“google still has the coolest founders. Re: Android launch: "Sergey wrote an app that lets you throw phone up in the air, measure how many seconds until you catch it or it hits the floor."”
So it starts a timer when it senses motion, and then stops the timer when it senses motion has ceased? Originally I read this as predicting how long it would take to fall, which involves some physics. - Chris White
BTW, won't that also tell you how high you threw the phone, assuming you're throwing it straight up... - David Sifry
via twhirl
David, if the accelerometer is sensitive enough to detect the change in direction of motion at the top of the throw. - Chris White
but when it hits the floor and shatters, how will you get the data?! better call in Geek Squad. - MG Siegler
At Danger, engineers were constantly taking phones and purposely dropping / throwing them on the floor to see if they would break. - Chris White
@Chris, I think accelerometers measure acceleration, and there's no change in acceleration at the top of the throw. (Then again, I made it to class exactly once during three quarters of physics in college.) - Jim Norris
Jim, not being a physics wizard myself, I would think that deceleration would occur on the way up until the top of the throw, so you could detect the change from negative to positive acceleration as it transitioned to coming down. - Chris White
A must app. Even though that it is crazy…funny *smile*. - ivanandersson
Of course there is acceleration during the throw... constant acceleration. - Mario Romero
Yup, I was wrong. Jim and Mario are right (as is @nor, although technically there is acceleration, even though I'm sure he meant "change of acceleration"): http://answers.google.com/answ... - Chris White
That is so cool. Someone write this for the iPhone, please. Though whether I would actually throw my iPhone in the air is another question entirely. - Roberto Bonini
I once left my phone on my car's roof. I wonder if this app could be hacked to prevent that (or at least prevent me from driving off) :-) - John Mueller
Great app... should incrementally increase phone sales as people smash their phones and have to replace them. - Jason Carreira
Jason: I think that is the point: I'm beting I can throw my iPhone higher than you can throw your G1. - Roberto Bonini
@Mark: What exactly about this image is 'ageism'? This is simply noting the disparity in ages on the ticket using characters from a popular TV show. Are *you* saying McCain is too old? THAT would be ageism. - AJ Kohn
@AJ I agree this particular image is not ageism. I find it amusing and accurate. But many, many comments, in many different forums indicate that one of the reasons people are giving to not vote for McCain is that he is too old. This cartoon reminded me of that. Perhaps my comment was ill-placed. - Mark VandenBerg
I want to know who has time to pour through enough video to find the clips. Even though they made "desert" out of "deserve" and other approximations... it is ingeniously done. - David Muir
“Media is clueless on what 3G means. Some news reporters claim that "the three-gigabyte iPhone" was released. Some report that it's the 3rd Generation iPhone. Ugh.”
Aaron- it stands for 'Go wait in line while a Get a burrito because we're going to be here all night. Goodnight...'what? they're sold out?' Greeeeat. - Ryan
I'll take a guess - 3G refers to the iPhone using the 3G or 3rd generation high-speed mobile phone data network? - Tad - the Meme Maker
Yuck. I've seen this, too. Luckily our reporter didn't even get into it, but I made sure I looked at her copy before the story was released. It's not just the media though -- lots of buyers are saying ridiculous things. Like, they're buying this version of the iPhone because "the OS is more of an open platform than the previous model." Ehhhh. I cut that quote, along with a quote about "speedier cell phone service." No, the phone service is not faster. - Kevin Hessel
I heard a Canadian reporter call it a G3 iPhone. Nice try lady, but you're about three processor brands too late. ;-) - ☺ Cecily ☺
LOL @ "3rd Gen" iPhone! Had that same discussion with the three iPhone users in my office. They swore this was the third gen phone, thus 3G. Ugh... - JA Castillo
Gee, you mean ordinary non-technical people get confused by the mobile industry's vast array of acronyms, and don't even bother to try to comprehend? You don't say? Seriously, you can say "3rd generation high-speed mobil phone data network" but now try to explain what THAT means to someone who doesn't really care. - Jason Wehmhoener
