The Old AMIGA To Be ReBorn.... Again?

Way, way back when, in ancient history, when I was a boy, a mere pup growing up on the east coast, I was completely and utterly mesmerized by the new-fangled contraptions known as personal computers.

There was a million of the little suckers floating around, and in every conceivable size, shape and form, and most of which, by the way, I heaped scorn on.

On the other hand, however, there were some fine-and-dandy box's out there too that really peaked my interest. There was the venerable Apple II, the Commodore Pet, which I actually purchased for $1,200 complete with its huge and glorious 8K of memory! Of course, other ancient relics at the time, included the IBM PC, the CompuColor and one or two models from the 'put-them-together-by-yourself' electronics firm of Heath Kit which also sent my lusts to ever dizzying heights, as did the original Lisa and Macintosh computers.... oh man, like all of these boyhood memories seam just like yesterday to me.

As much as I lusted and coveted many of the above machines, there was one more particular box that I particularly coveted more than the others.... the AMIGA!.

For one thing, the Amiga was much better looking, in my humble opinion, then most of the other box's of the day, and it was fast and powerful to boot, and with the best dang tooting graphics a boy could possibly ever hope to dream of.

Naturally, to say the least I was rather sadden when the company of my lusts finally hit the skids and was no more, thrown into the proverbial garbage heaps of history along with the DoDo bird. Even though several attempts by several groups have tried to revive this great brand, none have thus so far succeeded the way they would have hoped.

Now, hopefully, however, according to a recent post by Gizmodo, Commodore USA has just informed that great particular web site that they are yet going to attempt to revive this old classic from the dust bins of history once more. According to Commodore USA's news release (available on Giz's post), they have recently acquired all of the worldwide licensing rights to the Amiga brand. They are now planning to shortly produce a new line of all-in-one AMIGA branded computers using AROS - an open source variant of AmigaOS.

Even thought they haven't released any photos of the new machines as of yet, I can only say, in conclusion, that I really hope that they are more successful this time around in reviving the spirit of the old AMIGA in this new age of smartphones and tablet PC's then the many others of the past.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Ancient Amiga photo via: Wikipedia

Will New 2010 iPods Include A New iPod Watch?

Tomorrow, it's expected that Apple will officially unveil new iPods, consisting of new Touch's, Nano's and Shuffles. Obama Pacman, a great Apple related site, brings out one interesting possibility, via 9to5mac, that I think holds some promise..... an iPod watch!

When you think about the diminutive size of the Shuffle and the rumors of the Nano shedding its 'click wheel' it makes perfect sense to me for such a form factor. Most of the time such a device would function simply as an ordinary digital watch, but then, el presto.... by simply plugging in a set of ear buds you would instantly have a nifty and very convenient iPod at your beck and call!

Even though I think such an idea is "totally rad", as some of today's kids might say, however, according to PCWorld newer case designs indicate something other than an iWatch, as you can see below, to the left.

It's being speculated that the new Touch will borrow design cues from the iPhone 4, including FaceTime and the Retina Display among others, but will Apple actually come out with the radical idea of an "iWatch iPod"?

Well, it's certainly a doable and therefore certainly possible idea, but the answer is we're just going to have to wait and see what Jobs unveils come tomorrow, but, however, in conclusion, I'm personally really hoping against hope that they do, because as far as I'm concerned, I think that the idea of putting a Nano or Shuffle into the guts of a touch screen watch would definitely be one of Apple's peachiest designs yet!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, August 31, 2010

When Will Apple Update Its A4 Chip?

Gizmodo, via Carrypad, via SlashGear, is reporting that the new Tegra 2, as found in the Android-powered Toshiba AC100 netbook, has totally obliterated all of its fellow Android competitors in recent speed tests.

This dual-core Arm based chip is apparently a much better and faster chip than Apple's own Arm-based chip, the A4 as found in the iPad and iPhone. For starters, the A4 is only a single core chip. Apple, along with Acorn Computing, created Arm based chips in the first place and its A4 chip really out shined its competition when it debuted, but the question now is when, not if, Apple will come out with its next or updated Arm-based chip, and one that could, more than likely, be either a dual or even quad core version?

That, of course, is something that many, myself included, have no way of knowing for sure, but it's is a hell-of-a-safe bet that the highly secretive power house from Cupertino is working on such chips as we speak, but when?

