This announcement is the next best thing to getting an actual release date, since a "golden master," in hardware and software terms, is essentially the finished product, or the mold from which all other copies are mass-produced. Apple promised iOS 5 would come preinstalled on the next-generation iPhone and iPod Touch models, so the company's next step is to ship the iOS 5 golden master to a team of assemblers overseas, where it will be installed onto next-gen hardware and prepared for public release.
Apple's mega-update to its mobile platform promises over 200 new features. The biggest of all the changes is the iCloud, which is Apple's solution for free wireless syncing of files, apps, music, and photos across devices. iOS 5 also boasts a revamped notification center, a customizable newsstand that keeps magazine and newspaper app subscriptions organized, and iMessage, Apple's response toBlackBerry Messenger that allows users to send unlimited text, photo, and video messages to anyon
We've come a very long way from the pre-iPhone mobile web. Android devices are being activated at the rate of 500,000 per day. Tens of millions of web-capable Blackberries are in consumers' hands. All but the very cheapest phones can show you a webpage on the go.
The big story has been Google's operating system, Android. Comscore's latest statistics indicate that Google's smartphone OS market share is 42 percent, while Apple lags at 27 percent.
But this notion of what the mobile web looks like doesn't seem to reflect usage patterns that I've seen. We know that there are tens of millions of smartphones out there, but when we look at who actually uses those devices to access content, we see that iOS device owners use their devices far more than other people, whatever size installed base Google or RIM may claim.
As a starting point, here at The Atlantic, the iPod Touch generates more web traffic than any phone by the likes of Motorola, HTC, RIM, or Nokia. Nearly three-quarters of our mobile web traffic comes from just the iPhone, iPad, and iPod. The best performing non-iOS device (Motorola's Droid X) accounted for about 2.5 percent of our mobile usage. Check out the chart below for the details.
Though I'm sure other websites have slightly different numbers, the general pattern of the large majority of usage coming from iOS devices will hold, despite the wide availability of Android phones and tablets. Take the GoGo In Flight WiFi stats that Jon Gruber pointed out last month: The iPhone and iPod Touch account for more than 85 percent of the handheld devices accessing the service from the comfort of their airline seat.
And it's not just the the mobile web. Take a look at Flickr's statistics about the most popular camerphone pictures. iPhones of all stripes lead all the competition easily. When it comes to apps, Android is doing a bit better. Google announced this summer that 4.5 billion Android apps had been downloaded. Apple countered a week later saying their app store had reached 15 billion downloads.
Simple sharing service Posterous is shedding its blog origins in favor of becoming a full-featured social network.
The startup has dramatically redesigned its website, overhauled its user dashboard and vamped up its iPhone app with a retooled focus on private sharing. The new Posterous even has a new name: Posterous Spaces.
Posterous Spaces merges the startup's two products — sites and groups — into one unified experience with a glossy new look and a stronger emphasis on sharing, social networking and content discovery.
"The idea," says Posterous founder and CEO Sachin Agarwal, "is that you can create as many Posterous Spaces as you want, and they can be public or private … a family space, a photo space, a club space, a work space, whatever it may be."
As for why the startup's rolling out these changes: "People really love using Posterous because they can control how they share and who sees what they're sharing," Agarwal says. Posterous Spaces, he says, is the result of an 8-month-long re-envisioning process inspired by how members were using its Groups product.
This iPhone 4 mod, from British iDevice repair service iPatch, sets the Apple logo on your phone aglow whenever the screen lights up, much as the logo on a MacBook lights up when opened. From the pictures, it looks pretty slick.
How iPatch accomplishes this is “a complete secret” and “very tricky to replicate,” says Andy Smith, the director of iPatch.
“It’s not something that could be done at home without specialist equipment,” he says.
The process takes a few hours. It uses your iPhone’s original rear case, so your phone isn’t any thicker when the mod is complete. You can choose the color of your glowing Apple, and it can be done to black or white iPhones.
This isn’t the first time the iPhone’s logo has been set ablaze. In 2008, a Russian iPhone hack achieved the same thing, using software that allowed you to adjust the intensity of the glow. Other notable appearance-altering iPhone mods include a solid Titanium 3GS backplate, a sleek (and cheap) brushed aluminum back cover for the iPhone 4 and an iPhone fitted with a QWERTY keyboard.
“Interest so far has been immense,” Smith says, citing about 40 tweet requests and countless phone calls and emails. “We tend to just do general repairs but this mod was spawned from another we were working on at the time.”
The Motorola Droid was a groundbreaking smartphone — it demonstrated that Android could finally compete with Apple’s iPhone as well as exceed its functionality in a number of areas, particularly as it relates to integration with Google’s services.
In doing so, it also established Verizon as the leader in not only reliable wireless 3G data services but also as the premier vendor of Android-based smartphones.
Other carriers have since jumped onto the Google bandwagon and Android is now the leading smartphone platform by overall OS market share.
Nearly two years later, much has changed in the mobile landscape. The original Motorola Droid slider design has been refreshed three times, and there have been other products such as the Droid X and the Droid Pro which have been introduced and refreshed as well.
At the same time, other manufacturers have not stood still. HTC has introduced an impressive line of Android smartphones, as has Samsung, all of which have launched on Verizon and on other providers and have further complicated the landscape.
As if this didn’t make the consumer’s job understanding the smartphone space any more difficult than it was, Apple launched the iPhone on Verizon in February of 2011. So now there are more smartphones to choose from than ever before.
My own wireless contract has been up for renewal for the last two or three months, and Verizon has been bombarding me with offers to get rid of my old Droid clunker, which I’ve kept on life support by rooting it with Open Source Android software such as CyanogenMOD.
Learning the iPhone 5 release date, or at least its range, is often as simple as checking with Apple’s looser-lipped partners: Sprint has informed its employees that they can’t take vacation days during early October. The newest carrier to join the iPhone family, albeit not yet on an official level, is about to go through the biggest retail launch day in the company’s life with the arrival of the iPhone 5. As such, employees have been informed that they must be available in early October. While that doesn’t guarantee the release date for the iPhone 5 is in that timeframe, it’s a clear indication that new partner Sprint thinks it will be.
