Bandwidth throttling sucks. Having said that, my experience has been that my usage patterns on the iPhone are definitely skewed toward the download side, so I don't expect this will be a huge issue. Plus, most of my heavier usage is when connected to wifi.
- Rob Witte
I disagree. I think Google has the agility that Microsoft lacks to make a lean, innovative OS. I expect we'll see Google Chrome OS emerge as a bare-bones startup platform that loads just the essentials (generic NIC, generic video, generic I/O drivers) then goes to the web for device-specific drivers. Bundled apps? I expect nothing but the browser, then pointing to web apps. I could see an app store model similar to the iPhone (or other copycats that have recently arrived on the scene). I like where this is going.
- Rob Witte
It's nice to see Microsoft scrambling to change the game again. They were once a scrappy, nimble company. I'd like to see them become one again.
- Rob Witte
Google's OS announcement really has a lot of people buzzing about the future of the Operating System. Maybe Google can finally realize Sun's vision -- "The network is the computer" (credit to John Burdette Gage)
- Rob Witte
Chalk up another win for the music industry ... and a loss for their customers. shaking head Companies (and their lawyers) who profit from stifling innovation should die a most horrible death. I'm patiently waiting for the music labels to get theirs.
- Rob Witte
An interesting comparison, as my Garmin NUVI 680 is nagging for map updates while I anxiously await TomTom or similar software for my iPhone (not going to do the AT&T Navigator thing). I've been using my Nuvi without the update just fine, turning to Google Maps on my iPhone when I want POI data.
- Rob Witte
It's great to see the navigation apps growing on the iPhone. I'm going to pass on this one in anticipation of TomTom or a Garmin offering. But it is encouraging!
- Rob Witte
I think the SEC is stepping over the line here. I expect they will run afoul of HIPPAA regulations and get nowhere with this investigation. Personally, I believe Steve Jobs is entitled to his privacy. I think it was sufficient for Apple to indicate he had medical issues and state that he was going out on medical leave. I don't believe shareholders are entitled to more detail than that unless the individual involved wants to divulge it. This really boils down to money versus personal rights. Time for us to get our priorities back in order.
- Rob Witte
Anecdotally, I have noticed no issues with speed or signal strength on my 3GS. Just ran the speedtest.net utility and it pulled 6594 kbps down, 8004 kbps up with 54ms latency on my 802.11G wi-fi connection with Comcast cable modem service. Seems fine to me.
- Rob Witte
I knew we would eventually see Google enter into the OS space. I think Microsoft also saw this coming, which is why they've had Google in their sights so long. I, for one, am excited to see this. Google has the right culture for innovation and they don't have OS legacy support to hold them back. I expect we'll see real progress in the OS space now.
- Rob Witte
This app demo represents the first toe in the water for augmented reality on the iPhone. This exciting space is definitely worth keeping an eye on.
- Rob Witte
I was so happy a few years ago when I was able to call up my local phone company and cancel service. I moved to mobile only for personal calls and employer-funded AT&T CallVantage VoIP for business calls. I'm anxious for Google to further improve their voice service in conjunction with Gizmo and hoping that service can become my one-stop-shop.
- Rob Witte
I am inclined to agree with the premise that the visible importance of the OS is dwindling. There still needs to be a stable underpinning to any device, but the glory days of Win95 and its huge marketing budget are gone. Just give me a basic system to let me IPL and get online and let the apps take it from there.
- Rob Witte
I remember carrying a Cingular OGO. My buddy Ben and I bought them while on customer travel. We carried them around in Midland, MI for a couple months and they were a blast! Alas, with 3G connectivity and SMS, I cannot imagine the market for one today. As it is, I can't get my 14-year old daughter to use IM on her iPhone ... she's all about the texting.
- Rob Witte
Even though my Macbook Pro was one of those hit by graphics hardware problems (which Apple quickly remedied at no charge), I hope they say with nVidia. I have yet to use a machine (laptop or desktop) with Intel graphics hardware that performed with a damn. First thing we did with the family desktop computer was buy a graphics card to replace the crappy Intel integrated graphics. Having said that, the ATI graphics on the Thinkpads I have run for work aren't to bad, but nowhere near the performance I've seen on my Macbook Pro.
- Rob Witte
It seems kinda lame for apple to keep switching back and forth. What vendor is going to want to "go the extra mile" for them if they have a reputation for dropping vendors at the drop of hat?
- Morgan Collins
I owned the Walkman Sport (pictured in the article) as a teenager. I must say, it was a really rugged piece of technology. I loved it. Say what you will about Sony, but there is no denying that they created the mobile music device market (now dominated by Apple).
- Rob Witte
I find devices like this sad, but amusing. I don't plan to replace parenting of my children with a gadget anytime soon. In my household, we have one TV with an HD Tivo and Xbox 360. We watch a couple hours of TV a week ... generally together. When the kids want to play on the Xbox or watch a movie, they ask first. The home theatre is a room in the basement, so it is not central to our lives. Instead, we spend our time playing board games, going for bike rides and walks together, going to the zoo (yay season pass), playing our cats and dogs, or just going outside and throwing the football or frisbee around. I think our time together as a family is richer as a result.
- Rob Witte