Windows Mobile 7 Comes To The iPhone

Well, well, what do we have here, in the above video? Yes, it's a Windows Phone 7 theme running on a jail-broken iPhone 4, and further more.... it's looking pretty damn spiffy if I do say so myself!

Some people, myself included, are not particularly sure if Microsoft's latest offering has what it takes to take on the likes of iOS or its blatant ripped off copy cat Android platform, but now with the help of a little jail breaking, if your so inclined, Microsoft's Windows Mobile 7 now, sort of, comes to the iPhone. Personally, I'm really not sure if I like Windows Phone 7's tile theme, or as some call em, its big buttons, but I do know that I rather like some of its animations effects, like its flying 3D text.

When I first quickly read through Engadget's post on the subject, I originally panicked and first thought that some clever bloke or gal figured out how to run iOS apps on a Windows 7 device! Whew... that was close, because such a development would have proven to be not only a big plus for Windows Mobile 7 platform, but a big, big negative for both iOS and its patent infringing clone of Android.

In conclusion, I have to agree with the fine folks over at Engadget when they posted that if you apply this particular jail-break that, "......... once you do, you'll have all your precious apps sorted in a neat alphabetical pile on one screen, with the other waiting patiently for your customizations and live tile choices. It's a good looking little mod, we have to say, and it's currently going through beta testing, so why not grab your iPhone and see if it can survive a lick of Microsoft paint without self-combusting?"

And that's my 2 cents on this latest iOS jailbreak app 4 this Monday, January 31, 2011

AT&T Briefly Becomes Biggest U.S. Carrier Thanks To The iPhone, Then Loses Again To Verizon... Thanks To The iPhone!

It might be brief, but yesterday, according to Gizmodo, AT&T snatched the covetous position of being the largest carrier in the U.S. from Verizon. The main reason, of course:

The iPhone!

Unfortunately, for poor old AT&T, Verizon now also has the iPhone, and coupled with a recent survey showing that there was a potential for some 25 million Verizon iPhones in 2011, thanks once again to the iPhone, AT&T was virtually guaranteed that it wouldn't be holding on to the number one position for long, but hey, at least they won't be the only ones confused by the incredible impact of the iPhone, as the little guy demonstrates in the video below.

In conclusion, while Google and everyone else is bending over backwards trying as hard as they can to steal the iPhones thunder, the one company mostly impacted by the iPhone and its iOS sibling is, of course, none other than Apple itself, since it was the iPhone that was mainly responsible for Apple surpassing mighty Microsoft, to become, in the process, the largest and most valuable technology company on the planet!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this sunny Friday, January 28, 2011

Sony's New NGP Takes A Cue From Apple

Some people claim that Apple stifles competition. Just don't tell that to the competition, however, because wherever you look now these days, it seems that all of the competition is busy copying and incorporating just about everything that the Cupertino giant does in one way or the other. The latest case involves the electronic Japanese giant, Sony.

In order to keep up with Apple and its iOS platform, later this year Sony will be bringing out their next-generation PlayStation Portable that will also include its new Playstation Suite gaming store that will also be compatible with Google's copy cat iOS platform, its now seriously legally threatened Android platform. As far as making it compatible with Android, well good luck with that Sony, because your going to need all the luck you can get trying to make your games run on a thousand different and very fragmented devices!

Sony has hinted that the new device, code named NGP, will be taking take cues from Apple by incorporating both touch and motion controls, complete with a 5-inch touhcscreen OLED display with a resoltution of 960 x 544 pixels, 3G, WiFi GPS, front and rear touch pads, motion sensors, an electronic compass, dual front and rear cameras, and, not to mention, a real nifty quad-core ARM processor.

You can get a closer look at the NGP here, complete with video from the fine folks over at Engadget, but the question that I want to know is why in hell is Sony only bringing its new, copied from Apple, gaming store and making it compatible with the incredibly fragmented Android platform, but not to iOS as well?

I could be wrong here, but this all seems to be a little disingenuous on Sony's part. After all, if they're truly serious about bringing their games to the biggest market, then why, on God's good earth, would they deliberately leave out one of the biggest platforms of them all, iOS? Could it possibly be that Sony is being a little childish here, are they acting in childish spite, or are they just so dang-bloody frighten of iOS success that they feel the need to try and knock it down a notch or two in order to somehow improve their own chances of success?

