by Conrad MacIntyre
By Conrad MacIntyre
Killian Bell, on Espier Launcher HD, which can make your Android tablet look ilke an ugly iPad, with a big ugly black Android bar under the dock:
it works very well, save for a few minor glitches here and there.
So… it works nothing like iPad, then? Also, people need to stop affixing "HD" to everything. Now.
There have been persistent rumors that the next generation iPhone would carry a larger 4" screen. And we are convinced that Apple had exactly such designs in late prototype stages in China. The proliferation of iPhone cases with measurements of at least a 4" screen seemed to suggest that a number of suppliers were also convinced of that fact.
I hope this isn't the case. I do not want a bigger iPhone. The one I have is just small enough to fit into the cell-phone pocket in all my jackets. If I need a bigger screen I'll use my iPad.
[Consumer Reports] claims Amazon Instant Video, Crackle, Epix, Hulu Plus, Vudu, Spotify and HBO go are reasons to go with a Roku or Boxee Box [over an Apple TV].
Everyone's different. But I don't stream anything. I buy it all and it lives in my iTunes library. The fact that everything I own is just a click away, that I can use my iPad/iPhone as a remote, and that I (or any of my many iPhone-weilding friends) can quickly pop a YouTube clip or video on my living room TV via AirPlay is indispensable for me. I have very little interest in signing up (and paying) for streaming services that only offer a fraction of the U.S. content to Canadians.
Sarah Perez, on 'Pull-To-Refresh":
And if you’re wondering why there’s been so much interest in this one patent app, when every tech company under the sun has stockpiles of patents at their disposal, it comes down to the nature of the interaction being published. It’s a feature that feels so obvious, so natural, and so much like the way things are supposed to work on iOS devices, that many assumed it would eventually be translated into the core Apple apps. It feels like something Apple itself should have patented, then graciously suggested to iOS developers and designers that it’s the preferred way to refresh data in their apps.
I am so annoyed that iOS Mail and Safari apps don't have this feature. I couldn't agree with the above statement more.
With this support in Windows 8, we could see rival tablet displays with even greater pixel densities than the new iPad. It’s a shame they won’t be running iOS.
That's a big *could* there. Retina-competing smartphones just got preposterously large. I'm not saying it won't happen, but everyone else is focusing on gimmicks and catching-up while Apple is blazing ahead.
Ben Brooks, on John Brownlee's earlier article about undercharging the iPad:
I’d love to see the actual research here. I have only had to charge my iPad once since getting it so I can’t say whether I have noticed anything like this. Obviously it takes longer to charge, but not really being charged when it says it is? Sounds dubious to me.
I agree. I also re-posted Ben's entire post, but his blog is more than worth following. Do it now.
Allyson Kazmucha, on user-servicable iProducts:
I’m convinced that Apple can find a different practice of securing the screen without sacrificing size or thickness and would allow easier access to the internal components.
I'm not weighing in on whether the iPad should or should not be user-servicable, but this statement really gets my back up. What's your proposed solution, Allyson?
John Brownlee, referencing an email from Dr. Raymond Soneira which stated that the new iPad may continue to draw current (charge) for up to an hour after the display says "100%":
So if you’re charging your new iPad for eight hours every night, time to start charging it to 9 if you really want a full charge for the day ahead.
There are so many things wrong with this statement. How uncharged was the iPad when you plugged it in? "Up to" an hour does not mean a solid hour every time. Do you honestly need to charge every night? I charge my iPad and iPhone only every other day.
Ben Brooks discussing Google's recent patent application that can scan the background of calls and pictures to serve up more relevant ads:
Yes of course this is just a patent application, but come on this is seriously creepy.
A patent application shows where the company's focus is. Apple's recent patent discovery covers a remote that adapts to the task at hand.
One accompany is trying to benefit consumers, one company is trying to use consumers. I forget which is which.
Firstly, I don't think most people want to steal anything. So MG Siegler makes the argument that people are backed into a corner with little recourse but to pirate.
I’m going to be pirating season 2 of “Game of Thrones.”
I’m going to be forced to scour the shady underbelly of the Web to find the show. The upside (from what I hear) is that I’ll likely be able to get it before it even airs. And it will probably be in better quality than any legal download and/or broadcast. And it will be delivered to me fast. And, of course, it will be free.
Again, I’d gladly pay for it. But I have no way to do so, outside of forking over an obscene amount of money on a monthly basis to a cable company, and/or waiting a year. I’m just not willing to do that. My hand is being forced.
No, it's not. You can wait. It isn't that HBO isn't making this available, it's that they aren't making it available for a long time. Having said that, I understand completely. I live in Canada so I can't watch anything online, Netflix sucks out loud, and we have to pay a premium for American content. For example, you paid $38.99 in HD? I've gotta pay $43.99.
Even though our dollar is worth (ever so slightly) more than the US Dollar for over a year now:
In response to this tech writer Dan Moren jumped on Twitter with this:
Shit: Since I either have to pay $27 to buy this hardcover or wait 3 weeks to get it from the library, I have *no choice* but to steal it.
