Month: December 2010

Reading one of John Gruber’s pieces comparing iOS and Android, which I mostly skimmed because I grow tired of reading a fanboi’s attempts at measured reasoning, I bounced to the end and caught a sentence I’ve heard at least once before: Google is an advertising company that builds popular services that command large audiences. I… Read More

A couple very interesting speeding hacks came across my Reader today, one involves positive reenforcement for following the speed limit, the other negative. The first one (h/t Gizmodo) is the winning idea from VW’s The Fun Theory contest. It’s a speeding camera that snaps your picture if you’re speeding and fines you, natch. It also… Read More

Thanks to the iPad, my renewed reading efforts have finally got me reading Don Norman‘s classic “The Design of Everyday Things“. So far, it’s as great a read as promised. Published originally in 1988, the tenents discussed in the book feel timeless. The only clue to the book’s genre is the images used for illustration.… Read More

Yesterday afternoon, a Google TV (@googletv) arrived at my door. Google kindly sent these devices to Google IO 2010 attendees in the US. Rich (@rmanalan) got his yesterday too. Announced at IO in May, Google TV went live on several devices from Logitech and Sony a couple months ago. The unit I got was a… Read More

This video shows how crayons are made. It’s freaking cool, h/t Geekosystem. Not sure what it is about crayons, maybe the ubiquity in all our childhoods, maybe the simplicity and enduring utility even in the era of technically advanced drawing tools. Whatever it is, they’re cool. This video also features some awesome machinery that does some… Read More

Recent news has uncovered some other relatively new models. If you read here, you’ll know I’m a fan of found business models, which I loosely define as models that would make you scratch your head or laugh if someone pitched them to you. Angry Birds Will Generate an Estimated $1 Million In Ad Revenue per… Read More

I love stirring this pot because it always brings out the fanboi in us. Things Android has that iOS Needs | The Brooks Review I’m stunned that the iPhone’s tethering is actually, physical tethering, i.e. it shares its 3G connection over USB. Stunned. That’s something BlackBerry has had for years. Is this true? I can’t… Read More

Interesting perspective from Chris Dawson on the lack of incentive carriers have to keep their devices up-to-date on the latest version of Android. Are Android customers left to rot the moment we walk out of the store? – Webiphany.com His point makes sense, although I have to add that Apple’s incentive to push people to… Read More

With the holidays looming, there’s a good chance many of you will get gadgets. Maybe an iPad, which I’ve heard is high on the list of adults and children alike. Or maybe a sexy new smartphone. Or netbook, laptop, gaming console, etc. We love to give and receive gadgets. But what to do with the… Read More

Not terribly surprising I suppose, but Parks Associates published research this week that found consumers under 35 prefer apps over browsers for mobile content. Consumers Under 35 Ditching Browser for Apps, Study Shows I did find it surprising that the neutral answer was only around 50%, even in the older demographic ranges. I guess I… Read More

I suppose I could have done this last week on Thanksgiving, but since you’re not all American, I’ll pick a random day. Quickly wanted to thank you for reading here and for commenting. Over the life of this blog, I’ve come to realize how powerful weak ties are, and having a blog with a core… Read More

Obviously, this is a US-slanted argument, but it begs related questions like how much international success does Verizon account for by driving US adoption? Verizon Lays Claim To Android’s Success Based on what I’ve seen and documented here, Verizon is spot on, albeit much to the annoyance of the Android hacking community. Other domestic carriers… Read More