In conclusion, I don't have the foggiest idea what Sony was thinking, but it does seem a little bit strange and a little bit suspicious to me. Whatever is Sony's reasoning, I'm quite sure that the latest edition of the PlayStation mobile device wouldn't have been anywhere as cool, or desirable, if it didn't have Apple around to copy or inspire them.

And that's my 2 cents on Sony's new NGP 4 this Thursday, January 27, 2011

NGP photo via: AppleInsider

The iPad's Big Advantage Over Android

Android may indeed be the biggest success that Linux has seen thus far, but when it comes to competing with the iPad, it has one serious problem , besides that of its serious and ever growing problem of' fragmentation', and that is simply.... price!

Yes price! In the past it was the higher prices of Apple gear that, more than anything, stopped a lot of people from buying anything from Apple that they would have otherwise preferred to buy. Not any more, at least when it comes to the iPad, because as ZDNet's Jason Perlow recently stated:

"There’s definitely an effect that Apple is generating, but it’s not a Reality Distortion Field. It’s a Price Equalization Effect. Apple is therefore PEEing on their competitors’ tablet device parades".

Yes, it's true, when it comes to the iPad, Apple's huge pre-ordering of components has forced its competitors to pay for higher prices for its own components, thus making them costlier than the iPad itself. It doesn't matter how nice, or how many more features an Android tablet might have, because of pricing Apple now has its competitors in a strangle hold. Apple's huge buying power is a fact that is going to make it a lot harder for anyone to compete with Apple's offerings in the future regardless of how good they are or not. With its high margins Apple could, if it really needed or wanted to, eventually lower its prices even further down the line and thus making life all the more difficult for the onslaught of iPad copy cat clones now coming to market. As Jason also states, concerning pricing"

"One thing we can say about Apple is that they are fairly consistent about keeping prices standardized for base models across their product lines when they do yearly refreshes. So I don’t expect the base model iPad 2 to cost much more than the one that is currently being sold.

"

Yes, I've heard it many times before, too many to mention, that just as Windows eventually overtook the Mac, bigger and better competitors will eventually do the same to both the iPhone and the iPad. Of course, the biggest problem with that argument is the false assumption that there are actually bigger and better competitors out there. The truth, of the matter, is that there are NONE, no not a single one! I'm not sure why, but a lot of people can't seem to, or more likely simply don't want to, get it in their heads that it is Apple and not Microsoft, not Google, or HP, or anyone else out there that is bigger! Yes, Apple is now the biggest and richest tech company in the world, so it is its competitors, in anyone, that should be worried, not the other way around.

So, will Android, or anyone else, for that matter, eventually do to the iPhone and iPad what Microsoft's Windows did to the Mac? The answer:

It's very bloody unlikely!

Yes, theoretically its always possible, but still highly unlikely. For one thing, when Microsoft surpassed Apple Steve Jobs was no longer around. Today, even though he is on sick leave, he is and he still calls all of the major shots at Apple and I don't think that there is any way in hell that he is going to let history repeat itself!

In conclusion, anything is always possible, but with Steve's guidance and direction and the iPad's early head start and its compelling price points, I believe that it's going to be nearly impossible, no matter how good or feature rich they might be, for Android or anyone else to knock the iPad off from its top spot, at least not any time soon.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, January 26, 2011

iPad photo via: Wikipedia

NFC Chips And The Latest iPhone News

In iPhone news, AppleInsider is reporting that Verizon will be limiting iPhone 4 buyers to its $30 'unlimited' data plan. They are also reporting that AT&T is well on track to soon start selling the long sought for 'white' iPhone as early as this late February or early March.

However, the really big iPhone news is that finally Apple could soon be including NFC chips (near field communication chips) into its next iPhones and iPads.

Apple had been planning on including such chips for some time now, but Google, to the best of my knowledge, is the first to actually do so as featured in its latest Nexus One. NFC chips should allow said equipped devices to be able to buy and pay for merchandise and services automatically, making them into virtual wireless wallets of sorts! I already buy some things simply by swiping my credit card over a scanner and I must say that I really appreciate the speed and the convenience of doing so. NFC chips promises to extend that convenience to mobile devices.

NFC means, for example, that you could order a meal at a fast-food restaurant quickly and conveniently from your car and then pay for it before you even drive up to the take-out window! Sweet, very, very sweet! Likewise, in the future, you could possibly also be able to scan products in, lets say a Walmart store, place them in the basket and before you even get to the checkout your NFC equipped iPhone would have taken care of pretty much everything, except, of course, actually bagging them for you!

