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Recent Articles

  • Are Questions The “Future Of Facebook”?

    Erick Schonfeld: The advantage Facebook could have in the Q&A space is that to the extent that you find answers from your extended social network, questions can become the start of deeper conversations and spur new relationships. But breaking it out as a separate feature raises some new questions. Will every major type of status…

    Erick Schonfeld:

    The advantage Facebook could have in the Q&A space is that to the extent that you find answers from your extended social network, questions can become the start of deeper conversations and spur new relationships. But breaking it out as a separate feature raises some new questions. Will every major type of status update now become its own feature on Facebook (like Photo and Event updates do)? And, if so, what’s next?

    I see this as a move to counter the growing popularity of sites like Formspring.me who are very popular among younger students (middle school to high school).

  • Another Take on the Wired App

    Aegir Hallmundur: No, I think most on-screen magazines will be dominated by long articles of fairly plain text interrupted with advertising, just as print ones are now. I’d like to see some better means of delivering advertising on-screen than we have now though — I find flickering and flashing adverts unbearably distracting and can’t imagine…

    Aegir Hallmundur:

    No, I think most on-screen magazines will be dominated by long articles of fairly plain text interrupted with advertising, just as print ones are now. I’d like to see some better means of delivering advertising on-screen than we have now though — I find flickering and flashing adverts unbearably distracting and can’t imagine paying for any magazine that uses them in its articles, so I’d hope for something more respectful and dignified.

    Whatever happens, and whatever conventions we end up with, I suspect that the reality will be at once quite wonderful if you stop to think about it, but disappointingly dull and prosaic on first impressions. I doubt we’ll have a wow moment from it, which is, I think, kind of the point.

  • Department of Justice Inquires Into Apple’s Adobe Flash Policy

    Samuel Axon: The U.S. Department of Justice is talking to industry figures about Apple’s decision not to support Adobe Flash on the iPad, The New York Post reports. An anonymous “Hollywood” source told the Post that the DoJ is “doing outreach” because “the Adobe thing is just inviting the wrath of everybody.” The Post already…

    Samuel Axon:

    The U.S. Department of Justice is talking to industry figures about Apple’s decision not to support Adobe Flash on the iPad, The New York Post reports. An anonymous “Hollywood” source told the Post that the DoJ is “doing outreach” because “the Adobe thing is just inviting the wrath of everybody.” The Post already predicted this inquiry several weeks ago.

    Don’t read too much into this, not supporting another companies proprietary stuff on your proprietary stuff is not monopolistic practices. Further, Adobe has yet to show they can actually run it on the iPhone, so all Apple has to say is that it is not technically possible right now.

  • Adobe’s Digital Publishing Roadmap (PDF)

    Interesting that Adobe seems to be differentiating between the iPad and the iPhone. The iPad being a platform in Adobe’s eyes, and the iPhone being a mobile reader. I see them both as one in the same.

    Interesting that Adobe seems to be differentiating between the iPad and the iPhone. The iPad being a platform in Adobe’s eyes, and the iPhone being a mobile reader. I see them both as one in the same.

  • A VC: I Prefer Safari to Content Apps On The iPad

    Fred Wilson: understand why content companies are so interested in iPad apps. It is a familiar model to them. But as currently configured most content apps do not take advantage of the power of the digital medium. And so they are mostly useless to me. I agree with most of his assessments, apps such as…

    Fred Wilson:

    understand why content companies are so interested in iPad apps. It is a familiar model to them. But as currently configured most content apps do not take advantage of the power of the digital medium. And so they are mostly useless to me.

    I agree with most of his assessments, apps such as the Wired App need a lot of work before they become really useful.

  • Skype Over 3G Comes to the iPhone. It’s Not All Good News

    John C Abell: Skype on Saturday released an upgrade to its iPhone app that allows calls to be made and received under AT&T’s 3G network, but there’s a catch — they won’t be free for very long, even for Skype-to-Skype calls or for people who have all-you-can-eat calling plans with the internet telephony company. Just…

    John C Abell:

    Skype on Saturday released an upgrade to its iPhone app that allows calls to be made and received under AT&T’s 3G network, but there’s a catch — they won’t be free for very long, even for Skype-to-Skype calls or for people who have all-you-can-eat calling plans with the internet telephony company.