Sprint has long been on the outside of the iPhone market looking in, as AT&T had the device from the start and Verizon has been touting it since earlier this year. It’s common for AT&T to tell employees they can’t take time off during new iPhone launch windows. While that information hasn’t yet surfaced one way or the other, the Sprint news is enlightening on two fronts: first, it’s the best indicator yet that a Sprint iPhone 5 really is happening (although other evidence has hinted at it), and it also points to the iPhone 5 happening in a month or slightly less. The arrival will be a big deal to not just Sprint, as Verizon will also be getting its feet wet in a new way…
Samsung Galaxy S2 version known as Epic Touch 4G going to Sprint is now available for pre-orders with Walmart for $99 while it is priced at $199.99 on a new two-year contract with Sprint.
The release of Samsung’s latest flagship phone was delayed for quite sometime in the U.S. while rest of the world had the privilege to own one of the most powerful devices. Another device which was eagerly waited for was Motorola Droid Bionic. Both these phones pack powerful specifications to outmatch present set of smartphones in the market.
Samsung’s phone is not the only smartphone to receive cheaper price tag option. Even Motorola Droid Bionic will be offered by Costco for $279, plus $160-worth accessories for free. Droid Bionic will be available at Costco from September 13. The accessories include standard bionic dock, in-car navigation dock, extra battery and battery charger. One of the most interesting things about Costco deal is that it comes in the form of 90-day return window. That means those who are tempted to buy the iPhone 5 or the Droid Prime can have a switch.
Also the Costco deal makes Droid Bionic cheaper than Verizon at $180. With one-year Costco membership at $50, one can save $130 off the standard 2 year contract and the phone is also cheaper by $20. Droid Bionic is originally priced at $299.99 with a two-year contract with Verizon or $599 at full retail price.
Moreover, even Amazon.com has listed the phone at the cheapest price ever for $179.99 for standard two-year contract. And the unlocked version is available for $699.99.
Both these phones are touted as the formidable competitors for the upcomingiPhone 5 which is expected to be launched in October.
The Samsung’s phone rivals the rumored specs of the forthcoming iPhone 5. Apple has accused Samsung of "slavishly copying" its own iPhone, saying the design and features infringe upon Apple's intellectual property. All the versions of Galaxy S2 will get 4G treatment, offering data speeds up to four times faster than what is expected in Apple's forthcoming iPhone 5.
However, Motorola Droid Bionic seems to be scoring better with a cheaper price tag to take on the iPhone 5 in terms of pure speed with 4G LTE support. The Droid Bionic comes with cloud-friendly app Zumocast, which lets users bring videos, music, pictures and documents stored on their computers to their handset via remote access, challenging the iPhone 5’s iCloud service.
Here is a comparison between the two phones.
Patent lawsuit analyst group Lex Machina says the number of mobile-focused patent lawsuits filed went 25 percent every year since 2006. Most recently, eight percent of the 294 patent lawsuits filed last month related to smartphones or similar technology, according to the group.
Apple plays the largest part in the web of litigation, though not necessarily always as the aggressor. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company targeted HTC, Motorola, Samsung, and other Android makers in several high-profile suits, but has more often been the target of non-practicing patent companies, known popularly as patent trolls, who take advantage of the U.S. Trade and Patent Office's backlog and strained resources.
The companies, which make their revenue from licenses and lawsuits, targeted Apple in 97 active cases.
Motorola is also a high participant in patent lawsuits as a frequent target and occasional litigant, with 38 open patent cases.
Lex Machina's findings offer a broad view of escalating intellectual property litigation in the mobile industry, but new patent reform laws may to slow down the pace.
The Senate voted the pass the America Invents Act, in an attempt to clean up patent regulation. The act may make patent litigation in the tech industry less ambiguous.
The reform also funnels more money to the U.S. Trade and Patent Office, which will allow it to speed up the patent award process from the current three-year wait time, and may also dissuade patent trolls.
HTC says it may buy an operating system but will “not do it on impulse,” contemplating its options after Google scooped up Motorola and HP abandoned WebOS.
The Taiwan-based company’s chairwoman Cher Wang said her company has “given it thought and discussed it internally,” but did not indicate whether it would buy WebOS.
“We can use any OS we want. We are able to make things different from our rivals on the second or third layer of a platform,” Wang said, explaining HTC’s position regarding mobile software. “Our strength lies in understanding an OS, but it does not mean that we have to produce an OS.”
Wang’s statement follows speculation that Android makers may turn to a different OS now that Google is set to own Motorola, which may transition the search company from software partner to hardware rival.
In August, the Mountain View, Calif.-based search giant announced intentions to buy Motorola for $12.5 billion, a move that earned public praises from Android manufacturers like Samsung, LG and HTC.
Google now owns Motorola’s 17,000 patents and recently shared some with HTC, which promptly used them to sue Apple, signaling its goodwill toward Android makers.
But HTC and other manufacturers are still nervous about the Google-Motorola deal. They fear Google may favor Motorola’s Android implementation, giving it an edge in the market.
Some Android makers may hedge their bets, switching to the Windows Phone 7 OS, creating their own system, or purchasing another OS to diversify beyond Android.
For example, rival Samsung is focusing on Bada, while HTC recently debuted two Windows Phones.
HTC may have an eye on HP’s WebOS as well. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based computer company scuttled the platform, deciding instead to focus on business services. WebOS may go to the highest bidder, though so far no one has stepped forward.
Read more at http://blogs.forbes.com/mobiledia/?p=456
We must have said it a million times: whenever a carrier updates a handset, we expect familiarity, yes, but also improvements. Verizon's rugged, push-to-talk Samsung Convoy 2 scores high when it comes to refreshing the look and feel of the original Samsung Convoy; but some changes, or lack thereof, left us feeling a little cold.
On the original Convoy, we complained of the mini-USB charging port and the 2.5 millimeter headset jack. With the Convoy 2, Samsung upgraded to today's Micro-USB standard, but failed to modernize the headset spec, a disappointment for a phone that has dedicated music controls on its face.
In addition, the Convoy lost its rubberized sidings, a derivation that makes the hard plastic chassis feel less rugged, not more so. We also wish Samsung would have addressed the poor speakerphone quality, a feature that seems likely to be used in the field.
Read more at http://www.cnet.com/8301-17918_1-20104905-85/samsung-convoy-2-review-rugged-but../#ixzz1Xmmb8CX8
(Reuters) - NTT DoCoMo Inc and other Japanese firms will partner South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co to develop key chips for next-generation smartphones to reduce the reliance on Qualcomm Inc, the Nikkei business daily reported.
The companies -- including Fujitsu Ltd, NEC Corp and Panasonic Corp unit Panasonic Mobile Communications Co -- are in talks to form a joint venture next year to develop chips that control wireless communications and signals, the paper said.