In conclusion, with recent record-breaking sales of over some 16 million iPhones and the recent report that Kodak has just lost a major suit against Apple, plus the news that the huge and prestigious Deutsche Bank has just concluded a very favorable two-month trial of the iPhone, not to mention that the iPhone is now on Verizon and could also soon be coming to T-Mobile and Sprint, things are still looking great for the phone and its future despite what Android fan boys might say to the contrary.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, January 25, 2011

White iPhone photo via: MacRumors

Can Apple Survive Without Steve Jobs?

PCMag's Tim Bajarin, in a recent post, asks the obvious question of whether or not Apple can survive without Steve Jobs?

It's a good question considering how Apple almost died when Steve was booted out from the company once before. The only thing that saved Apple, in fact, was Steve's return. After returning, he miraculously resurrected Apple from what was perceived to be its certain and impending death. In fact, Steve Jobs took the company from a market cap of around only 2 billion dollars, in ten short years, to around some320 billion dollars, and turning it into the second most valuable company on the planet, until just recently when the news of Steve's latest medical leave reduced it by some 20 billion ,reducing it now to third place, behind Exxon and PetroChina.

Personally, I think Tim's assessment of the situation is right on the money. I also agree that Apple is more than just any one individual, Steve included. Apple, like any other company or another organization, is the sum of its parts. Yes, Steve Jobs plays a big part, but he doesn't play the only part. There are over 46,000 other people, or parts, to Apple from sales clerks on down to engineers and highly talented and motivated executives.. With an incredible management team now in place, I believe that even if Steve never returns, regardless Apple will continue to carry on doing what it does now best....... leading the industry in pretty much every field its in, and that it will continue to make the sexiest and the most intuitive products that delights its customers while, at the same time, driving its competitors crazy.

So, can Apple survive without its heart and soul, Steve Jobs?

In conclusion, absolutely YES!

Not only that, but I believe that it could actually flourish! It might be true that no one single person can quite measure up to Steve individually, but collectively, I believe that they can. As far as I'm concerned, combined with Tim Cook's business prowess and Jonathan Ive's creative genius, these two alone, more-or-less will guarantee, that Apple will continue to do what it has done under Steve Jobs, namely carry his vision and the company well into the future.



And that's my 2 cents 4 this day, Monday, January 24, 2011

Tim Barajin's photo via: PCMag.com

The iPad Captures 7% Of The Entire Global Share Of All Computers!

BusinessInsider recently caught my eye with a post that pointed out this amazing fact: "iPads Are Already 7% Of The Global PC Market!"

In that case, I can only repeat their reaction which they summed up in one simple little word:

"WOW"

Wow indeed! Imagine that, in less than one bloody stinking year, the little tablet that could, not only took 90% of the global tablet market, but also a whopping 7% of the entire global share of all PC's PERIOD! At this rate the iPad, according to BusinessInsider, is on track, of capturing up to some 25% of the world's entire share of computers in just a few years time! Better make that, come to think of it, a double WOW.

This is quite amazing considering all of the negative name calling and scorn that had been heaped on the iPad before the little bugger even had the chance to hit the market. Mind you, they still heap a lot of hate on the iPad, but not quite as much as before. That's probably because they are all too busy trying to copy every little facet of the it for their own, mostly vapor ware, iPad wannabe copy cat clones.

While the competition continues to bend over backwards, trying to trump the first version of the little tablet that could, Apple is busy preparing the world's first and only real iPad killer, its upcoming iPad 2.

In conclusion, no wonder why BusinessInsider asks:

"Now do you understand why people are so excited about Apple?

Now do you understand why people are worried about Microsoft?

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, January 21, 2011

It's....... BACK: iDOS For iPhone And The iPad!

It's ........ BACK!

Yes sir, iDOS is back in the APP Store and ready for download now....... yeah baby!

iDOS enables anyone with an iPhone or iPad to go back, way, way back to yesteryear and play the same great old games that people have played ever since Microsoft's DOS ruled the world of personal computers and gaming.

iDOS will allow you to play good old DOS favorites such as Apogee's Wolf3D, Duke I and II, Super Nova, Kingdom of Kroz II and Major Striker straight out of the gate and all for free! Since there're pretty much like a whopping forty-nine, million, billion, zillion, gazillions DOS games out there, you could conceivably be able to play em till the cows all come home!

According to the AppShoper, iDOS's Features include:

- PC compatible soft keyboard
- Mouse/Virtual Gamepad&Joystick
- Screen mode: Portrait/Landscape(Fullscreen)
- You can force 4:3 screen aspect ratio
- Customizable floating gamepad for fullscreen mode.

