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Recent Articles

  • ‘How Android Is Transforming Mobile Computing’ [Not Really]

    Dan Lyons writes a post for Newsweek contending the: Android is the kind of runaway smash hit that techies spend their careers dreaming about. and: But Android has enabled handset makers like Motorola and Samsung to develop credible rivals to the iPhone. This year, as those companies have gained traction, Apple’s momentum has stalled. I…

    Dan Lyons writes a post for Newsweek contending the:

    Android is the kind of runaway smash hit that techies spend their careers dreaming about.

    and:

    But Android has enabled handset makers like Motorola and Samsung to develop credible rivals to the iPhone. This year, as those companies have gained traction, Apple’s momentum has stalled.

    I am sure he is referring to the fact that Apple’s stock is tumbling and no one is buying iPhones or iPads anymore. That has got to be it right?

    Lyons used to be so cute back when he was pretending to be Steve Jobs – now though it is just getting sad.

    [via DF]

  • Sharp Copies the Wrong Thing

    Sharp introduced a new phone with a display of the same resolution as the iPhone’s retina display. The problem though is that the phone is ugly as sin. They should copy the industrial design first and worry about the tech specs later.

    Sharp introduced a new phone with a display of the same resolution as the iPhone’s retina display. The problem though is that the phone is ugly as sin. They should copy the industrial design first and worry about the tech specs later.

  • 20 Most Economically Stressed Counties

    Spoiler: Don’t live in California if you want to avoid economic (and likely psychological) stress, but do head on over to Nebraska.

    Spoiler: Don’t live in California if you want to avoid economic (and likely psychological) stress, but do head on over to Nebraska.

  • Darpa’s New Snoop Plan

    Katie Drummond: The agency’s goal is to replace “largely manual exploitation and…chat-based operator interactions” with a system that mines different inputs, including drone footage and on-the-ground intel, and quickly stitches together the data to identify potential threats. 24 has had this technology for like 6+ years – time to catch up Darpa.

    Katie Drummond:

    The agency’s goal is to replace “largely manual exploitation and…chat-based operator interactions” with a system that mines different inputs, including drone footage and on-the-ground intel, and quickly stitches together the data to identify potential threats.

    24 has had this technology for like 6+ years – time to catch up Darpa.

  • Instapaper: Become a Subscriber

    Marco just implemented a subscription model $1/mo so if you use the service you should subscribe. You don’t have to, and right now you don’t get any real perks – other than you know supporting something truly useful. How much did you spend on FarmVille last month? Yeah so probably just subscribe.

    Marco just implemented a subscription model $1/mo so if you use the service you should subscribe. You don’t have to, and right now you don’t get any real perks – other than you know supporting something truly useful. How much did you spend on FarmVille last month? Yeah so probably just subscribe.

  • Evan Williams Steps Down as Twitter’s CEO

    It would have been way better if he could have resigned in 140 characters or less. It is hard to judge his performance without knowing the financials of the company. He did a hell of a job growing the user base.

    1. It would have been way better if he could have resigned in 140 characters or less.
    2. It is hard to judge his performance without knowing the financials of the company.
    3. He did a hell of a job growing the user base.

  • ‘If you do this in an email, I hate you’

    I second all of this.

    I second all of this.

  • Shawn Blanc on ‘Mobile Bliss’

    Shawn Blanc: Imagine if you will what a merging of Dropbox and MobileMe might look like. Something simple and completely expected, I suppose. It would be free, it would sync and share info and files, and it would let other apps use it for syncing. Imagine setting up your iPhone with your Apple ID once,…

    Shawn Blanc:

    Imagine if you will what a merging of Dropbox and MobileMe might look like. Something simple and completely expected, I suppose. It would be free, it would sync and share info and files, and it would let other apps use it for syncing. Imagine setting up your iPhone with your Apple ID once, and then any app that has a Mac and/or iPad counterpart would sync. Sounds like mobile bliss.

    Agreed. Shawn offers a great analysis of what iOS users really need from MobileMe and Dropbox – I agree with everything he says (except I DO use the MobileMe galleries feature, so I must be one of the few).

  • Dave Caolo’s iPad Life

    Please welcome Dave Caolo, he was one of the first people to accept my invitation to be interviewed for the iPad Life series, also you can follow him on Twitter here. Tell me a little about yourself, what do you do, where do you live? I live in a small town of about 6,000 people…

    Please welcome Dave Caolo, he was one of the first people to accept my invitation to be interviewed for the iPad Life series, also you can follow him on Twitter here.

    Tell me a little about yourself, what do you do, where do you live?

