sadiq kassamali - sadiq + Friends

michael arrington - TechCrunch

Leaked Investor Email From Tapulous Say Breakeven December, More Funding, New Products

17 minutes ago - techcrunch.com - Link

Rupansh - StumbleUpon

Free2Night - Dream Garden

36 minutes ago - free2night.net - Link

1 related entry from Rupansh

Rupansh - StumbleUpon

Creative And Modern Mirror Designs ~ www.popgive.com

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Teapot set

33 minutes ago - house-and-gadgets.com - Link

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The Apple Room: Lode Nachtergaele

JVC introduces New Final-Cut-Pro 6™-Ready Solid State Camcorder - HiTech Review

17 minutes ago - hitechreview.com - Link

Michael Fidler and Rodfather liked this

It's not clear to me if the codec they use is the Final Cut intermediate codec ???? Transcoding a file format is easy, but transcoding from one coded representation (say AVCHD) to another (say Prores 4:2:0) that takes time. Could anybody confirm that those new JVC camcoders record in Apple Prores 422 wrapped in a Quicktime ? - Lode Nachtergaele via Bookmarklet

Looks ugly, looks terribly balanced. - Richard Azia

I'm not sure if it's a good idea to use an intermediate codec for recording. AVC is much better than the MPEG2 it's stating it uses. It compensates by using a very high bitrate though. Convenience factor would be huge if you could drag & drop. - Rodfather

Robert Scoble

“Why does every great product have skeptics and haters?”

47 minutes ago - Link

Pierre, Saad Kamal, Joe Dawson and 10 other people liked this

that's just kinda how it works....nothing is universally loved or hated... - Live4Soccer

36 more comments

Because not everyone can afford to get everything. As a result we need to find which device we prefer. - Richard Azia

I am thinking of Bwana. - Robert Scoble

I guess because the greatness of the product is a result of somehow creating such biased passion in users either hate or love but not neutral. - Rida Al Barazi

Because "great" is subjective? - Mario Menti

why do some people like certain food and others hate it? It's all down to their own preferences. - alphaxion

The world would be very boring if we all thought the same way! - Tom Raftery

LOL - Bwana

isn't it the same for great men? :) - Markingegno - Donato

Well, the answer is that every great product has its skeptics and haters. It's up to the creators to figure out what they want to do with those voices. Respond to the minutia? Label complaints as bug fixes or feature requests? Embrace the beta status or work for the early adopters? - Dave Ferrick

because people have varies tastes & some just hate objects because they think it will an 'it' crowd object - sort of goes back to high school mentality - SHTW

Don't you think it's healthy, though? I like to think that it's part of the reason why brands need to continue to strive to innovate and can't afford to rest on their laurels. - Spencer Greenwood

Skepticism is a virtue. - Robert Haas

Strong opinions mean they must have done something right. It makes supporters happy and supporters of competition feel threatened. - Jemm

I'm honored :) - Bwana

because people like to 'express their individuality' by going against the grain - Christopher Harris

I think its because each one of us have different interests, for example the Palm Pre, I don't like its roundness..others might not like the OS, you might find a product great, but others might not like some features about it,and I think that skeptics are people who actually care the most about that certain product because they are afraid that its going to fail somehow, so they lower their expectations.. - Ahmed Naguib

Spencer: it is very healthy obviously. - Robert Scoble

My answer: If its your passion, improve it. If not, leave it. - Dave Ferrick

This is real world, there are black and white. We can't expect all people to love our products. - Alif Rachmawadi via twhirl

I think it's absolutely normal to be skeptical of something that you've not seen. I think I'm with Bwana on this one, I've not seen or used the device and it's not even on the market yet. - Paul Grav

Look at my background Robert. QA/QC. the glass is half empty and cracking :) - Bwana

there is opposition in all things. - Trish Haley

Paul: the iPhone had the same kind of skeptics. - Robert Scoble

Because it's not available and I don't have it in my hands so I'll QQ - Rodfather

Because said skeptics and haters lack the skills necessary to develop it themselves and make it perfect on their own. They also fail to consider the alternative once they start expecting a new product to solve problems they didn't know they had in the first place. - TheMacMommy

I was one of those iPhone skeptics. Wait and see was the mantra then - Bwana

Because great products are usually great for *most* people, not for all. And the minority (for which they are not great) usually wants really hard to express their feelings. As Christopher Harris said. - ibz