Compared to the games of today, DOS games might appear to be pretty crude and simplistic, but boy, oh boy.... do they ever bring back the memories. Today's youth might find them rather primitive and unappealing, but boy, oh boy........ a lot of them oldies were and still are so much fun and entertaining.

In conclusion, and thanks to the retro gaming efforts of programs like iDOS, current iOS users can easily relive the good old days of computer gaming, so all I will say...... is bring em on, Duke!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, January 21, 2011

Via: Engadget, via AppShoper

UPDATE: Engadget is now reporting that iDOS has once again been pulled.... bummer!

Gaming And The Little Computer That Could: The MacBook Air

Not only is the new 11 inch MacBook Air great when it comes to its build quality, its durability, and on how thin it is, but, surprisingly, as you can plainly see in the above and following videos, its also a pretty damn good little gaming rig!

Yuppers, who would have ever thunked it, but the MacBook Air, with its relatively slow duo-core cpu and gpu is nonetheless more than capable of playing Call Of Duty (above video) without letting out so much as a single hick-up! Amazing really, and it just goes to show what a bloody difference having a computer with built-in SSD makes. Hopefully soon, just like the newer MacBook Airs, the MacBook Pros will also be joining the SSD band wagon.

Below you can see a 13" MacBook Air also effortlessly playing Star Craft 2, and playing it seemingly with little effort on its part at all........... sweet!

Also below, well, and what I can I say......... here we having a MacBook Air not only running Crysis, one of the most visual, and thus one of the most demanding of all computer games, not only running the game, but running it on top of Windows 7 to boot! Now if this doesn't blow your mind on the capabilities of one of Apple's little MacBook, well, then I don't know what to tell you?

Now, if the above videos don't convince you that the MacBook Air isn't a decent little gamer, then below take a gander at Just Cause and Grand Theft Auto both running on Apple's little MacBook Air.

Last, but certainly not least, we have the extremely popular game of World of Warcraft running on the lowly little MacBook Air below, and running pretty damn sweetly at that.

The MacBook Air was never designed particularly as a gaming system, but nonetheles, in a pinch, it has proven itself as being more than capable of getting the job done. No, I'm certainly not suggesting that it's as good, let alone better, than a dedicated PC that was built from the ground up for gaming, but it's clear to see it's a hell of a lot better than what most PC'ers would have given it credit for.

In conclusion, it's the quality of products like the humble, little MacBook Air that demonstrates why Apple devices are so incredibly popular and it helps to explain just why Macs are growing at over eight times the rate of PCs in general. It also helps to illustrate why Apple, once again, just blew financial analysts out of the water when it reported yesterday another record breaking quarterly result, with profits of over some six billion dollars, on revenues of almost 27 billion dollars!

Way to go Apple!

And that's my 2 cents on MacBook Air gaming 4 this Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Another Medical Leave For The World's Most Famous CEO, Steve Jobs

If your an Apple fan, like myself, one of the last things that you want to hear is that its beloved CEO, Steve Jobs, has taken another medical leave of absence.

This is even more so if your a stock investor, because, as predicted, Apple's stock has taking a major nose dive on the news and dropped by 4.33%, or some $15.17 per share, as of this writing. No doubt we can expect even more of a drop the longer Steve stays on his extended leave of absence.

Fortunately, one thing that probably will help to stabilize Apple's stock during Steve's absence, thus keeping it from tanking even further, will be the news that Tim Cook who has already proven himself by running Apple twice before, will yet again take the helm during Mr. Jobs latest leave.

Yesterday, the world's most famous CEO wrote, in a brief message, to Apple employees:

Team,

At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health. I will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for th company.

I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for all of Apple's day to day operations. I have great confidence that Tim and the rest of the executive management team will do a terrific job executing the exciting plans we have in place for 2011.

I love Apple so much and hope to back as soon as I can. In the meantime, my family and I would deeply appreciate respect for our privacy.

Steve

According to the New York Times, "Medical experts said that recipients of liver transplants often suffered from a variety of medical problems that were not life-threatening." Well, lets hope that will be the case with Apple's beloved CEO. However, the big problem here is with Apple's world famous cloak of secrecy, which keeps investors guessing. Yes, it could be just a case where, hopefully, Mr. Jobs just needs time to build up his strength, but as the New York Times also reported, "According to statistics compiled in 2009 by the federal government, among patients who receive liver transplants, 20.7 percent die in the first three years, on average."