Well, this is just a personal guess, but I think that we can expect to see such chips either in the first or second quarter of next year. Not only that, but let me go out on a limb and say that I believe that Apple's recent purchase of two based semi chip companies are about to really pay off big time for the company, resulting in chips that will deliver significantly faster speed, flexibility and far better performance than either the Tegra 2 or any other chip for that matter.

Of course, in conclusion, the competition is going to exactly stop and stand still when that happens, but neither will Apple and I personally expect to see Apple come out with an A5 chip and other subsequent chips that will give its competitors a real run for their money and give them a very hard time trying to keep up with, you just wait and see!.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, August 30, 2010

Chart via: Gizmodo

What Do You Get When You Marry A Mercedes With An Apple: The Ultimate Luxury Car, That's What!

When it comes to high tech you can't get much better than Apple, and when it comes to automobiles you definitely can't get any better then those master craftsmen, the Germans, and as you can see from the above photo, via Dvice.com, here we have the best of both, Apple and Mercedes combined together to create the iBussiness class, the ultimate business luxury car.

Yeah baby, now were talking!

This combination consists of the ultimate car, an S Class SV-12 sedan, outfitted to the brim with uber high-tech gizmos from Cupertino, and resulting in a marriage of sheer luxury that will speed you down the Autobahn at up to 212 mph, thanks to is tremendous 750 horsepower engine and its almost mind-boggling 1,000 lbs of torque!

With both Apple and Mercedes being high-priced luxury goods, this combination from Brabus doesn't come cheap. The whole deal is, of course, a special order thingy, so the cost is hard to pin down exactly as Dvice said, but the car itself, without its two Apple iPads, keyboards, LCD video displays built into the ceiling and its 3G wireless internet connection will set you back about a cool, mind-blowing, half million smackeroos!

Dammit, I'm a dollar or two short so I guess that leaves me out!

Well, in conclusion, if, unlike myself, you can actually afford this ultimate German car (the Mercedes SL 550 roaster is my favorite, by the way!), you can check out more pics over at Dvice.com, but since I'm a dollar or two short, I guess I'll just have to keep on dreaming.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, August 27, 2010

Samsung Galaxy Tablet UI Copies The iPad?

Another day goes by and another company copies Apple yet again. This time it's Samsung and its Galaxy Tab UI, which you can see running in the YouTube clip above, and yes, if it looks a little bit familiar to you, well Gizmodo notes that there's a reason for that which you can read here.

They say that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery", well that's all fine and dandy, but what frankly ticks me off big time is that when it comes to Apple, they not only copy from it, but they do so while claiming that they are the original innovators, and while on the other hand it is Apple not only copies or innovates, but actually is guilty of stifling the innovation of others! Why, the general attitude is that Apple is a closed system, while they are open and free.

In other words: Apple is evil; while they are all that is good and right in the world!

I suppose that after all of these years of witnessing such low-down behavior from some of Apple's competitors, I guess I really shouldn't be too surprised to see them continuing in all of this bold face hypocrisy. Still, I find it a little bit stomach churning nonetheless.

From the App Store, iTunes, the iPod, cut-n-paste, drag-n-drop, the iPhone and now the iPad, and on and on, Apple's competitors have been copying Apple's every move, all while bitching and whining while doing so.

I'm not sure exactly what Apple is going to reveal, or not reveal, at their upcoming special September 1 event, but I'm pretty dang tooting sure that I can guarantee that if anything new, different and totally unique that you can bet your mother's old training bra that Apple's competitors and detractors will not only first dice and trash it to pieces, but then turn around and copy it, all while claiming that it was basically their own innovation, and at the same time continuing to complain that Apple is holding back every body's else's innovation if anyone dares to mention it!

In conclusion, all I will say is that I wish people would just come up with their own innovation for a change rather than simply bashing and then ripping off Apple! At least Microsoft, famous for copying Apple in the past, is trying a new approach with Windows Mobile 7. Everybody else, Android included, simply are lifting just about everything from the iPhone, or iOS 4, but claiming that they are really the more innovative because they threw in a bigger screen or higher resolution camera, or what have you?

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, August 26, 2010

The Ultimate iPad Accessory: KeyCase's iPad Folio

As nice as Apple's iPad protective case and keyboard dock may be, well they just don't hold a candle, in my humble opinion, to KeyCase's lovely iPad Folio. As you can see in the above photo, via Engadget this little sucker is not only a cool looking thing-a-ma-jig, but it looks to be a lot more practical than both of Apple's solutions.