Bwana -- wrong then and wrong now. :-) - Robert Scoble

What was I wrong about? - Bwana

Good products require a fusion of usability and emotional perception. Great ones build an emotional addiction upon the latter. So we get fierce pros and cons. - Alan Kodzasov

Patience is a virtue. I reserve judgement and people respect that - Bwana

I will repeat - a fair amount of it is down to personal preference.. why do some people love curry and others not? Personal preference. It doesn't mean a good product is no longer good because some like it and some hate it. - alphaxion

I haven't even passed judgement yet and I'm a hater because I say it's too early to declare a winner? - Bwana

Could it be that the skepticism comes from a lack of trust. Even when something is seemingly "great" in tech, I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop due to having so many bad consumer experiences. - Brad Coy

@Robert. And those iPhone skeptics had every right to be skeptical prior to its release. I'd like to see the thing released, and hear feedback from people using it day-to-day. The OS could be buggy as hell, we don't know yet. Then even if it is the greatest phone that the world has ever seen, that doesn't mean that it's going to sell. - Paul Grav

Better skeptics and haters than simply ignored ... - Clarence Chiang

the same reason why every lousy product has its share of admirers. - Sanat Gersappa

I remained a skeptic of the iPhone untill release. I reserve judgment until I can get my hands on one. Until then I apply Tufte's principles of "Information Density" - Scott Thomas

sadiq kassamali - Engadget

IOGEAR's Wireless USB Audio / Video Kit ships soon for $350

26 minutes ago - engadget.com - Link

Mio launches four new Moov navigators at CES

1 hour ago - engadget.com - Link

Smartparts introduces four new new digiframes from 2.4- to 19-inches

1 hour ago - engadget.com - Link

sadiq kassamali - Google News

Burris denies Senate-seat deals, waits for court - Houston Chronicle

40 minutes ago - chron.com - Link

After career highs, Satyam chief makes stunning exit - Reuters

1 hour ago - uk.reuters.com - Link

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Mitchell Tsai

What You Don’t Know About Gaza [Rashid Khalidi, New York Times - 1/7/09]

25 minutes ago - nytimes.com - Link

J. Abdul-Qahhar, Mo Kargas and Anna Haro liked this

This war on the people of Gaza isn’t really about rockets. Nor is it about “restoring Israel’s deterrence,” as the Israeli press might have you believe. Far more revealing are the words of Moshe Yaalon, then the Israeli Defense Forces chief of staff, in 2002: “The Palestinians must be made to understand in the deepest recesses of their consciousness that they are a defeated people.” - Mitchell Tsai via Bookmarklet

Robert Scoble

“Palm is a lot nicer than iPhone. I want one. The web and social networking features are killer. #ces09”

14 hours ago - Link

roel, Marcus Beagley, Nir Ben Yona and 54 other people liked this

perhaps that's why Bono invested £100m in Palm smartphones ... ? - Jim Sparrow

67 more comments

More details? Do Tell :-) - Stephen Smyth

buy palm stock now! - Elijah Nicolas

check out gdgt live blog: http://live.gdgt.com/2009/01/0... - Davide D'Incau

It's easy for iPhone to add better web and social networking features- and it will. Specifics? - Dean

Tech Specs? It looks neat (due to te live stream), but Windows was a no-go! I hope it's Linux-based. - Martin

capacitive or resistive screen? - Dean

@Scobleizer Do you like whatever Palm you saw at #ces09 more than the n95? Either way, there's one major drawback: PalmOS. Nova or not, I haven't seen anything ever from Palm to make me want to even try to get excited. - Matt Albiniak

Betamax=Palm. Will they have the library of Apps to make it sell? - Andrew Leyden

Didn't like the news that it was exclusively through Sprint. I sure hope Obama's DoJ makes a thorough investigation of US cell phone co practices. We've been putting up with anti-consumer stuff from them for too long. - Spidra Webster

For a long time, Palm's weakest spot has been their support. It sucks. Until they improve their customer relations philosophy and stop outsourcing support, I doubt anything is going to change for Palm. - andrei_c

I agree. Poor support was why i left after buying at least half a dozen Palm products. But I wish them well, and this phone looks sweet. - Chris Baskind

wow i need to look into this. that's saying a lot. - rab via twhirl

How well will it work with my Mac? That's why I own an iPhone :-) Lock-in - Jesse Stay

