Category: iPhone

President Barack Obama Warns Against iPods, iPads, PS3, and Xbox

Addressing graduating students at Hampton University, President Barack Obama warned the crowd about the perils of devices like the Apple iPod and iPad, Sony PlayStation 3, and Microsoft Xbox 360 while admitting that he didn’t know how to use any of them. In stead of empowering people with information, modern entertainment devices distract them. The American President said:

With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations, — none of which I know how to work — information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation.

I actually think he has a valid point. Obviously gaming consoles are entertainment devices that are meant to distract you from the real world, but I am completely guilty of using my PC, iPhone, etc. to absorb loads of useless information. Sites like IMDB and Wikipedia have made the quest for trivial pursuits even more engrossing. While a lot of people are hating on Obama for being anti-fun, I actually stand by the President on this one.

What do you think? Do today’s electronics make information more of a distraction than an empowering asset? Or does the President just hate videogame consoles and iPads? Does anyone else find it alarming that the most powerful man in the free world doesn’t know how to use an iPod (*kidding*)?

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Coffee Talk #141: Who is Nintendo’s Rival?

Batman vs. The Joker, Goku vs. Vegeta, Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates, Ash Ketchum vs. Gary Oak — these are all examples of classic rivalries that will be waged until the end of time. Should Apple vs. Nintendo be added to that list? According to The Times Nintendo no longer views Microsoft and Sony as its primary competition. Instead, it sees Apple as the biggest threat:

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Paul Daley’s awesome sucker punch at UFC 113, Paul Williams and Kermit Cintron reenacting the WWE Royal Rumble, or the brilliance of Intelligentsia’s Los Inmortales El Salvador Finca Matalapa Guayabo, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Batman vs. The Joker, Goku vs. Vegeta, Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates, Ash Ketchum vs. Gary Oak — these are all examples of classic rivalries that will be waged until the end of time. Should Apple vs. Nintendo be added to that list? According to The Times Nintendo no longer views Microsoft and Sony as its primary competition. Instead, it sees Apple as the biggest threat:

Satoru Iwata, the Nintendo president, is understood to have told his senior executives recently to regard the battle with Sony as a victory already won and to treat Apple, and its iPhone and iPad devices, as the “enemy of the future”.

Those comments are a stark contrast from Iwata’s previous statements. In the past he dismissed Apple as competition and brushed off the iPad as just a big iPod. (I wonder why nobody asked, “Then what the hell is the DSi XL?”)

While I think Apple and Nintendo do compete, the overlap isn’t 100 percent. Obviously the Nintendo DS reaches a younger audience than the iPhone, while Apple’s products reach an older audience. (If you’re a parent that has armed your child with a 32GB iPhone then kindly smash your head on a brick wall seven times.) Still, I can’t see Nintendo dismissing Sony like that. Sony has ruled the console world before and all it takes is one great product backed by great marketing to take it back.

What do you think of these provocative comments? Has Nintendo passed Microsoft and Sony by? If so, is Apple really its primary rival? If not, is it foolish to dismiss competitors that could swiftly strike back? I miss having a rival! I’m going to go find bleahy and hit him.

AT&T iPhone Exclusivity Extended Thanks to iPad Deal?

To borrow The Rock’s schtick, the millions — and millions — of people wishing for an Apple iPhone on Verizon will have to wait a little longer. At least that’s the word according to BroadPoint AmTech analyst Brian Marshall. According to him, AT&T’s flexibility on iPad data plans has extended the company’s time as the exclusive iPhone carrier in America. He told ComputerWorld:

For that pricing [on the iPad], AT&T was able to negotiate a six-month extension on the iPhone exclusive.

If Marshall is correct, that’s brilliant news for AT&T and crappy news for the rest of the country (I’m exaggerating). The speculation was that Verizon was gunning hard for an LTE iPhone to help kick off the launch of its 4G LTE network in Q4 2010. The buzz on that scenario has been dying. Now kindly excuse me as I go weep on my pillow.