    I live in a small town of about 6,000 people on Cape Cod, MA. By day I’m an editor and writer at The Unofficial Apple Weblog. I also write and curate 52 Tiger. Otherwise, I can be found kayaking, playing with my kids or enduring the heartache that’s unique to all members of Red Sox Nation.

    What was your reaction when the iPad was launched?

    When it was first demonstrated in public, I was thrilled. For years, tablets failed to thrive in a significant way because the best method of user interaction had not been sorted out. At last, Apple solved the puzzle. Multi-touch, the iOS and the App Store convened in one spectacular piece of hardware. While many complained, “Eh, it’s just a big iPod touch,” I was blown away. “My goodness! It’s a big iPod touch!”

    Which model did you order and why?

    I bought a 16GB Wi-Fi model for a few reasons. First, I knew I wouldn’t put any music on it, as my iPhone fills that roll perfectly. Plus, I intended to use it as I do my laptop. I’ve rarely had trouble finding Wi-Fi for my MacBook Pro, and the same has been true of the iPad. I know where to go to find free Wi-Fi. So far, I’ve been happy with my decision. I’ve got a couple of movies, a couple of TV shows and a slew of apps loaded with room to spare.

    How are you using the iPad on a daily basis?

    It depends on the time of day, really. While I’m at my desk, it makes a killer dedicated Twitter station when docked and paired with a Bluetooth keyboard. I also enjoy checking and responding to email with my iPad.

    In the evening, I love reading with it. In fact, I’ve been doing more reading since getting it. It’s undeniably comfortable, and I enjoy sitting in a quiet chair to browse my Instapaper queue, read newspapers (something I haven’t done consistently in years) and books and so on. Even the web is more pleasant with the iPad when reading is your goal.

    Finally, I’ve been making great use of Netflix streaming and many of the cooking apps. Epicurious is a favorite.

    Can you give me a quick run down of the apps that you use the most?

    Sure. In no particular order, I use:
    – Instapaper
    – Flipboard (now my preferred way to interact with Facebook)
    – Twitterrific (the only Twitter app I use on the iOS)
    – USA Today
    – OmniFocus
    – Simplenote
    – iBooks
    – NPR
    – At Bat
    – Mail

    Which app is your favorite?

    It’s impossible to choose! I spend the most time in Twitterrific, Instapaper and Mail. So, I guess those three.

    Do you have any bag/stand/case recommendations for people?

    Yes, I use a DODOcase that I bought soon after the iPad was released, and I love it. It’s extremely well-built and functional. When I’m cooking, watching videos or typing, the DODOcase is in place. In fact, my iPad is in the DODOcase more often than not.

    What features do you want to see in a future iPad?

    First and foremost I’m eager for folders. I’ve got several reading apps, like iBooks, Instapaper, Kindle, Nook and GoodReader that are dying to be grouped. Likewise, Netflix, Hulu Plus and Apple’s Videos app could be grouped. I’m also eager for multi-tasking, as the iPhone has spoiled me.

    It would be great to dock a future model in the landscape orientation, so I can be charging while watching a long movie, and of course a front-facing camera and FaceTime would turn it into a honest-to-goodness Jetsons phone. Who doesn’t want that?

    Thanks again to Dave for taking the time to share his iPad Life with us, also be sure to check out 52tiger.net where Dave has been doing a great job talking about reading experiences on the iPad.

    More iPad Life

    To see more people’s iPad Lives take a look here.

  • NPD Report on iPad Usage

    Stephen Baker: Early adopters are now using their iPads for more than 18 hours/week, and for almost one-third of them that time is increasing. Clearly early adopters love their iPads and are finding increased opportunities to use them. Clearly.

    Stephen Baker:

    Early adopters are now using their iPads for more than 18 hours/week, and for almost one-third of them that time is increasing. Clearly early adopters love their iPads and are finding increased opportunities to use them.

    Clearly.

  • Moleskine Covers for iPhone and iPad

    These look very nice and much better than the DODOcase – the thing is, I don’t want a pad of paper in my iPad case. For me the iPad is about going paperless – not having to also tote around a paper notebook. [via Unplggd]

    These look very nice and much better than the DODOcase – the thing is, I don’t want a pad of paper in my iPad case. For me the iPad is about going paperless – not having to also tote around a paper notebook.

