The Brooks Review

Month: February 2012

  • Windows Desktop UI Concept

    I don’t know how useable this work from `Sputnik8` would be, but it looks damned pretty.

  • ‘Regarding MS Office for iPad’

    I missed all the hubbub about Office and the iPad, but this is a great take from Guy English, starting with this:

    >“Does it run Office?”

    >“Yes, it’s on the App Store.”

    I think that sums up why Office matters for Apple and Microsoft.

  • OmniOutliner for iPad v1.2

    The release notes:
    >The document picker has been redesigned to allow quicker access to files and easier file management. Tap on the edit button and select a file(s) to access the sharing, duplicate, and delete options.

    The document picker is so much better I felt the need to post about this update. Still no iCloud support as far as I can see though — I really want that.

  • ‘The Problem With Dumb Pipes’

    Trevor Gilbert makes a really strong argument for not turning cell networks into “dump pipes”:
    >You may think that AT&T slows down speeds because it really likes to be mean and hates the customer. In truth, it is because it needs to make money to exist at all. It needs to grow to survive. Not every company can be Apple, and make products that not only are profitable but lovable. Some companies are relegated to the role of simple profit-seeking. A role that doesn’t endear it to the public, but one that does generally get shareholders on board.

  • The Financial Times’ Paid Subscription Model

    Robert Andrews:
    >In the U.S., print circulation was overtaken by these digital subscribers for the first time.

    Impressive, especially considering they don’t have an app in the App Store any longer. A large part of me thinks that paid subscriptions, rather than advertising, is the way to go.

  • ‘Verisign Seizes .Com Domain Registered via Foreign Registrar on Behalf of US Authorities’

    Mark Jeftovic:
    >But at the end of the day what has happened is that US law (in fact, Maryland state law) as been imposed on a .com domain operating outside the USA, which is the subtext we were very worried about when we commented on SOPA. Even though SOPA is currently in limbo, the reality that US law can now be asserted over all domains registered under .com, .net, org, .biz and maybe .info (Afilias is headquartered in Ireland by operates out of the US).

  • Promoted Tweets in Twitter for iPhone

    Word from the [Twitter blog](http://blog.twitter.com/2012/02/promoted-products-now-more-mobile.html):
    >With our most recent app updates, Promoted Accounts are now in Twitter for iPhone and Twitter for Android. And in the coming weeks, we’ll begin introducing Promoted Tweets in the timeline on these mobile apps.

    Many would think this is precisely the reason to *not* use the official Twitter apps, but I think it is precisely the reason *to* use the official mobile apps. I have long been telling people that I think it is only a matter of time before you can’t use third-party Twitter apps — at least not without them being crippled — and I see this move as further evidence of that.

    Think about it another way: what if RSS feed reading clients started to block my ‘sponsored posts’ that I send out weekly? I would want to stop them from being able to do that because by not stopping them I would be directly harming my ability to make money off of this site. Advertisers would be getting less eyeballs and therefore less return for their money and would be less inclined to advertise on this site. It’s really that simple.

    The same is true with Twitter.

    By injecting ads (I mean promoted tweets) into the timelines of their mobile apps, the company is (presumably) making money. When other third-party apps do not show those ads in the timeline, those apps are effectively reducing the eyeballs that see the ads, which in turn is devaluing the ad. Therefore, in order for Twitter to maximize revenue from the ads (oh, promoted tweets) that it interjects, all Twitter clients must show them.

    So either every third-party app will need to interject Twitter’s own ads, or those/some third-party apps need to no longer work with the service. That’s the way forward — that’s how Twitter survives as a business — and make no mistake Twitter needs more than VC money to survive.

    *(On a separate note, don’t confuse this post with me being happy that ads are going to be put in my timeline.)*

  • Quote of the Day: MG Siegler

    “The only people I know that use Google+ regularly are people who work at Google (and Robert Scoble).”

  • TSA: Fail

    Speaking of the TSA, check out what Steve Moore, former FBI agent, has to say about them:
    >TSA has never, (and I invite them to prove me wrong), foiled a terrorist plot or stopped an attack on an airliner. Ever. They crow about weapons found and insinuate that this means they stopped terrorism. They claim that they can’t comment due to “national security” implications. In fact, if they had foiled a plot, criminal charges would have to be filed. Ever hear of terrorism charges being filed because of something found during a TSA screening? No, because it’s never happened. Trust me, if TSA had ever foiled a terrorist plot, they would buy full-page ads in every newspaper in the United States to prove their importance and increase their budget.

    Read his entire post, also his [bio](http://www.blogger.com/profile/13676101961585480429).

  • TSA Leaves Metal Detector Unattended

    Mallory Hoff:
    >According to TSA officials, “a walk-through metal detector was left unattended for less than one minute.”

    lol.

  • MLB at Bat 2012 Goes Free, Uses Monthly in-App Subscriptions

    It’s a fantastic app — an instant home screen app for me.

  • ‘Google Cable TV Coming to Kansas City’

    MG Siegler with a reminder:
    >The types of deals needed for content plays don’t seem to exactly be Google’s strong suit.

    I hadn’t thought about that when I first heard about the Google TV service, but man it could be a sad offering given Google’s track record.