Robert: Oh yeah? Does Palm have an App Store? - Rutger Blom

Palm App store: http://appstore.pocketgear.com... - Ken Sheppardson

I don´t get it. Sure it´s not just because it´s new and shiny ? - Thomas Bøhm

Palm is dead, man. Dig him, dig him. - Robert W. Anderson via twhirl

@ Robert A.: he's not dead yet. He's getting better. He thjinks he'll go for a walk. - John Craft

if it doesn't have multitouch - its completely useless. People underestimate just what a killer feature this is. Also does it have an app store? Remember the Apple app store adds "killer" social networking features - Anthony Feint

Anthony: It has multitouch, as shown in the Engadget hands-on video. http://www.engadget.com/2009/0... - Ken Sheppardson

I love these Day 1 predictions. They are almost always wrong :) - Bwana

So .. when does pricing come out for this baby? - Chacha - Sick (Literally)

The thing that's killing me here is Engadget says "The keyboard is Centro-esque, with shallow presses and cramped spacing." which is consistent with the photos. I'm a 755p owner and lifelong Palm users, but the Centro-sized keyboard is just utterly useless to me. Sigh. - Ken Sheppardson

Robert is a serial new concept/product fawner. Give him a few days to catch his breathe, read what others say, then I am sure he will have an altered opinion. - Brian Sullivan

you got to be kidding me - mal

Can't wait to see one of these in the real world. The flexibility and openness of the Palm OS puts Apple to shame. Was considering the iTouch to replace my trusty TX, but I'll wait to see if this flies. - Chuck

Completely agree. Can't wait to see it in the wild. Competition ftw - Dean Clark

We have to give Robert a couple of weeks before his true opinion comes out. He gets excited a little too quickly - but that's him. Everything new is the best there ever was ;). - FatOracle (Kamath)

FatOracle: sorry, this one is the real deal. I played with it more this afternoon. I do love new stuff, but this one is worth looking at. - Robert Scoble

not sure about "lot nicer than" iPhone, but at first glance, it looks a lot nicer than the G1 or Storm. wasn't expecting much from Palm, but they have pulled a rabbit from the hat here. - Karim

Karim: if you saw the iPhone next to the Palm Pre, I think you'd agree that the Palm beats it overall except in applications. - Robert Scoble

Robert - I've been reading first hand accounts all over the web, and the general consensus seems the same: everyone was blown away. It's too bad it doesn't translate via images and video for those who haven't physically seen it. I can't wait to see it with my own two eyes. Thank you so much for checking back in to update us! - Mona N.

Robert: Thanks for the stream(s). Most appreciated. - Rob Michael

Mona: I'm uploading more video. Nokia and Microsoft are the losers here. - Robert Scoble

Can the Palm fart yet? - Matthew DeVries

Robert, do you know if Tmobile is going to support the Pre? - Matthew DeVries

I keep hearing the new palm is better, I deal in facts, how, why is it better? - James Ostheimer

@matthew devries I think initially Palm Pre will only be on Sprint. - Rajiv Doshi

OH! You probably missed it, but the FastCompany chat was hilarious! If it's logged and you have time, skim through it. I think it'll make you laugh haha But quickly: Palm. thugs. taking one for the team. LOL - Mona N.

+1 Matthew - Chris Charabaruk for Hire

Rajiv, thanks - Matthew DeVries

The Pre might be different, but Palm has historically rolled out devices on multiple carriers within 6mo or so after the initial rollout. For example, most recently the Centro was launched on Sprint in Oct 2007, then rolled out on AT&T in Feb 08 and Verizon in June 2008. - Ken Sheppardson

Ken, let's hope that's the extent of which history will repeat itself. I still have a bad taste in my mouth because of Palm - Bwana

Wow the new handset is really impressive. Not sure about their OS roadmap, will developers follow? *always had a Palm before switching to iPhone* - Paul Papadimitriou via Nambu

Does it sync with outlook out of the box? - Matthew DeVries

"The Palm Pre will gather all of your information from your Exchange account, your Gmail account and your Facebook account and display them in a single, unduplicated format." http://is.gd/eWXA - Ken Sheppardson

Bwana--what was your bad Palm experience? - Rob Michael

Unstable UX on Tungsten W and Treo 600 platforms. - Bwana

Watched robert's movie, still don't get it, looks like the iphone with a keyboard, I have gotten pretty darn good with the iphone keyboard, not sure that tiny thing will help. The scroll not on the screen is kinda cool, but really not such a big deal to me. What else is so great? - James Ostheimer

Bwana: I've lived with a Pilot 1000, Pilot Pro, III, V, VII, m500, 650, and 755p, so I feel your pain RE instability (i.e. random lockups and resets). Good news is this really doesn't sound like just an incremental PalmOS upgrade, so it might be a fresh start/set of expectations. - Ken Sheppardson

James - it's not the formfactor, it's the software and usability. Did you see how the OS multi tasks? - Mona N.

