Archive | February, 2011
An Open Letter to Stephen Elop and Steve Ballmer
Dear Steves,
Normally, I try to avoid writing open letters to anyone–they’re a pretty stale journalistic convention. But the two of you used an open letter to confirm that Nokia and Microsoft have agreed to a strategic partnership that will make Windows Phone the software foundation of Nokia’s smartphone strategy. So another open letter feels like an appropriate way to respond.
So here’s my initial advice, which, as with all open letters, I’m sure you’ve been eagerly awaiting…
Don’t apologize. Lots of people–such as this guy–think your partnership is destined to fail. Some compare it to famous lackluster partnerships of the past, such as commenter here who brings up Sears and Kmart. I’m not predicting success…but I also think it’s hasty to dismiss your game plan. Windows Phone isn’t a stinker–it’s a promising and distinctive mobile operating system, albeit one that needs more work. And Nokia still makes some of the nicest phone hardware in the business. I haven’t seen anyone propose an alternative strategy that sounds more logical. You’re making an intelligent gamble given the situation at hand.
And Now the iPhone Nano Rumors Return
10. February 2011
Yesterday brought speculation that the iPod Classic was either dead or due for a refresh. Now, Bloomberg dusts off another classic Apple rumor: The iPhone Nano is coming.
Okay, Bloomberg doesn’t actually call it the “iPhone Nano.” But the reporters’ unnamed sources, who were reportedly “briefed on the plans,” say that Apple intends to release a smaller, cheaper iPhone in hopes of slowing Android’s growth.
Wait a minute. Apple already sells a cheaper iPhone, the 8 GB iPhone 3GS. A few weeks ago, Apple permanently dropped the price to $49 making it the least expensive iPhone yet. But Bloomberg suggests that the mini-iPhone will be even cheaper, selling for $200 without a carrier contract.
Internet Explorer 9 Release Candidate is Here
10. February 2011
If you’ve been curious about Internet Explorer 9 but didn’t want to mess around with earlier beta versions, now’s a good time to check it out.
The IE9 release candidate is essentially the full version of Microsoft’s new web browser. Bugs may be squashed between now and whenever Microsoft releases the final version, but all the features of IE9 are intact. (Over at ZDNet, Ed Bott has the definitive walkthrough.) You can get the release candidate from Microsoft’s “Beauty of the Web” promotional site.
In general, I agree with Harry’s assessment that IE9 is Microsoft’s most refreshing web browser yet, even if that means looking a bit like other browsers. Although I haven’t done any fancy speed tests, I can’t think of any major reasons not to recommend IE9.
Except for one thing: A few months after Microsoft released the IE9 public beta, Google launched the Chrome Web Store, a marketplace for extensions and Chrome-optimized web apps. It’s the most significant new browser feature I’ve seen in years, in that it encourages users to customize their browsers and seek out new web-based services. Now that TweetDeck and Imo have become part of my pinned tab line-up, I can’t imagine using a browser without them.
Microsoft has embraced web apps somewhat in IE9 with the ability to pin websites to the Windows 7 taskbar, but once you’re in the browser, there’s no built-in discovery tool for useful web services, nor is there a home page from which to quickly launch them. Also, Internet Explorer’s extension library is overpopulated with feed readers and toolbars, and some of them won’t even work with IE9.
In a way, Internet Explorer is now more minimalist than Chrome, a browser that desperately wants to show you all the great things the Web has to offer. Who’d have thought it?
The Atrix 4G: A First Draft of the Future
10. February 2011
Over at TIME.com, my new Technologizer column is about Motorola’s Atrix 4G, the potent Android handset on AT&T’s network with a truly unique optional accessory: a laptop dock that depends on the phone for its brains, storage, and Internet connection. It turns the Atrix from a PC-like phone into a notebook. (Another dock, with a wireless keyboard and mouse, turns the Atrix into a desktop computer; I wasn’t able to test it.)
