1350515
submission
DECS writes:
A presidential debate on technology policy organized by Wired magazine the New American Foundation turned into a simple interview after John McCain's chief economic policy adviser (the man who called McCain the inventor of the BlackBerry), Douglas Holtz-Eakin, failed to show. Barack Obama's representative, former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt, did attend and offered some perspective of what technology issues the next president will face related to universal broadband, information privacy, open government, net neutrality, the use of white space, and other topics. Former FCC Chair Reed Hundt: Issues the next president faces in technology
722073
submission
DECS writes:
At WWDC, Apple unveiled an update of .Mac renamed Mobile Me and billed as "Exchange for the rest of us," clearly targeted at iPhone users, many of whom are new to the Mac platform. But the big news behind the scenes is that Apple's .Mac group built its new Mobile Me web apps using SproutCore, the company's open source (MIT license) JavaScript framework with a complete application stack based on MVC and making extensive use of Cocoa-style bindings, localization, offline storage, and other features. As RDM describes, that makes SproutCore essentially a free "Cocoa for the Web," allowing developers to deploy sophisticated, cross platform thick client web apps on Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer 6/7, and Mobile Safari on the iPhone, all without requiring a proprietary plugin runtime such as Flash or Silverlight because everything works in simple HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. Cocoa for Windows + Flash Killer = SproutCore.
662390
submission
Legalizeit writes:
Microsoft's thorn-in-the-side Daniel Eran Dilger of RoughlyDrafted says Zune Sales Still In the Toilet after unearthing secret sales figures for the Zune from a Microsoft spokesperson: just over 2 million since its launch in Oct 2006. In comparison, "Apple has sold roughly 76 million iPods during that same period, more than doubling the installed base of iPods since the Zune's debut." Microsoft didn't make a dent in the iPod empire, and now it's twice as far behind as when it got started.
627206
submission
DECS writes:
IBM's Research Information Services has launched an internal pilot program to study the possibility of moving significant numbers of employees to the Mac platform. The study has already found an enthusiastic response from participants and is helping to drive Mac support for IBM's business applications. An internal IBM document obtained by RDM revealed participants feedback, including the comments "It has been easier learning the Mac than learning Vista," "This can free us from the Windows stranglehold," and "I think that Mac users can be productive in IBM. However, if I had to recommend a non-Windows setup, I would recommend Linux on a ThinkPad." IBM Launches Pilot Program for Migrating to Macs
607870
submission
DECS writes:
The iPhone shortage in Apple's retail stores isn't a sign of the 3G model coming early. Grey market demand in emerging markets is fouling up Apple's ability to manage retail inventory in its stores. Analysts in a New York Times story were shown up by an anonymous source arguing that the massive iPhone transactions performed in the US by organized rings for resale in emerging markets are the real reason Apple's US stores are running out of iPhones. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal profiles Thai markets selling iPhones hand over fist for nearly $800. Does the iPhone Shortage Herald an Impending 3G Release? Probably Not.
583802
submission
DECS writes:
When the iPhone was unveiled a year ago, it was obvious that it would outclass the status quo in mobile phones, particularly in the US where mobile operators have been holding back innovation. Far less obvious was the potential for the new phone to rival dedicated handheld gaming consoles. Here's how well the iPhone stacks up against the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP in both hardware and as a business model: iPhone 2.0 SDK: Video Games to Rival Nintendo DS
496454
submission
OMG writes:
Throughout 2007, the media consistently reported leading sales of Microsoft's Xbox 360, dismal figures for Sony's struggling PlayStation 3, and celebrated the long shot Nintendo Wii as a possible contender in game consoles. This portrayal of the video game market in 2007 was grossly misleading, and NPD has the figures to demonstrate why. Microsoft's efforts to stuff the channel and strip the Xbox 360 of features to hit low price targets worked in the short term, but have since backfired, killing its HD-DVD format, leaving Xbox Live downloads an unattractive niche service with insignificant market share, preventing the Xbox from exercising any leverage to push the Zune, and allowing Microsoft's new console sales to plummet by over 33% year over year in 2007. On top of that, 7.7 million units — more than a year's supply — have gone unaccounted for, either put out of commission in as warranty lemons or sitting in warehouses. Despite all this, hardly anyone is saying a word about it, except for: Video Game Consoles 2007: Wii, PS3 and the Death of Microsoft's Xbox 360
480834
submission
DECS writes:
RDM shakes down the results to determine Who Was the Biggest Loser at Macworld?, taking a look at Apple's attempt to do to the ultralight laptop industry what it did last year to smartphones; Apple TV's threat to Vudu, NetFlix, Blockbuster, and Microsoft's fledgling Xbox Live video on demand service; Time Capsule's preemptive strike at Windows Home Server; the dustup between Violet Blue and Steve Jobs; and the lonely guy still selling Stuffit.
447054
submission
UMEE writes:
AppleInsider looks deep behind the rumors of an expanded partnership between Apple and Intel involving Silverthorne, the second generation, low power x86 processor designed to power Microsoft's UMPC. However, sales of the tablet devices have historically been bogged down by design, price, performance, and usability issues, and UMPCs have seen little marketing. Apple's use of the processor could turn things around by leveraging the company's strengths in marketing, retail, and design, but it's certainly not alone in targeting the ultra mobile space. Low priced alternatives including the Asus Eee PC and OLPC XO-1, both of which run Linux and use processors from Intel rivals TI and AMD, have already stolen the limelight among ultra mobile devices. Is the future ultra mobile? Will tablet computing fail yet again? Will Apple Rescue Intel's Silverthorne?
441252
submission
SoupySales writes:
Did Steve Jobs kill the Newton MessagePad back in 1998 out of blind hatred of John Sculley, the Apple's 80s CEO who dreamed it up? RDM says no, and looks at reasons why the Newton didn't work out then and how today's iPhone platform is morphing toward the MessagePad's old territory a decade later.
Newton Rising: Is the Next iPhone Device a G3 MessagePad?
438238
submission
shillhunter writes:
Forbes' Dan Lyons, author of the Fake Steve Jobs blog, decided it would be entertaining to parody the unplugging of ThinkSecret by pretending his own blog was under threat from Apple. Except that in order to do that, he had to stop pretending to be FSJ and start pretending that the real Steve Jobs was threatening him. That's where he left the world of parody and reentered the familiar territory of lucrative scandal. Even before starting FSJ, Lyons jumped to follow Microsoft's marketing message with SCO against Linux, and continues to follow closely in his "People Ready," corporate-savvy, yet comical blog. His readers just haven't realized it yet.
Daniel Lyons Cries Wolf: The Real Bill Gates Behind the Fake Steve Jobs
437226
submission
ringoffire writes:
Is it true that Apple's new software DRM patent is racing to duplicate Microsoft's infamously evil WGA spyware license verification system as Computerworld's Gregg Keizer speculates, or is it possible that Apple's patent describes something entirely different that leaps over the heads of industry pundits and performs a spectacular arc over the rows of broken down vehicles underneath (some of which may be on fire), to land a new platform and win applause for doing so?
The New Apple Patent: WGA Evil or iPhone Knievel?