While this may not be the fabled "iPhone Killer"---Judging from the info. @ Palm.com this looks like it will keep Palm in the game. - Rob Michael

I just hope they didn't lay off too many of the minds who came up with the OS. Recall they had another round of layoffs in November (but who didn't). Granted, they did say it was primarily sales & marketing in the announcement, I'm still extremely skeptical. http://www.palminfocenter.com/... - Bwana

Bwana - they just got funding. BRB w/ the link. Back http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035... - Mona N.

Looking forward to seeing if the browser on the Pre is more stable than the iPhone's. - Loren Heiny

Loren - since the whole OS is based on the browser I hope so! - invariant

Boggles the mind, the iPhone got *reamed* for only supporting Web apps. Palm does it and they're embraced. Am I missing something? - Bwana

Bwana: Everyone hates a winner? :p - Chris Charabaruk for Hire

Progression, Bwana. Progression. :) - Mona N.

Bwana: revolutionary products change our expectations. - Robert Scoble

+1 Bwana - I was wondering the same thing earlier today. - saeba

I'm not convinced :) I'll have to wait until I can use one myself. - Bwana

Bwana, the difference is that the Palm does not require you to be net connected to use the app. They just use "web technologies" for their API. I still think it's the biggest flaw in the system. They'll never get the games ecosystem that iPhone has without native apps, that's for sure. - invariant

So the multi-tasking is multiple browser windows/tabs? Are you kidding? - Bwana

@invariant it depends on what the API actually gives you the ability to do, let's wait and see, I'll agree with you that it's unlikely given what they have announced that you'll be able to build super rich apps, but who knows what the API allows - Justin Yost

i go by new york's subway. noone has a palm any longer for months ; - ewing2001

Bwana: Yes, and no. Justin: Some incredible things have been done in Javascript so I won't count it out completely, but you're seeing great games on iPhone because companies and individuals can leverage the wealth of game code and experienced engineers using C/C++. - invariant

Palm Pre, better or not... It's more a question of giving iPhone some substantial competition in the social/mobile space. - Brad

innovation promotes innovation. this is all great for consumers. - Davide D'Incau

Rupansh - Digg

Gardening Tips with the Helpful Gardener: Gardening Tools

27 minutes ago - gardener-tips.blogspot.com - Link

Painful Lift But Funny

40 minutes ago - streamingvlog.com - Link

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justine - Twitter

“Calling it a night. See everyone tomorrow at CES :)”

40 minutes ago - Link

Mitchell Tsai

U.S. Job-Market Collapse in 2008 Was Probably Biggest Since ’45 [Shobhana Chandra, Bloomberg - 1/9/09]

43 minutes ago - bloomberg.com - Link

The U.S. probably lost 525,000 jobs in December, capping the biggest collapse in employment since the end of World War II, economists said before a report today. Economists’ estimates for December ranged from job losses of 350,000 to 750,000. Forecasts for the unemployment rate ranged from 6.5 percent to 7.1 percent. - Mitchell Tsai via Bookmarklet

The projected decline, based on the median estimate of 73 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News, would bring last year’s payroll drop to 2.4 million, the most since 1945. The unemployment rate likely jumped to a 15-year high of 7 percent. The projected decline would be the 12th consecutive loss, and follow a 533,000 November decrease that was the largest in three decades. The economy created 1.1 million jobs in 2007. - Mitchell Tsai

Analysts said the economy is in danger of a reinforcing cycle of rising unemployment and declining household spending, what policy makers call a negative feedback loop, which is difficult to snap once it’s begun. - Mitchell Tsai

Sales at stores open at least a year dropped 2.2 percent in the last two month months of 2008, the biggest holiday-season decline since the International Council of Shopping Centers started keeping records in 1970, the group said yesterday. - Mitchell Tsai

Big Slide in 401(k)s Spurs Calls for Change [Elanor Laise, Wall Street Journal - 1/8/09]

