Category: Google

new iPhone 4

On By Rick McIn Apple, Google, product complaintsLeave a comment

… Steve Jobs unveiled the forthcoming iPhone 4 at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Among the most praised features of the new smartphone is its new “retina display,” but how good does the iPhone 4’s screen really look?

At 326 pixels per inch, the pixel density of the iPhone 4 is four times that of the iPhone 3. …

Mashable

Click PLAY or watch a video demo on flickr.

Pretty.

But, I’m still not convinced this phone or any other is worth signing on for a 2yr contract. (3yr in Canada!)

Likely I’ll end up with an unlocked, no contract iPhone 3 or, possibly, an Android phone.

Certainly I’d almost never use the Facetime video chat feature.

new Google phone, almost FREE

On By Rick McIn Google, humourLeave a comment

New Google Phone Service Whispers Targeted Ads Directly Into Users’ Ears

The new feature reduces Google phone users’ cell phone costs while providing them with unobtrusive, personalized ads delivered in a friendly whisper.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Facebook is EVIL … alternatives?

On By Rick McIn Google, internet, product complaints8 Comments

I love Facebook. Check it several times a day.

Wherever I travel, most laptops and netbooks are opened to Facebook.

Women, in particular, can’t resist.

But the company is evil. Facebook watchers pretty much all agree on this:

… “the act of creating deliberately confusing jargon and user-interfaces which trick your users into sharing more info about themselves than they really want to?” …

MSNBC – Facebook: The ‘Evil Interface?’

10. Facebook’s Terms Of Service are completely one-sided
9. Facebook’s CEO has a documented history of unethical behavior
8. Facebook has flat out declared war on privacy
7. Facebook is pulling a classic bait-and-swit
6. Facebook is a bully
5. Even your private data is shared with applications
4. Facebook is not technically competent enough to be trusted
3. Facebook makes it incredibly difficult to truly delete your account
2. Facebook doesn’t (really) support the Open Web
1. The Facebook application itself sucks

Gizmodo – Top Ten Reasons You Should Quit Facebook

EFF – Facebook’s Eroding Privacy Policy: A Timeline

Matt McKeon – The Evolution of Privacy on Facebook

The Consumerist – Facebook’s Privacy Settings Are Actually “Evil Interfaces”

NYT – Facebook Exodus

CNET News – Understanding Facebook’s privacy aftershocks

If you are as tech savvy as Luke Appleby, and tweak your privacy settings every time Facebook rolls out a change, then it’s no problem. He’s one of the very few defenders.

If you don’t like Facebook, wait. It will be as popular as MySpace in 5 years. My feed is already so bloated I’m tempted to start over with a new account.

Something will replace Facebook.

But what?

I want a service:

• open source
• non-profit
• privacy ON by default (only “friends” can see anything)
• no ads

That service would operate something like Wikipedia.

The business model, on a very small budget, would be to charge companies a tiny fee when users voluntarily friend them. For example, I would “friend” MEC, REI, and International Gymnast magazine … Each time one of those companies posts to my feed, they would have to pay a tiny fee.

The closest we’ve yet seen to what I want is Friendfeed. Here’s my feed, as a sample. (I only have 30 friends there, so don’t use the service.)

Unfortunately Facebook bought Friendfeed, and stopped adding new features.

Google is the company you’d think could quickly lure 50 million or so Facebook users over to a better competitor. They recently tried with Buzz, but that’s been a big FAIL, so far.

If I was to join a start-up tech company, it would be to launch a Facebook competitor. Optimized for smart phone / iPod updates.

_____

Update: The brilliant Jeff Jarvis linked to a Facebook alternative called Diaspora.

It’s only a proposal at this stage, but it’s certain I’d stop posting to Facebook. And switch to the Anti-Facebook, Diaspora, should it come to be.

Bill Gates: Steve Jobs can’t win

On By Rick McIn Apple, Google1 Comment

Bill Gates is neither stupid nor evil.

But my God he got a lot of things wrong in his tenure as world’s richest man.

