The First HP TouchPad Reviews Are In. Conclusion: = Big Fat Fail!

Considering how badly RIM's new Playbook and all of the Android tablets have been fairing in their attempts to take on the iPad, HP's new TouchPad to many was their last hope to really take on Apple's wonder tablet.

Well, guess what? This is just in.... the iPad still rules!

Yes, as hard as they all might try, apparently the goal of over throwing the iPad anytime soon isn't going to be as easy as some originally first thought, like all of those Android fan boys who claimed they would do to the iPad what they did to the iPhone.

Unfortunately, for all of the hopes, the very first TouchPad reviews now coming in have all concluded more-or-less the same thing: that the TouchPad, so far at least, = A BIG FAT FAIL!

In fact, InfoWorld's Galen Gruman concludes in his lengthly review entitled, "Tablet deathmatch: HP TouchPad vs. Apple iPad 2", that in just about every category imaginable that the iPad comes out as:

"The winner: The iPad 2 is clearly a better piece of hardware than the TouchPad. Its design is more elegant, it's lighter, and above all it's faster. In terms of peripherals, the TouchPad's inductive charging is nice but not essential, whereas the lack of rear camera and options for video-out are clear disadvantages.

The overall winner is ...
The differences between the iPad 2 and the TouchPad matter, with the TouchPad offering several innovative WebOS capabilities such as Synergy, Just Type, and Touch-to-Share, but falling short in its workaday apps, which cover just the basic reqiurements in many cases. The iPad 2 has more capabilities overall, and they're mostly well designed and well integrated into a strong ecosystem of product and services that is really hard to match. As a result, I can't imagine anyone choosing a TouchPad over an iPad.

Overall, it appears that HP designed the TouchPad to compete not with the iPad 2 but for second place in the tablet market. In that competition for second, the TouchPad is a strong alternative to the two best Android tablets, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Motorola Xoom. (The RIM BlackBerry PlayBook is a dead end that should be on no one's list.)

So how to choose?

Android has enjoyed strong momentum in the smartphone world, which tablet makers are hoping will translate to the tablet market (though it has not done so thus far). But HP is a strong brand that has acquired through Palm's WebOS a good platform on which to build a credible mobile business. My fear is that HP's bark is bigger than its bite. Although the TouchPad is a good product, it is not a leading product, and it shows little innovation beyond what the Palm team already had in progress before the HP acquisition closed a year ago today. Google's prowess is also questionable, given its uneven set of Android releases over the last four years that continue to trail Apple's iOS and a history of uneven execution by its hardware partners.

In terms of what you can actually do today, a Galaxy Tab 10.1 or Xoom is a better tablet than the TouchPad. In terms of longer-term potential, I have a tad more faith in HP's WebOS team than I do in Google's Android team, but I don't see either company as aiming to be the best. Neither has puts its money where its mouth is.

All this hand-wringing reminds me of a fundamental reality: There's a reason Apple is outselling everyone else by such lopsided margins. Simply, it has the best product available and demonstrates a clear commitment to making it even better every year. Why settle for second? The iPad 2 remains the clear choice."

Engadget's, Tim Stevens, also concludes in his "HP TouchPad Review", that:

"Oh, happy day, when one first receives a device that's been eagerly anticipated for months. Sad, sad day when that device fails to live up to one's expectations. We all wanted the TouchPad to really compete, to give us a compelling third party to join the iOS and Android boxes on the ballot. But, alas, this isn't quite it.

The shortage of apps is a problem, no doubt, but that will change with time. What won't change is the hardware, and there we're left a little disappointed. Holding this in one hand and either an iPad 2 or a Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the other leaves you wondering why you'd ever be compelled to buy the HP when you could have the thinner, lighter alternative for the same money. Meanwhile, the performance left us occasionally wanting and, well, what is there to say.

If the Pre 3 were out today and if the TouchPad were $100 less we could maybe see giving it a go, if only to root for the underdog. But, as it is, you have to put your heart and two decades worth of Palm obsession ahead of any buying rationale. With such compelling alternatives readily available, that's asking rather a lot."

LapTop Magazine's, Mark Spoonauer final verdict:

"This is going to sound like a broken record, but the TouchPad is yet another tablet that feels unfinished. The interface is more elegant and intuitive than what you'll find on Android Honeycomb tablets, and we appreciate the time-saving features such as Just Type. The TouchPad also produces louder audio than any other slate we've tested. Last but not least, HP deserves credit for spicing up the app shopping experience and for leveraging webOS-powered phones to tell a better-together story.

The reason this story doesn't have a happy ending (at least not yet) is because the TouchPad is pretty sluggish for a device that's powered by a dual-core processor. The slow and schizophrenic accelerometer alone gives us pause. The TouchPad is also heavier, thicker, and more smudge-prone than class-leading designs such as the iPad 2 and the Galaxy Tab 10.1. And, of course, HP still has a lot of catching up to do on the app front. Just like Google, HP will likely work out many of thie kinks with its first over-the-air update--at which time we'll revisit our rating--but right now the TouchPad is a tough sell."

As bad as the above conclusions might all sound, the worst comes from Gizmodo's, Matt Buchanan, who concludes in his review that:

"There's no nice way to say this: Shit just plain doesn't work, far more often than it should. And there's no more guaranteed way to make something feel like a train wreck in slow motion than to make it run like it's a train wreck in slow motion. Apps can take foreeeeever to launch, even with just one or two cards open. (I once waited 20 seconds for screen settings to launch.) The gap between your touch and the TouchPad's response is occasionally so wide you could fit all of Transformers 3 in between it. (God help you if you try to tap multiple things while the TouchPad's deliberating its responses.) The Messages app was a consistent bag of hurt, refusing to sign on at all sometimes, or to deliver AIM messages, even though I kept receiving them. Email contents wouldn't show up, often up to 10 seconds after I opened a message. The HP app to get music onto your TouchPad is loathesome—pure HP, and sweet Christ I hope it's not a sign of things to come for Palm. (Speaking of: Where's the cloud music?) And there are so many more little problems throughout (ugh, Skype). The fact that so much of the TouchPad is so good conceptually makes all of that far more painful."

Well, in conclusion, and based on the above reviews, HP's TouchPad still has a hell-of-a-lot more work to do if it wants to take on Android tablets, let alone the iPad. Things could always change by the time Windows 8 tablets finally arrive, but at least for now it seems to me that if the competition can't come up with better alternatives then what we have seen so far, well then Apple and its iPad will have nothing to fear, absolutely nothing at all.