First of all, this sexy looking case has a built-in BlueTooth keyboard going for it, which basically turns your sexy little iPad baby into a sexy little laptop number to boot! Protection and versatility and all in one package, what-in-hell more can you ask for?

The KeyCase iPad Folio has already received FCC approval and its being listed for sale, by GearZap, for around $90 U.S., and if it works anything as good as it looks then, as far as I'm concerned, its a real bargain. Its certainly a lot better than many of the other cases I've seen and its a lot more portable than Apple's keyboard.

GearZap.com has it currently listed as being temporarily out of stock, but they state that more stock is due shortly. They list the iPad Folio as offering the following features:

- Stylish & streamlined protective leather case designed for iPad.

- Built-in Bluetooth 2.0 Silicone Keyboard.

- Quiet keystrokes, dust-proof & spill-proof.

- Durable Leather Style Exterior.

- Magnetic fastening secures case closed.

- Rechargeable battery lasts for approximately 45 hours per charge.

- Bluetooth keyboard charges using standard Apple power cables.

- Auto sleep mode when idle for 10 minutes.

- Easy setup - automatically re-connects when turned on.

You can check out even more picts from GearZap's website, but in conclusion, just let me add that this looks like the type of accessory that Apple should have come out with in the first place. With a 12 month warranty, this leather case appears to be the one companion that every self respecting iPad lover is going to love.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Apple Patent Reveals The Ultimate Multi-Touch Computer?

If a recent patent published by Apple is any indication, then I may be finally getting what I always wanted... a touch screen Mac as seen in the illustration above via Patently Apple.

From the drawing above, you can see details of a possible touch screen iMac, and one that goes beyond, way beyond, the ones found in many of the touch screens found in today's PCs, all of which have one major flaw.... the horizontal positioning of the screen itself.

As I've personally found out, rather quickly, while using an HP TouchSmart all-in-one, using a vertical touch screen for any length of time can result to physical strain in your arms and wrists! Ouch, that's not so 'touch smart' when you come to think of it, now is it? Mind you, for occasional use it's fine and dandy, and can even be a blast, but trust me, for longer periods it's anything but.

However, when it comes to smaller horizontal devices, such as the iPhone and the iPad, touch screens suddenly come into their own and you can pretty much touch to your hearts contents all day long without much worry, and that's what makes Apple's recent patent filing so interesting and novel because its new touch screen will be both a horizontal and vertical screen in one!

Not only that, but it looks like any new touch screen iMac will also include not just the old OS X OS, but its newer sibling iOS as well, meaning that based on the position of the screen itself, the device could operate either as a traditional pc, or that of an iPad! Why, its a two-for-one type of design that I believe could be another big home run for Apple.... why the idea is so clever it's almost like it came from Germany or Japan!

As many are pointing out, patent filings don't always translate into actual shipping products, but in this case I sure hope this design makes it as I've been personally wanting a touch screen for some time now. Would such a pivoting two-in-one design cannibalize the iPad? That I don't know, but I'm sure it would boost sales of the Mac which is already surging not only in the consumer space, but as well in both government and the enterprise segments by a whopping 200 and 50 percent respectfully!

A lot of bloggers seem to be excited about Apple's unique approach to building a practical and usable touch top based computer, and bloggers like the New York Times Nick Bilton, who writes:

"You can touch your iPod ... you can touch your iPhone ... you can touch your iPad. ... So it only makes sense that you should be able to touch your iMac. A European patent ... indicates that Apple could bring multitouch to the desktop.

...

Swiveling the screen down to a touchscreen experience could also ... show a different style of operating system designed for touch. ... could be a big draw ... as it vastly reduces the struggle many non-techies have when trying to find or save files on a traditional desktop"

In conclusion, just like many other bloggers, I'm also rather excited over this recent touch screen concept, because it not only solves the biggest problem inherent with today's touch computers, namely the position of their screens, but it also throws in the novel idea of combining the best from both the Mac's traditional OS X, but the iPhone and iPad's newer iOS as well!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Kevin Rose: Apple's New iTV "Will Change Everything"

With the iPod, iTunes, the App Store and, of course, its iPhone, Apple has revolutionized many aspects of technology. However, despite all of this Apple may, according to Kevin Rose of Digg fame, be about to unleash its newest revolutionary device based on its current "hobby,'' namely Apple TV.

