My initial reaction to seeing the first tweet was ‘wow, Salinger was still alive?’ then, ‘frak I need to download Catcher in the Rye!’. The convergence of the past and the future present in one thought, of course, made me think: with the birth of the iPad came the symbolic death of the page.

lialia:

So earlier today I signed on Tumblr to do something fresh like like post a picture of a maxi pad and be like, “yo I already got my iPad, son!” until I realized that of course, the entire Internet had already beat me to it.

In any case, GC brought a tablet PC home not that long ago and I’ve been playing around on it ever since. From what I can tell, this computer does everything and more than what the iPad promises to do, minus the extra fees. The only major difference from what I can tell is the ability to type on the touch screen which would be nice to have on the PC. Am I missing something else major here? Why, exactly, is this a gamechanger?

Here’re my thoughts on why I’m absolutely floored (in the good way) by the iPad:

1. iPhone OS - The “desktop metaphor” for computing is two and a half decades old now. While it works, it’s clunky as all hell and incredibly limiting. There are better ways, the iPhone interface is one of them. It’s an incredibly elegant and intuitive interface. Touchscreen abilities mean the UI can be customized to fit the program instead of having to graft standardized UI elements on top of a desktop metaphor. Imagine using Final Cut Pro or photoshop with sliders and wheels customized for that program’s functionality. Imagine no more keyboard shortcuts to do what a simple slider could. This is the first step towards that; buttons that are only there when you need them and infinitely customizable for any and all given computing scenarios - but that only works when you begin to break away from the desktop/folders/tiered metaphor for computing.
2. It’s a better laptop for what I do, than a laptop. I use my laptop now for mobile computing. 99% of the time it’s email, Word, Calendar, Keynote, presentations, and the Web. This does all of that. The better part comes because A) it’s 1/3 the weight, and B) I don’t have to search for a wi-fi hotspot anymore.
3. It’s a better netbook without the sacrifices. Granted, storage is an issue, but it’s not meant to be your only computer (like a netbook.) Netbooks are small and cramped, in an effort to be lightweight. This has a larger screen, weighs less, and does more.
4. I don’t care about the ebooks bit (I have a Kindle) but would absolutely get the LA Times and WSJ newspapers on this. Books are better on e-ink. Newspapers could kill on this. The layout translates, and you interact with them in an incredibly familiar way: click on the article to read more/go to the page it continues on.
5. 3G is huge for me. I hate trying to find a wifi spot when I need to type a longer email. The add-on cards cost more than the 30 bucks offered here. Sometimes a lot more. Finally a true “anywhere” computing device.
6. 10 hours of HD video is astounding. I might use that, I might not, but if they’re getting 10 hours decoding H.264 video, I can only imagine that a day or two charge with the above normal computing is not out of the ordinary.
7. I don’t care about a camera, I guess some people do. I have a camera in my phone, a DSLR, and I don’t do a lot of videoconferencing. Some people do, that’s fine.

So essentially it’s everything my current laptop is, but more efficient, smaller, lighter, and faster. Throw in a bluetooth keyboard and it’s a portable office for me, since I was already planning on getting a larger workhorse machine for FCP/CS4/video/whatever else. Apple gave me the perfect machine for my lifestyle and exactly what I need and want in a portable - albeit secondary - computing device.

Motorola’s going a long way to make sure Gartner’s “2nd largest mobile OS in 2012” prediction comes true.

mikehudack:

soupsoup:

(via go)

If you build it, they will come.

Google and Palm built it, and they did not come.

I was just reading this article, the whole thing is a really fascinating read for anyone considering getting into the mobile app market (and getting me to completely re-evaluate my Android plans.)

lizlet:

In which I am mean and call people names. RT @NewTeeVee: Whose Fault Is It that OK Go Isn’t Going Viral? http://bit.ly/7D1xAr

Reblogging because this is a fantastic piece of evidence about how the nature of virality and the concept of an “information generation” totally eludes many mainstream (and pseudo-mainstream) entities. Liz absolutely nails it here.

I don’t think we’re going to hear about a CDMA iPhone for Verizon this year. Next year, maybe even in January, but not this year. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love a Verizon iPhone, but I just don’t see it happening until 2011.

I think the talks that Apple and Verizon were having were for an exclusive contract with the iSlate or whatever Apple’s tablet will end up being called for a persistent 3G connection. Apple realizes that Wifi has limits that Verizon’s network can fill. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a hardware subsidy, but I don’t see it being a Kinde-esque free Whispernet sort of deal - I think you’re gonna have to pay for it.

But if the theory is that most laptop use is web browsing, reading, email, and video, then a lightweight, slate-like tablet with a 10-12” touchscreen interface and a notebook GPU can cover all of that while still getting pretty stellar battery life. Add in an app store and enough SSD storage and you’ve got a very groundbreaking product on your hands. think if that’s what the come out with, and it’s $599 or lower, they’ll fire a significant shot across the netbook bow. It’ll essentially be the best of both the laptop and iphone worlds (minus the phone part) without having to deal with the tiny screens and tinier keyboards that netbooks require. Change the form factor and you can change the whole experience for the positive.

Just because “social networking” is cool doesn’t mean you now need to incorporate it into every consumer electronics device you’re shipping. Yes, a good portion of my business and personal life is spent engaging with others online, but that doesn’t meant I want to be around everyone I know all the time. Sometimes - and I know this is hard to believe - I’m even doing other things for the sole and specific purpose of stepping away from being connected.

For example, I don’t need to have Twitter or Facebook on my ebook reader. It’s a solitary activity that I don’t want or need interrupted; adding SN features makes it the electronic equivalent of a built-in annoying “That Guy” at the coffeeshop who asks constant questions about the book that you were actively reading just moments ago.

“Do you like it?” he or she (or your ebook reader) asks, seemingly unaware that since you’re in the middle of it, any opinion you give will be unformed and still malleable.

“I’ve been meaning to check that out,” he or she (or your ebook reader) says, trying to affect an air of culture after mispronouncing the author’s name and ordering a coffee that has more syllables than the title of your book.

So congratulations, you’ve just created a device whose sole additional selling point is “it’s now easier to annoy you when you’re trying to block out humanity and shut out the world around you.”

I’m also looking at every TV manufacturer displaying their “networked, socially-aware, ultra-thin, 3D television” this year. Excellent; thank you, you assholes.

The best of all possible scenarios is that people can make now fun of me in real-time when I tear up as Sam runs through the airport after Joanna in Love Actually.

The worse scenario (and I’m sure the one that will happen) is that now watching a movie on your couch will be the home version of that time you couldn’t get those five frat guys behind you to shut the fuck up during Return Of The King.

Or, better stated, for anyone who’s ever played on Xbox Live: imagine that same crowd talking nonstop during a movie.

“Who’s the elf faggot?” they’ll shout and laugh.

“Hey what kind of pussy wants to watch this bullshit?” they’ll ask the vast swaths of the internet, content in their pseudo-anonymity and bored of masturbation.

“Hey Barrett, I can’t believe you’ve spent the past hour youtubing recap videos of So You Think You Can Dance. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyy…”

So to every CES presenter this year: I love social media, I really do. It’s provided me with hours of entertainment, satisfaction, enhanced friendships, and even paid my bills for the past six months. I just don’t need it involved in everything I do, because - present company excepted, of course - people as a general rule are complete bastards.

mikehudack:

spytap:

mikehudack:

ihatemornings:

As far as the internet is concerned, the lip dubs are more interesting than the original videos. And loads of people are watching the videos, remembering or discovering the bands and associating that experience with fun, positive feelings. Sounds like great marketing for Capitol’s bands to me. I guess they don’t agree.

For better or worse it’s up to them.

I think what Mike’s trying to say is that there’s a difference between legality and stupidity (not in those words of course - Mike tends to be far more tactful than I ever manage.) Legally, they’re within their rights. It’s not the smartest move; and proves that despite advances into the modern world they still don’t understand the culture of the social internet let alone how to really take advantage of it from either a marketing or a monetization standpoint. But legally, they’re within their rights.

Not only within their rights. Within yours too. If you deny them this right you deny yourself this right.

Well I guarantee that any music I make would only be enhanced by someone else’s mug (and voice) as opposed to mine so I’m all in favor of lipdubbing (and vocaldubbing, and mugdubbing as the case may be) anything that comes out of this guy right here.

But that being said, I understand your point and wasn’t trying to imply otherwise.  I just file this under “Business Decisions That I Would Do Differently,” which is a category that could now consist of several large accordion folders worth of material.

Hell, I could devote an entire file to “Fox Television Mistakes that I would do differently,” and two or three to “For The Love Of God Stop Giving Brett Ratner Your Money.”

mikehudack:

ihatemornings:

As far as the internet is concerned, the lip dubs are more interesting than the original videos. And loads of people are watching the videos, remembering or discovering the bands and associating that experience with fun, positive feelings. Sounds like great marketing for Capitol’s bands to me. I guess they don’t agree.

For better or worse it’s up to them.

I think what Mike’s trying to say is that there’s a difference between legality and stupidity (not in those words of course - Mike tends to be far more tactful than I ever manage.) Legally, they’re within their rights. It’s not the smartest move; and proves that despite advances into the modern world they still don’t understand the culture of the social internet let alone how to really take advantage of it from either a marketing or a monetization standpoint. But legally, they’re within their rights.

Of course, I might just be transposing my opinion with his words.

This is the new wild west.

Android Market grows up, hits 20,000 apps milestone

I say that since they so want the be an active participant in the information that flows through their system, they should no longer be granted immunity under the Communications Decency Act for the content of that information. Their original argument for the granting of immunity was that it would be impossible to monitor all the data - the process of impeding certain traffic implies a certain amount of monitoring of that traffic.

Thus, I believe that if their “freedom of expression’ argument is found to be valid, that Time Warner Cable should be held liable for any consequences when I say that I read over their internet service that Glenn Beck raped and killed a girl in 1990.

Really I think it’s all bullshit, but if they’re going to make what amount of obviously ridiculous arguments, then I think they should be held to the strictest interpretations of the consequences of those ridiculous arguments.