50 minutes ago - online.wsj.com - Link

The most obvious pitfall is that 401(k) plans shift all retirement-planning risks -- not saving enough, making poor investment choices, outliving savings -- to untrained individuals, who often don't have the time, inclination or know-how to manage them. But even when workers make good choices, a market meltdown near the end of their working careers can still blow their savings to smithereens. - Mitchell Tsai via Bookmarklet

5 more comments

About 50 million Americans have 401(k) plans, which have $2.5 trillion in total assets, estimates the Employee Benefit Research Institute in Washington. In the 12 months following the stock market's peak in October 2007, more than $1 trillion worth of stock value held in 401(k)s and other "defined-contribution" plans was wiped out, according to the Boston College research center. If individual retirement accounts, which consist largely of money rolled over from 401(k)s, are taken into account, about $2 trillion of stock value evaporated. - Mitchell Tsai

But according to Boston College's retirement-research center, Americans were becoming less prepared for retirement. Four of 10 working-age households were at risk of being financially unprepared for retirement in 1998, according to the center, up from less than one-third in 1983. By 2006, the figure stood at 44%. - Mitchell Tsai

Not saving enough has always been a big problem for 401(k) participants. The tough economic times are exacerbating that tendency. In 2007, the median account balance for 55- to 64-year-olds in defined-contribution plans such as 401(k)s administered by Vanguard Group was just $60,740, and only 10% of all participants saved the maximum dollar amount in the plans. Over the past year, about one in five workers age 45 or older have stopped contributing. - Mitchell Tsai

Employers rushed to add "target date" funds to their 401(k) menus. Such funds gradually shift to a more conservative investment mix as a worker's retirement date approaches. Fund companies raced to roll out target-date products, often stuffing them with their own pricey mutual funds and adding an extra layer of fees on top. As stocks climbed, some fund companies increased the stock allocations of their target-date funds, setting them up for a steep fall if the market headed south. - Mitchell Tsai

Assets in target-date funds in defined-contribution plans more than quadrupled in the three years ending in 2007, to $122 billion. But the funds haven't offered investors much protection. The average target-date fund dropped 32% last year, slightly better than the Standard & Poor's 500 stock index's 38.5% decline. Funds with a target date of 2010, designed for investors on the brink of retirement, didn't fare much better, losing nearly 25%. - Mitchell Tsai

Last year, participants shifted around 5.7% of plan assets, compared to 3.3% in 2007. Most of the money went into low-return investments such as cash, bonds and funds designed to hold their value, says Pamela Hess, director of retirement research at Hewitt Associates. The chunk of 401(k) assets in stocks, roughly 54%, is now at its lowest level since Hewitt began tracking the data in 1997. - Mitchell Tsai

Boston College's retirement-research center recently ran scenarios that assumed workers had contributed 6% of pay to a plan for 40 years, had invested in a target-date fund, had never touched their savings until retiring and had annuitized the assets at retirement. The chunk of preretirement income these savers could replace in retirement varied dramatically depending on when they retired. Those retiring in 1948 could replace just 19%; those retiring in 1999, 51%; and 2008 retirees, 28%. - Mitchell Tsai

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Apps: Jonathan Kong

just hear it - search the web for any song in the world

1 hour ago - justhearit.com - Link

Saad Kamal, Damon, Matt "Husher" Harwood and 5 other people liked this

Mitchell Tsai

The Best and Worst Jobs in the U.S. [Sarah Needleman, Wall Street Journal - 1/6/09]

1 hour ago - online.wsj.com - Link

RAPatton and Anna Haro liked this

Nineteen years ago, Jennifer Courter set out on a career path that has since provided her with a steady stream of lucrative, low-stress jobs. Now, her occupation -- mathematician -- has landed at the top spot on a new study ranking the best and worst jobs in the U.S. - Mitchell Tsai via Bookmarklet

The study, released Tuesday from CareerCast.com, a new job site, evaluates 200 professions to determine the best and worst according to five criteria inherent to every job: environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress. - Mitchell Tsai

According to the study, mathematicians fared best in part because they typically work in favorable conditions -- indoors and in places free of toxic fumes or noise -- unlike those toward the bottom of the list like sewage-plant operator, painter and bricklayer. They also aren't expected to do any heavy lifting, crawling or crouching -- attributes associated with occupations such as firefighter, auto mechanic and plumber. - Mitchell Tsai