In his blog Kevin claims that Apple TV is about to be morphed into iTV come this September, and, according to him, it "will change everything!"

Kevin believes that this new revolutionary hardware will cost but a mere $99 and run a version of iOS much as does the iPhone and the iPad. More importantly, thanks in part to Apple's new iAd platform, Keving believes:

""With Apple's iAds, content producers (eg. ABC/NBC/etc.) can directly monetize and distribute their content."

In other words: it could very well kill off both cable and satellite TV as we know it!

Apple's new iAd platform could conceivably make major television shows profitable for the producers for not only television, but possibly even for movies as well. This means that iTV users could finally end up saying forever goodbye to paying a monthly subscription, which is something that I'm pretty dang tooting sure most people would jump up and down in joy for.

Apple's new iTV hardware would do more than just allow for viewing of television and movies content, but will, in-addition, also allow people to share family photos with each other were ever they may happen to live, worldwide and instantly. Not only that, but it would also connect to the App Store and iTunes, thus allowing people to download music, movies, TV shows and games and who knows what else, possibly video chat with each other via FaceTime?

Personally, I really hope that any new iTV from Apple will do all that and more: "change everything" as Kevin points out. However, in conclusion, that said not all people are of equal opinion as Fortune's Philip Elmer-DeWitt points out in his Apple 2.0 blog. For one thing, when it comes to Apple's new iTV, well according to Mr. DeWitt we should "Be careful for what we wish for" After all, as he points out, iTV will require not only an internet connection, but most likely a fast one and something one's grandmother living back in them old hills might not even have access or even the desire to bother with.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, August 23, 2010

Kevin Rose photo via: Brain Solis via Flickr, via Fortune

The Nokia N9: The MacBook Pro Phone Look a Like

As you can see above, from yesterday's Engadget's photo of a MacBook Pro, the photo of the Nokia N9 displayed on its screen is quite remarkable. Remarkable because it, the Nokia N9, rather looks a lot like, well.... the MacBook itself!

It's no wonder some are calling the Nokia N9 the 'MacBook Pro Phone'. It really does, the more I look at it anyway, look like a miniature MacBook Pro, with its black recessed chicklet style keyboard, surrounded by that sleek metallic case and all.

Mind you, it sort of looks like a slightly deformed and retarded version of the MacBook Pro, but I have to admit it, there really seems to be quite a resemblance here, don't you agree? Some people might not think so, but I, for one, spotted the resemblance from the get go, the first time I seen the thing.

I'm not sure if it's deliberate on Nokia's part, or it's just an innocent coincidence, but if it is then I couldn't exactly blame them for wanting to copy, in part, the overall look of the MacBook Pro for the N9, as it is definitely one of the best dang looking laptops out there. If it works for a laptop, then obvious you just might assume that it would also work for a phone as well.

In conclusion, a lot of companies out there seem to have a case of Apple envy, and you can see it in the myriad ways in which they copy just about every little nuisance from many of Apple products.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, August 20, 2010

South Korean's Embrace The iPhone 4 In Record Pre-Order Numbers

Antenna Gate, what Antenna Gate, must be what South Korean's are saying as they eagerly gobbled up iPhone 4's at a rate that were so overwhelming that they literally brought down the lines of carrier KT Corp., and by 7 p.m. some 130,000 handsets were pre-ordered.

The Korea Herald reported that significant demand was experienced for the iPhone 4 after going on sale via KT's website and at its 2,900 stores nationwide.

As AppleInsider noted yesterday, these numbers are a considerable increase over that for the pre-orders of the iPhone 3GS when it went on sale and, in-comparison, only sold some 60,000 when it was first launched.

With the iPhone 4 now selling like hot cakes ever since June in other countries, and now with South Korea continuing that trend, Apple is now working hard to ramp up production in order to increase the number of countries selling the iPhone sold to 87. The overwhelming acceptance of the iPhone 4 in South Korea, and other countries, makes it clear that the so-called Antenna Gate fiasco has had very little negative impact on the iPhone 4's acceptance by the public, and as is also evidenced by the fact the iPhone 4 has by far the highest satisfaction rate of any handset on the market.