its the mobile phone standard/technology between 2g & 4g - mike "glemak" dunn
G is for "generation" The original iPhone used the 2G GSM standard, but, because it took advantage of some updated standards for data, it was called a 2.5G phone. GSM and other 2G standards like CDMA are all digital, as distinguished from the first gen analog phones. 3G (of which there are a few competing standards) offers faster data transmission than the the fastest 2.5G data standardsstandards, and in theory can support higher quality voice too. 4G will be faster still. WiMax is sort of a 4g preview. - Erik S
People tend to lose interest when they hear an acronym explained with more acronyms. What's the difference between GSM and CDMA? What makes 2.5G different from those? Why are there so many different incompatible standards? (I follow this stuff and have answers to these questions, but most people are just irritated by the whole mess) - Jason Wehmhoener
@Jason, (a) Not caring doesn't excuse a journalist's obligation to get the facts right, (b) a journalist's job is to cut through the mumbo jumbo to make it understandable, (c) one would hope the reporter covering such an event is either a biz or tech reporter and they DO understand it. If that's not possible, it doesn't negate "a" and "b," (d) they can avoid the issue and just call it "faster" because the average *reader* of an iPhone story as a news story (rather than as a tech story) probably doesn't care - Kevin Hessel
Kevin I want to agree with you but the mobile phone technology space is fragmented beyond reason. I don't expect a reporter on a culture beat to get it. - Jason Wehmhoener
Most people are clueless about "3G" -- they don't care about the things we think they do. - Mitch Ratcliffe
The main stream media is generally clueless about tech. It never ceases to amaze me how lazy some reporters are. If they did just 5 minutes of research before writing or reporting on a story they would be 100% more informed and not look like idiots. Even here in silicon valley we still have reporters that fit this MO. - Jeff P. Henderson
1 - Who would want a 3 gb iPhone and 2 - All most people know about 3G is that its faster than whatever was on the 1st gen iPhone (EDGE). - Ethan
Well, they are THE media.. What do you expect? They are not geeks, like us. =) - Winston Teo
That's almost as funny as their use of the word 'hacker' - Rob Fuller
via twhirl
OHH...and i thought 3G stands for three grams. - Nir Ben Yona
via twhirl
And they tell that old media are very careful about fact checking. As a blogger I at least have a habit to google everything I'm not 100% sure about. I have a feeling they are connected at least. - Svetlana Gladkova
via twhirl
The reporter on the culture beat who isn't sure talks to either the tech colunist or looks it up. That's his or her JOB. - Cyndy
"European Internet users could be blocked from lawful activities by mandatory spyware, in the interests of their security. The right to use free software for internet access would therefore not be assured anymore. The neutrality of the Internet is also directly attacked, as is the principle that technical intermediaries have no obligation to prior surveillance of contents. Other amendments will de facto enable administrative authorities to obligate ISPs to work with content producers and rights-holders' private police, including the sending of intimidating messages, with no judicial or regulatory oversight." - Marcos Marado
via Bookmarklet
@Steven - no, not really. I think I can picture Bush scheduling an obvious photo-op in exactly the same way. :) - Robin Cannon
via Alert Thingy
As a fellow cyclist...Obama may get my vote now.. :-) - Tom
He must not do goo PM on his bike, look at the rear wheel, he's going to ruin the rim if he keeps that up - Ben Jackson
via twhirl
A flat tire on a bike that is clearly not setup for him. Obviously a lame photo op? BTW Steven there are tons of pictures about of Bush mountain biking (and looking more real than this -- though maybe that is the only real thing he does ;-) ) - Brian Sullivan
yeah, I saw it through my stats for my post I just added here, and had to add it to the comments. Wish I had seen it before publishing that list. lol - shaun mclane
Esta mailing list não servirá como veículo a discussões públicas dos temas relacionados com blogosfera. Preferencialmente, as discussões continuarão a ocorrer na sala ptblogs. O seu objectivo único é servir de ponte de comunicação entre os diversos participantes. - Benjamin Junior
