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A neat little utility to allow you to write in your text editor of choice and then upon closing that window have the text magically appear in say a mail message window. Clever and it supports TextMate. Here’s the thing though: there was another menubar utility that did this same thing a while back (like…
A neat little utility to allow you to write in your text editor of choice and then upon closing that window have the text magically appear in say a mail message window. Clever and it supports TextMate. Here’s the thing though: there was another menubar utility that did this same thing a while back (like more than a year) bonus points if you know what it was/is.
Marco Arment weighs in with a very accurate list.
Marco Arment weighs in with a very accurate list.
Josh Ong after reporting on the Playbooks current 3 hour battery life: Despite these concerns, RIM’s Jim Balsillie has insisted that the PlayBook is “way ahead” of the iPad. Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis recently said in an interview that the PlayBook OS is will lead RIM into the “next decade of mobile computing.” I sure hope…
Josh Ong after reporting on the Playbooks current 3 hour battery life:
Despite these concerns, RIM’s Jim Balsillie has insisted that the PlayBook is “way ahead” of the iPad. Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis recently said in an interview that the PlayBook OS is will lead RIM into the “next decade of mobile computing.”
I sure hope the “next decade” of computing doesn’t mean 3 hour battery life.
Yesterday I posted about CNN’s list of the top ten technology failures for 2010 — in the linked list I wrote that I no longer trusted CNN and would not be reading them. Upon thinking about it more I find their entire list to be pretty silly. Here are CNN’s top ten failures in tech…
Yesterday I posted about CNN’s list of the top ten technology failures for 2010 — in the linked list I wrote that I no longer trusted CNN and would not be reading them. Upon thinking about it more I find their entire list to be pretty silly. Here are CNN’s top ten failures in tech for 2010:
Apple deservedly makes the list twice — but this is hardly a list of the biggest tech failures and the iPhone 4 antenna issue is hardly at the top. Compare CNN’s list to LAPTOP Magazine’s list:
This list makes even less sense. Let’s look at PC Worlds ginormous list of failures, which were annoyingly put in a slideshow format:
1.Google Buzz
2. iTunes Ping
3. Google Wave
4. Net Neutrality
5. Facebook Privacy
6. McAfee’s False Positive
7. Palm Pre / WebOS
8. HP Slate
9. Android Tablets
10. Nexus One
11. JooJoo
12. Plastic Logic Que
13. Lost iPhone
14. iPhone 4 Antenna
15. White iPhone 4
16. Blackberry Torch
17. Ask.com
18. Blockbuster
19. MySpace
20. Microsoft Kin
This is probably the best list I have seen, but it is hardly definitive.
With that in mind let me now rank how I see 2010’s biggest technology failures:
That is it, only nine things. So let’s talk about a few that made the list and why and then I will mention why I have omitted a couple of others.
Many of you may be wondering why an Oil Spill constitutes a ‘technology failure’ — I would argue that BP and the U.S. failed to use all available technologies to resolve the situation. More so they failed to properly use technology to prevent the spill in the first place.
Ignore the poor management of the clean up — a lot of technology failed to make the spill as bad as it was.
These were supposed to be huge, instead did one even ship with Windows on it? Ok — but they sure as hell didn’t live up to anyones standards. This was a massive technology and business failure.
Where the hell were they? Where is all the technology that they purported to be shipping? Ugh…
I left Ping off because if you re-read the definition above you will see that Ping did as advertised. Ping isn’t great and barely anyone uses it, but is that really worse than anything else on the list?
Did it stop users from buying it? If Kin makes the list for lack of sales than why would the iPhone 4 make the list…too many sales?
I hate Facebook, but apparently I am in the minority. Yes, they are making things less and less private — but I don’t recall something worse than the other things on my list happening.
I didn’t really want to make a list, but I saw no way around it. So if Apple ships the White iPhone 4 before the 1st then you have me to thank. ((They read this blog…right?))
Shawn Blanc enlightening readers about iOS group messaging: Since Group Messaging means messages are sent as MMS no matter what, if you’re sending to people using Blackberries or non-smartphones then they have to open and download your text message as if it contained a media attachment. They think you’re sending a picture, but you simply…
Shawn Blanc enlightening readers about iOS group messaging:
Since Group Messaging means messages are sent as MMS no matter what, if you’re sending to people using Blackberries or non-smartphones then they have to open and download your text message as if it contained a media attachment. They think you’re sending a picture, but you simply sent some words.
File that under: “I had no clue”.