The news of Steve Jobs latest medical leave is worrisome, but hopefully, for Steve, his family and that of Apple and its millions and millions of faithful fans, Mr. Jobs will soon be back and at em, doing what he has always done, leading Apple in creating the best and most "insanely great" products.

Good luck Steve.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Steve Jobs photo via: Apple Inc.

Another One Bites The Dust: Nokia's "Come With Music" Service

Many people have tried hard to topple Apple's iPod, iPhone, iPad and, of course, its dominant music service, iTunes. Unfortunately, for them, however, none of them have succeeded thus far, with many of them, in the end, ending up completely dead in their proverbial music tracks.

Well, as they say, another one has just bitten the dust, namely Nokia's "Comes With Music" service. Yes, Nokia's highly touted 'unlimited music service, according to a report that I recently read on Engadget, will now be joining the long line of iTune killers, by being killed off itself. Apparently, Nokia is citing a lack of traction in most markets. Quoting Reuters, Engadget states that the few exceptions, for now anyways, will be China, Brazil and South Africa. Just how long, however, remains to be seen, but personally, if they can't make a go of it in their own home turf of Europe (boo hoo, I miss Deutschland sehr viel!) than I just can't imagine how they will make a go of it in those remaining markets for much longer.

Engadget reported that: ".............. the use of DRM to lock down content to less-than-cutting-edge devices was a major stumbling block in the rollout of what was originally supposed to be a major iTunes competitor. Those who are already signed up will continue to have access to their music libraries indefinitely, but won't be able to access new tracks once their current subscription expires."

Well, well, I must say, in conclusion, that was quick! The big lesson in all of this should be obvious by now, namely being that any attempt to take kill off Apple's highly successful iTunes is no easy task. I can't blame Nokia and others for wanting and trying to do so, but clearly Nokia's latest failed attempt to kill off iTunes has got to be a major disappointment and warning for anyone wishing to take on Apple and its mighty iTune service.

And that's my 2 cents on this sunny, but cold, Monday, January 17, 2011

Photo via: Engadget

App Launchers: Forget QuickSilver, Here Comes Alfred For The Mac

For the longest time now, QuickSilver was an absolute must have application launcher for the Mac, but now, according to Gizmodo, there is a newer alternative program called Alfred that ".......... leaves it in the dust!"

Like QuickSilver, Alfred is a super snappy app for finding and opening any file on your Mac via quick and simple keyboard commands, as you can see from the opening video. German fans can see it in action here. First, you simply assign Alfred an easy keyboard shortcut, then after pulling it up, all you have to do is to start typing something into its pop-up window and presto.... Alfred will immediately, just like lightning, scour you computer and show you the results!

Another thing, just like QuickSilver, Alfred too is also FREE! There is a paid "PowerPack" version that will give you a few more added features, but the free version is really all, if not more, than most people will ever really need. Alfred, at this point anyway, doesn't have the ability to use customizable skins, but that's not really a biggy as far as I'm concerned. Its the productivity that counts and Alfred offers it in spades.

In conclusion, as fine and dandy as QuickSilver is, I'm starting to prefer Alfred a wee bit more at this point. Certainly, since its free you really don't have a reason why not to at least try it. You never know, you know, you just might get to the point that you can't live without it. I know that QuickSilver and Alfred are both must have apps, be it one or the other, so do yourself a favor and download it now via the Mac APP Store or directly from Alfred's site right here.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this beautiful sunny Friday, January 14, 2011

iOS 4.3 And The Next iPad 2 And iPhone 5 Reveal Four And Five Finger Gestures

As seen above, iOS 4.3 beta includes some really cool new gestures, and ones that allow you to use four or five fingers to simply pinch to go back to your home screen, among others. This suggests, according to some, that Apple could remove the home button in next-gen iPad, iPhone !

In fact, "Boy Genius Report is reporting that, according to one of its sources, Apple is already testing iPads and iPhones without home buttons on its Cupertino, Calif., campus. However, since the report itself admits the information is "pretty wild," and as AppleInsider pointed out, " readers should take it with a grain of salt."

In addition to the new gestures, and according to AppleInsider, Apple's iOS 4.3 beta reveals a new 'Find My Friends' feature, as well as new iPads, iPhones.

Back to the new gestures, according to Gizmodo which tested them, "A pinch brings you to the Home Screen, a swipe up or down reveals and hides the multitasking bar, and swipes left or right allow you to switch between apps.", and that..... "All the gestures feel natural—particularly the Home Screen pinch—and at no point during my testing did I feel like I would accidentally trigger one of them."