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Cupidtino: A Dating Service for Apple Fanboys and Fangirls

Wow…and I thought GameCrush was stupid. Starting this June, Apple fanboys and fangirls will have a dating service to call their own: Cupidtino.com. Here’s the company’s mission statement:

Cupidtino is a beautiful new dating site created for fans of Apple products by fans of Apple products! Why? Diehard Mac & Apple fans often have a lot in common — personalities, creative professions, a similar sense of style and aesthetics, taste, and of course a love for technology. We believe these are enough reasons for two people to meet and fall in love, and so we created the first Mac-inspired dating site to help you find other Machearts around you.

Cupidtino will launch in June 2010 exclusively on Apple platforms — Safari, iPhone and iPad apps. It’s time to share the love.

I swear, I’m not making this up. Someone actually thinks that Apple fans need their own dating service. I might try it out, but not on the company’s exclusive platform. I would visit the site on a Windows 7 PC running Chrome or a Google Android phone. Just kidding.

What do you think of the service? Will it find a sizable audience? Or is it too niche? How do you think it compares to GameCrush? On one hand, it’s not guys paying to play games with girls. On the other hand…it just sounds like a remarkably stupid idea. Leave a comment and take this poll please!

[poll id=”40″]

Source via TechCrunch

Steve Jobs = Tony Stark and Bill Gates = Justin Hammer?!?

According to Sam Rockwell (via Newsarama), who plays arms dealer Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2, the relationship between Hammer and protagonist Tony Stark is similar to the relationship between Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Apple’s Steve Jobs. The portrayal isn’t subtle according to one moviegoer. TechCrunch reader Laureana Varisco Bonaparte wrote:

I just came from watching IM2, and the whole Stark=Jobs, Hammer=Gates is NOT subtle. The relationship as the public sees it, is right there. Hammer is Bill with better hair. And Tony Stark is………. the movie starts with him giving a keynote speech on a Stark expo. Should I say more? And RDJr’s facial hair makes him resemble Jobs even more (it makes his face look slimmer). It’s pretty cool and almost distractive.

I don’t know about this one. The “evil” of Bill Gates is completely overblown. Hell, it’s not even relevant these days as he spends most of his time — and an incredible amount of money — on philanthropic ventures. Considering the millions Bill and Melinda Gates have spent on charity, comparing Bill to a maniacal arms dealer is just ridiculous.

What do you think of the comparison?

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Apple iPad 3G on Sale Today

Here’s a reminder that the Apple iPad 3G — you know, the one with the mobile chip for AT&T’s 3G “service” — is available today. It’s priced at $629/$729/$829 for the 16/32/64GB versions. Unlimited service costs $30 a month, which is actually a pretty good deal.

I’m so tempted by this device. I already know it would rule for entertainment, but I’m pretty sure I could use it as an effective blogging tool. That said, the next iPhone — with its camera and video capabilities — would probably be more useful…but not as much fun…and with a more expensive service plan. Decisions, decisions.

Are any of you intersted in the iPad 3G?

iPhone Gate Continues: Meet Brian Hogan, Prototype “Finder”

The cast of characters in the iPhone HD/4G saga keeps growing! By now you’re already familiar with Gray Powell, the Apple employee that lost the iPhone prototype. You’ve been dazzled by the adventures of Jason Chen, the Gizmodo editor that had his domicile raided by the police. Now it’s time to meet Brian Hogan, the dude that “found” the iPhone of fate. Wired revealed the gentleman’s identity and provided more details on Hulk Hogan’s nephew (he’s not really Hulk Hogan’s nephew):

According to the statement from his lawyer, Hogan was in the bar with friends when another patron handed him the phone after finding it on a nearby stool. The patron asked Hogan if the phone belonged to him, and then left the bar. Hogan asked others sitting nearby if the phone belonged to them, and when no one claimed it, he and his friends left the bar with the device.