In conclusion, apart from obviously getting a newer and better antenna, I can't help but wonder what the next iPhone, let's just call it the iPhone 5 for now, will also be including in the near future. Personally, I like to see both FM and TV tuners included, and lets not forget a satelite receiver while were at it, and also maybe both biometric eye and finger scanners for increased security, and, as well, the ability to wireless print the phones contents, and for good measure.... let's throw in a good old can opener while we're at it!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, August 19, 2010

Is This The Coolest iPad Accessory Or What?

A genuine FreeKade iPad arcade cabinet is now up for auction on eBay, and, as you can see in the above YouTube clip, its a great gaming accessory for anyone interested in reliving the old glory days of video arcade gaming on their spanking new iPad then this could be your ticket to gaming bliss.

I'm not much of a gamer myself, playing only the occasional game of solitaire, but if you have an iPad (I'm waiting for the next version myself) and your also a dedicated gamer with a love of all things retro, then you should hurry on over to the eBay UK site before someone snaps this little baby up!

According to Engadget, this concept was originally listed in their April Fool's roundup which you can find here, and it even fooled me at the time, but hey, you can have the real deal if you got a little money and a little luck on your side!

Even though the original The iCade concept, one which this thing is based on, was just an April Fool's joke, it apparently is no joke that a lot of people would love to see this thing massed produced as evidenced by many of the comments on Engadget's above post reveals.

So, is this the coolest iPad gaming accessory or What?

Well, at least if your an iPad loving and avid retro game player, then the answer is an unequivocal yes, so in conclusion, if your interested in bidding on this one-of-a-kind thing-a-ma-jig, then I wish you happy bidding. Even more interesting, however, would be to see this cool concept massed produced, because I'm pretty dang-tooting sure that people would snap them up like hot-cakes.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, August 18, 2010

The iPad To Netbooks: Screw You!

When Steve Jobs finally took the stage to announce the iPad, well it took but mere seconds before people started laughing and running the thing to the ground, and saying things like:

"But it doesn't have a full OS"; Where's the keyboard?"; ""It's too expensive"; It's no good, because it doesn't have a removable battery" and, "Why buy an iPad when you can buy a netbook for less money with all of the above instead?, and on, and on they went, laughing and heaping scorn on the thing, but the question is: who's laughing now?

No one, that's bloody well who, and that goes especially for the makers of netbooks who have suddenly seen their once rip-roaring, and growing by leaps-and-bounds, sales dwindling ever since the debut of the iPad.

Some might blame it on other factors, and I'm sure that there are others factors, but now one of the biggest and baddest of all netbook manufacturers has finally come out and admitted that the iPad has indeed been having a big impact on its netbook sales.

Asus's CEO Jerry Shen, has just announced that they have recently lowered their netbooks shipments due to the impact of the iPad, and now Electronista has pointed out that the iPad has already outsold ASUS'S entire spring and summer shipments and it is on track to outgrow the netbook category, and is having a much more destructive impact on the market than anyone had previously thought.

According to one analyst at Morgan Stanley, Katy Huberty, the iPad is growing so fast that it could even grow faster than netbooks in its first year, reaching as high as 13 to 16 million units, which, if I do say so myself, is a very impressive figure indeed, as also reported by Electronista.

In conclusion, I guess that the moral of the story is that no one should ever bet against Jobs or Apple! Scoffers, and I can think of a lot, might have laughed and scorned immediately after the iPad was first announced, but it is Apple that is laughing now.... and all the way to the bank as all of the scoffers are left crying and shaking their heads in disbelieve, as Apple defies the critics yet once again.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Opening image via: Good-old Engadget

Two Recent Survey's Spell Indicate Huge Future Sales For The iPhone, All At The Expense Of AT&T And Android!

Two recent survey's indicate that much of the growth that Android has recently been enjoying may, in fact, be due more to the iPhone's exclusivity with AT&T rather than anything else.

The second survey, from the research firm Morpace, backs up the first survey done by ChangeWave last month. Morpace's survey of some 1,000 Americans indicates that up to a whopping 51% of Verizon's customers where "somewhat likely" or even "very likely" to purchase an iPhone if it where suddenly made available to Verizon's customers. This comes right after, and is in line with ChangeWave's survey, of some 4,000 people, which indicated that an even greater percentage, or some 53% of Verizon subscribers would buy an iPhone if given the chance.

