DanJ01

I can haz hypospray?

EDIT:

Marketly sent takedowns to Google asking it to remove a number of links from its search results that let back to XBox 360 games

All the numbers in the world can’t overcome Fugly

I think he has publicly denied the paying himself off thing. If it comes to light that he did actually use loan money to buy out his personal investment before going delinquent on loan payments and payroll I think there would be some legal problems for him.

It’s like webOS, but the actual core OS isn’t my cup of tea either.

That’s exactly how I feel. After webOS, I have tried iOS and WP7, and Windows Phone has that exact same “just one more update away” vibe in the community, but the current iteration also isn’t good. Where webOS delivered on core strengths while always seeming one update away from ironing out the kinks, Windows Phone seems like its has great ideas behind it that I hear about, and can see the basis for, but aren’t even usable core strengths right now.

k, bye

I don’t think that the iphone design is at the same point that the macbook pro design is. While I think there is more that could be done with a laptop design than the macbook pro does, it is really good for apple, and there just isn’t much more good that could be done without an internal hardware change (like we should be getting soon).

The iphone however, is not there in my opinion. I think the design is somewhat ugly, especially with the asymmetric antenna bands on the 4. The hard edges of the metal and glass also make it uncomfortable to hold for extended periods, especially when gripping tightly, like when playing a game. And the front and back glass are quite easy to crack.

The macbook pro is at a point where aesthetics, ergonomics, and build quality can’t really be asked to do much more. But the iPhone still has some work to do before it gets there.

I agree! I’m quite fascinated by this experiment.

In many ways, I wish I had the ability to do such an experiment myself, but my work requires heavy use of the internet. So I am interested to live vicariously through Paul for this experiment, and see how it works out. In my head, I imagine I would find most things refreshing and a nice break, like Paul has mentioned earlier. However, I think that not having current news would be the biggest thing that would really bother me.

These trailers have been great. Such a Naughty Dog fan – can’t wait!

ba-dum-cha

Yes. So does every other store on the face of this planet. Or do you think Walmart makes no money off selling other companies’ products and that those companies have a right to sell their wares in Walmart’s stores?

No, I’m not saying get rid of curated app stores. I’m saying in addition to them, also allow developers and customers to have the same interactions that they have had since personal computers began.

There is no need to make an analogy to walmart. We have already had two decades of software development on windows and mac os and linux that did not follow this model, and allowed developers to do independent distribution and payment processing. Take a 30% cut, and dictate your companies morals to developers when they choose to go through your store, but also allow them to choose not to sell through your store if they don’t want to.

Yea, I totally agree. If OEM’s were doing something that I thought was adding value, and was improving stock android, I would be happy with it; but, now it really feels like just a mad grab at differentiation without real effort or thought into making real improvements. I think that sense made real UI improvements when it was first released, and adroid was at that time super fugly, but now with Matias and 4.0, that just isn’t the case any more. So I would love to have an OEM plant a flag in the ground and say they are committed to stock android, and quick and consistent upgrades to new versions as they are released. To me, that commitment would add more value than any of the current skins.

haha, I do enjoy the high school analogy.

I don’t think your correct about the development time vs. approval time though. Sony has specifically said before that they toned down their UI skin, and tried to make as much as possible into widgets and apps, specifically because having to do UI development on top of stock android was taking too long, and they wanted to shorten the time for releasing new versions. I believe I have also heard HTC say, or at least strongly hint, that certain devices would not be getting updates because they did not want to spend resources developing sense for that new release. I’m not 100% sure about the breakdown of time commitment, but I do think developing skins for the new versions is the biggest thing. Also, if you look at.

Well I do. It’s not like there is inherent cost to Microsoft when someone puts an app on Windows. If a company is big enough that they can afford to build out their own payment processing and distribution service, than they should be able to simply have customers come to their portal and download the program directly.

In addition to a free market argument, I would also make a private property argument. The way in which software companies are using T&C’s and EULA’s to dictate how customers can use products that they have purchased is getting to a very murky area now. I mean, if you pay money for a computer or a phone, what right does Apple or Microsoft have to tell you what you can or can’t do with that product after it is yours? If you want to provide a curated app store that is great, but just do something similar to andoird, and allow me to go into setting and flip a switch that allows me to download and install things directly if I want that ability.

It’s a good point, and one I wasn’t considering much. However, I think you nailed it on the last sentence, and even with an interest in creating a full ecosystem, I would imagine most of that could be done with apps that run on top of stock android.

There is some cool stuff like toch to share, or something similar to Apple airplay that could be interesting, and if it was that level of integration, I would welcome some alteration on the OS level to do that.

Are you saying you don’t see stock android as different from the rest of the market that is skinned? I’d be interested to hear why if that is the case.

And there’s no law that says Apple must allow third party app stores to exist on their devices

My main point is that I think this should be a law. Even if there is not an existing anti-trust law that could apply to the curated app store model (I am talking the model, not the iOS App Store in particular), I think that today, software is just too important to allow a couple OS makers the ability to dictate the software market so completely.

If you make an OS that allows 3rd party development, you are making a software market into itself, and that market should be free.

As to your specific points -

1. iOS does not hold a monopoly anywhere.

iOS holds a monopoly on the tablet market. And as I said before, I don’t think it is reasonable to combine the software market of an operating system with the operating system’s place in the larger market. If you create an OS with 3rd party development, that OS is a market itself.

2. Monopolies aren’t illegal. Abusing those monopolies are.

Apple / Microsoft take 30% of all profit, and dictate what apps are allowed and what are not allowed, and hold the right not to have to explain their decisions. How is that not abusing their influence over that software market?

I use the Sparrow Push tweak that is available for jailbroken iPhones. It’s a tiny tweak that works great. Get badges and notifications just like you would expect.

Obviously you have to jailbreak your phone to do it, but email is the biggest thing I do with the phone, so worth it just for that alone to me.

Let’s hope this starts a hard look at the App Store only model in general. It is a scary thought to see all OS’s in the future being subject to one software channel that is completely controlled by the OS maker. This practice needs to come to an end everywhere.

I don’t understand why most mockups make the phone entirely made out of metal. Even with the liquidmetal rumors, this still wouldn’t happen. There is a reason there was a large piece of plastic on the first iPhone, and a strip of plastic on the iPad – metal blocks RF transmissions, and wouldn’t allow the phone to function. Even with external antenna’s like the iPhone 4/s you would still need seams around what parts are different antennae.

I definitely agree with most of your points. I think that the PSN store needs a COMPLETE overhaul, from UI, the purchasing process, the downloading/install process, everything. And the PSN download servers are way too slow.

However, just for future information, single player games can always be played instantly via the disk. If you have the disk, you can connect to get patches or system updates, but you can also just choose not to update anything, and just play.

I also generally disagree with your comparison to PC. Steam might have simultaneous download/install, but many other independent distribution channels still have a two step process. And PC’s have more updates and things to worry about than the PS3. Between windows system updates, driver updates, game patches, and DRM requirements to be always connected even for single player games, the pain of getting a seldom used gaming PC up and running a new game can be just as, if not more, troublesome than a PS3 or XBox.