Qualcomm has about 80 percent of the market for such semiconductors, known as baseband chips, the Nikkei said.
DoCoMo is to take a majority stake in the joint venture, to be capitalized at about 30 billion yen ($389.6 million) and headquartered in Japan, said the paper.
The companies, which bought the project from Spain's Acciona, will increase the planned capacity of the Armow project in Kincardine, Ontario, to 180 megawatts. Construction will begin in 2013 and finish the next year.
"We were attracted to the Armow project for its strong wind resource, support from the municipality and friendly landowners," said Pattern Chief Executive Mike Garland in the release.
For South Korea's Samsung, the project, located about 200 kilometers (125 miles) northwest of Toronto, is part of a major investment in Ontario's renewable energy sector.
In January, Samsung C&T signed an agreement with the provincial government to lead a consortium investing C$7 billion in wind and solar in the province.
The consortium will build four wind and solar clusters with combined capacity of 2,500 megawatts by 2016.
Under the agreement, the province promised C$437 million in incentives. But the Liberal government is in the midst of a tough election campaign, and its Conservative opponents have pledged to scrap the deal.
Samsung is planning to release a pair of Windows Phone "Mango" devices this fall, despite rumors that it will end support for the Windows Phone platform by the end of 2012.
Those high-end devices include the 4G-capable Samsung Focus S, which will feature a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED (active-matrix organic LED) Plus display and 1.4GHz processor in addition to an ultra-thin 8.55-millimeter body, and the Samsung Focus Flash, with a slightly smaller 3.7-inch screen and 1.4GHz processor. Both the Focus S and Focus Flash will offer front- and rear-facing cameras. AT&T has announced it will carry both.
Microsoft intends its upcoming Mango update, which offers more than 500 tweaks and additions to the Windows Phone platform, to help counteract the company’s eroding market share in the mobile arena. As part of the Mango push, Microsoft has enlisted a variety of manufacturers to build smartphones loaded with Windows Phone Mango, including Acer, Fujitsu, ZTE and Nokia.
Yet according to a Tweet from Samfirmware, which offers Samsung device reviews and ROM software, Samsung will end support for Windows Phone by the end of 2012,
“Samsung will support Windows phone til end 2012,” read the Sept. 10 Tweet. A day later, a follow-up message read: “It’s true about Samsung and Windows Phone. Windows Phone market is smaller than Samsung’s own OS Bada.”
That information remains unconfirmed by Samsung, and Microsoft has a longstanding corporate habit of not commenting on rumor or speculation. Nonetheless, if proven true, it would represent a significant setback for Windows Phone, which needs close manufacturing partner support to survive in the face of stiff competition from the likes of Android and the iPhone.
Sure, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is great when using Verizon's LTE network, but what if you're looking for something in more of a GSM, magenta-colored flavor? You might be in luck, if a new tablet pushed through the FCC makes its way to store shelves. The device, identified only as the Samsung SGH-T859, comes complete with 1700MHz AWS for T-Mobile as well as 850 / 1900 GSM / EDGE / WCDMA / HSPA, and has the same dimensions as the WiFi-only version we saw in May. We can't say with a surety that it'll use the Galaxy Tab branding, but we think it's unlikely this would be anything else. And of course there's no guarantee it'll become a subsidized device on T-Mobile, but we know there's more than a handful of diehards that'd be willing to fork out a couple extra Benjamins for the privilege of using this beauty on their own carrier. So if your day is now a little bit brighter because of the news, feel free to check out the device in the gallery below.
Let’s call it frustration, not jealousy. Europe and Asia have been enjoying the charms of the Samsung Galaxy S II for several months now, leaving the US to suffer a serious case of the green-eyed monster. The first of the US variants has finally arrived however, the Samsung EPIC 4G Touch, a CDMA twist on the phone we’ve been waiting for, but has the charm faded over time? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
Let’s call it frustration, not jealousy. Europe and Asia have been enjoying the charms of the Samsung Galaxy S II for several months now, leaving the US to suffer a serious case of the green-eyed monster. The first of the US variants has finally arrived however, the Samsung EPIC 4G Touch, a CDMA twist on the phone we’ve been waiting for, but has the charm faded over time? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
Smartphone apps "AcneApp" and "Acne Pwner" promised to treat users' acne with colored lights emitted from iOS or Android devices. Users were advised to hold the screen next to the area of screen to be treated for several minutes daily while the app did its work.
Acne Pwner cost 99 cents on the Android Market and has enjoyed 3,300 downloads from people who don't know how smartphones (or acne) work. AcneApp, meanwhile, has convinced 11,600 iTunes users to part with $1.99 for the benefit of their skin, the app being supposedly endorsed by a suspiciously anonymous dermatologist and citing research from the British Journal of Dermatology as justification for its existence.
The FTC charged the makers of both apps with making unsubstantiated medical claims without scientific evidence. The makers of AcneApp were also charged with misrepresenting research, as their supposed British Journal of Dermatology study did not, as they claimed, endorse the treatment of acne through blue and red light treatment.
The settlement of the complaint would bar the app makers from making further medical claims regarding their apps and "other medical devices" without providing "competent and reliable scientific evidence." The makers of AcneApp would also be barred from "misrepresenting research, tests or studies." On top of all this, the settlement orders would also require the makers of AcneApp to pay $14,294 in costs, while the Acne Pwner developer will be asked to pay $1,700. No mention was made of offering refunds to those who purchased the apps.
HTC is playing semi-coy about the idea of the company purchasing a mobile smartphone operating system of its own. HTC chairwoman Cher Wang said recently that doing so is something the company is considering, but she insisted it’s not something HTC plans to rashly leap into.
By “mobile smartphone operating system,” Ms. Wang was likely referring to HP’s webOS. HTC is one of several Asian mobile hardware OEMs that have been rumored to want the OS, which went on the market just three days after Google announced that it was buying Motorola Mobility Inc. (MMI), the only major U.S.-based Android licensee.
In a recent interview with Chinese-language Economic Observer quoted by English-language Focus Taiwan, Ms. Wang said, “We have given it thought and we have discussed it internally, but we will not do it on impulse.”
This could be a rare candid moment from a multibillion dollar corporation letting the world know what it is thinking about, or it could be a public negotiating tactic meant for HP’s or Google’s ears.
Either way, she made the case that one of her company’s strengths is the ability to understand operating systems, even if it doesn’t actually own those OSes. She said that HTC is able adapt a variety of OSes on the “second or third layer” of the platforms.”