Of course, as can be naturally expected, this has given yet more Internet buzz, as ComputerWorld noted in a recent post that indicates that Apple is planning a CDMA version of the iPhone for Verizon's network, which some believe could come as early as January, 2010, such as John Gruber in his Daring Fireball blog, which has been noted to be one of the most accurate in its Apple predictions.

The above two survey's would be great news for Verizon indeed, as well as for the iPhone itself, but, unfortunately, at the same time, not so much for AT&T which ComputerWorld stated:

"Morpace's poll also revealed that nearly a quarter of current AT&T subscribers said that they would probably switch to Verizon if the latter offered the iPhone. Morpace attributed the strong showing -- AT&T customers were more likely to drop their current provider for Verizon than subscribers to either Sprint or T-Mobile -- to the persistent undercurrent of complaints about AT&T's network performance."

To counter the effect of the loss of its iPhone exclusivity, AT&T recently said that any such loss of any exclusivity would have very little material or negative effects on their bottom line, but I personally think that remains to be seen and AT&T knows it.

As AppleInsider also recently pointed out, Morpace's survey also hints that the iPhone 4's record breaking sales depute may have been greatly reduced because as much as a third of current iPhone users where holding back on upgrading, believing that doing so would soon allow them to not only upgrade their phone, but their network carrier as well! In other words, the 3.7 million or so iPhone 4 sales could have easily been a lot closer to some five million or more!

Clearly, it's looking like the end of AT&T's exclusivity may prove to be not only to be a big negative for AT&T, but for the over all Android platform as well, not to mention all other smart phone makers. Android fan boys love to boast that it is a much more innovative platform than the iPhone, even though the truth is that it is nothing more than a virtual copy cat, who's so-call innovation consists primarily of adding bigger screens or a higher resolution cameras, etc.

As far as AT&T's exclusivity goes, I hope it ends as soon as possible as it's increasingly looking like it is by far the biggest obstacle to the iPhone's over all platform growth in the U.S, and one that has clearly benefited Android and other copy cat devices.

In conclusion, if recent survey's are true, then it is indeed looking very likely that after the iPhone makes it to other carriers, and in particular to Verizon, then we may see a huge increase in adoption, that could cripple Android in the process, and who knows, possibly stealing as much as a third, to a whopping one half of Android sales in the U.S!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, August 16, 2010

Android and the Freedom to Hate

Android fans love to claim and boast, and to no end, that their beloved platform of choice is superior to that of the iPhone because of its freedom of openness... the total freedom for anyone, to include anything type of application in the Android market place, any good old time that anyone pleases or choices.

Excuse me, but such so-called freedom means that anyone can also easily include spyware, trojans, porn and now, apparently, hate themes, such as the Nazi one pictured above from Engadget.

Of course, history records that the Nazi's have been one of the most evil organizations to have ever scourged the face of the earth, but hey...... apparently their also Android approved!

The fact that the Nazi's blinded one of the most civilized, most cultural, friendliest and most intelligent nations that the world has also ever known, while at the same time also appropriating its greatness to kill millions of innocent people from other nationalities, (also, including the death of its own citizens) and plunging the world into world war, well hell, that's perfectly acceptable for inclusion in the Android platform, because, after all, hey ..... its a totally free platform where the basic rules are that there are no rules! Otherwise, it really wouldn't be a totally open and free platform, now would it?

Android might be free, I guess, but don't be too surprised by the fact that it really isn't all that free as some might want you to think it is! Yes, just like Apple (which everyone howled about), Google also has an Android kill switch whereby they also can kill and remove, or install for that matter, anything old thing that happens to be on your personal Android device and all without your expressed permission or knowledge, any old time they please! Of course, the big difference here is that no one howled over Google's kill switch like they did with Apple! Yes, I also guess that the Android platform also includes the freedom from being criticized like Apple or its iPhone.

In other words, when you add it all up: the Android platform isn't anywhere near as free as they want you to believe..... it's all pretty much just a damn marketing ploy!

Yes, Android's so-call app freedom also means that its also easy and free to include spyware , as well as malware that can literally withdraw every penny from your bank account, but hey, I guess that's just the price of freedom these days!

Not only is Apple implementing a proxy war against Google, via HTC, but now Oracle has just thrown down the gauntlet by issuing its own little patent war against Android, so I guess Android is a platform that feels it is also free to use, or miss use, other companies intellectual property in any old way or any old time they want!