A huge thanks to Marco Arment for not only fixing the bug mentioned earlier, but for doing so quickly. Marco Arment: Users affected will need to tap the grayed-out stories in the iPhone/iPad app and select “Redownload” to fix them. Sorry about that.
A huge thanks to Marco Arment for not only fixing the bug mentioned earlier, but for doing so quickly.
Marco Arment:
Users affected will need to tap the grayed-out stories in the iPhone/iPad app and select “Redownload” to fix them. Sorry about that.
[Updated: 12/29/10 at 11:23 AM] Thanks to all that emailed me — this looks to be a widespread problem for more than just my site. If you are seeing this please feel free to continue to report it and also report it to the developer of the apps that you are using. Thanks. [Updated: 12/29/10…
[Updated: 12/29/10 at 11:23 AM] Thanks to all that emailed me — this looks to be a widespread problem for more than just my site. If you are seeing this please feel free to continue to report it and also report it to the developer of the apps that you are using. Thanks.
[Updated: 12/29/10 at 11:27 AM] Marco Arment the developer of Instapaper emailed to say that he is working on the problem. Please don’t flood his email box anymore. Thanks for your help.
To all readers using Instapaper for iOS could you please do me a favor and try to add this post to Instapaper by whatever means you usually do this. Once you do this can you sync your Instapaper account to your iOS device and let me know if the article shows up.
I have been getting scattered reports that an article (not linked list items) are showing as “unavailable” in Instapaper for iOS. This of course annoys me to no end and must be incredibly frustrating for you — the reader.
Shoot me an email to comments@brooksreview.net and let me know if it works for you or not and the steps you took.
Instapaper appears to work just fine for the linked list items.
Thanks!
A great write up from Stephen M. Hackett on how Things’ lack of OTA sync is really going to spell trouble for the company. Just look at the reviews that he links to and ask yourself: if you didn’t know anything about Things — would you buy it today based on the app store reviews…
A great write up from Stephen M. Hackett on how Things’ lack of OTA sync is really going to spell trouble for the company. Just look at the reviews that he links to and ask yourself: if you didn’t know anything about Things — would you buy it today based on the app store reviews alone?
I don’t care if you are going to list Apple’s iPhone 4 antenna problems as the biggest fail in tech of 2010 (though you would be wrong), but at the very least make sure you make a case for it being the biggest failure. Look at how CNN sees Apple’s “fail”, through the eyes of…
I don’t care if you are going to list Apple’s iPhone 4 antenna problems as the biggest fail in tech of 2010 (though you would be wrong), but at the very least make sure you make a case for it being the biggest failure. Look at how CNN sees Apple’s “fail”, through the eyes of Doug Gross:
Months later, the problem is all but forgotten and the phones show no sign of dipping in popularity. So “fail,” in this case, is a pretty relative term.
So CNN is it a fail or not. Never mind I am just not going to read your crap anymore.
I mean clearly Ping is a bigger failure, yet it only garners 10th place? WTF.
A couple of things stuck out at me in the article. Don’t you have to agree to allow an app to access your location? How is Apple profiting from this? Here let’s look at this closer, Ryan Singel: If an app passes along that number to an advertisers, the advertising company can use it to…
A couple of things stuck out at me in the article.
Here let’s look at this closer, Ryan Singel:
If an app passes along that number to an advertisers, the advertising company can use it to build up a profile of the user, as well as keep track of which ads it has shown to a user before and which of those ads a user clicked on.
With browser cookies, however, a user can easily block them or delete them, essentially cutting off the profile. Neither is possible with apps that use UDIDs, since that number can’t be changed.
I am not sure that this is really that big of a deal — Google does it to you all the time. I do however take stand to the second sentence quoted — in no way do I think that most users think it is easy to block browser cookies. To make such a claim would mean that walking down the street and asking any computer user how to block cookies in their browser I should get more than 50% of people asked telling me how to do that. I dare you to try and actually get that.
“Apple knew this was an issue,” said Majed Nachawati, one of the lawyers who filed the suit. “They had a duty to warn consumers and at a minimum, if they intend to profit from this, they need to let people know and get their consent.”
Again how is Apple profiting from this? Is iAds at fault or is this other advertising platforms? If iAds, then sue Apple. Don’t tell me that Apple is profiting because they take a 30% cut — they take that from the sales price of the app, not from revenue derived from ad sales, unless they are iAds.
This though just made me lose all hope in humanity, I mean who wants to play “Pimple Popper Lite”:
Other apps named in the suit include Toss It, Text4Plus, The Weather Channel, Talking Tom Cat, and Pimple Popper Lite.