In the course of promoting Windows Phone, Microsoft executives have seized on Android’s supposed fragmentation issues, arguing that Google’s platform is in serious danger of splitting itself across too many versions on too many different devices.
Google CEO Larry Page has embarked on a quest to refocus his company on its core properties, a strategy that could rein in Android’s fragmentary impulses. Nonetheless, Google’s purchase of Motorola Mobility, combined with Microsoft’s attempts to squeeze Android manufacturers into “royalty agreements,” could end up fragmenting the smartphone industry in startling and unexpected ways.
HTC is apparently debating whether to purchase an operating system for its mobile devices. That information comes from Focus Taiwan, which quoted from an interview HTC chairperson Cher Wang held with the Economic Observer of China. “We have given it thought and we have discussed it internally, but we will not do it on impulse,” she told the latter publication. “We can use any OS we want. We are able to make things different from our rivals on the second or third layer of a platform.”
Samsung has likewise dipped its toe in the smartphone OS waters with Bada, its platform for an increasing number of smartphones. Despite the imminent demise of its smartphone hardware division, Hewlett-Packard is trying to license the webOS operating system it inherited from Palm—and which could, at least in theory, end up purchased by HTC. Intel may also push its MeeGo operating system, despite Nokia’s wholesale abandonment of the platform in favor of Windows Phone.
AT&T has become the first U.S. carrier to show off smartphones that will be powered by Microsoft's Mango update to Windows Phone 7.
The phones, two manufactured by Samsung and one from HTC, all will feature support for 4G data speeds, according to AT&T. The company also said all existing Windows Phone 7 customers would have access to Mango, also known as Windows Phone 7.5, this fall. Mango adds 500 new features, from major improvements like multitasking to numerous, transparent backend services, according to Microsoft.
"We're taking our leadership to a whole new level by getting the Mango update to all existing customers and rolling out awesome new Windows Phones," said Jeff Bradley, senior VP of devices in AT&T's mobility and consumer markets group.
AT&T said it will add the Samsung Focus S and Samsung Focus Flash to its lineup.
The 8.55-mm thick Focus S features a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, a 1.4-GHz processor, and a rear-facing 8-megapixel camera. It also boasts a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for video chat. The Focus Flash, which is aimed at more budget-conscious consumers, comes with a 3.7-inch Super AMOLED screen, a 1.4-GHz processor, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a front-facing camera.
Also coming to AT&T's roster of Windows Phone devices is theHTC Titan. Geared toward video consumption and gaming, it sports a 480 x 800, 4.7-inch display--the largest in AT&T's smartphone family. It also comes with a 1.5-GHz processor, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 1.3-megapixel rear-facing camera.
AT&T did not announce pricing or ship dates for any of the new phones.
AT&T is the top seller of Windows Phones, for now at least. The carrier will get some competition when Redmond's partnership with Finnish phone giant Nokia takes effect. Nokia has committed to porting its entire U.S. phone lineup to Windows Phone. Executives from the company have said they expect to start shipping Windows Phone devices in the United States in bulk by early 2012.
Stephen Strasburg may be only 23 years old but apparently he is considered Papa Smurf among his rookie teammates.
Catcher Jesus Flores posted this photo on Twitter, featuring Washington National rookies forced to dress up as Smurfs in what appears to be the stadium parking lot. As CBSSports.com's Matt Snyder notes, the players were forced to wear the get-up for the team's trip to New York.
While the photo has no caption, Papa Smurf certainly resembles Strasburg though it's hard to identify the giddy Smurfette and the other cast of characters.
The picture was posted after Sunday's game - a game started by none other than Smurfburg, I mean Strasburg - in what is apparently some hazing dreamed up by veteran players who were forced to take their kids to this summer's Smurfs movie in 3-D.
It's going to be a sci-fi story about the mythology of books, with installments in 140 characters or less, and you are encouraged to interact with its writing, and help shape the story as it emerges.
The author, Daniel Sinker, has previous form in this area, as his previous work was described by Wiredas "the first truly great piece of literature to be produced using [Twitter]."
It also led to Rahm Emanuel calling him "an asshole."
A brief explanation: during this year's mayoral election in Chicago, an anonymous Twitter account spoofing candidate Rahm Emanuel, under the Twitter name @MayorEmanuel, became a cult comedy and literary phenomenon. It began as a foul-mouthed response to events involving the real-life Emanuel; however the narrative shifted suddenly during the campaign into a bizarre tale of hallucinations, parallel universes and a duck named Quaxelrod.
The Atlantic described it as "elevating the Tweet and the f-word to the level of literature."
Its author, Sinker, is a former punk zinester and a teacher at Columbia College in Chicago, who only revealed himself after his story - and the election - had ended. The entirety of the @MayorEmanuel tweets have been turned into a book, "The F***ing Epic Twitter Quest of @MayorEmanuel", out next week (Scribner, $12.)
Read on to learn about Twitter fiction, how his tweets read when published as a book, and a sneak preview of the sci-fi story he'll be tweeting exclusively for The Huffington Post.
And don't forget to "follow" us on Twitter to read the story as it unfolds.
What makes Twitter an interesting medium on which to write?
I think there are a few things going on:
First is the constraints. With only 140 characters, you have to be very methodical about what you're going to say, and how you're going to say it. The amount of language distillation that needs to happen to have a thought really come through clearly is not insignificant.
Some of my favorite Tweets in the story are really the result of maximum levels of language efficiency, like this one, where Mayor Daley teaches @MayorEmanuel the steps in making celery salt: "Daley fucking plucks a stalk. "Care for these. Let flowers bloom. Dry them. Harvest the seeds. Grind them. Mix with salt." That was actually really hard to distill down to fit the space. You find yourself really adopting the language of poetry far more than the language of prose.
Second is time, because everything you write is time-stamped, and because everyone reading it is seeing it in a separate timestream, time needs to be a very conscious element in the storytelling. If ten minutes pass between tweets, then ten minutes should have passed in your story, because it did for the readers and it did for your character.
For instance, there's a scene where @MayorEmanuel, David Axelrod, and Carl the Intern are stuck in the sewers below City Hall. Their escape actually played out in real-time over the course of a number of hours. That real-time element was one of the bigger challenges in adapting the feed for the page, but I think between the annotations and some typographic finesse we were actually able to translate time onto the page effectively.
