HP has another crack at fondleslab market • The Register

HP already makes a Windows 7 tablet, so this is not a big stretch

Meg Whitman, HP's latest CEO, added: "I think we need to be in the tablet business, and we're certainly going to be there with Windows 8. We're going to make another run at this business, and we're going to make a decision about the long-term future of webOS within HP over the next couple of months."

She continued: "Many people have said to me, well, isn't the webOS decision just completely tied to PSG? The answer to that is, actually, no. WebOS obviously has use in the PSG business but also in other businesses that we have. We have to make a more holistic decision around webOS which is, you know, coming to a town near you soon I hope."

She clarified that she was talking about the webOS software and not the tablet.

HP has another crack at fondleslab market • The Register

Steve’s Bio: A Personal Perspective | Monday Note

Jean-Louis Gassée on the Isaacson book

This could tempt both subject and his biographer to produce a statuesque book, a North Korean monument to Dear Leader’s achievements. But instead of The Life and Miracles of Saint Steve, we get the gift of truth. We are forced to stare at the reality, or realities of the actual man. Thinking of his children, for whom Steve said the book was, so they got to better know him, this book is a great present. Judging oneself only by comparison to the better side of a parent is a terrible burden. Walt’s book gives them an independent look into the incredibly luminous Steve as well as into his sometimes repulsive dark side. Steve’s must have hoped to free them from his legend.

Steve’s Bio: A Personal Perspective | Monday Note

Bill Gates responds to Steve Jobs criticisms | WinRumors

Taking the long view

Gates responded to Jobs’ criticisms during an interview with ABC News on Sunday. Asked about Jobs’ comments, Gates praised Jobs. “Steve Jobs did a fantastic job,” Gates told ABC News during a video taped interview. During the interview, see below, Gates described his relationship with Jobs over their 30 year history:

“When you think about why is the world better today, the Internet, the personal computer, the phone, the way you can deal with information is just so phenomenal. Over the course of the 30 years we worked together, you know, he said a lot of very nice things about me and he said a lot of tough things. I, you know, respect Steve, we got to work together. We spurred each other on, even as competitors. None of that bothers me at all.”

Bill Gates responds to Steve Jobs criticisms | WinRumors

Make No Mistake: Google Is Taking On The TV Industry [Business Insider]

Excerpt from a review of Google’s TV ambitions

In other words, Google is seeding the explosion of video content on its own massively popular online video network, where it sells advertisements and makes money. Then, it's providing an interface that puts that content on equal footing with the TV shows provided by the traditional TV industry, where Google's presence is minimal. (Not for lack of trying -- Google has a program called Google TV Ads that lets advertisers buy ads on traditional cable networks like CNN. So far, it does not make a material contribution to earnings, whereas YouTube is probably a billion-dollar business.)

Make No Mistake: Google Is Taking On The TV Industry

A Sister’s Eulogy for Steve Jobs - NYTimes.com

Check the link below for the rest of the eulogy

I want to tell you a few things I learned from Steve, during three distinct periods, over the 27 years I knew him. They’re not periods of years, but of states of being. His full life. His illness. His dying.

Steve worked at what he loved. He worked really hard. Every day.

That’s incredibly simple, but true.

He was the opposite of absent-minded.

A Sister’s Eulogy for Steve Jobs - NYTimes.com

Hackers Find Quirky Uses for Siri - Businessweek

Siri-ous innovative app potential

Hacking Siri doesn’t require breaking Apple’s rules or diving deep into its source code. Apple designed Siri to be able to send SMS messages, and a lot of apps can understand those texts and act on them. (For instance, telling Siri to “Text Bank of America saying BAL” will send a message to one of the bank’s servers, which responds with your account balance.) The app Remember the Milk, a mobile to-do list, goes further: If you set its calendar as the default calendar in your iPhone settings, Siri commands such as “Remind me to pay the phone bill” will create new to-do items directly in Remember the Milk.

Hackers Find Quirky Uses for Siri - Businessweek

Steve Jobs’s Genius - NYTimes.com

Final paragraph of a timely and thoughtful Walter Isaacson article

China and India are likely to produce many rigorous analytical thinkers and knowledgeable technologists. But smart and educated people don’t always spawn innovation. America’s advantage, if it continues to have one, will be that it can produce people who are also more creative and imaginative, those who know how to stand at the intersection of the humanities and the sciences. That is the formula for true innovation, as Steve Jobs’s career showed.