    Just extended to the end of 2010 for free calls over 3G.

  • Harry McCracken On the Facebook Privacy Changes

    Harry McCracken: Bottom line: Managing your Facebook privacy is still a remarkably convoluted process which isn’t explained clearly enough.

    Harry McCracken:

    Bottom line: Managing your Facebook privacy is still a remarkably convoluted process which isn’t explained clearly enough.

  • Chris Saad: “Facebook’s Claims About Data Portability Are False”

    Chris Saad: In the face of this, however, Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook continue to (deliberately?) confuse the idea of open technologies with “sharing in public.” The attempt to correlate the two things is at best misinformed and at worst dishonest.

    Chris Saad:

    In the face of this, however, Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook continue to (deliberately?) confuse the idea of open technologies with “sharing in public.” The attempt to correlate the two things is at best misinformed and at worst dishonest.

  • Air Force X-51A Waverider: faster than Superman

    Peter Grier: The first mission for its technology likely would be use in a weapon. The X-51A could morph into a hypersonic cruise missile by as soon as 2015. That would provide the Air Force a long-sought Prompt Global Strike capability, defined as the ability to target any spot on earth with a conventional warhead…

    Peter Grier:

    The first mission for its technology likely would be use in a weapon. The X-51A could morph into a hypersonic cruise missile by as soon as 2015. That would provide the Air Force a long-sought Prompt Global Strike capability, defined as the ability to target any spot on earth with a conventional warhead within 60 minutes.

    Wow.

  • I’ve Changed My Mind About The iPad

    Fred Wilson: So I’ve changed my mind about the iPad and tablet computers. In my initial review, I focused on capabilities. And tablets are stuck between the power and utility of the notebook and the size and features of a smartphone. But they also create a middle place in terms of usability. And that is…

    Fred Wilson:

    So I’ve changed my mind about the iPad and tablet computers. In my initial review, I focused on capabilities. And tablets are stuck between the power and utility of the notebook and the size and features of a smartphone. But they also create a middle place in terms of usability. And that is what I missed in my first day with the iPad. It feels less like a computer than any computing device I’ve owned. It’s easy on me in a way that the other devices are not. So I’m now convinced that tablets will have an important place in our homes and our lives.

  • The top seven iPad knockoffs

    God these are ugly.

    God these are ugly.

  • WIRED on iPad: Just like a Paper Tiger…

    Excellent analysis. I like the Wired app, but it still needs improvements, such as: copy & paste, zooming, tweeting & sharing. iA is all about posting controversial thoughts, but this is not without solid logic and analysis.

    Excellent analysis. I like the Wired app, but it still needs improvements, such as: copy & paste, zooming, tweeting & sharing. iA is all about posting controversial thoughts, but this is not without solid logic and analysis.

  • Tynt, the Copy/Paste Jerks

    John Gruber: I.e., three blank lines followed by “Read more:”, then the URL from which the text was copied, then an identifying hash code used for tracking purposes. and: Everyone knows how copy and paste works. You select text. You copy. When you paste, what you get is exactly what you selected. The core product…

    John Gruber:

    I.e., three blank lines followed by “Read more:”, then the URL from which the text was copied, then an identifying hash code used for tracking purposes.

    and:

    Everyone knows how copy and paste works. You select text. You copy. When you paste, what you get is exactly what you selected. The core product of the “copy/paste company” is a service that breaks copy and paste.

    If you have ever copy and pasted text from a web page and there was an auto inserted line that said “read more” with a URL this is what Gruber is referring to. He offers a great solution, this was a huge annoyance for me when I am creating all these link posts. Thanks Gruber!

  • Dropbox – Selective Sync

    Dropbox released a new experimental build that allows you to selectively pick which folders get synced to different computers. This is awesome. Sign up for Dropbox here to help me out.

    Dropbox released a new experimental build that allows you to selectively pick which folders get synced to different computers. This is awesome.

    Sign up for Dropbox here to help me out.