And that's my 2 cents on the TouchPad's first reviews 4 this Thursday, June 30, 2011

HP TouchPad photo via: Gizmodo

Android vs iOS: Good News, Bad News

As Google flaunts its recent daily activation milestone of some 500,000 Android devices per day, it might appear to be all good news for the platform. However, it's not all good news as PCWorld is now reporting that there appears to be some serious trouble brewing ahead for Google's copycat platform. Already, and according to some, Android has already hit its peak this past March and ever since then it has been slowly losing ground to iOS which is expected to pick up growth exponentially once the iPhone 5 and iOS 5 are released come this September.

Well, if that isn't bad news enough for Android, there is now another report that shows that iOS is overall a much better and more secure platform than that of Android. According to security experts Symantec, which did a side-by-side study into the two top-selling mobile platforms, iOS came out ahead in three of five security categories, with both Android and iOS coming out a tie in the last two categories.

Symantec found that iOS 'ssecurity was overall better implemented than that of Android, and they found that measures which included access control and encryption and that the provenance for applications were all stronger in iOS , while on-the-other-hand their research also indicated that Android was better overall at isolating security problems once they did emerge.

One of the biggest reasons which made Android less secure than that of iOS that Symantec found was Android's so-called 'open' platform, which Google doesn't inspect or even try to control what goes into the Android market. Google basically responds only after a threat gets into its platform and is made known. At the same time, Symantec noted that in the case of iOS most security threats arise mostly only after people jail-break their devices.

Over all, both mobile platforms were considered to be more secure than their PC equivalents, but Symantec also noted that as secure as iOS and Android were, RIMS BlackBerry was still the most secure because it could be tightly controlled by corporate IT departments, as well as being government accredited.

All of this bad news for Android comes after a major survey showed, when it came to their next phone, a whopping 40% of Europeans say that they will be buying the iPhone, more than double those, some 19%, who say they will be buying an Android device, which is a trend that clearly has to spell bad news indeed for the Android platform.

In conclusion, even though Android may temporally beat the iPhone in daily activations, or the number of carriers and models to choice from, the iPhone still handily beats it when it comes to security, quality, originality and the sheer number of better apps and accessories. Also, when it comes to security and jail-breaking, well apparently the moral of the story is that they just don't mix.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this "I hope I win the lottery tonight" Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Opening logos via: Gadget&Gizmos

Google Comes Under Anti-Trust Investigation: How Big Of A Deal Is It?

According to MarketWatch's video above, Google could be in big trouble as it comes under increasing anti-trust pressure from both the U.S. and, as well, the European Union. Some allege, such as the book, Marketing of Evil, that Google is indeed evil and that according at least to Jobs and others, its motto of, "Don't be Evil," is nothing more than a lot of crap.

Also, according to yet another article, "Google's headaches are just beginning. At least three state attorney generals have started antitrust investigations into Google. Details of the investigations by the states of California, Ohio and New York were still in the early stages."

Well, quite honestly, I don't have the faintest idea of whether Google is, or isn't guilty of being "evil", or whether or not it's guilty of any anti-trust violations what-so-ever, but I definitely have to agree that it's beginning to look not quite so rosy for the Mountain View search giant. Google, as big as it is, is certainly not bigger than either the U.S. or European Union which both possess the power to hit it with huge fines, lay criminal chargers, or to even break it up.

Has Google now grown so rich, and so damn powerful that it feels that it can do pretty much what ever it bloody-well pleases? Some say the answer to that is a resounding yes, and they sight Google's now abandoned plan to publish every manuscript ever written and make them accessible to anyone online for free, and that's with, or without any of the copyright owners permissions. Then there's the notion of how they, and despite Apple's patents to the contrary, created, or should I say recreated, the iPhone's basic features and U.I. for its Android OS.

So, getting back to the question: just how big of a deal is the government's anti-trust investigation against Google, and what could any possible ramifications be?

The answer, in conclusion, is that it's a very big deal indeed, and one that could effect the company to its very core, much like what happened after the government conducted a similar anti-trust investigation into Microsoft. Microsoft emerged intact, but it was never quite the same again. Could this be Google's fate as well?

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, June 28, 2011

UPDATE: The folks over at Engadget are reporting that Google's legal woes are mounting fast as France's 1PlusV search engine is preparing a whopping 295 million Euro lawsuit against Google over its alleged anti-competitive practices.

Android Or The iPhone: Who Will Dominate?

I remember long before Android sales overtook those of the iPhone, Android fan-boys loved to go-on-and-on and brag that even though the iPhone still was larger, the important thing was the overall direction of Android in relation to that of the iPhone. Well guess what? Yuppers, the direction now seems to be flip-flopping from that of Android, to that of the iPhone.

After several years of seemingly non-stop growth, Android is now beginning to slow down, and actually recently it lost market share for the first time, dipping from a high of over 52 percent to some 49 plus percent . Its still on top, but the question is, for how much longer? Even though Android is expected to regain some of that back, it's also expected to lose it once the next iPhone hits this September.

As far as Apple's next device goes, well BGR is now saying that it looks like it might just be a much bigger deal than what was previously expected. Some where speculating that it was going to be nothing more than a simple upgrade, an iPhone 4S if you will, but now according to BGR, they state:

"We have been told by a reliable source to expect a radical new case design for the upcoming iPhone, though we have not been given any additional details surrounding the design of the new iPhone case. "

What Android braggarts should especially note is that Apple is already the world's top handset maker, replacing Nokia, and as the Inquirer recently reported, Nokia has slipped to 20 percent, while Apple grew to 21 percent. As the Inquirer went on to say:

"Apple's lead might be slight, but let's remember that a few years ago it was as far removed from the smartphone market as you could get. Nokia meanwhile was sitting atop the market share rankings with 75 per cent of users back in 2005."

What Android fan boys should also be really worrying about, however, is a recent and major survey that clearly shows that Europeans plan on purchasing more, much, much more iPhones than they do when it comes to Android devices, namely a whopping 40% for the iPhone to a measly 19% for Android. I don't know about you, but if that was me, well I'd be worrying and biting my fingernails by now!

As far as surveys goes, iPhoneTouch.Blorge, for what it's worth, did their own unscientific survey and stated: "In a short informal survey consisting entirely of me, Android continues to garner zero percent market share and no one but the haters cares about that data point either."

With major legal battles still facing Android, plus its wide and well-known fragmentation issues, plus the fact that it is far easier and more profitable for developers to write for the iPhone, in addition to iOS being upgraded to version 5 itself, plus with iCloud and the upcoming iPhone 5 just over the horizon, PCWorld actually went on to list some 5 major reasons on why it might just be GAME OVER for Android , RIM, WebOS and Windows Mobile 7!

So, who will end up dominating the smartphone market?

Will it be the current leader, Android? Or will it be the innovative leader, the iPhone? Or could it even be someone else, like WindowsMobile 7 or WebOS?