Finally is feedback. As you're writing, you are instantly getting feedback on what you're writing. Let's take, for example, a three-tweet arc that might play out over a half-hour. In those ten-minute breaks between tweets, you might hear back from dozens of people that are reading the exact second you're writing. And that inevitably ends up influencing the way the arc plays out. Quaxelrod, the mustachioed duck that @MayorEmanuel befriends during his darkest hour, was originally written as a one-or-two tweet joke. But the moment he was introduced, I got so much positive feedback from people, instantly, he ended up becoming a key player in the whole story.
A topless photo of Demi Moore is making the rounds on on Twitter today -- but not because anyone's account was hacked. The outgoing actress tweeted the photo herself!
Alas, there is nothing particularly salacious about the photo, which the actress took of herself standing in front of the mirror. The only thing exposed is her bare back.
It is unclear why Mrs. Kutcher tweeted the photo, except to spread the message she posted with it: "remember...you've got you're own back."
This is not Moore's first controversial nude photo...In 1991, the very pregnant actress posed nude for the cover of Vanity Fair. Though many were initally shocked by the photo, others would follow [birthday] suit over the years.
"It did seem to give a little bit more permission to feel sexy, attractive when you're pregnant," Moore told V Magazine of the photo and the public's reaaction. "But I really didn't expect for the response to be what it was. I was pretty shocked."
“Whether it’s a brand icon inviting customers to connect with a company on LinkedIn, a news ticker promoting an anchor’s Twitter handle or an advertisement asking a consumer to ‘Like’ a product on Facebook, people are constantly being drive to social media,” Nielsen said in itsreport.
In fact, Facebook is the most dominant Web site; Nielsen said U.S. Internet users spend more time on the top social network than any other Web property. It noted that in May 2011 alone, Americans spent more than 53 billion minutes Facebooking. That comes down to a total of nearly 101 years.
Mobile is increasingly an important part of social networking. Nielsen said close to 40 percent of social media users access their networks from their mobile phones.
People over the age of 55 are helping drive the growth of social networks on mobile devices, accessing these sites on their phones twice as much as they did last year.
While social sites are seeing increased activity on mobile devices, game and weather apps are the most popular smartphone applications. Social apps are the third most downloaded programs, and the use of social apps has also increased by 30 percent in the past year.
The FBI is now investigating a Friday hack of the NBC News Twitter account, which falsely tweeted about an attack at Ground Zero.
At this point, the FBI is gathering information and has provided no additional details, according to MSNBC.
The fake tweets appeared on the NBC feed just days before the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and during a period of increased security in New York thanks to reports of possible 9/11 anniversary attacks.
"Breaking News! Ground Zero has just been attacked. Flight 5736 has crashed into the site, suspected hijacking. more as the story develops," read the first tweet. "Flight 4782 is not responding, suspected hijacking. One plane just hit Ground Zero site at 5:47," the hackers wrote in a second tweet before posting, "This is not a joke. Ground Zero has just been attacked. We're attempting to get reporters on the scene."
Another tweet quickly reported that the NBC account had been hacked by a group that identifies itself as The Script Kiddies.
Later that day, the company tweeted: "Our account is secure and under control. Apologize for the scare. We value your trust." It also thanked people for "spreading the word and not sharing bad information."
According to MSNBC, Twitter blocked the NBC account within eight minutes of being notified of the fake tweets and found that it was executed via an email hack rather than a breach of Twitter's systems.
This is not the first time The Script Kiddies have taken over a news organization's Twitter account. In July, the group took responsibility for hacking the @foxnewspolitics feed and tweeting that President Obama had been assassinated in Iowa.
"We are looking to find information about corporations to assist with antisec. Fox News was selected because we figured their security would be just as much of a joke as their reporting," a Script Kiddies representative told Stony Brook University's Think Magazine at the time.
Some days, it really pays to go to class.
The four dozen or so students who showed up for the Programming I class on Monday at the University of Kansas were rewarded not just with a lecture from a Google executive.
Brian McClendon, the search giant’s vice president of Google Earth and Google Maps, gave each of the Jayhawk undergraduates a free electronic tablet.
“It was an Oprah-like moment,” said Jill Hummel, a spokeswoman for KU’s School of Engineering.
Each student in electrical engineering and computer science class was given a Motorola Xoom, an electronic tablet similar to the iPad that works on the Android operating system created by, of course, Google. The tablets retail for about $500 and can run on 3G data networks or WiFi.
They came attached with minimal strings. Students are expected to return them if they don’t stay enrolled for the next two years. Otherwise, McClendon gave them the go-ahead to use the gadgets any way they like.
He grew up in Lawrence and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from KU in 1986. It’s because of McClendon’s involvement that Google Earth that the program starts with a view from space and users who zoom straight down land on Lawrence.
On Monday, the students first heard
Read more at http://www.kansascity.com/2011/09/12/3137290/jayhawks-get-free-tablets-from.html#ixzz1Xm0mHosf
Few would disagree Google is the premier Web services company, offering the world's most popular search engine, the world's leading video Website in YouTube, a successful Webmail product in Gmail, and even a fledgling social network in Google+. Perhaps no effort cemented Google's presence as a Web giant than the Chrome Web browser, which the company launched Sept. 1, 2008. Just three years in, Chrome has 15.5 percent market share, according to Net Applications, and over 120 million users worldwide, according to Google's last count in May. The company's speedy V8 JavaScript parsing engine, paired with sandboxed tabs that limit crashes to one tab per failure and a user-friendly interface, have contributed to Chrome's rise. Google is also trying to move the needle forward for HTML5, the Web language standard that the search giant, Facebook and other native Web development companies are embracing to propel their applications forward. Google leveraged HTML5 to create offline access to its Gmail, Google Docs and Google Calendar applications last week. Using HTML5, Google also created this homage to the evolution of Web development over the past 15-plus years, spanning the Mosaic browser to Chrome.
Last week, Google bought Zagat, the restaurant-review company started in 1979 by Tim and Nina Zagat, in an attempt to expand its ability to offer consumers more information about local businesses.
Complicating this deal are two issues: One, Google is already being investigated for possible antitrust violations regarding allegations that the company stifles competition by undermining other online review sites. Two, Zagat currently partners with online service OpenTable to help diners make reservations at restaurants — a relationship whose future is now unclear.
KnowledgeToday asked three Wharton experts for their opinions on the acquisition.
Strategically, says Wharton operations and information management professor Eric Clemons, “It is a great move for Google and will [significantly] increase Google’s power in mobile commerce and in restaurant advertising as well as in restaurant bookings. It probably is not a great move for consumers, for restaurants or for Google’s competitors in search and in online commerce generally.” The deal, he added, will definitely bring greater antitrust scrutiny. “It looks like a small irrelevant move, but it will be followed by larger and more dangerous moves.”
