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    ricegf

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  1. Comment - Why Nokia picked Microsoft: Windows Phone 7's 20,000 apps and counting

    (Jun 25, 2011 - 12:11 PM)

    @terminalx, no prob, it's so easy to get carried away in online discussions, as I've finally learned after all too many very public faux pas! ;-)

    "Multi-tasking along with a slew of other new features is coming in the Mango update"

    *sigh* As with iOS, this is *app switching* rather than multi-tasking. Steve Jobs is such a master of redefining the English language.

    MeeGo (and Maemo) for example offer true multi-tasking - I can (for example) watch apps running in thumbnails in my N900's task switcher (aka Expose) view, and run a rendering app simultaneous to browsing the web. Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian, and webOS also support true multi-tasking.

    You can fairly argue that app switching is better for the masses because they aren't smart enough to manage battery usage with background apps, but using the same terms for two very different features is just marketing bs - though the author you reference buys into it, too. *shakes head*

    In any event, the shortcoming to which I refer is actual multi-tasking, not simple app switching.

    By "transition" I meant "taking my beloved apps with me". For example, when I shut down my beloved Palm Treo for my N900, I used a Palm emulator to keep many of my old apps (like HexWar :-) going forward. But switching from any other mobile platform such as Symbian to WinP7 means leaving all of the prior apps behind - and though XBox fans will undoubtedly be happy, the XBox sold poorly in major Nokia markets such as India and Brazil, and is still unavailable in China as far as I know.

    "it seems the phone is ready"

    The first MeeGo phone was ready last fall, or so the rumors go, so I wouldn't get over-confident. ;-) But they still have 3 months to launch to make the holiday season, so we'll see. Perhaps you're right and they'll execute the plan this time.

    "MS created it first since Android didn't exist"

    Sure, every software advance was implemented by *somebody* first - but have you *ever* heard of *any* software engineer saying, "Gee, here's a tough problem - I think I'll run down to the patent office and look for a solution!"

    The purpose of patents (according to the US constitution, which I reference because the US is the prime offender in software patents) is to foster innovation. I'm arguing here that we'll get FAR faster innovation if we leave software firmly in the copyright domain, and let Microsoft et. al. compete based on what products they can actually create.

    "Honestly, because Android is open source I can see more lawsuits coming"

    I'll give your prediction a *100%* chance of being accurate - but not just against Android (which is the big target because it is so remarkably successful, not because of its development methodology), but from every vendor against every other vendor (see http://www.cultofmac.com...low-chart-graphic/61882, for example). The sharks gather where the blood is.

  2. Comment - Why Nokia picked Microsoft: Windows Phone 7's 20,000 apps and counting

    (Jun 25, 2011 - 10:31 AM)

    @terminalx: "You do realize that MS does not troll for patents"

    Not sure to whom you are replying - certainly *I* didn't call Microsoft a patent troll. They obviously make products other than lawsuits. I'm a big fan of their keyboards and mice (I even use them on some of my Linux computers ;-), and their developer support (Visual Studio, MSDN, etc.) is strictly top shelf.

    WinP7 has some nice UI elements and development environment, but it has fatal flaws - too strict hardware constraints which stifle innovation (especially compared to the cornucopia that is Android), no multi-tasking support, no transition path from WinMo or Symbian (especially important for Nokia's current customers), etc. - which make it unattractive compared to the competition. Recognizing this doesn't make me unreasonable, it makes me *unbiased*. How about you?

    "would you be fine if something you invented - someone made a profit off of you?"

    You mean like Microsoft making a $5 profit off of each Android phone sold?

    Besides, I'm a 30+ year veteran of the computer industry, since 1978 - and a lot of my work has been "work for hire" for a corporation. I assure you - they've made a LOT of profit off of me! :-D I'm proud to have helped.

    Look, I'm not attacking Microsoft here, just the absurd software patent industry. I've been around long enough to remember Bill Gates' awakening to the necessity in current American politics and business of both patenting software and lobbying congress - prior to that, he was just a geek who produced great software. But the apple has now fallen miles from the tree. *sigh*

    " typical MS hater"

    You really need to read my post again - I didn't call Microsoft any names or make anything other than factual statements followed by my opinion of the larger implications of those facts. A "typical MS hater" would write something like "M$ suxors infiltrated shill as Nokia CEO to destroy Linux! WP7 suxs!!!" Now, see the difference?

    "typical you would leave that out as most trolls do"

    Actually, Microsoft's biggest gain isn't "services" but "access to non-US markets". You should think big picture. But I was analyzing the implications for *Nokia*, not Microsoft, and what Microsoft gains is irrelevant to that analysis. Now seriously, you really think my post was too *short*?!? :-D

    "How is this an end to Nokia?"

