Speaking of Michael Gartenberg

post from Daring Fireball on 13 February 2011 09:03:22 PM. © Daring Fireball

I think the analogy in this tweet nails it:

NOK adoption of WinPhone provoking a response on NOK fan sitesequivalent of what Mac users might have sounded if AAPL embracedWin NT in 97.

Part of it is emotional. Nokia has devoted fans — just like how Apple did in 1996-97. And they see something in Nokia, a cultural backbone, a design philosophy, that is uniquely Nokia’s. How can they possibly maintain that backbone while depending on an OS made and designed by another company?

And while it seems silly in hindsight, there really were a lot of pundits who, in 1996, thought that Apple’s best option was to ditch their own OS and become a maker of “well-designed” Windows PCs.

?

Read The Full Article:
http://twitter.com/gartenberg/status/36965070294491136

Digg this

Microsoft to Pay Nokia Billions as Part of
Windows Phone 7 Deal

post from Daring Fireball on 13 February 2011 08:03:42 PM. © Daring Fireball

Nancy Gohring, reporting for Computerworld:

Nokia on Sunday hinted that Microsoft essentially won a biddingwar against Google to supply software to the world?s largesthandset maker and that the software giant agreed to pay?billions? of dollars for the privilege.

That’s certainly a different take on OS licensing. And so I guess Microsoft didn’t buy Nokia for $0B.

?

Read The Full Article:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9209259/Microsoft_to_pay_out_billions_as_p
art_of_Nokia_deal

Digg this

The Mac App Store: Its an Honor Thing

post from Daring Fireball on 13 February 2011 07:02:56 PM. © Daring Fireball

Michael Gartenberg on the Mac App Store’s lightweight approach to copy protection:

Apple?s approach is simple. It?s an honor thing. The companybelieves that, given the choice, people will do the right thing.It also understands that anti-piracy techniques don?t stoppirates, but they do get in the way of honest users.

I touched on this in 2007, regarding the success of Apple’s “family pack” licensing for Mac OS X updates:

What?s interesting about this is that the single-computerlicense isn?t enforced in code by the operating system. (Orat least that?s been the case with Mac OS X 10.0 through10.4.) And, I suspect, most DF readers are aware of this. Whichmeans many readers are doing the right thing simply becausethey?re honest.

?

Read The Full Article:
http://www.macworld.com/article/157823/2011/02/honor_thing.html

Digg this

Reelizer

post from Daring Fireball on 13 February 2011 06:03:46 PM. © Daring Fireball

Wonderful collection of movie posters, curated by Roger Erik Tinch. I’m particularly enamored of this one by Connor Willumsen for Kubrick’s The Killing.

?

Read The Full Article:
http://www.reelizer.com/

Digg this

Apple Rumors Galore From the WSJ

post from Daring Fireball on 13 February 2011 06:03:46 PM. © Daring Fireball

Rumors include: reiteration of Bloomberg’s scoop last week of an upcoming smaller cheaper iPhone, making MobileMe a free service for cloud-based storage and syncing, and having iTunes media content (movies, music) stored in the cloud as well.

It’s the lack of cloud-based storage for media that keeps iOS devices tethered to a Mac or Windows PC for syncing. As for the smaller iPhone, I doubt the screen will be much smaller than 3.5 inches diagonally (if at all). I’m guessing it’s just thinner and with a smaller chin and forehead. But this Journal story says “One of the people, who saw a prototype of a new iPhone several months ago, said the new device is intended to be sold alongside the current line of iPhones and would be about half the size of the iPhone 4.” It’s unclear what “half the size” means, but surely it doesn’t mean a 1.75-inch diagonal screen.

?

Read The Full Article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704657104576142262842435544.html

Digg this

The Economics of Blogging and the Huffington Post

post from Daring Fireball on 13 February 2011 05:03:34 PM. © Daring Fireball

Nate Silver:

Do the multiplication, and you find that the average blog post ?which we estimate generated a couple thousand page views ? wasworth about $13 in advertising revenue. The median blog post, withseveral hundred views, was worth only $3 or $4. […]
When I shared a version of these calculations with Mr. Ruiz, theHuffington Post spokesman, he could not confirm them to thisdegree of specificity. But, ?I can tell you though that you?reright,? he wrote in an e-mail. ?The large majority of ourtraffic comes from news, not blog.?

Interesting analysis.

?

Read The Full Article:
http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/12/the-economics-of-blogging-and
-the-huffington-post/

Digg this

Children's iPhone App arrives with Verizon iPhone
- Jack and Jill HD 1.0

post from prMac on 13 February 2011 01:26:00 PM. © prMac

California based Tiger Stripes, LLC introduces Jack and Jill HD 1.0, a new and interactive children's application built especially for toddlers, young children and parents alike. A beloved nursery rhyme for generations, this interactive sing-a-long is perfect for the smallest toddler to the wisest grandparent. Tested by teachers and developed by parents, Jack and Jill HD brings a new genre of children's apps to the app store with multiple learning games within one app.

Read The Full Article:
http://prmac.com/release-id-21728.htm

Digg this

VoiceMan 1.0 - Real Time Voice Usage Manager for
iPhone

California based XVision has announced VoiceMan 1.0 a new app for iPhone. VoiceMan serves to precisely monitor and manage your voice usage in real time, closely tracking your daily, weekly and monthly voice usage, including used incoming and outgoing minutes. There's 4 levels of usage thresholds and 3 voice minute allowances for you to customize to suit your voice plan. You get alerts the moment you exceed your usage thresholds, without having to open VoiceMan.

Read The Full Article:
http://prmac.com/release-id-21726.htm

Digg this

Learn the Thai Script on iPhone with Reading Thai

Yokohama-based Nagaraja Rivers today announces Reading Thai 1.2, an update to their Thai alphabet app for iOS. Offering a complete introduction to the Thai script, Reading Thai covers not only the Thai alphabet, but also the complex rules of word formation. It covers consonants, vowels, numbers, tone marks, punctuation marks, tone rules, letter combination rules, and multi-syllable words. Each word example includes the Thai script, a phonetic transcription, and audio by a native Thai speaker.

Read The Full Article:
http://prmac.com/release-id-21729.htm

Digg this

Should I Get Married Find Out with Geek Logik
Valentines Day iPhone App

Los Angeles based ThinkFAST, Inc. has released Geek Logik Valentines Day for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. "Geek Logik Valentine's Day" edition uses humor and easy slider driven math to solve all life's most important questions. It offers clear-cut, mathematical solutions to Valentines questions. Now there are answers, and you can share them with your friends on Twitter and Facebook. There's even a "Panic Button" linking the love-struck to some cool Valentines gift buying buttons.

Read The Full Article:
http://prmac.com/release-id-21727.htm

Digg this