Clemons predicts that Google will almost certainly change the way Zagat operates. “That was the point of the acquisition,” he states. “If Zagat does not become a booking site, and a way to influence both consumers’ bookings and restaurants’ advertising, then there was no point in the acquisition. I suspect that the Zagats will be quite happy to lose their jobs and their influence. They were paid a good price. If they had refused to sell, Google would simply have opened its own site, bootstrapped it by copying content from Zagat as they did with Yelp’s content, and put them out of business anyway. This way they at least got some money before being forced out.”
Meanwhile, the Zagat partnership with OpenTable will end, Clemons states. “The deal is intended to allow Google to replace OpenTable, not just to acquire Zagat. I call the move ‘the creation of GopenTable.’” The only way this acquisition could backfire on Google, he adds, would be “if the destruction of OpenTable could convince regulators and consumers that search engines should not be allowed to engage in vertical integration into their own content and into direct sale of goods and services. It is more likely that this …. [acquisition] will be approved, and that a wide range of other acquisitions will follow.”
When it comes to Google’s strategy, Kartik Hosanagar, Wharton professor of operations and information management, points out that the search firm “typically doesn’t buy companies that publish their own content. But the chance to land more local business ads may trump any concerns over this purchase…. Local search and local advertising is a big and consistently growing market. So it’s an important area of focus for Google. Within this space, reviews of local businesses and restaurants are among the most useful content. Such content will help Google retain users a little longer on its own website. This ultimately means more ad dollars.”
Google has been interested in this content for quite some time, Hosanagar adds. “It even explored an acquisition of Yelp a few years back, although those talks fell through.”
As for possible antitrust scrutiny, Hosanagar suggests that Google’s purchase of Zagat is “partly a response to ongoing [federal] investigations. One of the issues raised by Google critics is that the company scrapes local content, like Yelp reviews, from other sites and displays the content in its properties, like Google Places. This eliminates a consumer’s need to go to sites like Yelp and hurts those firms who invested in creating the content. So far, Google’s response has been that it does so to ensure that consumers get the information in as few clicks as possible, but critics have described such attempts as anti-competitive. Google can now show its own content without having to worry about this scraping criticism. In the end, I believe Yelp is the loser in this deal.”
Google, Inc.'s (GOOG) Android operating system may be the industry gold standard, currently accounting for approximately 50 percent of global smart phone sales, but faced with intellectual property issues and market homogenization, many top Android phonemakers are reportedly considering creating or adopting proprietary operating systems.
The latest rumor, reported by the Economic Observer of China, claims that Taiwan's HTC Corp. (SEO:066570) is considering buying an operating system for use in its best-selling smart phones.
The publications quotes HTC chairwoman Cher Wang as stating, "We have given [purchasing a proprietary OS] thought and we have discussed it internally, but we will not do it on impulse. We can use any OS we want. We are able to make things different from our rivals on the second or third layer of a platform. Our strength lies in understanding an OS, but it does not mean that we have to."
In other words HTC is content to currently use its Sense User Interface (UI) to differentiate itself on its target platforms, but it might want an operating system of its own. While this is hardly a firm commitment, it's enough to spark much excitement in the mobile community as it leaves the door open that HTC might buy Hewlett-Packard Company's (HPQ) webOS.
WebOS was a promising operating system which had arguably some distinct advantages over its more successful competitors. However, HP essentially ran it into the ground, failing to deliver compelling products and then bailing on its first webOS tablet after less than seven weeks on the market.
Now, in a most interesting post from TechCrunch's MG Siegler, we get an actual hands-on description of the tablet and a confirmation of my predicted $249 price tag. Siegler goes on to provide details about the November release date and its 7-inch color screen.
The piece also reiterates my hunch that, if true, should cause great concern to Google and other Android licensees. Siegler writes that Amazon is using a version of Android that came out beforeAndroid 2.2 or Honeycomb and that "Amazon has forked Android to build their own version for the Kindle. Simply put: it looks nothing like the Android you're used to seeing." In other words, it is creating a version of Android that has its own UI, gestures, and touch features optimized solely for its platform offerings.
If this is true, Amazon is doing more than forking Android, as Siegler suggests. It's more like thumbing its nose at Google and saying, "Thanks for the base Android code, but we will take it from here." Android is already going through serious fragmentation in the marketplace. This approach by Amazon only drives Android and its developers even further away from Google and the broader Android ecosystem of software apps.
Indeed, we suspect that if Amazon uses the base code of Android 2.1 and continues to add its own technology on top of its version of Android, Amazon could end up with a better ecosystem. Its reach is so broad that it can easily entice Android developers to create apps just for its version of the Android platform, sold exclusively through Amazon's own Android store.
If Siegler is correct, then we could also expect to see a more targeted set of developer guidelines or tools governing all apps created for the Amazon tablet. And, if Amazon has really decided to go it alone, then the ramifications, for both Android in general and the tablet market as a whole, are significant.
First, given Amazon's clout and market reach, it could quickly become the dominant Android tablet platform that developers support. Android developers are struggling to make money through the Android Market for tablets for various reasons and Amazon would provide a store that consumers will trust. More importantly, Amazon could sell millions of devices each month, giving software developers a real reason to create optimized apps for this platform.
Vehicles and tricycles will begin photographing a selection of major streets and sites throughout Israel, following the launch of Google Street View. The online application was launched at an event that took place on Monday by the Old City walls of Jerusalem, with Google Israel's CEO and the mayor of Jerusalem in attendance.
After a few weeks of photography, the pictures collected will be arranged and joined together over a few months, after which they will be available on the network for Street View and Google Maps surfers.
Among the Israeli sites that will be photographed are: the Old City, Mahane Yehuda Market and Ein Karem (the birthplace of St. John the Baptist) in Jeruslaem, The German Colony and Louis promenade in Haifa, the 'White City' of Tel Aviv and the old Jaffa port, the The Kineret Lake, Dead Sea, Ramon Crater, Nazareth and Acre.
At Monday's event in Jerusalem, Google announced that the first stage of photography will focus on Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa and that additional sites will be covered in due course.
Street View is a free application of Google Maps that was launched in May 2007 and is already available in about 30 countries around the world. The service allows virtual navigation in suburbs and sites – historical and other – via panoramic photographs from street height. The Street View application is also available via Google Earth and Google Maps Mobile.