  • Now Writers Can Self-Publish to iBooks

    John Brownlee: If you’re a hopeful author sitting on what you hope to be the next great literary classic — or, failing that, the next mopey emo vampire series that you think will sell like gangbusters amongst the indiscriminate Hot Topic tween market — great news: Apple’s just released information on self-publishing on the iBookstore.…

    John Brownlee:

    If you’re a hopeful author sitting on what you hope to be the next great literary classic — or, failing that, the next mopey emo vampire series that you think will sell like gangbusters amongst the indiscriminate Hot Topic tween market — great news: Apple’s just released information on self-publishing on the iBookstore.

    I was hoping that Apple would do this when they announced the iBooks Store. This has the potential to be very big.

  • Reading on the iPad

    Tim Van Damme: Results may vary, but I can’t read a 500 word article on a laptop screen, and am glad to say the iPad is a totally different experience. I’ve used a Sony eReader before, and wouldn’t want to trade my iPad for one. Sure, the Amazon Kindle might render text more like a…

    Tim Van Damme:

    Results may vary, but I can’t read a 500 word article on a laptop screen, and am glad to say the iPad is a totally different experience. I’ve used a Sony eReader before, and wouldn’t want to trade my iPad for one. Sure, the Amazon Kindle might render text more like a book, but this device has so much more features.

    I agree, I gave my Kindle to my Wife. Have not missed it.

  • Smart Fridge by Ashley Legg

    Radhika Seth: The Smart Fridge here is for those who have shunted cooking to a hobby and rely more on designer microwave meals. The idea is to give you a fridge that is intelligent enough to come up with a healthy recipe, depending on what you stock in it. Not only that, it guides you…

    Radhika Seth:

    The Smart Fridge here is for those who have shunted cooking to a hobby and rely more on designer microwave meals. The idea is to give you a fridge that is intelligent enough to come up with a healthy recipe, depending on what you stock in it. Not only that, it guides you with vocal instructions, spoon by spoon, till you dish out the perfect-wholesome meal. A touch interface door glams up the appliance, creating the desire to own a piece that’s futuristic but may not be what you’re looking for!

    Be sure to check out the renderings.

  • NBC and Time Warner Side with Flash in Apple-Adobe War

    Ben Parr: According to the New York Post, NBC Universal, Time Warner, and other media firms have told Apple that they won’t reformat their video libraries in order to make them work on the iPad. Apple has famously banned Flash from the iPad and iPhone for a litany of reasons including stability, security, and a…

    Ben Parr:

    According to the New York Post, NBC Universal, Time Warner, and other media firms have told Apple that they won’t reformat their video libraries in order to make them work on the iPad. Apple has famously banned Flash from the iPad and iPhone for a litany of reasons including stability, security, and a preference for the HTML5 standard.

    It doesn’t matter if they do or not. These companies are the ones missing out, not the users.

  • Fake a Credit Card – Video

    From Wired: Fraudsters rack up millions of dollars in merchandise using fake credit cards with legit numbers hacked off the Internet. Detective Bob Watts of Newport Beach PD shows how it’s done. That takes a lot of cash to get up and running, my guess is that you can buy it all online with stolen…

    From Wired:

    Fraudsters rack up millions of dollars in merchandise using fake credit cards with legit numbers hacked off the Internet. Detective Bob Watts of Newport Beach PD shows how it’s done.

    That takes a lot of cash to get up and running, my guess is that you can buy it all online with stolen credit card numbers.

  • Official Google Blog: We’ve officially acquired AdMob!

    Susan Wojcicki on the Official Google blog: One of the key ways that people find and access information on their mobile devices, just like on the desktop, is through search. As smart phones have proliferated, we’ve seen dramatic increases in mobile search volume. Over the past two years, Google’s mobile search volumes have grown more…

    Susan Wojcicki on the Official Google blog:

    One of the key ways that people find and access information on their mobile devices, just like on the desktop, is through search. As smart phones have proliferated, we’ve seen dramatic increases in mobile search volume. Over the past two years, Google’s mobile search volumes have grown more than fivefold, at an accelerated pace. In the first three months of 2010, people with smartphones with “full” WebKit browsers (such as the iPhones, Android devices and Palm Pre) searched 62 percent more than they did in the previous three months.