In conclusion, the answer is that I don't know if anyone really knows, but one thing that I do know is that anyone who just happen to think for one bloody minute that the iPhone is doomed to go the way that the Mac did with Windows may be in for a bit of a big surprise. Certainly, as the iPhone 5 gets ever nearer to being released , the rumors will explode just as surely as it now seems that the iPhone growth rate is about to do likewise.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this drab and boring Monday, June 27, 2012

iPhone 5 mock-up via: BGR

Google Gets Subpoenaed By The FTC: Will Anti-Trust Charges Be Next?

It was reported that the FTC has subpoenaed Google as part of a potential anti-trust investigation. Part of that investigation, no doubt, will look into the claims of SkyHook that Google forced Motorola and Samsung to break their contracts for its location services for that of Google's own location services. According to Bloomberg BusinessWeek:

"The allegations fly in the face of "don't be evil," Google's oft-spoken pledge that it believes in, among other virtues, technological openness. Since Android launched in late 2007, Google has said that anyone is welcome to create technologies or products based on the software and that the company won't discriminate to help its own products. "The idea that Google strong-armed phonemakers at the expense of some poor little company could be very damaging," says Forrester Research (FORR) analyst Charles S. Golvin. "I mean, it sure sounds evil to me." Motorola and Google declined to comment on the lawsuit, though Google spokesman Aaron Zamost says the company's compatibility test is to "ensure a consistent experience" for users and developers."

Another area that any probe might likely cover is whether or not Google manipulates its search results for its own benefits, as some of its rivals charge?

Of course, a lot of people believe that Google's Android is nothing but a big rip off of the iPhone, and that Google not only knowingly violated the iPhone's multi-touch U.I., but bet that it could also could get away with knowingly ignoring Apple's many patents in the area of multi-touch, including its 'pinch-to-zoom' feature, as well as its hardware specs, which, of course, is especially interesting considering that Google's CEO, at the time, was Eric Schmidt who also sat on Apple's board of directors during much of the iPhones development.

In conclusion, I don't really know if this will end up with Google being charged with anti-trust violations, or whether or not this could become its own Microsoft moment, but I can't help but wonder if this is the case what it would mean for Apple, Android, and Microsoft's Bing as well?

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, June 24, 2011

How Will Apple Use Its Recently Granted "Mother-Of-All-Multi-Touch Patents?"

Apple received a lot of attention yesterday after being granted what some are now calling the broadest and most sweeping patent for multi-touch displays ever.

Some contend that this could amount to it being virtually the mother-of-all-multi-touch-patents, effecting virtually every aspect of the market, so it's not surprising that Gizmodo's banner headline on the subject read: "Apple Now Owns The Display On Your Smartphone's TouchScreen."

Depending on how you view this particular patent, this is one patent that could really shake up the entire multi-touch market and not just for smartphones, but essentially for anything else that includes a touch screen that uses more than one finger for input, or gestures, including, of course, the horde of multi-touch tablets now entering the market to take on the iPad.

Apple's patent, U.S. patent number 7,966,578, according to PCMag, could be ".... A Huge Blow To Rival's" indeed. In fact, according to patent lawyers contacted by PCMag, they write:

"Apple's patent essentially gives it ownership of the capacitive multitouch interface the company pioneered with its iPhone, said one source who has been involved in intellectual property litigation on similar matters. That's likely to produce a new round of lawsuits over the now-ubiquitous multitouch interfaces used in smartphones made by the likes of HTC, Samsung, Motorola, Research in Motion, Nokia, and others that run operating systems similar in nature to Apple's iOS, like Google's Android, said the source, who asked not to be named."

After yesterdays disclosure, numerous people have been trying to downplay the significance and importance of the whole deal. They contend that it will never stand up in court, and since it could be so lethal to all of the iPhone and iPad copycats out there that the courts will most likely just end up invalidating the whole thing altogether. I even read somewhere where someone commented that, "This whole thing is ridiculous, how can Apple get a patent for something that already existed and that people have been using long before Apple ever did?"

The answer to the above question, is of course, kind of ridiculous in-and-of-itself, because the truth of the matter is that before the iPhone, there were NO such multi-touch products of any kind or description in the marketplace! None, el-zippo baby! And, naturally, since there were no multi-touch products of any kind in the marketplace there were naturally NO such multi-touch screens until Apple put the very first one in its very first iPhone!

Yes, I know, you know, and everyone else in the civilized world knows that there were 'touch screens' long before Apple ever used them, but they were NOT multi-touch, but rather simple one finger touch screens. The iPhone was the first device, and I mean the first one period, to ever use a screen that could handle and interpret two or more fingers or gestures. And being the first, it was the first to patent them and I don't care what Android, MeeGo, Windows, or WebOS fan boys might think or say about the matter.

Now, like most others, I really don't know how this "mother-of-all-patents" will eventually play out. Will Apple, as some say use it to "bully" its competition? Will companies think twice before deciding to rip off wholesale the iPhone's interface, and yes, you know who you are Google, Samsung, Motorola, Microsoft, etc., etc.? Again, I really don't know?

So, just how big of a deal is Apple's recently granted patent?

Well, in conclusion, the answer is that it's definitely big, and maybe even super big, but just how big or just how it will eventually all play out is anybodies guess.

Apple seems to have great success at acquiring significant patents, but so far it hasn't been all that successful in enforcing them. Since it was Apple and nobody else that first brought multi-touch software and multi-touch screens to the market, it is they who deserve the credit and the rewards that go along with those patents and hard work, NOT Google, Samsung, LG, Motorola, or whom ever, all of whom have thus far have been profiting from Apple's hard work with almost total impunity.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, June 23, 2011

Patent illustration via: AppleInsider

Can AnyBody Take On And Take Down The iPad?

Vizio has come out with its own inexpensive tablet which, from Gizmodo's hands-on demo, doesn't look all that bad. Of course, Vizio's iPad wannabe is just one among the many billions and zillions of tablets that seem to be coming out of nowhere these days, but whom also seem to be pretty much going absolutely nowhere!

One of the more interesting new tablets that is about to join the ranks of those trying to take on the iPad is HP's new TouchPad which ZDNet's James Kendrick notes could be the iPad's competitors last stand. In other words, if HP's TouchPad can't successfully take on the iPad than more-or-less nobody else most likely can either!

As Mr. Kendrick stated, "Many tablets based on the Android platform have appeared with none of them grabbing even a small fraction of the appeal of the iPad. The HP TouchPad hitting retailers in a few days may very well be the last stand for competitors for the iPad."

