• blackberry,  blackberry os,  rim

    RIM Executive in Denial

    July 4, 2012 /

    The public flame out of a smartphone company is never easy to bare, but at least RIM CEO Thorsten Heins is trying to keep us entertained.

    The BlackBerry making chief was quoted as saying “There’s nothing wrong with the company as it exists right now,” in a recent interview with Canadian Broadcasting Corp’s Metro Morning show.
    Uh…ya.  Hilarious.
    RIM’s stock value has dropped something like 70-75% in value since the beginning of 2012.  2012!!  Adding insult to injury, there have been departures from the executive wing, layoffs coming for some 5,000 employees, 6-day work weeks and restricted summer vacations for the remaining employees, and RIM’s golden egg, a new iPhone-like BlackBerry running the newly rewritten BlackBerry OS 10 won’t be ready until the first half of 2013.  (And well all know that when a tech company says ‘the first half of’ we can safely assume the very last of the first half.)  Research in Motion is the new Palm.  Anyone remember the Palm Pre and webOS 1.0 back in 2009?
    Yup, that sounds like a company that’s headed in the right direction.
    Look, I like BlackBerry hardware. I still have my Curve and Storm2.  They were good messaging devices and I get the whole “Crackberry” thing.  If RIM really wants to get some market share going, I say look to recent history to get  a new game plan.  HP’s Palm TouchPad shot up to the number 2 tablet in the US when they had a fire sale to draw down inventory.  The TouchPad, #2!!  People where lining up for HP’s ‘hot’ new little tablet and got the lines Palm always wanted for one of their devices.
    RIM is reportedly sitting on a $1 billion dollars stockpile of Blackberry smartphones and Playbook tablets.  They should start selling them at a deep discount, without cellular service contracts from the BlackBerry website.  Who knows, it could work.  I’d like to have a BlackBerry Bold with BlackBerry OS 7 and a BlackBerry Playbook in my collection.  They would be fun toys to play with.  Maybe RIM can get a temporary boost in marketshare, and more importantly, mindshare, until they can get the new BlackBerry smartphone out.  If there is no 2-year contract that I’m bound to, there is no reason why I can’t march into an AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, or T-Mobile store and buy a new BlackBerry…assuming that the top four US carriers actually picks up the new device.
    So, to recap:
    1. RIM CEO Heins is drinking too much “BlackBerry” Kool-Aid
    2. Make no mistake about it, RIM is in serious trouble
    [Photo credit: David Manning/Reuters, via The Daily]
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  • apple,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  mac,  mobileme,  windows

    MobileMe Closed Down, iWork is Next

    July 2, 2012 /
    Yesterday marked an important milestone in Apple’s cloud strategy; the shuttering of MobileMe.  The iWork website is next on the chopping block and is currently scheduled to be shutdown on July 31.

    iCloud, introduced last year along side iOS 5 is the replacement for MobileMe and iWork.  MobileMe used to be a $99/year subscription service for synchronizing all sorts of information between your Macs, PCs and iPhones.  Even though the MobileMe service is, for all intents and purposes, “closed,” subscribers can still login to the MobileMe.com website and migrate their data over to Apple’s new iCloud service.

    iWork.com was launched in 2009 as a way for  iWork ’09 users to share their iWork documents with others.  Visitors to the iWork.com website are greeted a warning banner that the service is closing down at the end of the month.  iWork.com users were also notified via email that they will need to download their documents or risk losing them.

    MobileMe has not been the shining star that Apple had hoped it would be.  In Walter Isaacson’s autobiography of the late Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs, it is recorded that Walt Mossberg’s headline regarding MobileMe was “Apple’s MobileMe Is Far TooFlawed to Be Reliable.”  Anyone who has followed Steve Jobs “second act” at Apple knows that a headline was not going to be allowed to stand. Mr. Isaacon also recounts Mr. Jobs f-bomb laced furry at the MobileMe team.

    I was never a subscriber to MobileMe, as the $99 annual price tag seemed a bit steep for an email account, cloud storage, and personal data syncing, especially since Google offered similar services for free. (And I was a Palm Pre/webOS user at the time.)

    MobileMe users can start their iCloud migration from MobileMe.com.
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  • android,  google,  hp,  touchpad,  web os

    Refurbished HP TouchPad 32GB on Sale at Walmart

    June 28, 2012 /

    Legacy Palm junkies (and I’m a card carrying member of that club) will be glad to hear that Walmart.com is carrying refurbished 32GB HP TouchPads via their online store.