In conclusion, it's obvious that the iPad 2 and the upcoming iPhone 5 are going to be radically improved over their current form factor. As seen in the video above, those next generation devices could put them, yet again, another generation or two ahead of all of the competition that we saw recently at CES 2011.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this very snowy Thursday, January 13, 2011

Is The "App Store" A Generic Name?

Apple's "App Store" is now world famous and naturally, as a result of that, its quite normal that they would want to trade mark its name. After all, why should others simply be allowed to come along and reap the benefits of the "App Store" name which Apple had worked so hard and spent millions of dollars to build up.

However, there are those, like Microsoft, who oppose Apple trademarking the "App Store" name, contending that the term is generic. Well, if it's generic then it must have become so just recently, as Microsoft has never really referred to applications as "apps" before, preferring as they have always done to simply call them "programs". Just click on Microsoft's Start Menu to see what I mean, they are clearly listed as "programs" and not "apps". Apple, on the otherhand, has always called applications by the shorten form of apps.

So why the big deal now?

First of all, it's just one more way of 'sticking it' to Apple, the one company, besides Google, that has probably giving Microsoft the most competition and the most grief by giving their customers better alternatives then Microsoft's own.

Secondly, since Apple has done all the leg work and the "App Store" is now world famous for quality, Microsoft and others could easily "ape the app store" by tapping into Apple's high reputation of said quality and customer trust by using the term "app store" themselves! In other words: it would allow them to ride Apple's coat tails without much of the expense that Apple had to originally put into building up the image of buying apps in an online store in the first place.

Apple wasn't the first to come up with the idea of an online application store, of course. Others, such as GetJar Networks have gone before, but it wasn't GetJar or anyone else that made the concept of buying applications online popular, or familiar with the general public...... it was Apple! To prove my point, GetJar recently went so far as to send Jobs an online "Thank You Christmas Greeting", thanking him for making the concept of online software stores so popular, thus propelling its own online service to newer heights that it otherwise probably would never have achieved.

So, is the "App Store" name simply a generic term as Microsoft alleges?

Maybe, maybe not, but I think most likely its not.

In conclusion, I'm not exactly sure how this will all play out, or what, if any, consequences will be from Microsoft's opposition, but I do know that before the "App Store" came along most people had no idea about the concept about buying applications online. Even though GetJar may have started earlier, there is no evidence that they ever called their service an "App Store", since it generally was only Apple, with its Mac, that called applications "apps", as opposed to Microsoft and others who have always simply referred to applications as programs.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday (I hope I win the lottery so I can go back to Germany day), January 12, 2011

Verizon's iPhone Announcement And Its Impact On Android And Windows Mobile 7

Gizmodo, at 11 am EST, will be covering Verizon's latest press conference Live, as will be Engadget, Technologizer as well as many others. The main reason they'll all be there is because it's widely believed that Verizon will finally be announcing, at long last, that they'll be adding the iPhone to its line up of smartphones, something that has been wildly speculated on ever since the original iPhone was released in 2007.

If this is indeed the case, just what kind of impact can we expect from such an announcement?

For starters, just the assumption that the U.S.'s biggest carrier will be adding the iPhone was easily enough to drive Apple's stock to yet another all-time high, seeing it gain around $6 per share while, at the same time, driving its market cap to an astonishing $314.14B!

For another, as AppleInsider reported yesterday, a Verizon iPhone could also mean a very tough year for AT&T. I'm pretty sure that the folks over at AT&T are not so thrilled about that happening, as their exclusivity over the iPhone has been very, very good to AT&T and its bottom line. As AppleInsider also reported, and according to UBS, it's also believed that any iPhone would quickly become the dominant device on Verizon at launch, and to help ensure that happens Verizon may spend more than $5 billion subsidizing iPhone sales in 2011.

Well, in conclusion, there is certainly no guarantee that Verizon will even announce the iPhone. For all we know it could announce any number of things, but the smart money is on them doing just that. Such an announcement could not only have a positive and big impact on Verizon itself, but also on Apple as well. On the other hand, it could also have a very big, but negative impact on AT&T, and, as well, a very big and negative impact on the sales of Android and Windows Mobile 7 devices. Whatever is the case, we only have a few more hours to go to find out.

And that's my 2 cents on Verizon's big announcement 4 this Tuesday 11, January 2011.

iPhone photo via: Gizomodo

The iPhone 3G Beats Android Phones To Run GingerBread!

Well, well.... what do we have here, in the above video?