  • Old Fashioned 101

    Martin Doudoroff:
    >You do not mash up fruit of any kind in an Old Fashioned.

    I’ve never had a pure Old Fashioned if this is the case…

    [via Kottke]

  • Gmail Signups

    It now takes a credit card to get a Gmail account — how anyone is OK with that is beyond me. If a free service ever asks me for my credit card, I immediately know that the service is “free”, not free.

    Update: A couple of people have told me that: a) this is optional and/or b) this is due to Google wallet integration. Either way it is not ideal. With regard to iTunes requiring a credit card, I’d argue that you buy things with an iTunes account and not necessarily with a Gmail account.

  • My Thoughts About Different Tech Companies Over the Years

    Like the title says:

    ### Microsoft

    **1990-1999:** Apple can’t touch them. They are *the* platform going forwards — no need to worry about your OS — just buy damned fast hardware.
    **2000-2002:** Meh.
    **2002-2004:** Why is nothing new? I am tired of blue and green or silver and green start bars.
    **2004:** See ya.
    **2005-2007:** Microsoft now stands for everything that I see wrong with computing in general. I loathe the fact that they are so prevalent in my home state.
    **2007-2008:** They are going to go bankrupt, lol.
    **2009:** I forgot about them for a bit.
    **2010:** They have something in Metro, I want to see more.
    **2011-Writing of this post:** They are now the underdog I want to see having a come from behind upset with Windows Phone and Metro. Man, would I love to see that.

    ### Apple

    **1990-1999:** Who would use a Mac? The floppy disks don’t even work on the PCs I have at home without converting stuff each time. These things are junk.
    **2000:** My sister has a Mac, oh man is it slow.
    **2001:** The university has some iBooks running OS X, I have to say it looks interesting.
    **2002-2003:** If nothing else I want the PowerBook because its hardware looks sweet.
    **2004:** Hello, 12” G4 PowerBook. I now see that we have something in Macs — why did it take me so long?
    **2005-2007:** If you are not using a Mac I have to seriously question why I know you — clearly our differences are too great to reconcile.
    **2008-2010:** I remember when it was unique to see people using a Mac. I remember when people thought my having an iPhone was unique.
    **2011-Writing of this post:** Congrats on buying your Apple product, yes I know how much you were missing this whole time, yes you were a fool. I don’t want to talk about it anymore, because I don’t want to teach you why clicking the `X` is not the same as `quitting` an app. Yeah, everyone has the same iPhone as you — now take the case off.

    ### Google

    **~2000:** Goo…what?
    **2001-2008:** This is the company that is going to change everything — the world will be better and more awesome with them. See ya, Microsoft.
    **2009:** It’s just Schmidt, once they oust him things will be OK.
    **2010:** Maybe they are a two-hit-wonder: Search and Gmail. They are making tons of money anyways, nothing to see here, everything will get better once the Uncle Creepy leaves.
    **2011:** Nope, didn’t get better.
    **2012-Writing this post:** Were they ever capable of not being *evil*?

    ### Facebook

    **Late 2004:** Poke.
    **2005-2006:** What girl do I know who took a vacation to a bikini climate?
    **2007:** This is not the same thing it used to be. I miss the days of “poke”. Wait, since when was person A not with person D????
    **2008-2009:** `Person X hid a fucking easter egg on your wall.`
    **2010:** *Delete.*
    **2011-2012:** I can’t believe I ever used Facebook, let alone that people *still* use Facebook.

  • ‘Apple Loophole Gives Developers Access to Photos’

    Nick Bilton:
    >“Conceivably, an app with access to location data could put together a history of where the user has been based on photo location,” said David E. Chen, co-founder of Curio, a company that develops iOS apps. “The location history, as well as your photos and videos, could be uploaded to a server. Once the data is off of the iOS device, Apple has virtually no ability to monitor or limit its use.”

    Anyone know of any apps in the App Store that are actually uploading all the photos to a remote server without the user explicitly asking the app to do so?

    This isn’t a *good* thing, but in this one instance we may be making a mountain out of a mole hill.

  • iPad Event March 7

    Should I line up now?

  • Ars Technica Goes Misleading Headline Style

    Jacqui Cheng goes with this headline “Mercedes Benz to integrate Apple’s Siri for hands-free commands”, which made me stop and be all like “no way, rad” then I read this in her post:
    >According to the IBTimes, Drive Kit Plus integrates with Mercedes’ app called “Digital Drivestyle” that projects the iPhone’s screen onto the car’s in-car screen. At that point, drivers can use Siri to perform any command that Siri can already do, like make appointments, send messages, and perform Web lookups.

    So it actually sounds more like Mercedes is integrating the iPhone as the central computer for the car, not that they are licensing Siri from Apple and thus having Siri integrated into the car.

    There’s a big difference between the two.

  • John Gruber on Android Tablets

    Gruber asks:
    >Just me or does it seem like you see a lot more than five iPads per Android tablet in the wild? (A guess: a lot of junky 7-inch Android tablets gathering dust in drawers.)

    It’s not just Gruber, I rarely see them. My guess: buyer’s remorse.

  • Marco Arment on Andy Rubin’s Statements About Android Tablets in 2012

    Arment:
    >It’s magical thinking

    Indeed.