    As you can see from the graphic above, the 32GB TouchPad debuted back in July 2011 at $600…wow…seems crazy now, right?  The TouchPad was a spectacular flame out going on sale for a brief six weeks before disappearing from store shelfs.

    The TouchPad ships with Palm HP webOS 3.0.x, and can be upgraded OTA to webOS 3.0.5.  However, if you are the adventurous type, Liliputing.com has an article about how to load Google’s Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.  A hack to be sure, and some things like the camera and built-in microphone may not work 100% reliably, but still cool none the less.

    I ordered my TouchPad today and should have it next week.  I was running the original Sprint edition Palm Pre all the way to the very end of webOS and HP’s Palm division.  It will be nice to have a webOS device that is functional again.  HP webOS 2.0 on the Palm Pre is just way too slow.

    Thanks to Mark for sharing the TouchPad on Walmart.com link!

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  • Uncategorized

    iOS: Working With AssistiveTouch

    June 16, 2012 /

    Meghan came home the other day asking me how to get rid of “the little circle” on the screen of her iPod Touch.  Now Meghan has started playing with the settings on her iPod learning about what it can do so I wasn’t too worried about it, until I couldn’t figure out how to turn of Assistive Touch.

    What is AssistiveTouch?
    According to the iPod touch iOS 5.1 manual, Assistive Touch is described this way:

    “AssistiveTouch helps you use iPod touch if you have difficulty touching the screen or pressing the buttons. You can use a compatible adaptive accessory (such as a joystick) together with AssistiveTouch to control iPod touch. You can also use AssistiveTouch without an accessory to perform gestures that are difficult for you.”

    So it gives you an alternative way of manipulating your iOS 5 device if you have trouble working with the buttons or on screen controls.  OK, that’s cool.

    Turning AssistiveTouch On and Off
    To turn AssistiveTouch on, head over to:
    Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > AssistiveTouch > ON or OFF

    This was the part that threw me for a loop.  On Meghan’s iPod touch, the AssistiveTouch was set to OFF, however, the “ball” at the bottom right of the screen was still there.  I got rid of it by toggling the open ON than OFF again.
    Once you turn on AssistiveTouch you can manipulate various functions of your iOS 5 device.

    You can download the iPod touch iOS 5 manual in PDF format from the Apple website.

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  • hp,  palm os,  pre,  sprint,  web os

    webOS’ Final Years Chronicled

    June 16, 2012 /

    As many of you know, I’ve always had a soft spot for Palm, Palm OS and even webOS.

    Last week, The Verge has posted a very good article on the final three years of Palm and webOS.  The article covers the period of time from the 2009 CES webOS and Pre introduction to the present as HP shuts down the webOS hardware division and pushes the webOS software out to the open source pasture.

    As a follow up to The Verge’s article, former webOS software engineer Josh Marinacci, now working for Nokia, chimes in with his observations and insider perspectives.

    If you are a webOS user or fan of Palm, you will definitely want to read both article.

    Pre to postmortem: the inside story of the death of Palm and webOS – The Verge

    webOS on The Verge – Josh on Design

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  • apple,  ios,  mac os x

    AppleSeed: Apple’s Customer Software Testing Program

    May 20, 2012 /

    Earlier today, I learned of “AppleSeed,” Apple’s customer software testing program from 9To5Mac.com.

    AppleSeed is an invitation only program where customers are selected by Apple to participate in voluntary testing of new software.  So, no, you can’t register or submit your name into a pool of applicants.  (I’ve checked the FAQs just to be sure.)

    “Apple Software Customer Seeding is a program where customers are invited to test pre-release software products in order to provide Apple Software Engineering with real-world quality and usability feedback.”

    Once you have been accepted into the software testing program, you are “strongly [urged] to test the software and [we] require your feedback. A variety of reporting tools are offered providing engineering with functional data. Failure to actively participate may disqualify you from future seeding programs.”  In other words, Apple expects you to work hard for your exclusive access to software that is still under development.

    Back in the heady days of Palm, in all of it’s variations, I was a vocal advocate in both public and private forms to urge Palm to setup such a program as a means to help squash software bugs in the Palm OS, and later, webOS software.  I’m glad to see that Apple has setup a program like AppleSeed, even if I’m not contributing to it.

