $99 Kindle-killer Nexus tablet, and Barnes and Noble’s Nooks with their growing legion of loyal fans.  Oh, though probably not a big concern at this time, Microsoft is releasing their Surface table...