This unfortunately has been the case for the iPad's competition thus far and Mr. Kendrick goes on to add, "I have written in the past that I have seen no proof that a tablet market exists outside of the iPad, and having witnessed the dismal launch of big-name Android tablets nothing has changed my view. Android tablets are not selling well by anyone’s standard, and RIM has not set sales records with the BlackBerry PlayBook. Apple keeps selling millions of iPads, and a big bank of competitors keeps releasing tablets that few are buying."

ZDNet's Jason Perlow, however, goes even farther than his fellow colleague by declaring that it may already be a little too late for HP, and he writes that the TouchPad may already be Dead on Arrival! The biggest reason, according to Jason, is the similar pricing to that of the iPad. Jason thinks that to succeed against the iPad the competition has to have a price advantage, something that it doesn't and may never really have unless it wants to lose money selling tablets. For the most part you can't really argue when he writes:

"With nearly identical on-paper specifications as the iPad 2, and launching at the same price, HP isn’t doing itself any favors. There is absolutely nothing this product has that could be considered an advantage — not its display, its CPU, nor its front-facing video conferencing camera (which, by the way, is one less than the iPad 2, which also includes a rear camera).

Oh and by the way, it’s heavier and thicker than the iPad 2. It also appears to have a bigger battery. Does that mean that the TouchPad has longer battery life or its design is more inefficient? That remains to be seen.

Look, I’m not saying WebOS doesn’t appear to be extremely nice from a pure user experience perspective. It’s a gorgeous-looking OS that has a great multitasking UI. It also appears to have some advantages in that in utilizing existing web standards for its APIs, developers might be able to get some apps off the ground fairly rapidly.

The problem is, HP is about 65,000 tablet apps short of its largest competitor (300,000 if you count the entire iOS ecosystem) and it’s got the chutzpah to sell their product without any key differentiators for the same amount of money.

What does that spell? Dead on Arrival."

Apparently, some analysts such as Sanford Bernstein's Stacy Rasgon agrees. Based on what she now sees Apple's iPad will dominate the tablet market indefinitely! As pointed out in a post by Richard Gdodwin, for KnowYourMobile, he wrote concerning Rasgon assessment:

"Rasgon points out in a 49 page document on the subject that Apple managed to sell 19.5 million iPads in its first year of availability, which is twice the amount of netbooks and three times the number of iPhones sold in the same period of time.

To put this in context, says Rasgon, ‘Apple has created a company the size of EMC in one year.’

Rasgon added: ‘We have never seen such a high purchasing intent for a new category in the past.’

But that’s not all. Previous Sanford Bernstein research has also indicated that ‘20 per cent of consumers plan to purchase a tablet in the next 12 months’ and that PC manufacturers shouldn't be ‘too worried about PC cannibalisation’ as the affect of tablets on this market should be minimal."

Wow, is it no wonder that, "Rasgon’s predictions don’t look too good for the likes of HTC, Motorola, Samsung and LG." Personally, if I were an iPad competitor I would be pretty damn discouraged too, and especially when you also consider that Apple has enough cash that it could easily buy out most of its competition, or at least the entire smartphone industry!

This, of course, doesn't mean that Apple can't be beat, but it does mean that beating it won't come easy. Considering the above posts, is it any wonder that some are writing that, "Consumers Don't Want Tablets, They Want iPads", or that the Chicago-based financial firm of MorningStar is predicting that Apple's stock is about to rise 52%!

So, can the competition, be it the TouchPad, the SamSung Galaxy Tab 10.1, RIM's PlayBook, Window 8 tablets or any of the ten-zillion Android tablets out there successfully take on and take down the iPad?

The answer, in conclusion, it's always possible, but again, if it ever does ,well it won't be easy or likely anytime soon. In order to take on the iPad the competition is going to need to drastically lower their prices, hope that Apple stumbles, and wish for a hell-of-a-lot of good-old-fashion luck in the meantime.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, June 21, 2011

HP TouchPad D.O.A. Photo via: ZDNet

Analyst Predicts Android To Decline, The iPhone To Rise.

After experiencing its first market-share decline since 2009, Charles Wolf, an analyst from Needham & Co., predicted that Android would temporarily regain some of that lost share back in the June and September periods.

However, after that he predicts a "material" and "continuing" slide in Android's amazing growth rate, and he stated that , "In our opinion, this is just the beginning of Android’s share loss in the U.S."

After falling from a high of 52.4 % to 49.5%, Mr. Wolf attributed a lot of that decline in large part to the introduction of the Verizon iPhone 4. However, he also noted that most of the demand for a Verizon iPhone was muted by the fact that most of its customers where holding out for the release of the iPhone 5, now expected sometime in September.

As noted by AppleInsider, Mr. Wolf believes that Apple will more-than-likely be coming out with even smaller and cheaper iPhones for prepaid customers, and especially for those in China with has a huge, no, make that an absolutely gignormous market of over some 800 million customers! In other words Apple's iPhone still has a lot of room to grow.

When it comes to iPhone growth, I remember that before it even came out when Microsoft, Nokia and others all warned Apple not to get into the mobile space because they claimed that it was virtually impossible for anyone, especially a new comer, to effectively compete or get any real market-share. Not only did Apple succeed and get significant market-share, it completely and utterly changed the entire rules of the game for what a smartphone should be, and thus the entire mobile space in the process. Instead of the big boys threatening Apple, it was the iPhone that directly threatened the very survival of Windows Mobile, Nokia, RIM and Palm!

Today people don't question Apple's ability to compete with the old guard, but rather the new comer Android. Now its Android that people say that Apple can't possibly beat, that eventually Android will do to the iPhone what Microsoft's Windows eventually ended up doing to the Mac. Unfortunately, as clearly demonstrated by Android's recent market-share lost shows, Android is anything but invincible.

In conclusion, I don't know the future, but I do believe that Apple can succeed in beating back Android, and that especially goes if, and when Apple finally decides to stand up to Android for its blatant ripping-off its many multi-touch patents that it filed long before the iPhone ever even seen the light-of-day, let alone any Android device. That aside, with newer and improved iPhone hardware specs coming just around the corner, and its soon to be released iOS 5 update, and especially with its new, game-changing iCloud services, it will be Android that will be feeling the heat. Apple may not kill off Android, but then again, you never know.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Photo via: Kottke.org

How To Make Music Out Of Thin Air With The iPhone And Air Guitar

KickStarter is described as being a 'crowdfounding' website, and as such it has helped to provide funding for all kinds of various projects, including the ever so cool musical device in the above video, "Air Guitar".

Yes, Air Guitar gives all of of us would-be-rock-stars finally the ability to create a guitar out of thin air! No doubt, most of us have all pretended, at one time or another, to playing an imaginary guitar while listening to one of our favorite rock songs, but now with the help of Air Guitar, and an iPhone/iPod Touch, you'll be able to actually create real guitar sounds out of thin air!

