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Is Windows Mobile on it’s way to the deadpool?

Earlier this week, Microsoft announced that the next major version of it’s mobile OS, Windows Mobile 7, would be delayed yet again.  When the last version of Windows Mobile was released, the world was iPhone and Android free, and the only touchscreen phones you could buy ran Palm OS or Windows Mobile and needed a stylus.  In the world of technology, that was a generation ago.  In a modern context, Windows Mobile 6.1 looks positively archaic, and before Windows Mobile 7 makes it’s way to market, it will only continue to decline comparatively.  Is Windows Mobile on the way to the Deadpool right along with PalmOS?  Find out after the jump!

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Photo of the Day: Do you really have THAT much work?

Desk overview, originally uploaded by mitch haile.

I find this one hilarious. Can’t imagine why anyone would need that much STUFF. I can do quite a bit on a 13″ Macbook screen.

Apple’s “Brick” is the solution to their last big problem

9 to 5 Mac, this weekend broke the rumor that Apple’s widely rumored “brick” project, is indeed code for a brand new factory featuring an all new manufacturing method for the upcoming all aluminum MacBooks.

According to the article:

 

The MacBook Brick is a block of high-quality, aircraft grade aluminum.  It is the beginning.

The beginning of what? 

It is the beginning of the new Apple manufacturing process to make MacBooks.   It is totally revolutionary, a game changer.  One of the biggest Apple innovations in a decade.

The MacBook manufacturing process up to this point has been outsourced to Chinese or Taiwanese manufacturers like Foxconn.  Now Apple is in charge.  The company has spent the last few years building an entirely new manufacturing process that uses lasers and jets of water to carve the MacBooks out of a brick of aluminum. 

 

I like the sound of this.  These new MacBooks would be built out of a single machined piece or “brick” of aluminum, reducing the need for screws and seams.  That’s cool, but not that important to the general consumer.   What really interests me is that the production facility is Apple’s alone.  Meaning they have much better control over the quality of the final product.

Don’t get me wrong, the idea of a perfectly laser drilled, beautifully machined notebook is nice.  And I’m sure it will positively affect the look of the hardware, but that isn’t the point.  The real positive aspect to these possible new laptops is the solution to a problem that has been bugging Apple for the past couple of years in almost all of it’s products.  Inconsistent quality control.

Even my MacBook, a device which I’ve kept as clean and gently handled as possible, has been subject to cracking problems near the magnetic latch.  It’s just simply a case of bad quality control.  As much as Steve Jobs would love to have control over the Chinese manufacturers who put together their products currently, he simply does not, and I don’t think quality is as high as he would like it to be.  To me, this looks like a move to bring as much of the production in house as possible, to ensure that the QUALITY of the finished product matches the design of the products in terms of high end appeal.

Though, with the recent downturns in Apple stock due to the collapsing market, it’s hard to tell if this was a wise position to take.  Likely the Chinese manufacturing would be less expensive, and the overhead of running a production facility with staffing will cost Apple a pretty penny.  Thankfully Apple seems to have quite a bit of cash on hand, and hopefully should be able to weather the storm well.    

Regardless, it looks more and more like October 14th will be the day we see this brand new revelation in notebook design and manufacturing.  Hopefully it will be enough to rebound the stock a bit.

Here comes the Kindle 2!

Okay dead tree readers, have I got news for you.  Boy Genius Report has just broken the story on these images of what is supposedly the brand-spankin’ new Amazon Kindle 2.  Gone is the Ugly ass version 1 design for something ever-so slightly less ugly.  Retaining the white plastic face, and now sporting a metal back, It now looks more like a giant first gen iPod with a keyboard.   It’s certainly an improvement from my perspective, though I wish the bezel around the screen weren’t so thick.  This looks pretty official, and I’d be surprised to hear that it was a fake.  So what do you think?  Is this an improvement?  Does this make you actually want to buy one?

See some more shots after the jump:

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Photo of the Day: What’s all the eggcitement about?

Today’s shot of the day is a little something funny. Don’t be afraid to break a few eggs to get a good shot! Be creative, do something different!

Will the PS4 be based on the same processor as the PS3?

Rumors have begun to spread among the major gaming sites that the upcoming successor to Sony’s Playstation 3, the aptly-named Playstation 4, will not be seeing much of an upgrade on the processor side.  In fact it may not see any bump at all, as Sony will probably simply bump the amount of RAM and the graphics chip to make for a moderate performance gain.  Is this really bad for us as consumers?

