PhilR8

Everything was clear. I had no problem understanding anything he said. He does have the cockney dialect where he pronounces “th” as “f” (“three” becomes “free”) but that’s just how some British people speak.

Face it dude, you got pwnt. End of story.

those are the two I own, and I fine the Roku to be way better than the 360 simply because of how easy the Roku is to use and how convoluted the start-up sequence is on the 360. Zero to content on the 360 takes like five minutes.

I also love the term “babysitter test,” which is shorthand for “as a reviewer, I’m not going to spend any time learning how to use any of these devices.”

Interesting that the author concludes that Apple TV is the most compelling option of the bunch. Personally, I love my Roku and think the interface is great.

Depends on what you subscribe to/pay for. If you subscribe to all the services available, of course you could pay more than a cable subscription. Personally, though, I only pay for the following over the course of a year:

Netflix $8/mo
MLB.tv Premium: $120/season ($10/mo)
Season passes for Justified, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones: $30 each (so $10/mo)

Not bad for $28/mo, eh? All in HD, too. Way way way less than cable.

As an otherwise satisfied Windows Phone owner, I really miss Google Maps (and GTalk but that’s for another post). Bing Maps (and now Nokia Maps) are okay but they are nowhere near as robust as GMaps is in every respect: basemap accuracy, POI search accuracy, driving directs, etc. Maybe WP8 will bring a Metro Google Maps app.

ah, you’re right. My bad. Thanks for posting it anyway!

How about ESPN? Is it just continued exclusivity of the ESPN App that is already available, or an entirely new app?

You’re wrong.

I would like to use OpenStreetMap maps. How should I credit you?

The requirements are stated in section 4.c of the OpenStreetMap licence. In brief, you need to credit OpenStreetMap and make it clear that the maps are available under our licence terms.

who isn’t the loser

NewCo is going to be the entire nook business.

From the press release linked in the original artice, which you obviously didn’t read:

Barnes & Noble and Microsoft have settled their patent litigation, and moving forward, Barnes & Noble and Newco will have a royalty-bearing license under Microsoft’s patents for its NOOK eReader and Tablet products. This paves the way for both companies to collaborate and reach a broader set of customers.

So the case is settled and MSFT gets royalties.

This deal settles the lawsuit. It’s history.

If you stand back and look at the business arrangement, you will
soon conclude that if you have a royalty-bearing agreement, you are closely linked to
your licensee’s success. In other words, if the licensee makes money, you will receive
royalties and be successful. If the licensee is not successful, you may receive nothing.
On the other hand, in a paid-up license, the licensee has paid you a fixed amount up front.
The licensee is taking all the risks of business, and your only concerns are collateral obligations the licensee might have relative to the licensed technology. Thus, in a
royalty-bearing agreement you are speculating on the business just as the licensee is,
while in a paid-up arrangement the licensor is not speculating and has already been paid
for the license.

Any hard numbers other than personal anecdotes?

Not really. The royalty-bearing license means that if “NewCo” or whatever is successful, royalties are paid. If it’s not successful, nothing is paid. So they’re mitigating their risk here.

Who’s using it?

I have a Windows Phone (and love it) but I’m also very invested in the Kindle and the Amazon ecosystem in general (music, TV). However, I’ve been secretly (and guiltily) lusting after the nook Simple Touch for a while now. The feeling only grew stronger after I received the Kindle Touch for Christmas – the KT is a swing and a miss. It’s very uncomfortable to hold, while the nook Simple Touch fits my hand like a glove.

Still, I love everything else about the Amazon ecosystem so I’m not really anxious to make a switch anytime soon.

Yes plz.