Robert Scoble - Scobleizer -- Tech geek blogger

Palm did what Nokia, RIM, and Microsoft couldn’t: build a better experience than Apple

2 hours ago - scobleizer.com - Link

Hassan Ibraheem, Brian Rainey, Kevin Whalen and 28 other people liked this

"Experience" isn't the only thing that sells iPhones. - Will Higgins

20 more comments

Will: really? You are kidding, right? - Robert Scoble

And this was deduced from an incomplete platform and a handful of demos? Cmon Robert. - Bwana

@Robert: Don't forget those that buy everything with Apple-logo in it ;) - Jemm

We'll have to wait for real details about what it can and can't do, *but* I'm encouraged by the little we've seen so far. Seems like they've put real thought into the ID of the product as well as the experience. And Will, the experience of using the iPhone is it's most compelling "feature" IMHO. - mikepk

iPod phone. That sells em. - Bwana

Bwana: I had a LOT more than a few minute demo. If you have some data that backs up your skepticism put it up otherwise please keep it to yourself. - Robert Scoble

Bwana, iPod definitely doesn't hurt. I still think it's the overall experience of the phone though. I had (almost) all the capabilities of my iPhone in previous cells/smartphones. Nothing new there. What *is* new is that I actually use those features almost every day, and after years of owning it, I *still* enjoy using the features. That's something special. - mikepk

It's the lack of data Robert. This thing isn't a week old and you've crowned it. That's enough for skepticism right there. - Bwana

First look is definitely encouraging, but will reserve final judgment till the product is actually in my hands. I'm no fan of the iPhone or it's hype and hubris, so this represents a potential device for me. - Mo Kargas

Yes, there is no picture of a fruit on it. And Palm don't have a church. But experience? No. Otherwise anyone would have thrown away the iPhone after typing a word on the onscreen keyboard. It's all about imagination. Reminds me on that simpsons apple mockup: http://alearner.com/mapple/ - Ryo

Bwana, i'm encouraged but I agree we need to hold off until we get more details on it, and some less "guided" and "supervised" demos. It would have to offer a religious experience to get me to turn over my iPhone, but I'd like to see a real compelling competitor. Can only help us in the long run. - mikepk

Oh noez... Palm is not the competitor. You are already outrun by Android. - Ryo

Let's face it. Apple has momentum, a solid OS, and the app store. It's a sub par phone but a great web appliance. That said, I am extremely impressed with all the thought that went into making the new Palm Pre. From social network interaction, to the wireless charger. It will be one to beat. 2nd place maybe, but better than dead. And this coming from someone who will buy the iPhone. - Paul Puri

I think Android has a different role to play, personally. Android is a long term play by google. It's an interesting strategy that may win in the long run, but Android needs time to mature and for handset hardware to be commoditized. - mikepk

Bwana: I did the same thing with the iPhone. I was first in line for that, remember? And Apple gave me a lot less of a look than Palm did today. How long do you need to decide whether something is better? If it takes more than two minutes it will fail. Palm has a winner here. Some people I know have had one while developing for it for more than a month. This is the real deal and I will bet my career on it. - Robert Scoble

Android just got punched in the stomach. Google should have nailed it like Palm did but it went with an uninspiring piece of hardware. - Robert Scoble

@scobleizer who does the new palm displace? Does it go right to the top of the heap? - Christian Anderson

Robert I don't agree on that. I can't wait for it. Yes Europe has still to wait for Android. Android is not the Hardware, it's the software. And the G1 is one of the best mobiles I ever saw. I would never trade this for an iPhone. It's free, it's nice, it has a real keyboard, and Google services are fully integrated. All I ever want from a phone. - Ryo

It sounds impressive Robert, but personally I don't tell people which is better. I tend to lean towards which is better for me. That can take at least a week of heavy usage. You and I differ in that regard and that's ok. But I know a lot of people like me and they don't know if they love or hate a product in 2 minutes. Especially cell phones. - Bwana

What's with everyone being so ornery tonight? - Will Higgins

I have a lot of fun with nokia so I'll stay with them for the moment. - Richard Azia

Its too early to tell, we'll have to wait and see... - Sam via twhirl

Mitchell Tsai - delicious

Radical cheap: $1,000 homes [Les Christie, Yahoo! - 1/8/09]