    Excellent question (though I think you meant it rhetorically ;-). I see three potential outcomes to the Feb 11 deal:

    * Nokia gets WinP7 phones out in record time, most remaining Symbian users joyfully jump to them rather than Android and iPhone, WinP7's share reaches double digits and challenges Android and iOS, profits for all involved. I doubt it, but anything's possible (who predicted Android's quick jump to dominance, after all?).

    * Nokia's WinP7 phones are delayed like the MeeGo phones, Symbian revenue continues to decline, the billion is spent struggling to get WinP7 phones out the door and accepted by the market, and Nokia fades to irrelevance. This isn't at all unlikely, given similar companies in similar situations in the past.

    * Microsoft either buys Nokia, another phone company, or creates an in-house capability from scratch, and enters the smartphone market as a sole WinP7 vendor aka Zune and Plays For Sure. Nokia, which Mr. Elop has clearly and repeatedly stated now has no Plan B, crashes and burns. Historically, this is the most likely outcome IMHO, although the previous one is also pretty likely.

    Does any of this ring a bell to you at all?

    @Stoli89:"N950 hinge design problems? Where did this come from? "

    The news. It was pretty widely reported, though never confirmed by Nokia of course. Try for example http://eu.techcrunch.com...ors-reject-first-device/. Here's an excerpt:

    We’ve also learned that Nokia’s first MeeGo device, originally scheduled to be announced late last year, has been sent back to the drawing board by operators. The problem, says our source, is in relation to the “flimsy” hardware keyboard mechanism, which fell short of operator standards.(I called it the N950 above, but Nokia never gave it an official designation - sorry.)

    ---

    After my post, I read yesterday's announcement that Qt (the MeeGo app environment) will be promoted by Nokia for the "next billion phones" - in a sense, Nokia will try to transition their customers for S40 feature phones (currently a Java environment) to Qt-based smartphones and eventually replace Symbian (which is also now Qt based) at the low end. Mr. Elop also made a passing reference to Qt on the upcoming WinP7 phones, something he specifically said in February would *not* happen. Is Mr. Elop seeing the writing on the wall, and trying to spin a Plan A'? If so, I think Plan A' is a LOT better than Plan A, and would have made the February 11 announcement a lot more coherent if he'd started with that - an actual transition plan for current customers *and* loyal developers, plus drawing in .NET developers from the Windows desktop world for the high-end only. THAT would be a reasonable strategy - if indeed they adopt it.

    We'll see where this all goes...

  3. Comment - Why Nokia picked Microsoft: Windows Phone 7's 20,000 apps and counting

    (Jun 25, 2011 - 12:16 AM)

    Actually, the Apple fan sites that I have read in the past couple of days have been exceptionally complimentary of the N9's software - the unified swipe concept and task management are noticeably better (they said) than iPhone, and certainly better than WinP7 or Android has shown to date.

    As far as apps, with over a quarter billion Qt4 phones already shipped and another billion *currently* on the marketing drawing board (from Symbian to future S40) complementing even modest MeeGo sales, I doubt attracting developers is a problem. Certainly, Nokia is saying today that it's not, despite the shift to WinP7 at the high end. Current Ovi sales already dwarf Android and WinP7 sales combined.

    No, Nokia switched from MeeGo to WinP7 for one simple reason. With the hinge design problems dooming the N950, Nokia had only one high-end piece of hardware in the pipeline for 2011, and with Android eating Symbian's market share by the gulp, cash flow has become a problem. Microsoft gave Nokia $1 billion in cash to invest in several additional high-end phone models for 2012 - and that was the 20 pieces of silver exchanged for MeeGo.

    Microsoft wins either way. If Nokia succeeds, WinP7 gets out of its current 2% market share doldrums. If not, they still get the $5 per Android phone royalty for vague "patent infringement" claims. Nokia, on the other hand, has bet the farm on a slow pony - and *that's* the reason for Nokia's 50% stock devaluation since February. The most likely scenario is for Microsoft to acquire Nokia for a song, and pull a Zune on the current hapless Plays For Sure -- I mean, WinP7 -- marketing partners.

    Sad end for once-proud Nokia.

  4. Comment - Creative settles over MP3 player capacities

    (May 2, 2008 - 7:57 AM)

    So for my "injury" I get to spend more money, the person who sued over his "injury" gets $5000, and the lawyers get... $900000.

    Who won this lawsuit?