Personally, well I couldn't play a musical instrument if my bloody life depended on it, but if you have any musical ability whatsoever, then Air Guitar should be something that will especially appeal to you.

To get a better idea of how Air Guitar works, the developers state on their KickStarter page:

"....... The unique Air Guitar Move motion sensing guitar pick allows you to strum in the air, and your iPhone becomes a guitar. Imagine how much fun it is to really move instead of just tapping and shaking.

The team behind Air Guitar Move previously created the award winning V-Beat AirDrums and V-Beat AirGuitar, Amazon UK's best selling music toys and Thumbies, the first iPhone game controller available at Best Buy. "

Well, in conclusion, as already stated, even though I personally couldn't play a guitar (or anything else for that matter) if my stupid life depended on it, I still find the whole concept of Air Guitar to be nonetheless pretty cool,and that's regardless of whether your musically, or non-musically inclined or not. The very concept of Air Guitar looks to be one of the more fun and exciting iPhone/iPod Touch accessories out there, and who bloody knows... maybe in the future even professional rock stars might end up using something like Air Guitar, because for one thing, it certainly would be a hell-of-a-lot-easier to lug around then the real thing!

And that's my 2 cents on Air Guitar 4 this wonderfully sunny Monday, June 20, 2011

An Amazing German Photographer's Amazing Photos: Or How To Capture An Entire Day In A Single Photo!

Germans are a pretty clever lot, and that goes especially for photographer Peter Langenhahn who uses technology to capture an entire day of activity in one single photo, as seen in the video above. Clever indeed, but extremely time consuming as each shot requires an entire day of work and processing to complete.

Peter achieves these super-clever photos in a process called a "collective scene", which collects different aspects from throughout the day, such as in a soccer game for example, and then merges them all into one amazingly clever photo. This effect is hardly quick, as it requires taking multiple panorama shots throughout the day, and all from a single location.

In concluding todays short post, all I will say is that it's quite obvious to me, that besides being one-hell-of-an-amazingly clever guy, it's also equally obivious that Peter Langenhahn is also one hell-of-a-lot more patient guy than I ever will be. I can't imagine waiting for up to six hours or more to simply process each and everyone of his amazing clever photos at the end of the day. No wonder each of his photos can sell for up to 1,200 Euros or more! Way to go Peter, and long live beautiful Germany!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this sunny Friday, June 17, 2011

Via: Gizmodo

The Little Laptop That Could: The MacBook Air

AppleInsider is reporting that Apple could see a $3.0B a year opportunity because of its hot-selling MacBook Air which is flying off the shelf in record numbers, and in spite of its above average selling price as compared with lesser PCs.

In fact, J.P. Morgan's analyst, Mark Moskowitz recently revised his April estimates for the sleek and sexy device to 700,000 per quarter over the next 12 to 18 months.

Ever since its release in October, 2010, the MacBook Air has been an instant hit with consumers, with Gartner's estimating that Apple sold some 432,000 units in the first quarter of 2011, a whopping increase of some 412.9 percent percent over year and 2.9 percent sequentially.

Now those are impressive numbers, but over at Deutsche Bank, Chris Whitmore believes sales of the new MacBook Airs could be even more impressive, going as high as 1.5 million units per quarter.

Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Whitmore is correct. After all, the MacBook Air has a lot going for it: it's sleek and sexy, small and highly portable, has great battery life, features 'instant on', it also features a great IPS screen, runs OS X, and has a build and performance factor second-to-none.

When it comes to the quality and performance of the MacBook Air, well after using one for one year and 41 days, Paul Venezia, of InfoWorld, writes that:

"Over the past few years, I've used some model of MacBook Air for probably 85 percent of my computing needs: email, browsing, more xterms than you can shake a stick at, writing, reading, creating, and consuming. With the exception of my review of the iPad (which was written on the iPad), every word I've written for publication in the past 2.5 years has been written on a MacBook Air. I've logged over 100,000 miles with them and carried them all over the globe.

They've never let me down."

The above statement surely is great testimony to the high-quality of Apple's device, but Mr. Venezia goes even further after he calculated that:

"...... in the 406 days I had my previous Air in full-time use, it was on and running for over 9,500 hours. That's 23.5 hours a day, every day of that time period. I did not have a single problem with the unit the entire time."

Wow, now that really is impressive indeed and some how I can't imagine him, or anyone else, ever saying that after using an el cheapo netbook or Windows under the same conditions of use described above. I guess it's true, after all: you really do get what you pay for! In the case of the MacBook Air, you might pay a little more, but then again you get a hell-of-a-lot more for your buck than you ever would with some inferior cheap $500 laptop. As far as paying less for a Windows laptops goes, Mr. Venezia states :

"Yes, you definitely can (pay less), but would it be as infinitely portable, as usable, and overall, as reliable as the Air has been for me over the years? I have plenty of PC laptops that see far less usage than my Air, yet seem to suffer far greater problems, from disk failures to screen issues to battery problems and so forth. There's a reason that they're cheaper: They're made with cheaper parts and engineered to meet a very low price point, rather than being engineered to survive."

In conclusion, as the competition tries its best to copy the MacBook Air, at the same time doing its utmost to deride it and its so-called Apple tax, the little laptop that could, the amazingly sleek-and-sexy MacBook Air continues to be a big hit just about everywhere it goes.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this I can't believe it's actually sunny, Thursday, June 16, 2011

MacBook Air photo via: Penquinsix.com

iPad 3 Rumors: What To Expect?

Some believe that Apple may have already killed off the rumors of the iPad 3 making its appearance later this year, but that hasn't killed off the rumors of just what features it may, or may not include when it finally arrives.

One of the most persistent of all rumors is that the iPad will include a Retina Display, with a resolution of 2048x1536, virtually double that of the current and past models. Whether or not the next iPad actually gets a Retina Display I can't say, but I sure do hope so, because if anything it would be sheer awesomeness, wouldn't it?

Speaking of awesome, for some, that also would include the ability to display 3D images, and goggles free at that. Well, yuppers, one other persistent rumor is that the next iPad will indeed be sporting some type of 3D glasses-free screen. I'm personally not all that sure about 3D screens, even the no-glasses version, as they seem to be more gimmicky than anything else and so far they haven't exactly been selling that well, at least in gadget happy Japan, so what's the point if most people don't really even want them?

Recent information also suggests, as pointed out by iPad3NewsBlog.com, that Apple is working not only on one, but two new iPads! One possible reason is that it will allow Apple to be much better equipped to compete with the flood of cheap iPad wannabes that are now entering the market. This, they contend, will allow Apple to offer an iPad that can compete both on price, as well as one that can compete on specs and features.