Which lead to this:
@dmoren - $27 for the exact book you want is far different from $25/episode.
Which lead to this:
@ConradMacIntyre I'm not sure what your argument is here. That it's okay to not pay for things because they're expensive?
Then this:
@dmoren - When they're unreasonably expensive? You and I might decide to just wait, but I suspect most people would steal.
This:
@ConradMacIntyre But who decides what is "unreasonably" expensive? Plenty of people still pay for that content at current prices.
And finally, this:
@dmoren - It's about being right vs being pragmatic.
The Oatmeal chirped in on this very topic a little while back:
To which Andy Ihnatko said:
The single least-attractive attribute of many of the people who download content illegally is their smug sense of entitlement.
…
The world does not OWE you Season 1 of “Game Of Thrones” in the form you want it at the moment you want it at the price you want to pay for it. If it’s not available under 100% your terms, you have the free-and-clear option of not having it.
Marco Arment's article (which I referenced in my tweet above, and it totally worth a read) on the topic concludes with the same references to the Oatmeal and Andy Ihnatko and these paragraphs.
Andy’s right. But it’s not going to solve the problem.
Relying solely on yelling about what’s right isn’t a pragmatic approach for the media industry to take. And it’s not working. It’s unrealistic and naïve to expect everyone to do the “right” thing when the alternative is so much easier, faster, cheaper, and better for so many of them.
The pragmatic approach is to address the demand.
Exactly. And I'll go on the record right now. I have pirated all 6 seasons of The Wonder Years. There is literally *no* way to purchase this content. The same is true of many classic shows like Perfect Strangers, Night Court, and, until recently, The Fugitive. Would I like to buy The Wonder Years? Of course I would… but I have no such option.
All live Toronto Blue Jays games are blacked out throughout the entire country of Canada.
Well… I guess not. But with the extra postseason slot I'll try to catch a few more games this year. More AL East domination.
Microsoft’s Sales, Marketing, Services, IT, & Operations Group (SMSG) may be putting in place a policy to prevent employees from using corporate funds to buy Macs and iPads.
I don't know if this is actually true… but I wonder if Apple has ever investigated such a policy [insert sarcastic smirk].
While I doubt Apple will seek any compensation, I don’t see why Daisey should be allowed to profit.
Maybe a solution would be to sue Daisey with the understanding that all of the money is put into a fund for Chinese workers.
Amen, Jim.
I think what Daisey really believes is that he deserves the attention his lies have brought him, and so he has no intention to stop telling them.
Read this.
Anyone who uses a little truth, some half-truths, and some outright lies to promote their own agenda is the worst kind of liar. The fact of the matter is that Mike not-only didn't help the cause of worker's rights in China, he dealt them a heavy blow. He made himself a big, important person exploiting the stories and experiences of the very people he claimed to be raising awareness for, in addition to exploiting the allure of Apple founder Steve Jobs, and Apple itself, a household name. It's disgusting, and what's worse, Mr. Daisey, is that you won't even own up to it. You, sir, are a coward, a liar, and a fraud.
I have lost my respect for you, as have many others. If what you're doing is merely 'theatre' say so at the outset, so declare it to be factual, and then declare 'woah, woah, it's only a show' after you get caught red-handed.
Disgusting.
Stephen Chapman pens a rather long post about the privacy concerns he sees with the dictation feature on the iPad. I am just as paranoid as the next guy (nope, probably more) and even I don’t see the problem here.
Chapman is trying to paint Apple has being shady about this, when that is far from the case.
Apple warns you that contacts and user data will be stored on their servers when you turn on the feature. That’s about as much as you can hope for.
This is what transparency is to me. Apple is as transparent about what they're doing as I think you can realistically expect someone to be.
Harrison Webster on a test to see if new iPad owners could tell the difference between theirs and an iPad 2:
But the fact that the resolutionary improvements aren’t so distinct goes to show just how powerful Apple’s marketing arm is.
The Apple Marketing Arm hasn't even kicked in. Maybe in the US, but here in Canada I have yet to see a commercial, billboard, or magazine ad.
[W]hen a new iPad is connected via LTE, it says “LTE” up in the status bar, not “4G”, so it’s not like Apple is pretending “4G” and “LTE” are the same thing.
Good point. I suppose Apple could be allowing marketing consistency between what carriers say and what their phones say. I still think it comes across as dishonest and/or misleading.
And with that, Galaxy S II owners began once again to feel the love. Or at least, most of them did. The update in question is meant for international spec Galaxy S II (the GT-I9100), so State-side owners of a AT&T/T-Mobile Galaxy S II or a Sprint Epic 4G Touch won’t be joining in the official fun just yet.
How do Android users put up with this? When I see the iOS keynote there's at least two or three features I'm really excited about. If I had to wait until an undetermined future time when my carrier and device manufacturer decided to let me have the upgrade and even then my device didn't quite yet qualify because there was some minimal difference in model number…
Wow. That was a long, run-on sentence - accurately reflecting the wait Android users must go through. I guess Androids have to learn not to care what's running on their phones.