Activity for July 19

Comment - Will iPhone 5 bring the perfect storm?
(Jul 19, 2011 - 9:27 AM)

The next Android OS version(Ice-Cream) is expected to be released closer to the end of the year. The major iOS release for this year is expected to come later this summer. Since the iPhone 5 is just around the corner it makes sense people considering a new smartphone would choose the iPhone as their main choice. Later this year with a new Android OS coming out things may be different.
Comment - Google+ is a marketing sensation
(Jul 4, 2011 - 8:32 AM)

+ can be successful if Google invests on it for a long long time and can continuously draw people to its side. In my opinion their up to a good start. The data liberation and well publicized privacy tools builds people confidence and I know many people will use Google+ if not only for the photo and video instant upload options. Features like "Hangout", sharing and watching a youtube video at the same time can build interest among people that want a fun and easy way to video chat with a group of friends and relatives. No this won't become a success over night but than again Yahoo was once a leader, Internet Explorer too, Geocities and so on. The question is. Is Google+ better? Most people today still have multiple email accounts. Hotmail, Gmail and so on. And I'll bet many of us will invest on Google+ just like many people are using Google Chrome instead of IE or Firefox (i still prefer firefox). When tech enthusiasts are excited about something it is usually a good sign for the service. Why? Because their the opinion makers. Once a service gets enough "geek" interest the masses start considering a switch. My personal opinion right now. I'm investing in Google+
Comment - 5 things you should know about Apple iCloud
(Jun 7, 2011 - 8:24 AM)

As usual Apple is great at selling their ideas. The simple trick of leaving for last the announcement of how they match your local music with iTunes music catalog is proof of that.
But there are a bunch of questions that are left open. Ok, you just pay $25 a year to have all your local music available in the cloud. A small price to pay if you consider the following.
What's keeping me from pirating every single music I want and never paying more than $25 a year for having it in the cloud? Something tells me there is a bit more to this or else the competition would have already signed a similar agreement with the industry. After all its not that different from what Google is trying to do without much success.
The next point and this one is way more relevant. No Streaming. It was all about "sync" and "download".
So if I want to listen to a particular music I need to first download it to my device. What's good about services like Spotify, Google Music, Grooveshark, Amazon and so on is precisely the fact that you don't need to waste space or time downloading to your device.
You just stream it and if you want to keep a local copy go ahead. But your not forced to sync or manually download a particular song.
So I'm sorry to say but if Apple music in the cloud strategy requires me to "sync" than the competition has a better service even if that means wasting weeks uploading all my music to the cloud.
And finally Apple tried to sell the idea that its "bad" to access my music in a web browser. What?? That's the great thing about Grooveshark, Amazon and Google implementation. I don't have to install any software.
Wherever I have a web browser I can access my music. Useful when you're not allowed to install software.
And that's one of the key advantages Google has. Every service from installing Android apps to calendars, documents, books, music, pictures and so on are available in the web browser.
Apple already has a way to access your information on a web browser. MobileMe. So how come there is no information about iCloud on the web browser?
By the end of this year a lot can change and Apple will continue to improve their service but from the information we have right now we can't say iCloud is better than what the competition is delivering.
Joe the killer "app" is not sync. The killer "app" is "available everywhere".
Comment - It took 4 min 34 sec to get me really excited about Windows again
(Jun 2, 2011 - 5:52 AM)

Love their work and I'm sure Windows 8 with this new UI will be a success.
But the key thing is that it can compete with Android and iOS with one major advantage over the competition. Applications.
Microsoft already has the cloud services, media services a applications to compete with Google and Apple. It just needs a better interface. And that's what this will bring.
Want to bet that you'll have bing search, zune and all that stuff integrated with Windows 8? The fact is there is simply no mobile OS that can compete with a Windows app store.
But there is still one area that can be a problem. The next evolution is not owning a netbook, a tablet, a smartphone. The next evolution is having one device that can turn into a tablet or netbook or whatever when docked/hooked to the proper device.
For that you need an OS that can adapt. Google Android can do that already. Microsoft needs to find a way to merge Windows Phone 7 with Windows 8.
Comment - Eric Schmidt talks "gang of four" platform companies at D9
(Jun 1, 2011 - 8:30 AM)

Everyone downplays Microsoft. I wonder why. Apple nearly went bankrupt and look where it is now.
The fact still is that even though many people have Android and iOS devices a big part of the day we use a Windows based PCs be it at work or at home for different reasons. And we use it because it's where most applications we use are available. I agree that Microsoft has to be more aggressive or it will in time be too late for them but it takes one great product to shift people minds. And quite frankly something tells me Windows 8 may proof to be more than just another Windows OS.If Microsoft can successfully merge the best features of the competition with Windows advantages I don't see why would I choose a Apple or Android tablet for instance.