Steve Jobs’s Genius - NYTimes.com

The World Is Surprisingly Angry About the End of Google Reader - Technology - The Atlantic Wire

Who knew?…

The demise of Google Reader's share features is affecting everyone from RSS-junkies to Iranian freedom fighters, and many of them are very displeased. Google Reader itself is very much alive and well, and in fact, the RSS reader will soon sport a slick-looking redesign. However, at some point this week, the ability to follow, friend and share links within Reader will cease to exist, as Google pushes people to use Google+ for those kinds of things. Along with it, the myriad communities that depended on Reader for years for everything from meeting new people to organizing protests will just have to figure something else out. It turns out Google wasn't so bad at social networks, after all.

The World Is Surprisingly Angry About the End of Google Reader - Technology - The Atlantic Wire

RIM promo: Buy two Playbooks, get one free | Mobile - CNET News

Blue light special of the week, perhaps with more momentum since HP reportedly finally ran out of TouchPad inventory…

At least, that's what RIM is banking on in its latest promotion. Business customers who purchase two PlayBooks through a designated reseller get a bonus one for free. In addition, they get their choice of accessories for each tablet.

It's the latest in a line of promotions offered by RIM and its retailer partners as it attempts to spruce up sales of its PlayBook tablet. After a bungled launch and a tepid response to the product, RIM is working aggressively to move the devices off the shelves.

RIM promo: Buy two Playbooks, get one free | Mobile - CNET News

IN FOCUS: Samsung: Tap, Flick, Slide or Swipe: Samsung Advances Personal Computing Experiences With Just a Touch [Microsoft PressPass]

Check the link below for more details and an image gallery of Samsung Windows touch devices

Extending input with touch-first capabilities can make life easier, enabling brand-new experiences and scenarios that have become a consumer expectation. Few companies have the pedigree to fulfill this new demand, but Samsung Electronics had this foresight, leveraging its display expertise across many of its consumer product categories, to lead this new era in computing. Touch computing is now fully integrated into a variety of Samsung computing products, including PCs, slates, mobile phones and Microsoft Surface devices. Using Microsoft platform assets, Samsung expands personal computing capabilities with a touch of the finger.

IN FOCUS: Samsung: Tap, Flick, Slide or Swipe: Samsung Advances Personal Computing Experiences With Just a Touch

People Who Use Macs At Work Are Richer And More Productive [Business Insider]

A major reversal for Forrester

In a report released yesterday, analyst David Johnson recommended that IT departments should formally support Macs as well because the best employees prefer them and are bringing them to work anyway.

As Fortune first reported yesterday, Johnson called Mac users the "heavy hitters" and "heroes" in organizations, and said that they hate Windows PCs because they slow them down and look cheap. "Stand in the way," he warns IT departments, "and you will get run over."

People Who Use Macs At Work Are Richer And More Productive

Google TV Software Update Ready; New Hardware Will Have to Wait - Ina Fried - Media - AllThingsD

You can still pick up a Logitech Revue for $99.99, if you don’t want to wait until next year

The new version of Google TV is based on the Honeycomb version of Android, and can run some existing programs as well as a number of new apps specifically designed to work with the product. However, most Android apps won’t work, as they require features such as telephony or a touchscreen.

Queiroz said that of the hundreds of thousands of Android apps, there should be around 1,800 apps that will work with Google TV initially, and even most of those won’t be optimized for the TV. Google has been working with about 50 developers on the first TV-optimized apps, he said.

Google TV Software Update Ready; New Hardware Will Have to Wait - Ina Fried - Media - AllThingsD

Yahoo's Livestand and Google's Propeller Set to Launch Next Week - Kara Swisher - Media - AllThingsD

Looming competition for Flipboard

And perhaps as early as next week or soon after, Google will also weigh in with its version of the genre — code-named Propeller — which also might be the product’s name. Another moniker under strong consideration: Currents.

As I have previously reported, Google Propeller is an HTML5 reader for the Apple iPad and Android — essentially a souped-up version of similar apps such as Flipboard, AOL’s Editions, Zite (which was just bought by Time Warner’s CNN) and Pulse.

All these apps are part of the drastically changing habits of media consumers, helping users better navigate numerous social and media feeds — such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as news sites and more — using handsome interfaces and touch technologies on tablet devices.

Yahoo's Livestand and Google's Propeller Set to Launch Next Week - Kara Swisher - Media - AllThingsD

Will there be a Nokia tablet? | FT Tech Hub | FTtechhub - Industry analysis – FT.com

Perhaps doubling down on Windows.  Meanwhile, unhappy times for Motorola’s tablet business.

