An open letter from Steve Jobs recently ruffled quite a few feathers. While we’re all tinkering with our new iPads and waiting patiently for the release of iPhone OS 4, let’s take a moment to ruminate on what the Grand Poobah of Apple has to say about Flash. What does it mean? And while this is an open letter, just how open is his mind?
The gist of what Jobs says is that Flash is a relic. It drains the battery of mobile devices. It’s not good for multi-touch operation. Its performance, reliability, and security are not-to-be-trusted. It’s a proprietary system. It’s an unnecessary third party layer of software that comes between the platform and the developer.
You can read the full letter, start to finish, here.
Obviously, Jobs has his motives. He scolds Adobe for their “closed system” from his glass house. He’s even garnered a surprising ally in Microsoft’s Dean Hachamovitch. He’d like us all to believe that HTML5 will prevail in the end. He’s been accused by Adobe’s CEO of attempting to create a “smokescreen” and accusations that are “patently false.”
Next up? Looks like an antitrust investigation is inevitable.
This is one of the coolest iPad apps we’ve seen so far: an interactive Alice in Wonderland e-book experience.
If this is a sign of more to come for the iPad, there’s no question that this tablet has the power to reinvent a medium. And an indication that Steve Jobs, too, possibly dreams up to six impossible things before breakfast.
An app that helps guys “get lucky” with 24 different types of women had Pepsi serving up a mea cola yesterday, but consumers aren’t buying it.
The app, released to promote Pepsi’s AMP energy drink, presents guys with 24 types of girls, including such clichés as “Rebound Girl,” “Women’s Studies Major,” “Cougar,” and “Twins.” The app assures guys that it will be a “roadmap to success with your favorite kinds of women,” lets them create “Brag Lists” of girls they’ve gotten lucky with, and even encourages them to flaunt their conquests via social networking.
Pepsi’s half-hearted apology has left many customers cold and even instigating a boycott of Pepsi goods.
Let’s hope the men out there are scoring with this app, because Pepsi sure isn’t.
It may be the unofficial end of summer (Happy Labor Day everyone!) but Augmented Reality is a tech topic that’s only getting hotter. We’re tripping over stories about new AR applications everywhere we look, but here are a few of our favorites of late:
TechCrunch just covered the latest in augmented reality browsers for mobile phones, including panoramic and bird’s eye zooming. Watch your back, Safari—looks like you’re in danger of becoming tragically unhip.
BMW has channeled AR technology in a crazy innovative way: augmented reality glasses that offer step-by-step audio and visual instructions for repairs. Can AR take the labor out of costly auto repairs? The parts will still get ya.
Everyone was talking about the Yelp augmented reality app that snuck through app store approval recently, including us.
Apparently Apple was unawares that Yelp had snuck in a feature to it’s iPhone app that essentially shows you in real time through your iPhone 3gs video camera Yelp ratings of establishments you point your camera at… Demo’d by Mashable here:
It’s an unofficial “easter egg” activated by shaking the phone thrice when in the Yelp app, and it’s pretty darn cool.
There’s been much talk recently about Apple’s approval process for its App Store. Many have attacked the apparent irregularity with which Apple either approves or denies submitted apps. Or, in some cases, approves then yanks them.
Apple has stayed mum on the subject, offering little to no explanation on the process—until recently. With a little nudging from the FCC, Apple was forced to explain the reasoning behind the rejection of Google Voice. Apple’s response on Friday went a little like this:
“Contrary to published reports, Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application, and continues to study it. The application has not been approved because, as submitted for review, it appears to alter the iPhone’s distinctive user experience by replacing the iPhone’s core mobile telephone functionality and Apple user interface with its own user interface for telephone calls, text messaging and voicemail.”
Read more about the Apple app approval saga here, here, and here. Really, can we squeeze in any more words that start with “app”?
Pre-Columbian archaeologists and “Legend of Zelda” aficionados out there will know what an Ocarina is, but our great grandchildren, dressed in their all tin-foil jumpsuits, will only know this version of the ancient instrument:
