On the eve of the highly anticipated autumn Apple event, rumors about what may or may not be announced are swirling around the Internet in full-force. One of the more interesting “coulda woulda maybes” is the addition of a rental service for apps.
It likely comes as no surprise to hear that the relationship between Facebook and Apple isn’t exactly a match made in heaven. Rumor has it that the relationship is actually worse than we all thought. While Apple still waits for a dedicated and native Facebook app for the iPad, it turns out that WebOS already had one.
We’re told that Steve Jobs had gone out of his way to visit Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to discuss the issue, though we all know that the former Apple CEO isn’t well known for his calm and understanding demeanor.
A few days after announcing a considerable price reduction for their PlayBook tablet, RIM is insisting that the rumors of the device’s death are “pure fiction”.
It appears that a 10.1″ Kindle Fire tablet isn’t far off on the horizon, which should be excellent news for those of you excited about the new Amazon branded devices. With all signs pointing to Foxconn Electronics as the likely producer, rumors indicate the larger format device will be available as early as the 2011 holiday season. This seems really surprising given that we’re on the eve of October, but we all know how quickly wheels can spin when required!
Foxconn Electronics has a long-term existing relationship with Amazon, having produced a considerable number of their earlier generation Kindle tablets. It has been reported that the company chose not to participate in the production of the first Kindle Fire 7″ units as they were already consumed with iPad production commitments.
The Wall Street Journal reported that, after a federal court hearing in Sydney on Friday, Samsung Electronics’ lawyer, David Catterns told Dow Jones Newswires that the company has offered a deal to Apple Inc. on a patent concerning tablet designs that would allow the Galaxy Tab 10.1 to be sold in Australia. Apple’s lawyer Steven Burley said the company needed time to time to consider the proposal.
Facebook has a major product announcement and release in the works, and it could come as early as next Monday. What is Facebook coming out with? Well, the long awaited Facebook for iPad app, for one. According to TechCrunch’s sources, the app is finished and ready to go.
That’s not all, though. Facebook is also planning a release of its HTML5 app that’s been quietly in development for quite some time. The app, codenamed Project Spartan, is a total revamp of Facebook Mobile, allowing for both apps and games to be accessed on your iDevices.
I have been a software developer for more years than I care to admit, and like any programmer I have had to make decisions on which platforms to support and which to avoid. There are countless options and really, none of them are wrong. At least not in theory. I have long since believed that standardization and in many cases, corporate interest, can offer stability and profitability that can’t otherwise be recognized.
In many ways I believe our thirst for anywhere anytime access to anything and everything has tried to force ‘the web’ into becoming something that it isn’t. The web connects us and keeps us in touch. The web delivers news and lets us shop from the comfort of our couches. But we seem to have forgotten that nobody owns the web. No single organization regulates it. It is a group-effort at best and requires a lot of cooperation, string and duct tape to ensure that the lights stay on.
At a hearing in Australia on Monday, a judge considered granting a “brief” injunction against Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 in order to give her more time to consider arguments from both parties, even though the company has agreed to delay sales in the county pending the Court’s decision.
A Lawyer for Samsung stated that a temporary injunction would be taking things too far since the dispute may not be resolved until “well into next year,” but an attorney for Apple claimed that the company would be ready to go to trial next week if expedited proceedings were to take place. The judge in this case recommended that both parties expedite their patent infringement trial to resolve the problem.
Somewhere along the line, Facebook stopped being just another web site where you could share a few pictures and poke a few old friends. They really defined the concept of social networking sites in ways that others had tried and failed before them (think MySpace). Certainly with over 800 million subscribers (with 1 billion being projected by the end of October) they can boast being a success. But that is all old news. What next?
The next Amazon event is just a few sleeps away and is expected to deliver the official release of the Amazon Kindle tablet. Backed by the brand-power and recognition Amazon can offer, this new tablet is expected to be one of the first serious contenders to the iPad.
With a price rumored around $170 USD, this device may be hard to resist for those of you who haven’t yet taken the plunge into tablet ownership.
Brookstone, known for selling a plethora of electronic devices, has released the Rover App-Controlled Spy Tank. The tank will allow kids and adults alike to zoom around the house or the office to spy on friends, family, and co-workers.
Want to find out what mom’s planning to get you for Christmas? Wondering what the co-workers talk about when you’re not around? Drive the spy tank somewhere inconspicuous with your iPhone or iPad and find out.
According to the New York Times, a survey released by the Tech and I.T. market research firm Forrester Research notes that corporations are changing their long-standing policies, so that more employees now have a say in the type of technology they use in the work place.
Ted Schadler, an analyst with Forrester Research, “What broke the camel’s back was the iPad, because executives brought it into the company and said ‘Hey, you’ve got to support this.’ ”
The Financial Times has recently reported that its own, web-based mobile portal is much more popular than the iOS app that the company pulled from the App Store in August. The company also claims that the web-based app gets three times as many page views as the regular website itself.
The Financial Times now boasts 700,000 subscribers, a gain of approximately 95,000 from last year, through a web-based app that the company developed that acts just like an iOS app. By visiting a special URL from your iPhone or iPad’s mobile browser, you can add the site to your home screen, creating an icon that is indistinguishable from what you would download from the App Store.
The results are in from the latest Millennial Media Report showing trends that you may have been able to predict. Games remain at the top of the most popular app categories while mobile social media apps gave up their second place seat to the increasing popularity of music and entertainment options (showing a growth of 13% month-over-month).
Intuit debuted a number of new mobile initiatives to more than 200 guests at their September 21 Innovation Gallery Walk event, including two new apps designed to improve the doctor-patient relationship. These new solutions represent a movement toward improved healthcare provision through the use of mobile technology.
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