    [via Unplggd]

  • A list of Messenger / laptop bags

    Brian Hoff is compiling a list of some great messenger / laptop bag companies over on The Design Cubicle (my personal favorite are the Booqbags, I have had 4 and only replaced them due to differing needs never because of a problem with the bag). Be sure to check this out before you buy your…

    Brian Hoff is compiling a list of some great messenger / laptop bag companies over on The Design Cubicle (my personal favorite are the Booqbags, I have had 4 and only replaced them due to differing needs never because of a problem with the bag). Be sure to check this out before you buy your next bag.

  • Bill Frakes and Joe McNally iPad Interview

    A neat interview of two superb photographers, where the iPad asks the questions. [via Joe McNally’s blog]

    A neat interview of two superb photographers, where the iPad asks the questions.

    [via Joe McNally’s blog]

  • The Apps Staging Ground

    Mark Sigal: That is why it’s laughable that the latest meme du jour, “The Apps Lifestyle” — and believe me, it is a lifestyle — is ridiculously framed as a trend of the multi-vendor “cell phones” segment. Why? The clear-cut truth is that Apple’s iOS device platform is the staging ground of the Apps Lifestyle,…

    Mark Sigal:

    That is why it’s laughable that the latest meme du jour, “The Apps Lifestyle” — and believe me, it is a lifestyle — is ridiculously framed as a trend of the multi-vendor “cell phones” segment. Why? The clear-cut truth is that Apple’s iOS device platform is the staging ground of the Apps Lifestyle, something that ~90-percent of iOS device owners “get” to the point of it being intrinsic, assumed and embedded.

    By contrast, maybe 15 percent of non-iOS device owners embrace The Apps Lifestyle, or even know what it means, and that’s probably being generous. Yet, this composite translates to 29 percent of all users (according to Pew Research Center).

    John Gruber is right, this is a must read.

  • 37signals’ New Office Looks Amazing

    What a beautiful office space – not to mention an impressive amount of open space in the office.

    What a beautiful office space – not to mention an impressive amount of open space in the office.

  • The State of Macworld (the Publication)

    Yesterday it was announced that MacJournal had released their long awaited iOS apps. I saw this had happened a then stumbled across the Macworld article about the iPad app. I was pumped to check out what they had to say because I really wanted to find out if MacJournal would let you control the post…

    Yesterday it was announced that MacJournal had released their long awaited iOS apps. I saw this had happened a then stumbled across the Macworld article about the iPad app. I was pumped to check out what they had to say because I really wanted to find out if MacJournal would let you control the post slug field for WordPress blogs (it doesn’t).

    Instead what I found was a mostly useless article about the release of the app – fine it wasn’t labeled to be a review so I let it go. However as you can see in this screenshot there are three links in the first paragraph:
    Screen shot 2010-10-01 at 7.02.44 AM.png

    I figured I would just head over to Mariner Software’s site so that I could find out just what all the features offered for MacJournal on the iPad are. Naturally I clicked the link “MacJournal for iPad” expecting to be taken somewhere that I can find out more about the app. Instead it takes you to Macworld’s own AppGuide page for the app.

    On the AppGuide page Macworld bribes users with a chance to win a $50 iTunes gift card if you review the app (still has no reviews) and attempts to tell you about the app. I will say in all fairness this page had more information than the actual article did. Screen shot 2010-10-01 at 7.06.16 AM.png

    Not wanting to be taken to the App Store in iTunes I naturally clicked the Developer link that Macworld provides for Mariner Software – this then took me to Mariner’s website, OH wait no it didn’t. Instead the developer link took me to another AppGuide page that lists all the software Mariner provides for iOS.Screen shot 2010-10-01 at 7.08.01 AM.png

    At this point there were no more links to try and continue on to Mariner Software. I didn’t know Mariner Software’s URL off the top of my head so I hit Google and it was the first link available.
    Screen shot 2010-10-01 at 7.08.57 AM.png

    What a joke Macworld has become over the past few years. When I can find Mac Developer websites with Google faster than I can by clicking a link in the article talking about said developer, then I think as a publisher you should be damned ashamed of yourself. Oh and if you are wondering you can find out more about MacJournal on the iPad here.

    Also as Stephen Hackett pointed out to me on Twitter I am not the only one saddened by Macworld.

  • Exclusive First Look: RIM’s Playbook Prototype*

    After criticizing the very existence of the RIM’s iPad competitor, the Playbook, I came home to a little surprise – a RIM Playbook Prototype to, um, play with. I must say this is a cute little device very tiny and I could see how the size might be appealing. But I am getting a little…

    After criticizing the very existence of the RIM’s iPad competitor, the Playbook, I came home to a little surprise – a RIM Playbook Prototype to, um, play with. I must say this is a cute little device very tiny and I could see how the size might be appealing.