Executive summary of my review: The Atrix is a nifty phone that would be on my short list if I was in the market for an Android handset. As for the laptop dock–well, it’s a nice piece of industrial design that does what it’s supposed to do, but I found the experience a bit glitchy and sluggish. And as Jared wrote, the pricing of the dock makes it less tempting than if it had been a low-cost add-on. It’s $500 unless you agree to a two-year tethering contract and $500 for both the phone and the dock if you do commit, and either way, it only works if you pay $20 a month for tethering on top of your voice and data plan.
Steve Jobs, Like You’ve Never Seen Him
10. February 2011
For decades now, we’ve known Steve Jobs as a confident, photogenic personality. But video has now surfaced on YouTube of a young entrepreneur that looks much more meek, nervous, and well–hairy. It’s unclear when this video may be from (it’s believed to be around 1978), but Jobs appears to be in his 20s.
Whomever is off camera also informs him “they can see you in New York,” which means the interview aired on national television. I know we have a few longtime Apple fans on Technologizer. Maybe someone recognizes his appearance here and can able to tell us where he appeared?
One of my favorite lines, after they ask him if he needs anything: “You need to tell me where the restroom is, too, because I’m deathly ill, actually, and ready to throw up at any moment..”
Sonos for Android is on Its Way
10. February 2011
Sonos, maker of those neat networked music players, offers a touchscreen remote control for its systems, letting owners choose local and Internet-based music and route it to one or more Sonos boxes in their home. But the most popular touchscreen remotes for Sonos aren’t Sonos touchscreen remotes–they’re iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads running the company’s iOS app.
Starting soon, owners of Android phones will be able to get on the fun. Sonos is readying the Sonos Controller for Android, a free app for Google’s operating system. A Sonos representative told me that it’s generally similar to the iPhone version, but with a few new twists: For instance, it’s designed to take better advantage of the larger screens on many Android handsets. And when you’re running it, the volume buttons on your phone will control the Sonos system, not the phone itself. (Apple doesn’t provide a way for developers to grab control of the volume buttons on iOS devices.)
Sonos says that it plans to release the Android app in late March.
Activision Gives Guitar Hero the Hook
9. February 2011
Having milked the music game genre with endless iterations on Guitar Hero, Activision is bailing out.
Activision announced that it has dissolved its Guitar Hero business unit and cancelled development on a Guitar Hero game that was supposed to launch this year. The publisher blamed declining sales in the music genre as a whole.
DJ Hero may also be in jeopardy, with Eurogamer reporting severe layoffs at the franchise’s developer, Freestyle Games. DJ Hero 2, which launched in October 2010, was considered a flop.
L.A. Noire’s New Trailer Looks Good, But What Happens if You Fail?
9. February 2011
I just watched the first L.A. Noire trailer to explain how the game actually works. Consider me intrigued.
In addition to the duck-and-cover gunplay that has played a part in every recent Rockstar game (Grand Theft Auto IV, Red Dead Redemption), LA Noire promises to emphasize interrogation and critical thinking to solve crimes. Your “powers of reason and intelligence can make or break each case,” the trailer’s narrator says.
Fascinating, in theory. But if players are really expected to reason their way through a significant chunks of the game, I’m left wondering what happens when your powers of logic fail.
“iPod Classic is Dead” Rumors: They’re Back!
9. February 2011
Predictions on the demise of the iPod Classic usually don’t come around until September, when Apple updates its line of media players, but the timing’s off now thanks to suspicious supply issues at major retailers.
The unfortunately-named Apple Bitch reports that Apple’s iPod Classic is out of stock Best Buy and Amazon, and the Apple Store is shipping the media players a bit slower than usual as well. CNet adds that Target and J&R are also out of stock.
It could just be a random supply glitch, but the other two possibilities are more intriguing: Either Apple is about to refresh the iPod Classic with a bigger hard drive, or it’s discontinuing the iPod Classic altogether.
Nokia: Is MeeGo a No-Go?