Google's Street View service has been criticized sharply in several countries. Objections have been raised claiming that Street View cameras have photographed people's faces and vehicle license plates, and demands have been made for such photos to be blurred. In some places in Europe, citizens have blocked off roads, trying to stop Street View camera crews from entering. The concern in Israel was that terrorist organizations could use Street View to help them plan attacks against Israeli leaders or public figures.
Google Israel CEO Meir Brand, referring to the issue of privacy on the site said Monday, "We are only photographing public spaces that all people have access to anyway. We aren't taking photos in real time. We are blurring faces and license plates. Similarly, there will be an additional blurring mechanism, whereby if someone using the website sees something that he believes should be blurred, he can do that."
It’s never been a particularly good idea to step onto your front porch naked. In the past, darting outside unclothed to, say, fetch the newspaper meant you ran the risk of the door shutting behind you, leaving you locked out in the buff. Your neighbors might look out their windows and laugh at your risque predicament. Times have changed. Now you run the risk of a Google car driving by with a roof-mounted camera, it snapping your photo, the photo being uploaded as a Street View on Google Maps, a blogger noticing it, uploading it to their website, where it then goes viral, so the whole world can look at their computer screens and laugh.
That’s what happened to an unnamed woman who lives in Miami, Florida. A photo of her on her front porch stark naked has been posted on blogs and news sites — sometimes with her address included — after the Smoking Gun and others found the unredacted version on Google Street View. Most of the blogs did her the small courtesy of putting thin bars across her naughty bits, but left her face visible.
Once the photo went viral, Google went back and blurred the woman’s image in the photos — both her face and her body. I was a little surprised that Google doesn’t have any screening software in place to catch nude bodies.
“[Street View photos] go through computer processing to make them ready for use on Google Maps,” says a Google spokesperson by email. “This includes cutting-edge face blurring technology, which helps make sure that passers-by in the photographs can’t be identified. We will also blur legible license plates.”
Apparently, that “cutting-edge” technology doesn’t work as well in Florida.
“We also created easy-to-use reporting tools so that people can ask for images of their house, car or themselves to be further obscured in Street View,” she continues. “They can simply click on ‘Report a problem’ on the bottom left-hand side of the Street View image, submit a request, and we’ll blur the image.”
In other words, the burden’s on you to make sure that, if you’ve ever wandered your house (or outside your house) naked, it’s not been caught on camera. When it comes to privacy/trespassing law, Google’s in the clear, after all. People are allowed to take photos of you when you’re in public view.
Most of the people who have written about this have focused on the obvious nudity rather than the equally obvious poverty — writing about the woman’s ‘jugs’ rather than the water jug in her hand. The address places the house in a part of Miami where half of the 11,535 residents live below the poverty line and where the median income per household is around $17,000. The buckets on the side of the house — perhaps meant to catch rainwater — led one blogger to guess that the woman’s water has been turned off. Her clothes hung over the shopping cart make me suspect that the Google car caught her in the act of bathing. It’s always fun to laugh at the way poor people live, right? …. Right?
In its third month of operation, the performance of Google Offers declined in its major markets of New York, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, data from industry tracker and deal aggregator Yipit show.
Total revenue generated by Google Offers dropped 23 percent in August from July despite a 22 percent increase in the number of daily deals run, according to Yipit.
Revenue per deal fell 37 percent, driven by a 46 percent slump in the number of vouchers sold per deal.
The average price of Google Offers vouchers increased 18 percent, but it remains "far below" that of Groupon and LivingSocial, Yipit said.
The online daily deal industry has exploded into a multibillion-dollar business since Groupon was launched in late 2008. That growth has attracted hundreds of rivals, including giants like Google, Facebook and Amazon.com Inc.
Such competition has raised questions about the sustainability of Groupon's business model ahead of a planned initial public offering. Last week, Groupon put its IPO on hold for at least a few weeks.
Still, some rivals have stepped back in recent weeks. Facebook ended its daily deals business and Yelp chopped the number of offers it runs.
In contrast, Groupon gained market share in August. Revenue was $120.7 million in North America, up 13 percent from July, Yipit said on Monday.
LivingSocial revenue in North America slipped 3 percent to $45.1 million in August, Yipit data show.
I’m still not convinced that placing an expensive bit of electronics in the hands of an infant is ever a good idea, but with its Laugh and Learn Apptivity Case, Fisher-Price appears to disagree.
The $15 colorful plastic contraption acts as a cradle for the iPhone or iPhone Touch, allowing young ones aged from 6 months to 36 months to poke and befoul the devices’ pristine facades without the risk of destroying them. The device also features colored rattles on its handles and a mirror on its back, allowing it to retain its status as a somewhat entertaining (albeit not as exciting) children’s toy even when the iPhone isn’t present.
Apple will not increase the screen size of the forthcoming fifth iteration of the iPhone to compete with the next generation of Android devices, an analyst has claimed.
The company is widely expected to be gearing up for an October launch for the iPhone 5, introducing a raft of new features including a redesigned shape, better camera and wireless charging.
However, there have also been rumours that Apple will increase the size of the handset's screen in response to new smartphones running the latest version of Android Gingerbread OS.
Many new Android phones have screen sizes of around 4 inches, compared to just 3.5 inches for the iPhone 4, while some forthcoming Android handsets will boast screens of up to 4.5 inches.
Despite its massive success and huge sales, the launch of the latest iPhone comes as Apple is increasingly losing market share to phones running Google's Android OS.
Sales of Android-supported devices surpassed their iOS counterparts during the first quarter of 2011, accounting for 36% of the market, compared with 18.8% for Apple. In the second quarter of this year, Android's share of smartphone sales rose to 46%, while Apple ranked in second with 20%.
As a result, Apple was rumoured to be preparing to increase the screen size of the iPhone 5 from the previously planned 3.5 inches to around 4 inches.
A leading Wall Street analyst confirmed that all indicators suggest an October launch for iPhone 5, but moved to play down the speculation about an increase in screen size.
MoboTap, the creator of the popular Dolphin Browser for Android and iPhone, has unleashed a browser for the iPad.
The app, Dolphin Browser HD, contains all of the gesture control features that have made it a hit on the Android platform. Drawing a “<" will take you back a page, and drawing a ">” will take you forward. Users can also create their own gestures and shortcuts to access their favorite websites or launch browser commands. (We suggest “M” for Mashable.)
The iPad app also includes Dolphin Webzine, the browser’s Flipboard-style system for reading web content, tabbing browsing, a URL bar that predicts what website you’re going to type, and a speed dial for accessing favorite websites with a quick tap. Users can access their bookmarks by swiping from left-to-right or their open tabs by swiping right-to-left.