We asked Stephen Elop, Nokia’s chief executive, whether he had any plans for a tablet and his answer sounded like a “yes”.

We are not commenting on specific plans for tablets. But I will point out that one of the things that we are excited about in terms of support for the Windows Phone are the announcements made around Windows 8 for tablets and personal computers. When you see the user experience from the Nokia Lumia environment appearing on hundreds of millions of tablets and PCs in the future, you can see that there is a clear synergy between all those environments. So that presents an interesting opportunity for Nokia.

Will there be a Nokia tablet? | FT Tech Hub | FTtechhub - Industry analysis – FT.com

Samsung Overtakes Apple as World’s Biggest Smartphone Seller - Businessweek

Imagine how Samsung might perform without all of those pesky Apple lawsuits

Samsung shipped 27.8 million smartphones in the last quarter, taking 23.8 percent of the market, Milton Keynes, U.K.- based Strategy Analytics said in an e-mailed statement today. Apple’s 17.1 million shipments, comprising 14.6 percent of the market, pushed the Cupertino, California-based company to second place. Nokia Oyj maintained its third position, it said.

Apple, which released its iPhone 4S this month, held the top spot for only one quarter after dislodging Espoo, Finland- based Nokia earlier this year. Samsung, based in Suwon, South Korea, has turned to Google Inc.’s Android software to boost sales of its Galaxy smartphones and tablet computers.

Samsung Overtakes Apple as World’s Biggest Smartphone Seller - Businessweek

Interview: HP CEO Meg Whitman on Keeping the PC Business - Arik Hesseldahl - News - AllThingsD

HP is apparently keeping its PC business and the manager who made it what it is today

Well, since you bring it up, there’s been an awful lot of speculation as to your career plans, Todd. Can you say what they are now?

Bradley: I’m still planning to continue to drive PSG the way we have. We have a great team of people, and I think Meg — and I’ll say this as politely as I can — Meg has filled the leadership void that I think the company needed pretty broadly.

So we’re done speculating what your next step may be?

Whitman: We are.

Bradley: I am. I have no plans, other than to focus on how we drive PSG and HP. There are great people here to work with. It’s fair to say we learned things. This process has shown us some areas that we’re going to improve on pretty quickly. Clearly, we have some challenges, but I think I’m working with the best team of executives in the industry.

Interview: HP CEO Meg Whitman on Keeping the PC Business - Arik Hesseldahl - News - AllThingsD

Google+ Resurrects Playback Feature From Wave, Renames It “Ripples” | TechCrunch

New features in Google+ are coming in waves…

And one of these features launched today on Google+ seems a throwback to one now-defunct feature of Google Wave, called “Playback”. Or at least one might claim this as its genesis, with the feature having its roots in-house, as opposed to some sort of reaction to Facebook’s much bally-hooed timeline that launched this September.

Yes, today, Google launched its new Google+ Ripples, which will let users “re-live” the conversations, comments, and sharing that’s taken place over the history of their use of Google+. Check out Google’s blog post here.

In other words, Ripples is a “visualization tool for public shares and comments”, which users can access by simply selecting the “View Ripples” option in the drop down window to the right of the public post.

Google+ Resurrects Playback Feature From Wave, Renames It “Ripples” | TechCrunch

Official Google Enterprise Blog: Google+ is now available with Google Apps

Google+ for organizations

Starting now you can manually turn on Google+ for your organization. Once Google+ is turned on, your users will just need to sign up at google.com/+ to get started. For customers who use Google Apps for Business or the free version of Google Apps and who have chosen to automatically enable new services, Google+ will automatically become available to all of your users over the next several days.*
Google Apps users will have access to the same set of features that are available to every Google+ user, and more. In addition to sharing publicly or with your circles, you’ll also have the option to share with everyone in your organization, even if you haven’t added all of those people to a circle.

Official Google Enterprise Blog: Google+ is now available with Google Apps

What's Really Next for Apple in Television - NYTimes.com

Check the article link below for more analysis

But that hobby could soon reap astounding financial returns. A recent report issued by Barclays predicted that if Apple made a television set, excluding content deals, Apple could generate an additional $19 billion in revenue a year. This number would not be a stretch either; Barclays said in the report that Apple would only need to capture 5 percent of television buyers to reach this goal.

[…]

It is coming though. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.

What's Really Next for Apple in Television - NYTimes.com

IBM to unveil NoSQL technology inside DB2 [SearchDataManagement.com]

tbd what adding NoSQL to DB2 will entail, as NoSQL has a rather squishy definition, but IBM is jumping on the NoSQL bandwagon 

IT industry giant IBM plans to roll out NoSQL technology inside of its flagship DB2 database management system early next year, according to Curt Cotner, the company's vice president and chief technology officer for database servers.