Ulysses is my favorite writing software and I just found out that it is on sale right now for 50% off. That is a steal. Right now you can grab a copy for EUR 22.49.
Ulysses is my favorite writing software and I just found out that it is on sale right now for 50% off. That is a steal. Right now you can grab a copy for EUR 22.49.
How much did it cost AOL in the 90s to spam us all with AOL install CDs? More than $300 million it would seem. Wow.
How much did it cost AOL in the 90s to spam us all with AOL install CDs? More than $300 million it would seem.
Wow.
I have been a long time fan of John Carey — his writing is excellent is his photography is superb. Add to that him giving away some of his images for you to use as backgrounds on your devices and you have to love the guy. They are beautiful.
I have been a long time fan of John Carey — his writing is excellent is his photography is superb. Add to that him giving away some of his images for you to use as backgrounds on your devices and you have to love the guy. They are beautiful.
Adam King on Twitter: Select multiple PDF attachments in Mail, drag to Notational Velocity” icon, and presto! 1 note per PDF w/ full, stripped plaintext. Handy. Handy indeed.
Adam King on Twitter:
Select multiple PDF attachments in Mail, drag to Notational Velocity” icon, and presto! 1 note per PDF w/ full, stripped plaintext. Handy.
Handy indeed.
I love reading rumors — the wishing/hoping/dreaming of what will be included in future gadgets fascinates me. Rumors give you a very clear idea of how far from reality certain people are and how in the “know” others are. The iPad and the iPhone are probably the two most rumored devices on the web, but…
I love reading rumors — the wishing/hoping/dreaming of what will be included in future gadgets fascinates me. Rumors give you a very clear idea of how far from reality certain people are and how in the “know” others are. The iPad and the iPhone are probably the two most rumored devices on the web, but one rumor about the iPad that has been making the rounds is starting to really bug me.
Rumors keep saying that the next version (iteration?) of the iPad will result in a thinner device. That rumor bugs me a lot.
Just because a device is thin doesn’t mean that it will be better. ((I realize how stupid this sounds coming from the guy who praises the thinness of the MacBook Air — hang with me for a second.)) Pick up your iPad right now and try to imagine what it would feel like if it were thinner. For me I think the iPad would become far to uncomfortable to hold. In fact I think the iPad should retain its thickness and try to shed a few ounces instead.
What makes the iPad feel large is not the thickness, or even the footprint, of the device: the fact that it weighs 1.5lbs is what makes the device feel large.
The original iPhone was 11.6 mm thick and the current iPhone 4 is only 9.3 mm thick. That is a massive reduction in your hand, and many people would like the iPhone to be even thinner. The problem: the thinner a handheld is device, the harder it is to comfortably hold said device in your hand.
Go grab your wallet: pull out a few credit cards (3-4 should work). Stack them on top of each other and just hold them. Now pick up your iPhone 4 (if you have one). Which feels better in your hand? If you have an original iPhone go grab that, compared to the iPhone 4 I still prefer the way that the original iPhone feels in my hand.
The curves of the original iPhone, coupled with the aluminum and the thickness, made it a joy to hold. I am not saying that the iPhone 4 doesn’t feel good in your hand — it just doesn’t feel as good as the original iPhone did.
I love — love — the thinness of the MacBook Air, but if I had to choose between a thin laptop and a lighter laptop, I would choose the lighter one every time. Weight is far more important in laptops than the thickness is (to me). It just so happens that for the most part, thickness and weight go hand in hand.
One thing that I can tell you about the MacBook Air is that when you carry it — like you would carry a book at your side — you will be holding it so that the thicker side is resting in your palm. The front edge of the Air is just too thin to comfortably hold. Feels like it might sever your hand if you hold it with the front edge in your palm.
There are a lot more things than thinness and less weight that I want out of the iPad first; to name a few:
With devices like the iPhone and iPad changing physical dimensions is way more involved than just ratcheting down the specs. If you change the overall thickest point by -1 mm then you have changed the entire curvature on the back of the iPad. In doing that small change you have also changed the entire way it fits and feels in the users hand.
I honestly believe that a thinner iPad will be much less comfortable to hold. Especially one with a flat back.
There is another rumor that has circled talking about another thin iPad that has a flat back instead of a curved back. This is the last thing I want to see in the iPad. When the iPhone went from the original to 3G models and then to the 4 the iPhone backs changed as well: flat with curved sides, curved back, flat angular surfaces. The first iPhone feels the best in your hand and the 3G models feel the smallest. The 4 is the smallest iPhone yet, but it harder feels like it.
This is what happens when you flatten out the back, the tactile response is completely changed.