1 hour ago - finance.yahoo.com - Link

The real estate market is so awful that buyers are now scooping up homes for as little as $1,000. There are 18 listings in Flint, Mich., for under $3,000, according to Realtor.com. There are 22 in Indianapolis, 46 in Cleveland and a whopping 709 in Detroit. - Mitchell Tsai

In Detroit for instance, Century 21 Villa owner Randy Eissa has a three-bedroom, one-bath bungalow of about 1,000 square feet listed at just $500. It's a nice place with lots of light, but it needs a total rehabilitation inside, which Eissa estimates will cost between $15,000 and $20,000. But that's not bad, considering that the home last sold for $72,000 in late 2007, according to Zillow.com. - Mitchell Tsai

With prices this low, lenders aren't looking to make any money on these deals. They just want to get these houses off their books, so they don't have to bear the cost of maintaining them and paying property taxes. In fact, the $500, $1,000 or $3,000 that a buyer forks over often goes straight to the real estate brokers as a commission. And often the lenders have to kick in extra cash to make it worthwhile for a realtor even take the listings, according to Eissa. - Mitchell Tsai

Most of these $1,000 homes can be renovated relatively inexpensively, and buyers can actually get government help to finance these repairs. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has a special loan program for just such purchases. He adds that there may also be grant money available from the $4 billion Neighborhood Stabilization Program http://money.cnn.com/2008/08/0..., which was a part of the massive housing rescue bill passed by Congress in July, to assist buyers with grants for down payments. - Mitchell Tsai

Four Intriguing Index Funds That Deserve Attention [Greg Brown, Yahoo! - 1/8/09]

1 hour ago - finance.yahoo.com - Link

Bridgeway Blue-Chip 35 Index, Bridgeway Ultra-Small Company Market, DFA Emerging Markets Value I - Mitchell Tsai

Morningstar's 2008 CEO of the Year - Warren Buffet [Paul Larson, Yahoo! - 1/7/09]

1 hour ago - finance.yahoo.com - Link

Since taking the helm of the sleepy textile business 44 years ago and turning it into arguably the strongest conglomerate on the planet, Buffett and his managers have grown the book value per A share from $19 to just over $77,500, as of Sept. 30. This translates to a 20.7% annualized increase in book value since 1965, versus a mere 9.6% annualized return in the S&P 500 (including dividends) over the same time period. - Mitchell Tsai

Buffett warned back in 2003 that derivatives were "financial weapons of mass destruction" that are "time bombs, both for the parties that deal in them and the economic system." Given all that has transpired in 2008, these statements--and Berkshire's actions--look especially prescient. While American International Group , Ambac (NYSE:ABK), and other competitors now wallow in bankruptcy or near-bankruptcy, Berkshire is as financially healthy as ever. - Mitchell Tsai

Beyond derivatives, Berkshire also avoided excessive leverage back when credit was flowing a little too easy and asset prices were too high. In mid-2007, the opening salvos of the credit crisis were being shot across the subprime mortgage market, and many financial firms were levered to the hilt. Yet Berkshire had $47 billion--over one third of its equity at the time--in cash and cash equivalents, most of it unencumbered. By practicing prudence and patience earlier in the decade, Berkshire was in a position to put large amounts of capital to work in 2008. - Mitchell Tsai

In other words, rather than blowing its ammunition hunting squirrels a few years ago, Berkshire has been able to shoot the proverbial elephants now walking by. - Mitchell Tsai

Robert Scoble - Twitter

“I talked with tons of people at Showstoppers tonight. EVERYONE was effusive about the Palm Pre. It is THE story of CES. By far.”

4 hours ago - Link

Christian Anderson, Burak 'cyrus' Bayburtlu, Adriana and 14 other people liked this

easy to fill a void when's there's not much else - public enemy call DBTH - Bob Sonin

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Rebounders from the Blackberry Storm :) - Bwana

There really hasn't been anything else exciting from either CES or Macworld. Only thing I can think of that was even mildly interesting is the Yahoo Widgets on TVs thing. - invariant

It's hard not to root for the underdog. Lot of us started with Palm and hated to see them fall. I really think the tech is B- on paper and everyone wants Palm back in the OS game - Bwana

Bwana +1 - Rob Michael

This is the first "iPhone killer" that didn't have an immediately obvious major flaw. Considering the caliber of other companies who have tried to compete, that's pretty darned impressive. It's certainly the first phone that I could recommend to someone who just doesn't like the iPhone (although I won't be getting one) - based on what I've seen so far that is. I knew previous phones couldn't compete after a few minutes of seeing them (usually their browser) in action. - invariant

Competition != Killer. - Mona N.