One analyst is now also claiming that he expects that Apple will now be producing newer models of both the iPhone and iPad every six months , instead of the current schedule of once per year. This sounds great, as long, that is, if Apple doesn't rush things to the point that both quality and innovation suffers. As of now, Apple likes to take its sweet-old-time to help insure that its products are the best, most innovative, seamless and easiest to use, so I'm a little skeptical about this one.

However, I'm still hoping that other rumors, such as the inclusion of ThunderBolt, more RAM and wireless storage options all make the cut this next time around. And, of course, I'm hoping that Steve will still be around to famously announce his .... "oh, one more thing!"

In conclusion, with developers interest and enthusiasm both still very high in iOS, and with iOS being, by far, the most secure mobile OS out there, plus coupled with Apple's newly announce iCloud service, then I believe that Apple should be able to tighten its grip on the market, and I'm also betting that what ever the next iPad will be, it'll will be insanely, great, and maybe, who knows, as some are speculating, it will be yet another major game changer that will keep the competition anxiously on its toes.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this cloudy Wednesday, June 15, 2011

UPDATE: ObamaPacman has a demo video of a of a possible 3D iPad seen here.

Breaking News: Apple Settles With Nokia And Starts Selling Unlocked iPhone 4's In U.S.

There are two major breaking stories today regarding Apple, first being that Apple and Nokia have settled their long standing patent dispute, and secondly, that Apple has finally, and at long last, begun selling unlocked iPhone 4's in the U.S.

Unlocked iPhone prices are $649 for the 16GB model, and $749 for the 32GB model but, unfortunately they'll only work on AT&T 3G bands, but at least Apple is now selling them, online, without any network partiality. As Engadget says, the really big news here is: "..... of course, being able to take the phone abroad and switch MicroSIMs to your heart's content, an experience that most other nations are already well accustomed to."

As for Apple itself, it simply stated on its site:

Get all the features of iPhone 4 — FaceTime video calling, Retina display, HD video recording, and more — in a phone that you can activate and use on the supported GSM wireless carrier of your choice, such as AT&T in the United States.1

If you don’t want a multiyear service contract or if you prefer to use a local carrier when traveling abroad, the unlocked iPhone 4 is the best choice. It arrives without a micro-SIM card, so you’ll need an active micro-SIM card from any supported GSM carrier worldwide.

The other big Apple news concerns the settlement of its long and bitter patent dispute with Nokia, with Nokia apparently coming out the winner with Engadget reporting that Apple will be paying out an unspecified one-time cash payment, along side on-going licensing fees.

With Nokia's shrinking marketshare, lousy selling smartphones, this is good news for Nokia, but they are still a long way from being out of the woods. The company hasn't been having a very good run at it lately, and its agreement to use Windows Mobile 7 in all of its future smartphones is a desperate attempt at staying relative in a market that is now dominated by Android and the iPhone. I'm not all that sure how using Windows Mobile 7 for its future smartphones is going to help Nokia, because, after all, Windows Mobile 7 hasn't been exactly setting the world on fire, and when compared to hot-selling iPhones and Android devices, well Window Mobile 7 sales have been rather disappointing to say the least.

Nokia officially announced the end of its patent dispute with Apple with the following press release:

Apple payments to Nokia settle all litigation and have positive financial impact Espoo, Finland - Nokia announced that it has signed a patent license agreement with Apple. The agreement will result in settlement of all patent litigation between the companies, including the withdrawal by Nokia and Apple of their respective complaints to the US International Trade Commission.

The financial structure of the agreement consists of a one-time payment payable by Apple and on-going royalties to be paid by Apple to Nokia for the term of the agreement. The specific terms of the contract are confidential.

"We are very pleased to have Apple join the growing number of Nokia licensees," said Stephen Elop, president and chief executive officer of Nokia. "This settlement demonstrates Nokia's industry leading patent portfolio and enables us to focus on further licensing opportunities in the mobile communications market."

During the last two decades, Nokia has invested approximately EUR 43 billion in research and development and built one of the wireless industry's strongest and broadest IPR portfolios, with over 10,000 patent families. Nokia is a world leader in the development of handheld device and mobile communications technologies, which is also demonstrated by Nokia's strong patent position.

This agreement is expected to have a positive financial impact on Nokia's recently revised outlook for the second quarter 2011 of around break-even non-IFRS operating margin for Devices & Services."

In conclusion, both the patent dispute settlement and Apple's decision to offer the iPhone contract free is very good news in the end. It means that Apple can now go forward and do what it does best, designing and building world-class devices, and phones that have proven to be the most satisfying by far for any smartphone on the planet, and for Nokia itself, well it simply gets to survive for another day.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this, yet again, wet and gloomy Tuesday, June 14, 2011

The HP TouchPad: The Coolest Tablet This Side Of The iPad (Video)

Above you can see a video demonstration of HP's ass-kicking TouchPad, the most exciting tablet besides the iPad ever! I don't think the TouchPad, which is based on WebOS, will dethrone the iPad anytime soon, especially now that iOS 5 is just around the corner, but it sure-in-hell should kick the living daylights out of all other tablets, including all of the Android tablets out there and RIM's PlayBook, which sort has a similar U.I. The TouchPad is expected to go on sale on July 1.

Other than the iPad, virtually all of the other tablets that I've played with more-or-less suck, and that goes especially for the Winodow 7 tablets that, to me at anyway, were virtually unusable! The only other tablet with a usable U.I. that I liked was RIMS PLayBook, but it too wasn't exactly anything that I would crow about.

However, the HP TouchPad, even though I've have yet to play with one, looks like it might just become the closest to the iPad yet. Whether or not it could ever beat it, well that's another matter, because as I've already stated, iOS 5 is just around the corner and coupled with Apple's new iCloud service, well it's going to be pretty dang next to impossible to beat anytime soon, if ever.

In conclusion, the PlayBook's WebOS, which was mostly developed by approximately 250 former Apple engineers, certainly looks like its at least a hundred miles ahead of the Android's HoneyComb tablets or even the PlayBook's, and it is most definitely a thousand miles ahead of any of the current Windows 7 tablets that I've used. Clearly, Microsoft needs to do good, damn good with its next implementation of Windrows 8 or its not going to even get out of the gate. However, as good as the HP TouchPad is, and as far ahead it is compared to Android and the Playbook, it appears to be a few miles behind the iPad, but that could all change, you never know?

And that's my 2 cents 4 this gloomy, rainy Monday, June 13, 2011

Via: Gizmodo

OS X Lion's 'Restart In Safari Mode' Makes Lion Roar Like Chrome OS

Wow, get a gander at the above photo. It's from MacRumors, and no, it's not a photo of Safari running in some type of full-screen mode, but rather it's actually OS X Lion running in Safari mode! Yuppers, it's almost like a type of Chrome OS running on Lion!