A friend of Hogan’s then offered to call Apple Care on Hogan’s behalf, according to Hogan’s lawyer. That apparently was the extent of Hogan’s efforts to return the phone.

There you have it! Brian Hogan adds a new dimension to this sordid affair.

Seriously though, are you sick and tired of the iPhone HD scandal? Or are you still interested to see how it plays out? Personally, I wish it had a TiVo-like function, allowing me to fast forward to the end.

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Steve Jobs Posts 1,600-Word Rant on Adobe Flash

Apple has posted a lengthy rant — allegedly written by Steve Jobs (*wink* *wink*) — on its stance against using Adobe Flash on its mobile products. Some of it makes sense and some of it is definitely spin, but it’s all surprisingly entertaining. Adobe has been a valuable partner to Apple over the years, but the companies are on the verge of becoming “frenemies” due to Flash being blocked from iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.

Jobs (and probably several contributors) is against Flash since it’s proprietary, it isn’t necessary for the “full web” experience, it compromises security, it kills battery life, it doesn’t work with the touch experience, and isn’t optimized for Apple’s mobile products. Here are some of my favorite bits from the essay.

Besides the fact that Flash is closed and proprietary, has major technical drawbacks, and doesn’t support touch based devices, there is an even more important reason we do not allow Flash on iPhones, iPods and iPads. We have discussed the downsides of using Flash to play video and interactive content from websites, but Adobe also wants developers to adopt Flash to create apps that run on our mobile devices.

And also:

Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice. Flash is a successful business for Adobe, and we can understand why they want to push it beyond PCs. But the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards – all areas where Flash falls short.

What are you thoughts on his supreme royal high emperor Steve Jobs’ Flash rant?

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Appholes: Jon Stewart Weighs in on Apple vs. Gawker/Gizmodo

Jon Stewart addressed the iPhone HD (4G) controversy on The Daily Show in a clip dubbed “Appholes”. He did a good job summarizing all the events that have transpired and pointing how ridiculous the situation has become. He pointed out how Apple used to be the rebellious company that aimed to overthrow big brother and its recent actions have made it seem like “the man”. Here’s a funny quote from his rant:

Now you guys are busting down doors in Palo Alto while Commandant Gates is ridding the world of mosquitos. What the hell is going on?!?

Naturally, I loved his jab at AT&T:

If you want to break down someone’s door, why don’t you start with AT&T? For God’s sakes! They make your amazing phone unusable as a phone!!!

While I don’t agree with all of his opinions on the matter (I believe Gizmodo crossed a sketchy line), Stewart’s rant rules. Check out the video and let me know you think (please)!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Appholes
www.thedailyshow.com
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iPhone Gate Update: Mystery Finder Possibly Tracked by Apple

The iPhone 4/HD scandal keeps getting more…well…scandalous! Yesterday I told you that the California Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team raided Gizmodo editor Jason Chen’s home and seized his computers. Today Wired has reported that folks that claimed to be representing Apple showed up at the iPhone finder’s home:

People identifying themselves as representing Apple last week visited and sought permission to search the Silicon Valley address of the college-age man who came into possession of a next-generation iPhone prototype, according to a person involved with the find.

“Someone came to [the finder’s] house and knocked on his door,” the source told Wired.com, speaking on condition of anonymity because the case is under investigation by the police. A roommate answered, but wouldn’t let them in.

I’m surprised that Steve Jobs didn’t have the kid vaporized with a laser from one of his personal satellites. Seriously though, I’m sure the mystery “finder” is going to go down hard. I’m fairly certain that Gawker will have to spend a lot of money in a lengthy legal battle with Apple that will eventually get settled out of court. As for Gray Powell (the guy that lost the phone)…I feel bad for him. Reports are that he hasn’t been fired yet, but I can’t imagine him lasting long at Apple. After that, he could become a Silicon Valley pariah…or the newest cast member of Jersey Shore.

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