Yuppers, it's the iPhone 3G running Android's GingerBread before many other Android phones ever will. Mind you, it's just a hack, but nonetheless it seems fair enough considering that Android basically changed course to copy, lock-stock-and-barrel, pretty much the iOS entire interface, as well, resulting, at the same time, it stealing virtually a lot of its market share.

However, in my opinion, with the iPhone apparently about to be launched on Verizon tomorrow the big question now is for how much longer will Android be able get away with its stolen success? With a report indicating that a Verizon iPhone could add as many as an additional 9 to 12 million extra iPhone 4 users in the U.S. this year alone, well, this is bounded to have a big and a very negative impact on the continuing success of the fragmented Android platform, which, by the way, some people simply consider to be just a temporary place holder for the iPhone.

With rumors that Apple is about to drop its normal 10% restocking fee for iPhones returns, it's quite obvious that Apple's battle plan of attack on Android's rip-off platform is about enter a new faze, and one that could have very big and real negative effects on Google's competing platform who's success many believe is built entirely on the violation of Apple's patents and intellectual properties.

In conclusion, even though Android has garnered a lot of praise, market share and what not, it's still built on, according to some anyway, stolen intellectual property and as far as I'm concerned, if proven so, then it deserves to be run out of town, something that both Apple's and Oracle's (among others) legal efforts might just do, and the sooner the better as far as I'm concerned. Google, in many ways, is a very innovative and forward looking company, with a lot of great people, ideas and products and services, but that doesn't excuse them from ripping off others hard earned work and their intellectual property, no matter how good their rip off copy cat Android platform might be.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, January 10, 2011

Security And The Mac App Store

Some are debating, whether or not Google’s Chrome OS Will Be Dead Before Arrival? That is one question that I personally can't answer, but when it comes to the OS X OS, Gigaom.com has a cool video of its new Mac App Store in action which, by the way, you can view here, that I believe can and will breath new life into Apple's award winning OS. As far as Gigaom's first impression of the Mac App Store goes, well their advice is that it's good and they highly recommend that you try it.

I'm sure that Windows, Chrome OS, WebOS and other forms of Linux distros will also be sure to copy it as well. In fact, even before the Mac App Store was even announced the latest version of Ubuntu has had an app store of its own, but the selection and quality of its offerings are no where as good, polished or as professional as the 1,000 initial offerings to be found in the MacAPP Store.

Even though the potential for the Mac App Store, I believe, is very great, so too is the concern over piracy, as some have already targeted Apple's new software store barely one day after its launch! Several groups have, in fact, boasted of finding security flaws in the new MacAPP Store that potentially could allow anyone to take advantage of loopholes which could allow people to install apps without paying for them.

Clearly, as John Gruber said,. "Without Proper Code Validation, Mac App Store Downloads Are Easily Bootlegged," therefore it's going to be crucial for Apple to quickly fix this problem before it gets out-of-hand. If that were to happen, well I hardly think that developers are going to be flocking to write new apps for the new service. Truth is, they'll probably be running away from it as fast as they can! No developer, in their right mind, is going to want to spend their hard earned dollars and time into writing apps for something if they think that pirates are going come along and simply sail off into the sunset with their future software earnings.

In conclusion, as far as my 2 cents on the Mac App Store goes, I think that it's truly innovative, and is one feature that Apple's competitors are going to copy, lock stock and barrel, and that goes especially for Google that seems to be hell-bent on copying everything that Apple does, patents be damned! In the end, it's in the best interests of everyone involved, be it the developers, Apple and the Mac App Store itself, and especially, as well, in the interest of the consumer that any and all threats to the security of the Mac App Store be nipped in the bud, as quickly and as effectively as is humanly possible, because when it comes to the Mac App Store security will have to be job one.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this cloudy day of Friday, January 7, 2011

UPDATE: Apparently, after only a day or two of the Mac App Store being online, it's off to a flying star, recording well over 1M downloads! Wow, that's a heap of downloading for a measly 24 hour or so, if I do say so myself! Hopefully, this is just the beginning of not only more apps, of every size, type and description, but a positive trend that will help to drive further adoption of OS X down the road.

Mac App Store illustration via: Gigaom.com

Major 2011 Apple Product Announcements Soon?

It may, or it may not be a big deal, but AppleInsider has reported that Apple is restricting employee vacations as first 2011 products loom.

If true it could mean that Apple is indeed planning on soon announcing some major updated hardware and software.

At least that's what many are hoping for.

