I write a lot of software, am married to a lovely and talented woman, have two good sons, live in the bush and hold a black belt in karate.
This really isn’t meant to be a contentious post. It really only came about because I got a new toy, something I’ve been wanting to get for a while – a USB microsope!
I love my Kindle's eInk display, and no matter what device I acquire, I always end up going back to reading on it. Seeing differences at high magnification is fascinating.
Android is now larger than the iPhone on the world stage, analysts at Gartner said today. Google's phone platform jumped to 10.6 million phones sold, or enough to overtake the iPhone and take 17.2 percent of the market.
Mostly at the expense of Symbian, looking at the chart. Which is, still, the dominate mobile OS, by a pretty big factor.
Apple’s iPad is the subject of some heated debate in the corporate world. On one hand, it’s viewed as a product that must be be respected. Its supporters believe that it revolutionizes the marketplace and will allow employees to be far more productive than they have been in previous years without such a tablet. Detractors couldn’t disagree more.
I'm buying very little of this. Cool video though.
Don’t use code you don’t understand
In the open-source Android environment, it’s common (and good) practice to rely heavily on other people’s code, in the form of libraries and frameworks. But if that code is handling your users’ information inappropriately, it’s your problem. So make a point of checking code before you rely on it.
Good advice (the whole article, not just the highlighted bit) for any mobile platform, not just Android. Generally, I'd hope that folks would already know the highlighted bit. Apparently not so much though.
Microsoft is ready to unveil the next version of its mobile operating system on Monday. At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, CEO Steve Ballmer will take the stage to show off the next version of Windows Mobile. via New Windows Phone operating system coming Monday.Here's hoping there's something compelling here.
The iPad is an attractive, thoughtfully designed, deeply cynical thing. It is a digital consumption machine. As Tim Bray and Peter Kirn have pointed out, it’s a device that does little to enable creativity. via Alex Payne — On the iPad.Great piece - recommended.
Amazon, displaying a sense of urgency that is perhaps driven by the pending launch of Apple’s tablet-style computer, is turning its Kindle device into a platform. The Seattle-based company has announced that it will allow software developers to “build and upload active content” and distribute it through the Kindle Store “later this year.” Amazon will be giving out a Kindle Development Kit that will give “developers access to programming interfaces, tools and documentation to build active content for Kindle.” The company will launch a limited beta effort next month. via Amazon Turns Kindle Into a Platform – GigaOM.This has the potential to be incredibly cool for all kinds of reasons - and yes, I've signed up for the beta.
When companies start to imitate one another, it's usually either an extreme case of flattery—or war. In the case of Google and Apple, it's both. via Apple vs. Google - BusinessWeek.A long-ish but somewhat insightful piece around what's looking like an upcoming battle between Apple and Google. What caught my eye here was the speculation regarding search - specifically around Apple & Bing:
Jobs might cut a deal with—gasp!—Microsoft to make Bing Apple's engine of choice, or even launch its own search engine, Yarmis says.
"According the Guardian, some 30 million chip and pin cards in Germany have been affected by a programming failure, which saw the microchips in cards unable to recognize the year change. The bug has left millions of credit and debit card users unable to withdraw money or make purchases, and has stranded many on holiday. French card manufacturer Gemalto accepted responsibility for the fault, 'which it is estimated will cost €300m (£270m) to rectify.' They claim cards in other countries made by Gemalto are unaffected."via Slashdot Developers Story | 2010 Bug Plagues Germany. And you think *you've* got problems.
The study found that iPhone and Android users were the most likely to conduct shopping related activities. Over 40% of iPhone and Android users said that they are likely to check sale prices at alternative locations on their mobile phones while they are shopping. They are also likely to read product reviews while out shopping, with 39 percent of iPhone owners and 31 percent of Android owners saying they’ve looked at reviews from their handset before making a purchase.Via VentureBeat Interesting but unsurprising g given the great browser support (*cough* WebKit *cough) on iPhone and Android.