The idea that Android is a superior platform simply based on its so-called openness and freedom is nothing more than an illusion. There is no such thing as total freedom, it's an utter impossibility, and as far as I'm concerned its just a sham on Android's part, a mere marketing ploy to fool people in to believing that Android equals true freedom of choice and is all that is good in the world! It is, in fact, nothing more than total hypocrisy! Or in other words, the plain, unadulterated truth is ....... it's all nothing but a big fat lie!

Apparently, in conclusion, all I will say that in addition to the freedom to be able to include porn, malware and spyware, etc., Android also includes the freedom to hate and for people to express it regardless of how tasteless or offensive it might be to the majority of the rest of the civilized world!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, August 13, 2010

The War Against The iPhone

The smart phone race is heating up and it is becoming a virtual war against the iPhone by its competitors to take over what the iPhone started.

It's now being reported that Android sales have now collectively surpassed that of the iPhone, placing it in the third position after that of Symbian and Research In Motion, and pushing iOS, or the iPhone, into fourth place.

Of course, if Apple wins its legal case against HTC that could easily cripple Android's momentum big time, and especially since a lot of patent lawyers say that Apple has a far better than 50% chance of winning its case.

However, in the meantime, Sony is adding one more big threat to the iPhone, in the gaming area especially: a new PSP Go-like Android smart phone, one possibly looking something like the Engadget mockup at the beginning of this post. (click to embigen)

It seems that with each and every passing day, Apple's competitors are hell bent on destroying Apple's iPhone. The question is: what can Apple do about it?

For one thing, it has to quickly put an end to the iPhone 4's so-called antenna-gate problem, which is really not that big a deal as far as I'm concerned, but it is one thing that Apple's competitor's are making a very big deal of you can be sure of.

Another thing, as stated above Apple has to win its proxy case against Android. Android wasn't going anywhere until it took the gloves off and started to shamelessly copy the iPhone's multi-touch features. In the beginning, Android went out of its way to avoid multi-touch, such as pinch-to-zoom, etc., but after Palm not only included it, but mocked Apple in the process, Android was suddenly emboldened to do the same. Winning its case against HTC, Apple will have crippled Android, and for that matter, everyone else including the Palm Pre and all upcoming Windows 7 phones, in one fell swoop!

One of the most important things of all, in my way of thinking, is that Apple has to quickly open up the iPhone to all carriers. AT&T's exclusivity has been one of the biggest hurdles in preventing millions of would be iPhone owners from adopting it even though they greatly desire to do so, and thus literally forcing them into the arms of Android copy cat clones.

In conclusion, Apple is in a war by its competitors to take over what the iPhone started and to make it their own, much as Microsoft did with its Windows platform and the Mac. The iPhone was the only game in town when it came to multi-touch, WebKit (which Apple created) based smart phones, but now Apple is going to have to fight hard, extremely hard, in a market that is increasingly becoming crowded with iPhone copy cats, which, in certain areas, even surpass that of the iPhone itself. Doing so will be a daunting task indeed, but if any one company can do it, it's the folks at Apple.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, August 12, 2010

Apple Replaces First Gen iPod Nanos In Japan: Better Late Than Never

When it comes to the first generation of Japanese iPod Nano owners, well they can thank their government for a victory which resulted in a settlement that effected some of their units batteries from overheating.

Thanks to this victory, not only will those effected have their batteries replaced, but thanks to Apple deciding to go above and beyond what the government ask, now those effected will be receiving entirely spanking new and current iPod Nano models!

Way to go Apple!

According to the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, some 60 cases of the battery overheating had been reported, including four cases which resulted in minor burns. It was only last week that the Japanese government ordered Apple to simply publicize a fix.

In conclusion, it's regrettable that Apple, or any other company for that matter, would take so long to render a fix, but these things are bound to be expected when your dealing with literally tens of millions of units. As bad as it is for those effected, you can't but help to expect that at least a few are going to have some imperfections of some type. Even Rolls Royce has been known to put out a few lemons, now and then, but what really matters is that in the end is that the company comes through and that the customer, at the end of the day, comes out more than satisfied.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Image via: Engadget

LiquidMetals = Tougher, Lighter, More Durable And Amazing Future Apple Devices!

As strong, lightweight and as durable as they might be, Apple products from MacBook Pro's, iMac's, MacPro's, iPod's, iPhone's, and other Apple devices could soon be a lot lighter, stronger and more durable than ever, all thanks to Liquidmetal Technologies.