The move comes in response to growing customer demand for NoSQL technology, said Cotner, who spoke yesterday during a keynote address at IBM's Information On Demand 2011 conference here.

http://searchdatamanagement.techtarget.com/news/2240102614/IBM-to-unveil-NoSQL-technology-inside-DB2

Dropbox Announces 'Team' Service and Smart-Phone Deal - Technology Review

See this page for an overview of the new Dropbox for Teams service

Dropbox's position is both enviable and daunting. The company has seen its user base rocket from 25 million to 45 million since April, and it recently secured $257 million in funding from several venture capital funds, on a $4 billion valuation.

At the same time, Dropbox is likely to face increasing competition from some even more popular, and well-funded, companies. Having declined Steve Jobs's offer to acquire the company in late 2009, CEO Drew Houston admits to experiencing a sinking feeling when Apple announced its iCloud service, which remotely backs up images, music, documents, and other data and syncs that content between different Apple devices. That service closely resembles Dropbox's.

Dropbox Announces 'Team' Service and Smart-Phone Deal - Technology Review

Google's 3Q shopping spree snags 27 more companies - seattlepi.com

Nooglers by the building full

Google spent more than $500 million to buy another 27 companies during the third quarter, ensuring this year will be busiest shopping spree in the Internet search leader's history.

The number emerged Wednesday in a quarterly report that included another previously undisclosed piece of information: Google Inc. paid $151 million in cash for the Zagat Survey, a renowned restaurant review publisher that Google bought to counter the popularity of Yelp's business rating service.

Google's 3Q shopping spree snags 27 more companies - seattlepi.com

A Social Network That Wants to Know Exactly Where You Live - Technology - The Atlantic Wire

Alternatively, you could use the group-oriented features in Facebook, Google Groups, or one of many other existing services

At a glance, Nextdoor sounds like an awesome idea as it's geared towards providing a public service. The site allows people within a certain geographical area to set up private social networking sites that enable you to connect with people that live nearby, set up events and post status updates that your neighbors can comment on. There are also a number of tools that make hyperlocal chores like selling your mountain bike or finding a good lawn guy easier.

A Social Network That Wants to Know Exactly Where You Live - Technology - The Atlantic Wire

Google Street View Now Takes You Inside Buildings - Technology - The Atlantic Wire

Get the inside story

Google's photographic tour of everywhere on always seemed a little bit limited by the term "Street View," but with photos of business interiors now appearing on Google Maps, it's breaking free of that constraint. As part of its new local efforts, Google Places reps are running around 37 global cities--in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Japan, France and the U.K., to be specific--to photograph the interiors of a few lucky local businesses.

Google Street View Now Takes You Inside Buildings - Technology - The Atlantic Wire

Don’t look now, but AWS might be a billion-dollar biz [GigaOM]

In other news, from AMZN

“Other,” the revenue category in Amazon’s reports that encompasses Amazon Web Services, is growing like mad — 70 percent over last year, in fact. This matters because it likely means AWS is outpacing its projected growth and is rapidly approaching a $1 billion run rate.

[…]

Whatever the actual market size though, one has to assume AWS will be responsible for the lion’s share. Rackspace topped $100 million in cloud revenue in 2010, and has done just just over $80 million over the first two quarters of 2011. When Terremark announced its fiscal third quarter earnings in February before the Verizon acquisition closed, it claimed an annual cloud computing run rate of $37.5 million.

http://gigaom.com/cloud/dont-look-now-but-aws-might-be-a-billion-dollar-biz/

Apple now has $81.5B in cash, 13.2M sq. ft. of facilities and 60K employees - The Next Web

Check the post link below for more details

Apple today filed its Form 10-K with the SEC that discloses information to stockholders and the commission. In an amongst the normal legal statements there were a few interesting facts. Among those were that Apple currently has $81,570,000,000 in cash, marketable securities and cash equivalents.

[…]

Apple now has 60,400 full-time employees and another 2,900 temps. This is an insane jump over the 46,000 employees that it reported in 2010, a 39% increase. This is the second year in a row that Apple has jumped over 30% in employees.