    But I am getting a little ahead of myself – we really should go through this step by step so you know that I really do have a prototype unit (I found it at my desk, not a bar FYI).

    The Size

    This thing is tiny in comparison to the iPad, just take a look at the picture below.

    Playbook

    Playbook

    Playbook

    Playbook

    I am not sure that I am a fan of the size, it just isn’t quite big enough to feel more useful that the iPhone yet far too small to feel like a good laptop substitution.

    The Screen

    The screen is amazing on this device, there is absolutely no glare, it has a very paper like quality to it. It doesn’t matter what kind of light you have it in, no reflections or glare. That though is a major problem because this device needs some light – well a lot of light. In the model that I am testing the backlight either is broken or eludes this testers ability to turn it on.

    The resolution of the screen is also very poor, the pixel count looks high (print[er] quality even) but the graphics look like an iPhone app running at 2x mode on the iPad – just not good enough.

    The Build Quality

    Overall the build is rather interesting – the device almost feels like it has some kind of cloth tape wrapping on it. It feels very rigid, about as rigid as 3 pieces of cardboard perhaps but I am just guessing here. There is still a lot of work to be done though as these three things really bug me right now:

    • The screen is not perfectly centered.
    • The device is not perfectly squared on the corners.
    • The cloth tape like material shows it seems all over the place.

    This though I have to remember is a prototype and one would assume that all these things will be fixed by the time the Playbook hits production.

    Battery Life

    I have had the screen on non-stop (how do you turn it off?) and it has been connected to Wi-Fi the entire time the battery life has not budget from 75% in the past 58 hours of testing. Very impressive.

    The Weight

    This thing weighs nothing, again it weighs about the same amount as three pieces of cardboard with tape on it. Honestly if they can keep it this weight when it hits production then I am sold.

    The OS

    This OS looks really swell, which is about all that I can say about it. I cannot for the life of me get the device to respond or do anything for that matter, it is stuck with the app switching screen being shown. In talking with someone who did not deny to me that they are a RIM executive (perhaps the CEO) said that it only works if you have a Blackberry and not a crappy iPhone. So it appears that RIM has done an impressive job of locking up the OS unless it detects that the owner also has a Blackberry – kudos to RIM on the feat.

    Overall

    Without being able to test the OS it is hard to say just how good this device is. What I can say is the the battery life, anti-reflective coatings on the screen and the weight of this device are highly impressive. If they keep these features in the production model it will kill the iPad.

    *Where by Prototype I mean that I have a replica of what I think that RIM had on stage at the press event, maybe.

    Playbook

  • Due for iPhone: to-do, task, reminders management app

    From the developer: Ever wished you could jot down a task and set up a reminder really, really fast? What a great little app, the stored timers are killer for me – baking will be much more accurate now. Not that I do much baking, but when I do – watch out. [via Daring Fireball]

    From the developer:

    Ever wished you could jot down a task and set up a reminder really, really fast?

    What a great little app, the stored timers are killer for me – baking will be much more accurate now. Not that I do much baking, but when I do – watch out.

    [via Daring Fireball]

  • The Single-Use Blog

    Pretty neat idea, creating a new blog (something on Posterous maybe) for each trip or event in your life. I think this is a great thing for the non-techie people out there (especially with how easy Posterous is). For me though I would rather set up a custom page on an existing blog or something…

    Pretty neat idea, creating a new blog (something on Posterous maybe) for each trip or event in your life. I think this is a great thing for the non-techie people out there (especially with how easy Posterous is). For me though I would rather set up a custom page on an existing blog or something along those lines – still I might just try it out for my next trip/event.

  • Does RIM Have Working Playbook Prototype Yet?

    Justice Gödel Conder argues that RIM only showed people a dummy device and has yet to make an actual Playbook: The PlayBook was never demoed at the Live Announcement. The dude is supposedly holding the device in his hands and he doesn’t touch the screen once. Let me repeat that. He never touches the device…

    Justice Gödel Conder argues that RIM only showed people a dummy device and has yet to make an actual Playbook:

    The PlayBook was never demoed at the Live Announcement. The dude is supposedly holding the device in his hands and he doesn’t touch the screen once. Let me repeat that. He never touches the device once! The screen never changes and it never gets dark. I cant help but wonder if he’s just holding a dummy (plastic) device.

    He goes on to compare this with how Apple handled the iPad announcement – allowing everyone to play with the device and showing it in operation over Jobs’ shoulder. Interesting, if true this most likely means the device will ship late and not work as well as shown in the videos.

    [via Mike Rundle on Twitter]