Already in its seventh developer beta, iOS 5 is supposedly scheduled to reach golden master status—the official version which will be available to end users—during the last week of September. This latest tidbit comes from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who believes Apple will unveil what is essentially an updated iPhone 4 model in mid-October.
According to a research note supplied to MacRumors, Kuo said that Apple's contracted iPhone assemblers, Foxconn and Pegatron, are set to receive the final version of iOS 5 between September 23 and September 30. This version will supposedly be flashed on to existing iPhone 5 units that have already begun production, allowing for the devices to roll out around mid-October. The information aligns with some previous rumors that pegged the device to ship in the same time frame.
Also, according to Kuo, supply chain checks haven't revealed any evidence of a rumored new form factor. Instead, all evidence supports our belief that the next-gen iPhone will be largely the same as the current device with a few minor changes. The iPhone 5 will continue to use a 3.5" Retina display, and will likely retain the full glass front and back. Upgrades are expected to include an A5 processor with 512MB of RAM—the same as the current iPad 2—and an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera.
While analysts are often wrong in their prognostications, the firm date for the expected golden master release of iOS 5 has piqued our interest. While Apple only promised a "fall" release for iOS 5 in June, this seems to be the closest we have heard of a final release date, and it makes sense. Apple is currently releasing beta updates to Mac OS X 10.7.2, iTunes 10.5, iOS 5, and iCloud on a regular basis. All these pieces of software will have to be ready and vetted to launch iOS 5 and ostensibly an updated iPhone.
LAWRENCE — A University of Kansas graduate stunned engineering students Monday in a freshman-level programming course by giving them all a new portable tablet computer.
Brian McClendon, a vice president at Google and co-creator of Google Earth, donated $50,000 to put in students’ hands Android-based tablets to provide each with practical experience on leading-edge technology.
The Motorola Xoom hardware is intended to inspire personal and professional creativity among the 89 computer science students embarking on an academic learning curve leading them into a future dominated by handheld devices.
“I want these engineers to be prepared to jump into a job when they graduate and, for many, that will mean programming for mobile computing,” McClendon said. “Low-cost smart phones and tablets are revolutionizing the world’s access to information, and they need to be ready.”
The KU students taking the introductory programming course this fall and next spring are to receive the tablets. Students will be expected to use the devices for coursework during the next two years but may use them for personal enjoyment.
Students are required to receive at least a C grade in a series of programming classes and remain in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science to keep the tablet.
Reid Zimmerman, a Topekan in the programming class, let out a loud gasp when McClendon divulged that each would walk out with a tablet computer.
“I was very excited,” Zimmerman said. “This going to give us a huge advantage. The best way to learn something is to get your hands on it.”
“This is a very good vibe,” said William Carey, another Topeka resident to land one of the tablets. “I’ve loved Google. Getting a tablet is awesome.”
Holton native Jordan Callison had a practical reason for coveting his tiny, powerful computer device. His regular laptop won’t likely keep pace with the revolution in tablet technology.
“It will help me out a lot,” Callison said. “Everything is moving to mobile computing.”
Stuart Bell, dean of the KU School of Engineering, said McClendon had visited the KU campus in past to share insight into where the computing industry was headed. The donation of tablets to students is an outgrowth of his involvement in the KU engineering education, he said.
Motorola is all set to present its first Facebook focused mobile phone, following HTC and Vodafone that they introduced with their HTC ChaCha and Vodafone 555 Blue. The Motorola EX225 will be sporting a Qwerty keyboard along with a dedicated key for Facebook and of-course an operating system integrated with Facebook.
The details of the Motorola EX225 posted on Mobile Indian says it has a 2.4-inch TFT display, just like any mid-level BlackBerry phone. As far as the design is concerned, the new Motorola device appears like a mix of Motorola Droid Pro and Charm.
The Motorola smartphone is equipped with a full Qwerty keypad, also it has a dedicated Facebook key that provides direct access to your Facebook account in no time. It is well integrated with the operating system that is expected to be Android 2.2 Froyo version.
EX225 comes embedded with a 3-megapixel camera that is fine for an entry level smartphone. Probably, it will be the second Facebook integrated handset supporting 3G network and might be provided in single SIM or dual SIM models for different regions.
Re: Your interest in potentially acquiring a mobile operating system
I imagine after your comments about HTC's internal discussions over potentially buying a mobile operating system, you're getting a lot of calls and advice. If I may be so bold, I'd like to offer my two cents as well.
DON'T DO IT.
It may be appealing to own both the hardware and software components, crafting a unique HTC experience without influence from outside parties. But given the scarcity of options out there and the long-standing dilemma of attracting developers to an unproven platform, it isn't worth the trouble.
Now, I know Google's acquisition of Motorola Mobility has you concerned, despite the public comments of support you've expressed about the deal. The idea of Motorola getting all of the Android goodies before everyone else is a little unnerving.
But HTC has never been about the latest and greatest from Android, it's been about the latest and greatest from HTC. Look at your Flyer tablet. It hit the market with a version of Android that was designed for smartphones, and you used your Sense user interface to craft a decent device. It was competitive even as other Android tablets coming out came packed with newer software.
I also get that buying your own mobile platform would represent a natural extension of your need to distinguish your company in an increasingly crowded field. But Sense has already done a good job of making your phones stand out from everyone else's Android devices. One look at the classic flip-down clock, and I know it's an HTC phone. I can't say that about a Samsung Electronics or LG Electronics phone.
Scant optionsSo if you were to buy, what's out there? The most obvious candidate is Hewlett-Packard's WebOS. HP tried to give it a go with its own proprietary software, and look where it is now.
The soon-to-be-former PC giant has pretty much given up on the software, selling tablets and smartphones at prices usually reserved for gadgets found in the bargain bin. Yes, it's temporarily reviving WebOS for another wave of discounted TouchPad tablets, but do you really want such a tarnished brand?
It's also unclear if HP is unwilling to let go of WebOS, at least at a reasonable price. The company may just want to keep the assets for their intellectual property, which as you know better than most is pretty valuable right now.
Then there's MeeGo, a mobile platform that is only used by one smartphone created by Nokia out of a sense of obligation. If you think WebOS is little known, MeeGo barely registers a blip on anyone's radar.
There's a reason why Samsung didn't wait long to squash speculation that it would buy WebOS or MeeGo.
Read more at http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-20104928-94/dear-htc-dont-get-into-the-mobile-os-business/#ixzz1XlslM9tB