Since Steve Ballmer's CES keynote this year was, like most years, one that lacked any real surprises and one that once again left many, underwhelmed, any significant updates announced from Apple would be all the more appreciated.

According to AppleInsider's report:

"People familiar with the company's retail plans say Apple has issued a "blackout" period spanning three weeks, during which retail employees without seniority will not be allowed vacation time. That blackout period is said to begin the last week of January and continue into the first half of February.

Prohibiting vacations during such a large span of time is typically indicative of a major product launch, such as a new iPhone, according to people familiar with past retail blackouts. "

Such a large 'black out' period certainly suggests that one or more major announcements is in the cards, but what could they be?

A new CDMA version iPhone is one of the biggest possibilities, and one that would be welcome by millions of people, except, of course, from people pushing Window 7 and Android iPhone wannabe's.

Another possibility, and one that I' m personally really hoping for, is for a new line of Mac desktops and especially laptops. I've gotten so frustrated waiting for a new MacBook that I actually went out and bought myself a new 17" HP laptop to help me kill some time while waiting for what I really want. What I want, what I really, really want, of course, is a MacBook Pro that is built along the lines of the recently updated MacBook Airs.

As cool as those machines are, I like the look and feel of the MacBook Pros better. When it comes to any possible new MacBook Pros, not only do I want built-in SSD flash drives, but ones with bigger capacities to boot, like lets say 512GBs or maybe even a one solid terabyte drive!

Also, how about throwing in some of that Liquid Metal goodness while we are at it. When it comes to Liquid Metal, Apple's first Liquidmetal patent actually relates to fuel cells ll ....... yes, unbelievably, this could mean a battery that could not only store energy, but actually help to generate it!

Of course, we all know that the iPad 2 is coming and its hoped that Apple, if it doesn't actually ship it, will at least demo it. This would help to offset all of the tablet news coming out of CES this year, and some of which is quite interesting to say the least, even though they all take their cues from the iPad itself. Dual front and back iPad 2 facing cameras are also a given, as is FaceTime and at least one USB port. Larger memory and storage can also be expected as well. Hopefully, as well, Apple will tweak the UI by adding several sleek and new productive features.

In conclusion, as always is the case, we'll just have to wait until Steve Jobs actually comes back on stage and does his normal magic routine to see whether or not these 'employee vacation block outs' are any real indication of one or more major announcements. Personally, I suspect that there will be more than just one, but in the meantime we can always dream of what they'll be.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, January 06, 2011

Steve Jobs photo via: Tech Digest

More Bad News 4 Google: Its Chrome OS Apps Aren't Selling Too Swell!

ZDNet's Steve J. Vaughan-Nichols says in his post, "Android's Biggest Worry: Fragmentation" is indeed very real, no matter how much Google and Android promoters may deny it. As he further states:

"It can get messy. On top of this, there’s multiple current versions of Android out and supported at any given moment on the same hardware. While Dan Morrill, Google’s Open Source & Compatibility Program Manager, can say Android “Fragmentation is a bogeyman, a red herring, a story you tell to frighten junior developers,” it’s not. It’s a real problem."

Indeed, Android can get messy and it's not simply because of fragmentation either. There's also that little picky problem of patent infringement that Oracle and Apple (via HTC) have filed against Android that could leave it eventually completely dead in the water, in who knows, only a few short years.

Now, according to a report that I read just today in Gizmodo, it seems that one of the most important aspects of any self-respecting platform these days, namely its app store, isn't going all that great for Google either, at least for its Chrome OS store, because according to another post, "People Aren't Really Buying Chrome OS Apps!"

Wow! Now if Android's fragmentation and its legal woes weren't bad enough for Google, I would tend to think that this particular news has got to hit like a ton of bricks not only to Google, but especially more so if your a developer hoping to develop for Chrome OS. I'm not sure how the other platforms app stores are doing, but, apparently, according to the developers of the biggest mobile selling game ever, Angry Birds, Apple's APP STORE is still the best bet in town if you want to make a buck. In fact, some developers have made literally millions of dollars on a single app. Compare that to the biggest selling app in the Chrome OS store, MathBoard, which brings in about $165 per week!

Of course, in conclusion, to be fair, Chrome OS has been out for less than a month and its only available to approximately some 65,000 people who where lucky enough to score one of Google's free C-46 laptops, but nonetheless the overall percentage rate of sales shows a very real pattern, and one that would tend to make any developer hoping to make money writing apps for the Chrome OS store to think twice about developing for. I sure know it would me.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, January 05, 2011