I'm happy about the 'Pre', I'm one of those Palm fans,and I'd hate to see them die. - Will Higgins

on ur marks, get set, google "effusive" - adolfo foronda

Competition will make ALL the phones better in the long run. Bring it on. Consumers FTW!!! - Amani

Considering how massive CES is. I'm going to call shenanigans. It's a Sprint only phone and you're saying the international community absolutely adores it? - Bwana

Bwana - Palm has said a GSM version is coming for regions outside the US. - invariant

Cool. That's good news. Will this sell in Asia? - Bwana

Robert - you seem nothing but impressed by the Palm Pre. Curious to see how well it does once released - Kevin Whalen

Rupansh - StumbleUpon

Interesting & Blog Archive & Asian girls - painting

2 hours ago - interesting-world.info - Link

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Rupansh - StumbleUpon

SANDRIMEDA: Rihanna Wallpapers

2 hours ago - sandrimeda.blogspot.com - Link

Dam..Rihanna is so HOT... - Rupansh

Dave Winer - Disqus

Re: Julie and Julia (Scripting News)

2 hours ago - scripting.com - Link

"I thought her op-ed was lucid and persuasive." - Dave Winer

michael arrington - TechCrunch

Tweetvisor A Contender For Best Alternate Twitter Interface

3 hours ago - techcrunch.com - Link

Christian Anderson, Dave Winer, Brandon J. Mendelson and Carlos Lorenzo liked this

just saying you like or don't like something w/o saying why is pointless. - Dave Winer

l0ckergn0me - YouTube

How to Drink Beer

3 hours ago - youtube.com - Link

Jeff Douglass liked this

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Apps: Zee.

“is there a ping.fm iPhone app? Or something similar? I just want an app which I can post my status into and if there is no reception, it will hold onto it and send it when there is...abot like evernotes "pending" area on the iPhone app...”

13 hours ago - Link

yeah...type ping.fm in mobile safari. Then, save it to your home screen - shaun mclane

5 more comments

not what I meant, I think u know that too.. - Zee.

+1. I would love that - Jeff Douglass

I just downloaded Nambu last night ($4.99). It supports FriendFeed, Twitter, Ping.fm, indenti.ca, laconi.ca, and others (I think). I haven't delved into it too much, yet, but at first gloss, it seems like a very promising app. - Robert Clockedile

would love to hear more about it once uve had a play Robert - Zee.

you can add i.ping.fm to your home screen add it works like an app... - Tom Deeter via twhirl

I've tried Nambu (right after they dropped the price--ghetto!) and it is pretty solid this far. I use it mainly for FriendFeed though (although the Ping UI looks pretty good. - darnell via Nambu

http://ping.fm/iphone/ ? - LouCypher

Jason Calacanis - Facebook

“Site review: Stocktwits.com http://tinyurl.com/9d3on8 #stocktwits.”

2 hours ago - Link

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Dave Winer

Philosophy in Boston (2/4/08)

2 hours ago - scripting.com - Link

"Never have I loved a team more or felt more kinship with my fellow fans than when our team goes down in flames after a season of great ups and downs." - Dave Winer via Bookmarklet

Robert Scoble

“Cut, copy, paste on Palm Pre”

9 hours ago - via mail2ff - Link

Aaron Draczynski, Joe Dawson, Lucio and 69 other people liked this

Just one of the reasons I want one. - Robert Scoble via mail2ff

63 more comments

Amen to that. - Nicholas Kreidberg

Awesome...amazing we all think it's so great yet it should be a fundamental feature in every smartphone. - Jonathan Brown

does it feel good in the hand? - James Cooper

<whisper> My G1 has been doing this since I first turned it on </whisper> - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)

Maybe this will finally get Apple to raise the priority on this feature ... - Patrick Jordan

I strongly suspect next iPhone release will have it. But my phone has it now, so I got that going for me, which is nice. - Wade Dorrell

After watching someone from work try 3 times to enter our 64-char-long wifi passwd on an iPhone, lack of copy/paste seems like a security hole, since it encourages you to use short passwds. - Richard Walker

@Richard haha.. you are so damn right about that statement :P - Larsen aka Qbat

Well, just like in my iPhone... oh wait. -