In other words: could Google's Chrome OS be about to get its cloud based little ass kicked?

Maybe?

Actually, for now, it's just a honey pot feature, as noted by 9to5Mac, which was designed to help you 'Find Your Mac' if it was ever lost or stolen. Personally, however, with just a little work it could easily give OS X Lion the same abilities as Chrome OS, which, by the way, I was never really that big of a fan of, but nonetheless I still have to admit it's a very novel and maybe even a revolutionary idea - a browser OS! In fact, some people, like MudBug Media, think it's kind of a big deal, and one offering many big benefits, and they state:

"The benefits that Chrome will provide to the average computer user are immense, and many of these advantages are inherent features of any cloud operating system, not specifically Chrome OS."

After using Apple's open-source WebKit to create its Chrome Browser, and after Google deliberately decided to use Apple's iPhone multi-touch patented features in Android, could OS X Lion's 'Restart To Safari' feature become a way of Apple's saying: "Screw you Google"? If that's not the case, than it easily could be.

Despite the fact that Google Chrome OS machines will cost only half that of the cheapest MacBook Air, it won't be able to hold a bloody candle to its much more superior hardware or its now potentially much superior dual running desktop/browser OS if Apple so chooses. Also, it's interesting to note that this is all coming to light just in time for iCloud, and just as Apple is expected to update its MacBook Air with even more powerful hardware. Hopefully, when it does Apple will also be bringing back its long-lost back-lighted keyboard, a big sticking point for a lot of folks, myself included, who dearly wish for its return.

In conclusion, OS X Lion's 'Restart to Safari' feature, coupled with its new iCloud service, I believe, could easily take the wind out of Google's newly born Chrome OS and kick its little puffy-cloud's ass, and if Chrome OS is such a big deal now, then I predict that Lion's 'Restart in Safari' mode could even be a much, much bigger deal in the future.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this 'I can't believe it's raining again' Monday, June 13, 2011

Second photo via: 9to5Mac

Space: The iPhone's Final Frontier

The high-flying iPhone is soon going to be flying a lot higher, and in a very historic way. Yes, two of Apple's high-flying beauties will be aboard the Atlantis space shuttle when it makes its last trip into space.

The two iPhone 4's where approved for the flight and will be a part of four official research projects to test the phones performance of its gyroscope and sensors in a weightless condition, and both phones will have the SpaceLab for iOS app installed.

As pointed out by Gizmodo, this is not a publicity stunt by Apple or anyone else, but is in fact a real scientific research project that will help pave the way to design iPhone-assisted navigation systems for future spacecraft, and as Gizmodo remarked: "Now, that's cool."

No one, of course, can argue about the need for better phone apps, and especially those using Google's highly fragmented platform. Apparently, Android's fragmentation is now so bad that Google has seen the need to create an app that checks to see if your Android phone is even capable of running an app! I'm not sure if that's good or bad exactly, but I suspect that it's the latter.

As the Giz also pointed out: " Of course, compatibility screening was already in place for users who accessed the Market from within their device, but this update should still be of use to those who surf the web store, especially if they're rocking multiple handsets or a phone-plus-tablet combo."

I suppose that all platforms, to one degree or other, have some compatibility problems, but this move on Google's part helps to really highlight a very real problem with Android, a problem that Google, the carriers and its users have all loudly denied left-and-right. Certainly, any photo app probably isn't going to work all that well with any phone that doesn't have a camera, like the original iPhone, but with Android it means never really knowing if that next great racing game, or what have you, will be accessible to your particular Android device.

In conclusion, with a new iPhone on its way and with iOS 5 ready to make its appearance, plus with all of the very big problems associated with Android, if I personally were in the market for a new smartphone, well I think I know what phone I would choose, and that wouldn't exactly be Android', or its not so really open ecosystem.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this cloudy Friday, June 10, 2011

iPhone in space illustration via: theiFile.com

BGR Test Drives iOS 5 And Reports: It Runs Great And It Runs Smooth!

iOS 5 won't be available until the fall, but in the meantime BGR is reporting that after test-driving the developers beta for a measly two days they concluded, that so far anyway, it runs great and it runs very smooth, and it runs better than what they originally thought it would at such an early date. This is great news to hear indeed if your an iOS user and your looking forward to upgrading to iOS 5.

In fact, Jonatha S. Geller stated in his post:

"What’s incredible is that Apple’s first beta release of iOS 5 for developers already runs better than any production BlackBerry or Android OS phone, and in daily use, I haven’t had any major issues at all with the OS."

Wow! Now if that's the case, then just imagine what will be the case when iOS 5 is finally finished, polished and released? Wowser, that's what I say! Those are not the only incredible statements that Mr. Geller mentioned in his brief post either, as he went on to report:

"Even iCloud has worked flawlessly, and it’s in beta, running on a non-final release of OS X Lion, connecting to first beta versions of iOS 5 — it’s ridiculous if you think about how wide the gap is between Apple and its competitors. Photo Stream is, for lack of a better word, magical. Having all of my photos and videos wirelessly, automatically, and effortlessly synced to all devices including computers is fantastic. I also love having my device backed up once a day to iCloud — I don’t have to remember to plug it in, wait for it to sync, and back it up. Additionally, it’s almost a surreal experience to download an app on your iPhone and see it instantly download to your iPad as well, or vice-versa."

Of course, it's still early in the game, but if that's what Mr. Geller, after a measly two days is reporting, then iOS 5 is beginning to shape up as one-hell-of-a-sweet upgrade indeed, and it must be putting the fear of God into Apple's competitors right now. I can just imagine how Google and its Android partners are sweating it out just now, scrambling like hell to copy and improve what Apple is doing so the can add it to their own iPhone/iPad wannabes.

It's not only iOS 5 that is looking good either. OS X Lion now looks like it too will be another one of those 'one-in-a-hell' type of upgrades to boot, and especially considering that it's now beginning the process of merging both the best of iOS, with that of the best of the OS X desktop. This is natural when you really think about it, because even though many consider iOS to be a completely different OS than OS X itself, it's really not. In fact, iOS is nothing more, and nothing less then the mobile version of OS X and Apple could have easily named iOS, OS X Mobile instead.