This is because yesterday, for an undisclosed price, it was revealed that Apple just bought all of the worldwide rights to Liquidmetal Technologies amazing patents that will, in turn, allow Apple to utilize their amazing amorphous metal alloys, with their very unique atomic structures, to build products that are unmatched by the rest of the industry.

I must agree with ZDNet's Adrian Kingsley-Huges, and as you can see in the opening video clip, when he states:

"Liquidmetal is interesting stuff. According to the website, the characteristics of the material is as follows:

• High Yield Strength
• High Hardness
• Superior Strength/Weight Ratio
• Superior Elastic Limit
• High Corrosion Resistance
• High Wear-Resistance
• Unique Acoustical Properties"

Yes, clearly this is interesting stuff indeed, but it's more than that folks....... it's a major feature that will blow away every other high-tech competitor attempts to duplicate, and thus giving Apple products a major advantage in the market place! Apple's competitors simply won't be able to offer such advantages, thus this should, and will, give Apple devices that extra bang for their bucks that others, such as Palm's WebOS and Android devices, for example, won't be able to simply copy as they did when they deliberately violated Apple's multi-touch patents, etc.

In conclusion, I believe this is going to be big, very, very big indeed and will lead to some pretty amazing big developments that will result in even tougher, lighter and, hopefully, much cheaper Apple devices in the near and long term. Competitors have long copied various Apple features, from the design of its laptops, all-in-ones, OS interfaces etc., but trust me on this one, my dear two or three readers, this is one feature that will be extremely hard, if not utterly impossible, for the rest of the industry to copy!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Evidence Grows For The iPhone Coming To Verizon

Finally, there seems to be mounting evidence that the rumors of the iPhone finally coming to other carriers, and especially Verizon, is increasingly looking to be true after all.

For instance, Steve Cheney over at TechCrunch notes mounting evidence that suggests that indeed the iPhone's biggest negative, (no, it's not the antenna either) but rather AT&T exclusivity is now finally, at long last, coming to an end and possibly as early as this January.

Electronista has also noted that AT&T itself has recently gone out of its way to suggest that is indeed the case, as also reported on by Engadget.

AT&T is by far the biggest complaint concerning the iPhone. Millions of people who don't have an iPhone would switch in a heart beat if it wasn't for the fact that the iPhone is now tied directly to AT&T. Naturally, if the iPhone were suddenly to become available on other carriers some believe that it would result in a huge increase for the overall iPhone platform. For example, some 40% of BlackBerry users, for instance, have already expressed interest in switching from their current platform over to the iPhone, and with more Android users willing to switch to the iPhone than the other way around, then I can see the validity in such an argument.

In conclusion, AT&T's carrying the iPhone has resulted in some major benefits for the platform, but with even more carriers on board it would result in producing even more and greater benefits and the sooner that the iPhone can be freed from its AT&T's exclusivity, well, then the better off it's going to be for the overall iPhone platform and its adoption.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, August 09, 2010

Site-4-The-Day: The Steve Jobs Show

Steve Jobs is undoubtedly one of the greatest business men and thinkers of the past 20th. century. A movie has been made about him, books have been written and he's been satirized on many television programs such as Mad TV, Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show and, of course, The Simpson's, as well as countless others. He has been the subject of countless news stories and featured in countless blogs, including the famous satirical Fake Steve Jobs. For crying out pizza with anchovies on top, there was even a limited Steve Jobs doll for sale!

Well, now there's something new: Jobso TV! That's right folks, the amazing Steve Jobs Show who's creators, the same genius's behind the equally hilarious Walt Mosspuppet, describe JobsoTV as being:

"The Steve Jobs show is the greatest program in the history of the internet. The first episode was the most Downloaded video ever, even before it came out."

Well, I for one, say it's absolutely down right hilarious and just about one of the funniest sites that you'll find on the internet today, as you can see for yourself from the opening clip and the one below:

In conclusion, all I will say is that if you happen to like Steve Jobs and you also like humor, then what in blazes are you waiting for? I suggest that you should head straight on over to The Steve Jobs Show and laugh your head off. I know I did.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, August 06, 2010

PS: A special tip-of-the-hat to ObamaPacman, a great Apple site, for bringing The Steve Jobs Show to my attention. Thanks ObamaPacman!