9. February 2011
According to Reuters, Nokia has scrapped its first smartphone based on MeeGo, the Linux-based operating system that was supposed to do what Nokia’s aging Symbian could not. The internal memo by new CEO Stephen Elop leaked at Engadget says that the company is announcing its new strategy on Friday; if MeeGo is in trouble, it’s hard to imagine that the plan doesn’t involve adopting Windows Phone 7 or Android, or maybe both…
WebOS Event Live Blog Coverage This Morning
9. February 2011
Quick reminder: At 10am PT, I’ll be at HP’s WebOS event, where news about at least one tablet is guaranteed, and announcements of other WebOS gizmos aren’t an impossible dream. You can join me at technologizer.com/webos, and I hope you will…
TeleNav Coming to Verizon iPhone
8. February 2011
TeleNav, my favorite iPhone navigation app, is headed to Verizon. And, unlike its AT&T brethren, it’s coming in at a reasonable price point. Assuming I make the jump in the next week or so, this will be one of my first purchases. The AT&T Navigator branded TeleNav app currently runs $10/month or $70/year, whereas an annual subscription to the new app on Verizon will run only $22. Guess that’s what happens when you take out the carrier middle man. As you might expect, this dual platform approach has raised some questions regarding carrier control and the possibility of platform “fragmentation” – which TechCrunch counters as BS. But, any way you slice it, Verizon iPhone owners will have a compelling navigation experience available to them shortly. Yet for those looking for an inexpensive or free turn-by-turn GPS app, I continue to recommend MapQuest.
(This post republished from Zatz Not Funny.)
Absolve Your Sins With an iOS App
8. February 2011
For those of the Catholic faith, the confessional is an important rite to be forgiven of the sins of daily life. It seems like it was only a matter of time before a mobile app was created to do just that. Confession was developed by Little iApps in conjuction with two Catholic priests, and was given an imprimatur — essentially the blessing of the Church that it is not damaging to the faith — the first time an mobile app has been given such an honor.
Pope Benedict made embracing the Internet and technology a priority as a means to connect to other faithful. Indeed, Benedict has been very technology-forward — the Vatican has its own official Twitter and YouTube accounts — and has made other efforts to spread the word of God online.
No word if Benedict’s seen Confession though, which costs $1.99 on th App Store. What the app will do is track the user’s last date of confession, as well as give the confessor a guide through the pennance process. In case you forgot how you sinned, Confession will keep track of that too. Don’t know how you may be sinning? The app will even attempt to give you an “examination of conscience” to see how you can live a more sin-free life.
Don’t worry about revealing your sins by some nosy onlooker: the app is password-protected, and once you confess, it’s wiped away forever. It’s not intended to absolve you of those sins though, you’ll still have to pay a visit to your local Father.
Last.fm: The Free Ride is Over for Smartphones
8. February 2011
It’s no secret that streaming music services must pay a licensing premium to offer their libraries on smartphones and other devices, but now it seems that Last.fm’s ad revenue wasn’t enough to pay those bills.
Effective February 15, Last.fm will charge $3 per month for access on iPhones, Android phones and home entertainment devices such as Sonos and Logitech’s Squeezebox. The exceptions are Microsoft’s Xbox 360, which includes Last.fm with a $50 per year Xbox Live subscription, and Windows Phone 7, which will remain free through 2011. Ads will be removed as part of the shake-up.
Last.fm’s website will remain free with advertising in the United States, United Kingdom and Germany, but Matthew Hawn, Last.fm’s vice president of product, explained in a blog post that an ad-supported service is simply “not practical” on other devices and in other countries.
RIP Ken Olsen
8. February 2011
Digital Equipment Corp. founder Ken Olsen founder passed away on Sunday at the age of 84. He was the father of the minicomputer industry and perhaps the single most prominent Boston-based business titan when I was growing up there in the 1970s and 1980s–and the decline and fall is a sobering reminder of what happens when a company’s leaders can’t figure out where the future of the industry is.
The New York Times has a good obituary.
Kindle Gets an Update (and Page Numbers!)
8. February 2011
Amazon is working on an update to the software in its Kindle e-readers with some worthwhile-sounding features–including the ability to share your notes and (at long last) see page numbers that correspond to the ones in dead-tree books. In an interesting movie, it’s letting Kindle owners download a preview version before it finishes up the software and pushes it out to all devices.
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