As for the desktop version the news is also looking quite good as well, with eWeek reporting that OS X has several major advantages over that of Microsoft's Windows. Their post entitled: "Apple, Microsoft Operating System War: 10 Major Apple Advantages" goes on to list the ten following points:

1. The digital-only Lion

2. Lion’s multitouch

3. The Mac App Store

4. It’s making Windows a component in its strategy

5. The post-PC era?

6. Bringing mobile to the desktop

7. Making iOS devices more appealing

8. The “it just works” mentality

9. Resume to the rescue

10. Making developers think twice

So, be sure to check out eWeek's ten points in detail, and, in conclusion, just let me say that both versions of OS X, the desktop and the mobile version, are really beginning to look like they just might possibly be the very best apple crop to ever come out of Cupertino, and I mean like ever!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, June 08, 2011

iOS Illustration via: C/Net

Coming This Summer: The iPad 3 And iPhone 5?

After developers discovered several references to two new iPad and iPhone models never seen before, speculation is beginning to ramp up that Apple may be ready to introduce two new iPad models, along side two new iPhones as early as this coming summer?

GotToBeMobile suggests, in a recent post, that Apple may also finally be ready to upgrade the iPad's screen with that of a Retina Display, which was originally expected to be included on the iPad 2. A Retina Display, in all its glory, would be utterly fantastic if it ever where to happen, so here's hoping. Production and quality issue's were originally believed to behind the delay, so, hopefully, these issues have been now worked out.

As GoToBeMobile also stated, the mere mention of two new iPad models, as well as two new iPhone models, is no guarantee that such updates will be forth-coming as early as the summer, but, as I suspect, more likely for this coming fall. Considering that the iPad 2 was just released not that long ago that makes a little more sense to me.

However, be it the summer or the fall, new iPad and iPhone models are definitely coming and sooner than later. And when they do, well I know what I would most like to see. In the case of the iPad, yes, that Retina Display would be a big plus to have indeed, but next to that what I would personally want to see is Apple upping the specs at least in the RAM department. The 512MB found in the current iPad is certainly a lot better than the measly 256MB that the original iPad sported, but compared to the 1 and 2GB that are increasingly becoming the norm in some of the competing tablets makes it imperative that Apple match's all comers. More RAM, more options!

As for any iPhone 5, well, what I want, what I really, really want is to see a larger screen. As nice as the current 3.5 inch iPhone 4 screen is, the slightly larger four inch plus screens on some Android phones that I've seen are definitely easier on the eyes. Slightly larger screens couple with Google Voice are the only things that I've seen on Android phones that I wish that the iPhone had. Yes, AMOLED screens are nice and all, but compared to Apple's Retina Display I'd say they are pretty much, more-or-less, equal to each other. The Retina Display for quality and resolution and the AMOLED screens for their vivid brightness.

In conclusion, as stated above, be it the summer or in the fall, sooner or later, new iPads and iPhones will be making their rounds. I'm not sure of all their specs, but I am pretty sure that with iOS 5, coupled with what could be the mother-of-all-halo effects (iCloud) Apple's upcoming crop of gadgets promises ,yet again, to be real game changers.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, June 08, 2011

What's Missing From Steve's WWDC Keynote?

The 2011 WWDC keynote, delivered by Steve Jobs, was met , for the most part, favorably by the press. Certainly, OS X Lion, iOS 5 and particularly Apple's new iCloud look very promising.

With so many new features, in Lion alone, it's hard to know where to even begin. As far as features go, Gizmodo has a great post highlighting some of the other 240 features that Apple didn't get a chance to address such as: All My Files, Search Tokens, File Dragging, Keep Both Files, Calendar Heat Map, Unified iChat Buddy Lists, Get Online During Recovery Mode, Recovery Partition, Low Power Wake, New PhotoBooth Effects, Digital Document Signing, Location Privacy Controls, Beefier Spotlight, Turn Off the Lights, Triple-Finger Lookup, Auto-Correct and trust me, the list goes on and on!

However, there was one glaring omission yesterday : Apple's voice!

If there was anyone thing that I was especially looking forward to, it was voice input. Google's Voice is pretty cool and, if you ask me, its best feature ever. Google Voice was created by snapping up a few of Nuance's engineers, but Nuance is still, by far, the very best and most sophisticated company when it comes to voice input. It's wildly Apple believed that it has signed a special agreement with Nuance, or may have even agreed to buy the company. More importantly, Apple has already gobbled up one of the world's most sophisticated artificial intelligence companies, Siri. Together Nuance and Siri is expected to make Apple's voice vastly superior to Google's Voice, making it look downright primitive in comparison. Yes, make no doubt about it, iOS 5 should keep the iPhone and iPad far in the lead by what was just announced yesterday, but if you also include its new, shall we call it for the moment Apple Voice, well forget it, game over - Apple wins! Below, in a Washington Post video, Gary Morgenthaler, a general partner at Morgenthaler Partners, discuses Apple Inc.'s potential strategy for speech-recognition applications and its purchase of Siri Inc. in 2010.

Of course, what Apple showed off in its keynote is basically what Google and others are already offering, but, as noted by many, its a better version and more integrated one, with, best of all, the best possible price. After all, you really can't get much better than FREE, and even the $24.99 optional price for its new iTune Matching service is only half of that of Amazon's music service. Some of Apple's new features are actually old features already offered by some of its developers, but don't expect many of them to ditch Apple anytime soon. As MobileBeat points out in a post entitle, "Developers won't abandon Apple, no matter how much it mistreats them" for the following simple reasons:

- 200 million iOS devices sold
- 25 million iPads sold in 14 months
- 15 billion songs sold in iTunes
- 130 million books sold in iBooks
- 425,000 apps, including 90,000 iPad-specific apps, in the App Store
- 14 billion app downloads from the App Store (in less than 3 years)
- 225 million accounts in iTunes (all customers for which Apple has credit cards on file so they can purchase apps or content with a single click)

The above are all pretty good reasons if you ask me. However, getting back to the question of 'Apple Voice', I don't believe that for one minute it won't happen. It may not happen in iOS 5, but it will happen and probably a lot sooner than you might otherwise think. In fact, even though I don't know the reason why, I do believe that we shall not only see Apple's answer to Google's Voice real soon, but most likely in time for iOS 5's fall introduction. In an update to a TechCrunch's post entitled, "About The Nuance No-Show At Apple's WWDC", they noted:

" In a comment below, Robert Scoble (who yes, did nail the deep Twitter/iOS integration stuff after our initial post on the matter), says the same source told him that the Siri integration just wasn't done in time for today. He speculates that it still could be a part of the iPhone 5/iOS 5 launch in the fall, thinking that they will need something cool and new to show off. That could very well be the case"

In conclusion, Apple's new intelligent voice feature may be delayed slightly, but it's coming and it will be a major factor in helping iOS 5 to leapfrog its competition. Apple's version of Google Voice completely leaves it in the dust and it will be one of the biggest reasons that will make iOS hard to match, let alone pass, as pointed out here.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, June 7 (already!), 2011

Steve Jobs photo via: International Business Times