    To learn more about AppleSeed, check out the Apple website.

    [Via 9To5Mac.com…]

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  • apple,  ipad,  iphone,  ipod touch

    Surprise! Apple Releases iOS 5.1.1!

    May 8, 2012 /

    I was completely unprepared for what I will call today’s surprise arrival of iOS 5.1.1.

    Available for the iPhone 4S, 4, 3GS, iPod touch 4th and 3rd generation, and all three generations of the insanely popular iPad, iOS 5.1.1 addresses the following five areas:

    • Improves the reliability of HDR photos taken from the Lock Screen shortcut
    • Addresses a bug with the new iPad (3rd generation) switching between 2G and 3G networks
    • Corrects bugs in AirPlay
    • Improves the reliability for syncing Safari bookmarks and Reading List items
    • Resolves an issue where an “Unable to purchase” alert is displayed after a successful purchase

    You can install the update in one of two ways: directly from your iOS 5.x device or by syncing your iDevice with a Mac or PC running the latest version of iTunes.

    To perform the quicker “delta” update over the air right from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, do the following:

    1. Tap the Settings icon.
    2. Tap General.
    3. Tap Software Update.
    4. Tap Download and Install.
    5. Follow the on screen directions.

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  • apple,  apple store,  genius bar,  iphone,  retail

    Genius Bars Upgrading Select White iPhone 4 Models

    April 14, 2012 /

    I just read over at 9To5Mac.com that Apple has instructed employees working the Genius Bar to upgrade select 16GB white iPhone 4 models to the newer iPhone 4S due to limited parts availability.

    “According to multiple sources, Apple has notified Apple Store Genius Bars that inventory of white iPhone 4 16GB replacements units is heavily constrained, and until further notice, stores lacking white iPhone 4 16GB replacements units should upgrade customers seeking a replacement phone to an iPhone 4S.”

    Sounds like a good deal for Apple customers who need to get their 16GB white iPhone 4 repaired.  Apple’s always been pretty good to their customers in this regard.  I had what I believed to be a battery problem with a 17-inch MacBook Pro and the good folks at a local Apple Store swapped out the battery and my T-style power brick at no cost.
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  • app store,  games,  ios,  iphone,  ipod touch

    Infinity Blade II Gets Bumped to 1.1

    April 12, 2012 /

    This morning, I woke to find that Chair has bumped Infinity Blade II to version 1.1.   Whoo-hoo!!

    NEW CONTENT PACK! Infinity Blade II: ClashMob™!

    • Jump into the all-new, globally social battle mode: ClashMob, featuring dynamic challenges that will test your strategic mettle.

    • Recruit friends and team up together in MyMob and earn special perks as well as unlock new achievements & rewards!

    • Upgrade your weapons by crafting the most powerful gems available in the all-new Gem Forge.

    • More than two dozen new weapons, magic rings, gems and equipment to collect, wield and master.
    • Fully supporting iOS 5.1, with gameplay enhancements and updates for overall optimized gameplay.

    • All for free! Infinity Blade II is now better than ever!
    For a limited time, you an buy Infinity Blade II for $4.99 from the App Store.  If you have perviously purchased Infinity Blade II, the update, as always, is free.

    Infinity Blade II is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation) and iPad.Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
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  • app store,  games,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  ipod touch

    Max Payne Mobile “Hits” iOS

    April 12, 2012 /

    Just a short while ago, Max Payne Mobile just “hit” in the US iTunes App Store for iOS devices.

    [Parental Warning: Parents, you’ll want to check out this game before you outright buy it for your kids.  It’s a violent game.]

    For those who may not remember Max Payne on the PC platform, here’s a brief summary from the App Store.

    “A fugitive undercover cop framed for murder, hunted by cops and the mob, Max is a man with his back against the wall, fighting a battle he cannot hope to win. Max Payne is a relentless story-driven game about a man on the edge, fighting to clear his name while struggling to uncover the truth about his slain family amongst a myriad of plot-twists.”

    I remember Max Payne for it’s famous “Bullet Time” gimmick.  Bullet Time became a popular game mechanic because it was similar to the slow motion bullets whizzing by Neo in “The Matrix” films.

    Max Payne Mobile is available now in the US iTunes App Store for $2.99 (App Store Link).  This universal app runs on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch 4, iPad 1, iPad 2, the new iPad.

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