I don’t think so.  This will likely mean that the PS4 will come in as one of the cheaper of the next generation of consoles, a direct 180 degree turn from Sony’s launch of the PS3 at 600-700 dollars.  Besides that, the fact is that the processor has become less and less important in gaming, with the graphics chips taking up more of the slack.   As long as Sony puts in a GPU that is state of the art for the time that console comes out, it will undoubtedly be capable of far more than today’s PS3 is capable of.   Considering the fact that we have likely not even seen the limit of today’s consoles,  I don’t think there’s much to worry about here.

Facebook redesign capped off with new iPhone app / new homepage

Well it looks like the redesign of Facebook has made its way through the entire system now.   Visiting the website this morning will greet you with a brand spanking new homepage and login dialog that looks a little something like this:

Also, the Facebook for iPhone app was updated to version 2, and was also given a sparkling new look and a lot of new features including making it easier to search for people, improvements to the news-feed, more allowances for comments, and the fix for the strangely omitted ability to send someone a friend request from the app itself.

As someone who has enjoyed Facebook, but was not overly impressed with it’s overall design,  I have to say that altogether the new Facebook is a dramatic improvement.   Regardless of the fact that there are groups protesting the redesign,  I think eventually everyone will come to realize the fact that this is simply more organized and less cluttered than the previous iteration.  I’ve been using it since the first day it gave me the option to do so, and I would NEVER want to go back.  

In some ways, Facebook Applications had become one of the problems of Facebook, with applications making some people’s homepages 15 miles long.  Not to mention the annoyance of every one of my friends wanting to throw a sheep at me, try to turn me into a mobster, or a vampire, etc.   It had become more and more like Myspace with people’s pages being cluttered to in-usability.  

Putting the Applications on a seperate tab away from the homepage allows people like me who aren’t interested in applications, to simply focus on the social nature of Facebook, while allowing people who are interested in those things to be able to participate in them.  I think the Facebook redesign will make for a much more stable and happy community, and I’m glad to see that some social networking sites don’t rest on their laurels and continue to innovate.

You can help save Pandora!

I’ve been a big fan of the music discovery service Pandora for quite a few years now.   Unfortunately it’s starting to look like US Government legislation is getting ready to shut the service down for good.  If you’re a Pandora fan, get in touch with your local representatives to save this service!

CONGRESSIONAL EMERGENCY!!!

Listeners we need your help… NOW!

After a yearlong negotiation, Pandora, artists and record companies are finally optimistic about reaching an agreement on royalties that would save Pandora and Internet radio. But just as we’ve gotten close, large traditional broadcast radio companies have launched a covert lobbying campaign to sabotage our progress.

Yesterday, Congressman Jay Inslee, and several co-sponsors, introduced legislation to give us the extra time we need but the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), which represents radio broadcasters such as Clear Channel, has begun intensively pressuring lawmakers to kill the bill. We have just a day or two to keep this from collapsing.

This is a blatant attempt by large radio companies to suffocate the webcasting industry that is just beginning to offer an alternative to their monopoly of the airwaves.

Please call your Congressperson right now and ask them to support H.R. 7084, the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2008 - and to not capitulate to pressure from the NAB. Congress is currently working extended hours, so even calls this evening and over the weekend should get answered.

The central congressional switchboard number is: (202) 225 3121

Or to look up your representative, visit: https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml

If the phone is busy, please try again until you get through. These calls really do make a difference.

This is a fork in the road. Only massive grassroots opposition will keep us from another 50 years of top 40 radio. It’s time to take a stand and break the stranglehold of broadcast media on radio.

Thanks so much for you ongoing support.

Tim

Founder, Pandora

Photo of the Day: Trees Snow and Shadows

Today’s image is a gorgeous shot of a winter landscape with a few trees dotting the landscape. The gorgeous sky makes this photo.

And the new MacBook fake machine starts right up

Well that was fast.   Here’s the first of what looks to be many new MacBook mockups coming.   Is it real?  Don’t know for sure but I doubt it.  Not sure how functional having the dock down on a touch screen trackpad would actually be.  But hey I’m open to new ideas.  Oh and people taking pictures of secret products?  Bring better cameras to work, PLEASE!  At least 4 megapixels.  They’re cheap now, and thin!  Maybe only $100 bucks.  Oh, and make your watermark actually readable so I can give you your credit.