The Brooks Review

Author: Ben Brooks

  • iPhone 4 To Be Delivered Early?

    Last night – I along with other pre-orderers – received the following email from Apple:

    Dear Apple Store Customer,

    You recently received a Shipment Notification email from Apple advising you that your iPhone has shipped.

    This email is to confirm that your delivery will occur on June 23rd. Although Apple and FedEx tracking information may currently indicate a later date, you can check the FedEx website the morning of the June 23rd to track your package to your doorstep.

    In the event that you will not be available to accept delivery on June 23rd, it may be more convenient to use our pre-sign delivery option by visiting our Order Status website at http://www.apple.com/orderstatus.

    Sincerely,

    The Apple Store Team

    When Apple initially sent me tracking info it said it would show up on the 23rd, however this not being my first time with Apple launches I knew that to be false and that it would be here on the 24th. It now says it will be here on the 24th – but Apple is telling everyone we get it a day early. If true I am really happy, however if this is not true then I am confused as to why this email went out.

  • Will Google’s Newspass save serious journalism?

    I seriously doubt it.

  • Apple Now Collecting Your Location Data

    From Apple’s privacy policy:

    To provide location-based services on Apple products, Apple and our partners and licensees may collect, use, and share precise location data, including the real-time geographic location of your Apple computer or device. This location data is collected anonymously in a form that does not personally identify you and is used by Apple and our partners and licensees to provide and improve location-based products and services. For example, we may share geographic location with application providers when you opt in to their location services.

    This is not good, in fact Apple needs to clarify this section – 4 sentences is not enough to make me feel comfortable about what Apple is doing with my location data.

  • On Governments Getting into the Ad Game

    It occurred to me today when I read about how California is considering new license plates (digital ones) that when the car is stopped they would display ads – what occurred to me is that governments can be a lot like newspaper companies. Bear with me for a moment.

    In publishing we have the infamous ‘paywalls’ where content providers put all the good juicy content behind a login page that requires you to buy a subscription. Often times owning a subscription though does not mean that you get content free from ads – the subscription price alone is not enough to pay for the production of the content.

    So let’s go back to governments and this digital advertising on license plate idea. You have to pay to license and register your car (tabs, plates, taxes, etc.) and then once you do that you get a plate that will then show ads. Hmm sounds familiar.

    This brings more than just paywall problems to rise – what about taste, endorsements, or moderation? If CA does this, then would they allow strip clubs, or porn to be advertised on the license plates – surely they would not. That in itself represents the government limiting free speech, does it not? What if the government had been running ads for Bernie Madoff, would they be sued by citizens who expected them to fully vet each advertiser.

    This is all just concept at this point, and I am sure there are some very smart people in the tech heavy California that will point out these obvious problems. Still – it makes you think – should the government be allowed to sell advertising on license plates? I would think not.

  • Amazon Cuts Price of the Kindle

    Priya Ganapati:

    Amazon has cut the price of its Kindle e-book reader to $190 from $260 earlier. Amazon’s move comes in response to Barnes & Noble’s price cut on the Nook earlier Monday.

    This was bound to happen, kudos to Amazon for reacting so quickly – the profit is in the books not the device. Unlike the Nook however I suspect the Kindle to be around for a while yet. Look for the death of the Sony eReader soon though.

  • Swype Reinvents Typing on Touch-Screen Phones

    Jenna Wortham:

    Mr. Kushler, who is chief technology officer of Swype, estimates that the software can improve even the nimblest text-messager’s pace by 20 to 30 percent.

  • iOS 4 Now Available to Download

    Servers are a bit slow – well worth it though.

  • Apple: Facetime Videos Won’t Use Your Cell’s Minutes

    That’s the difference between Apple making the decision and AT&T making the decision – or if you prefer Wi-Fi only versus Cell Network access.

  • In California, license plates might go electronic

    Robin Hindery:

    The device would mimic a standard license plate when the vehicle is in motion but would switch to digital ads or other messages when it is stopped for more than four seconds, whether in traffic or at a red light. The license plate number would remain visible at all times in some section of the screen.

    In emergencies, the plates could be used to broadcast Amber Alerts or traffic information.

    First showing ads when you make a person pay for taxes on the vehicle is egregious. Second, allowing for broadcast of Amber Alerts is pretty cool.

  • Aggressive B&N Cuts Nook Price By 23 Percent; Adds $149 WiFi Edition

    I would also add that this is a ‘limited’ addition, as I doubt this will still be on sale come next year.

  • Using iPad as a: Google search

    Google suggestions are always great. [via DF]

  • How The World Spends Its Time Online

    If you hate infographics don’t click the link.

  • Verizon To Reprimand, Fire Employees Who Try To Save Customers Money

    Carey Alexander:

    Verizon vehemently denied that they would actually fire CSRs for offering proactively customer service, but they defended ripping off unsuspecting customers. Their reason? “We don’t want customers to go over their usage every month, and then call us looking for credits every month.” Way to trust your loyal and beloved customers, Verizon.

    What I can’t figure out is why this still surprises me.

  • First iPhone 4 Camper Shows Up One Week Before Launch

    I have to find that guy that told me I was crazy for spending 10 hours getting two iPhone 4’s pre-ordered.

  • Acid Test for Cellphone Usability

    John Gruber:

    Here’s the test. Take some normal people, where by “normal” I mean people who have never heard of TechCrunch or Daring Fireball. Give them brand new still-in-the-box iPhone 4’s and HTC Evos. Now ask them to make a video call to one another. With the iPhone 4, they’re going to be able to do it. The only thing that’s technically confusing about FaceTime is that it only works via Wi-Fi (I think many people have little understanding of the difference between Wi-Fi and 3G data — at least insofar as why a feature would work over one but not the other).

    Exactly, I call it the ‘Mom Test’ – as in if my Mom can figure it out with no help from me – then that makes it easy to use.

  • Build Your Own Tablet for $400

    Why? An extra $99 will buy you an iPad – much larger, assembled, ready to go. Why bother with this for $400?

  • Microsoft releases a mobile operating system for businesses

    Christ you thought that pink phone from the other day was ugly – this looks like an old school terminal screen.

  • AT&T will count Micro-Cell usage towards your data cap

    John Biggs:

    However, AT&T will still charge data used while in range of the Micro-Cell against your no longer unlimited data cap. This means that you’re essentially allowing AT&T to drop a cell antenna into your house, paying $150 for the privilege, and they get to use your data infrastructure to get voice and data back to their own fiber networks.

    AT&T is so damned annoying.

  • Google shadow over new media groups

    Kenneth Li:

    However, Google obtained a patent this year for a system that would help it identify “inadequate content” on the internet, based on comparisons of what people search for and what they find, executives who have reviewed the filing, said.

    This could be interesting.

  • Android Still Spread Out Over Three Different Versions

    Stan Schroeder:

    This is now true, but just barely; according to the latest stats from Android Developers, 50% of active devices are now running Android 2.1, while 25% of devices are based on Android 1.6, and 24.6% of devices are still running the ancient Android 1.5.

    This is the fragmentation that I have been talking about.