There is one problem though: using the iPad on the flat surface without a case/stand of some sort is impossible because the back is not flat. A flat back would make it far easier to take notes, in say a meeting, then the curved back does. (That wobbling effect the iPad does when you try to type with it laid flat on a table is far from “fun”.)
So the question becomes: do you make the back flat so that people can create content on the device without a case or stand — or do you keep the curvature of the back to make the device a delight to hold?
I don’t know if a happy medium exists here.
A great example of this is the iPod touch — I am reluctant to mention it because I think it is the weight that is more impressive than the size — it too is massively thin and has a some what flat back and I don’t think it is more comfortable to hold than the iPhone is.
To get at the heart of the matter: changing the thickness of a handheld device is not as simple as trying to make the case as small as possible. Changing the physical dimensions of the iPad in the slightest will result in a massive redesign in the shape and feel of the case.
The original iPhone was aluminum on the back, the 3G and 3GS (both the same size) were plastic on the back, the iPhone 4 is glass and metal. Each size change drastically changed the materials used to make the device — the same will hold true for the iPad. You are fooling yourself if you think Apple will release an iPad of a different size that looks the same as the original iPad.
If someone says the iPad is just going to get a bigger battery and be a little thinner then you need to be asking yourself how in the hell they are going to make it thinner. That, and you need to ask yourself if it really makes sense to the make the device thinner.
Is Apple focused on making the iPad 2 a very thin svelte version of the original? Or, like with the iPhone is Apple focused on making the internal hardware specs the best they can and only when they are able to are they going to make it thinner?
I think the internal hardware will change on the iPad — I don’t think that the external hardware will necessarily be thinner. I think a lighter iPad addresses far more complaints that a thinner iPad would. I have never heard someone pick up an iPad and say: “Wow this thing is thick.” I have heard many pick up an iPad and say: “Wow this is kind of heavy.”
It just seems too soon to be worrying about a very good form factor when there are so many other obvious upgrades to be done. Other hardware manufacturers have yet to even come close to matching the form factor of the iPad — they can’t even make a tablet bigger than seven inches it would seem.
Yes — Apple wants the best physical experience, but do they need it before they need to upgrade the internal hardware specs?
Glenn Greenwald on Wired’s Senior Editor Kevin Poulsen and his relationship with Adrian Lamo and the WikiLeaks scandal: This has long ago left the realm of mere journalistic failure and stands as one of the most egregious examples of active truth-hiding by a “journalist” I’ve ever seen. Can’t wait to see how Wired responds.
Glenn Greenwald on Wired’s Senior Editor Kevin Poulsen and his relationship with Adrian Lamo and the WikiLeaks scandal:
This has long ago left the realm of mere journalistic failure and stands as one of the most egregious examples of active truth-hiding by a “journalist” I’ve ever seen.
Can’t wait to see how Wired responds.
A fascinating post by “Byron G” on how modern cellphones actually charge. Unlike old cellphones they charge to 100% then cut power and only try to maintain something above 90% for the period they are plugged in. Battery gauges on phones are programmed to be inaccurate and report 100% charges. Now his data is only…
A fascinating post by “Byron G” on how modern cellphones actually charge. Unlike old cellphones they charge to 100% then cut power and only try to maintain something above 90% for the period they are plugged in. Battery gauges on phones are programmed to be inaccurate and report 100% charges. Now his data is only for Android phones, but one could assume that the iPhone is very similar.
Interestingly ‘bump charging’ gives you an extra 10-15% of battery power — at the cost of less battery health. (Bump charging is turning off your device and charging until the device reads 100%, then unplugging and replugging in the charger and repeating 5-6 times.)
The advice at the end of the post is the best — keep your phone charged when you can, topping it off is the best use case — most importantly just use your damned phone and stop worrying about the battery.
MG Siegler: Say what you will about the iPhone/AT&T deal, it’s clear that Apple is in control there. And say what you will about Apple — at least they’re not the carriers. With Android, it’s a different story. That’s why the “open” argument is such a bullshit red herring. Android is so open that it…
MG Siegler:
Say what you will about the iPhone/AT&T deal, it’s clear that Apple is in control there. And say what you will about Apple — at least they’re not the carriers. With Android, it’s a different story. That’s why the “open” argument is such a bullshit red herring. Android is so open that it gives the carriers (and now apparently the government) freedom to screw us — openly.
This is an excellent analysis of the market — I agree 100%.
Your Airport may have those Backscatter machines, but do they use them? [via Life Hacker]
Your Airport may have those Backscatter machines, but do they use them?