This quote, recently released, from an interview 12yrs ago on Cringely:

…
“What I can’t figure out is why he (Steve Jobs) is even trying (to be the CEO of Apple)? ” wondered Bill. “He knows he can’t win.” …

I, Cringely

[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=Steve+Jobs&iid=8462780″ src=”f/b/d/2/Apple_Unveils_New_5a84.jpg?adImageId=12304335&imageId=8462780″ width=”500″ height=”337″ /]

…
TechCrunch – What Happens When Apple Passes Microsoft In Value? Yes, When.

Apple recently passed Walmart to become the 3rd “richest” company in the USA.

Next, Apple will surpass MS. Then fade as more open source products, especially Google, win over your hearts and minds.

Update: Why iAds Could be Bigger Than iPads

Google v Apple

On By Rick McIn Apple, Google1 Comment

The big fight in coming years will be Google challenging Apple. It’s war, I’d say.

Many iPhone users will be tempted to switch to a Google phone.

I’m expecting Google will win, long term, because that company is far more “open”.

Actually, consumers will win. Competition is what drives innovation.

This graphic was produced by Column Five Media.

(via GigaOM)

Google Buzz – Facebook killer?

On By Rick McIn GoogleLeave a comment

People wonder why Google simply didn’t buy Facebook.

(The big G has been famously unsuccessful at social networking. Recently Facebook.com had more hits than Google.com. They are feeling the heat.)

Here’s why. Google thinks they can steal Facebook’s thunder with something called Google Buzz. It’s free with anyone who gets a free Gmail account.

Click PLAY or watch a 2min demo on YouTube.

Is it a Facebook killer? … The jury is out.

I’ll give it a try. It may be that the cool kids (early adopters) may stop checking Facebook and start from scratch on a new platform. Buzz is bound to be simpler.

get Google to live your online life

On By Rick McIn Google, humourLeave a comment

I’m thinking of signing up for this radical new service called Google Xistence.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I can take off hiking for weeks. Google will update all my blogs for me.

(via Mashable)

Google tasks

On By Rick McIn Google, product endorsements1 Comment

Like most people, I don’t stick with any system of To Do Lists for very long.

But the Google method is so simple and easy, it just might be the one I’ve always wanted.

You need to be online to make changes, but I can check my list while offline from my iTouch.

Click PLAY or watch a short introduction on YouTube.

Google Tasks

You don’t need to be a Gmail user to use Tasks.

the truth about University students

On By Rick McIn Google, product endorsements2 Comments

Warren sent me a link to this important video posted by new media guru Dr. Michael Wesch.

Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology and Digital Ethnography
2008 U.S. Professor of the Year
Kansas State University

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

If you like that, check out his famous 55min presentation called An anthropological introduction to YouTube. Brilliant.

his blog – Digital Ethnography

Google disrupts mobile phone tyranny

On By Rick McIn Apple, good news, GoogleLeave a comment

And I LOVE it.

Did you see the announcement of the new Google phone?

…” the Nexus One: huge AMOLED touchscreen, thin-and-light form factor, available unlocked or on T-Mobile, pervasive voice input, etc. And many have already reached for the easiest narrative in which to fit Google’s announcement: the Nexus One is Google’s attempt at an iPhone-killer. …

The Nexus One may or may not be an iPhone killer (it probably isn’t), but it doesn’t matter, because the Nexus One was arguably the least significant thing that Google announced today. The real news at Google’s event this morning—news that could shake up the mobile industry just as thoroughly as the original iPhone announcement—wasn’t a phone at all, but a URL: http://google.com/phone. An online storefront that, if successful, could knock one of the major pillars out the current, much-reviled US carrier model and result in faster, cheaper, more flexible service for mobile users. …

… once they’re on Google’s platform, they’ll be forced to compete purely on the kinds of things that consumers actually want them to compete on, namely, price and quality. And when networks compete on price and quality, prices will go down and quality will go up. …

read more – arstechnica – Google’s biggest announcement was not a phone, but a URL

Phone companies will actually have to adopt a sensible pricing model. Apple must “open” their products.

The phone’s not available in Canada yet.

via Tyler McGowan on twitter @tylermcgowan