Apple now has $81.5B in cash, 13.2M sq. ft. of facilities and 60K employees - The Next Web

DEAR AMERICA: It's Time To Say A Big 'Thank You' To Amazon [Business Insider]

Final paragraph of a contrarian perspective from Henry Blodget

If more American companies started to do what Amazon does — ignore short-term pressures, sacrifice near-term profits, and invest for the long-term — the American economy would start to heal itself quickly. America would create more innovation, more jobs, and more long-term wealth. And, just as important, more Americans would be able to go back to being proud of our corporations and innovators and entrepreneurs... instead of camping in parks and protesting them.

DEAR AMERICA: It's Time To Say A Big 'Thank You' To Amazon

Windows Phone Is Back, Full of Great Tricks - State of the Art - NYTimes.com

Excerpt from a bipolar David Pogue review

Windows Phone 7.5 is gorgeous, classy, satisfying, fast and coherent. The design is intelligent, clean and uncluttered. Never in a million years would you guess that it came from the same company that cooked up the bloated spaghetti that is Windows and Office.

Windows Phone Is Back, Full of Great Tricks - State of the Art - NYTimes.com

A Bad Day For the Salesforce Kool-Aid (Video) - Arik Hesseldahl - Enterprise - AllThingsD

I tend to not underestimate anyone who apprenticed under Larry Ellison

Hype about the cloud, pushed by CEO Marc Benioff, whom Tilson called a “world-class salesman,” is giving way to the fact that Salesforce has what he calls “a nice app to help mid-market companies manage their sales force.” Its other lines of business — including Chatter, its social application, and its plans for pushing into larger-sized enterprise companies — just don’t justify its huge market cap, which was until today north of $17.5 billion. Today, Salesforce’s market cap was about $800 million smaller as the shares fell by $6, or 4.6 percent, to $123.56.

Tilson is betting that Salesforce’s fair value is about 75 percent lower than its current trading range, which, based on Tuesday’s closing price of $129.56, would put it at about $33 a share.

A Bad Day For the Salesforce Kool-Aid (Video) - Arik Hesseldahl - Enterprise - AllThingsD

The Apple-fication of everything – SplatF

Expect different – and better; check the post link below for examples including Nest

One of the best things about Steve Jobs’ return to Apple — which will live on and benefit society long after Jobs’ death — is how he basically spent the last 14 years teaching thousands of Apple employees to have incredibly high standards and to build amazing products.

Perhaps more importantly, through Apple’s products, Steve also taught hundreds of millions of consumers to expect and demand amazing things.

The Apple-fication of everything – SplatF

The Book Bench: Is Self-Knowledge Overrated? : The New Yorker

Excerpt from a thoughtful review of Thinking Fast and Slow

It’s impossible to overstate the influence of Kahneman and Tversky. Like Darwin, they helped to dismantle a longstanding myth of human exceptionalism. Although we’d always seen ourselves as rational creatures—this was our Promethean gift—it turns out that human reason is rather feeble, easily overwhelmed by ancient instincts and lazy biases. The mind is a deeply flawed machine.

Nevertheless, there is a subtle optimism lurking in all of Kahneman’s work: it is the hope that self-awareness is a form of salvation, that if we know about our mental mistakes, we can avoid them. One day, we will learn to equally weigh losses and gains; science can help us escape from the cycle of human error.

The Book Bench: Is Self-Knowledge Overrated? : The New Yorker

AirPlay TV - Joe Hewitt

More Apple TV² analysis

The new AirPlay Mirroring feature in iOS 5 doesn't get talked about much, but it's the key to making this work. Watch this demo of AirPlay Mirroring if you need to be convinced. AirPlay Mirroring with the current Apple TV is underwhelming because of the hassle of making it work. You need to find the TV remote, switch to the Apple TV input, find the Apple TV remote, wake up the Apple TV, then go back to your iOS device and turn on AirPlay. Ugh! Apple has to make AirPlay work effortlessly, and to do that, they need more than a set-top box. They need to control the whole TV.

AirPlay TV - Joe Hewitt

Infographic: The Tablet Revolution [Search Engine Land]

Check the post link below for the full infographic

The introduction of the iPad last year sparked a new revolution in how people tap into the web, using tablet computers. A new report from Pew Research, which we covered today, shows that one of the most popular uses is for reading news. Below, some additional stats from the report, in infographic form:

Infographic: The Tablet Revolution

Amazon’s Apple War Costs Investors $20 Billion as Net Misses - Businessweek

More Amazon miss context-setting

Technology has fared worse than most industries this quarter in meeting investors’ earnings expectations, with about a third of companies missing estimates.

Amazon added 17 new fulfillment centers this year, and that overhead has weighed on margins, Chief Financial Officer Tom Szkutak said yesterday in a conference call. It’s also building out the infrastructure for its Web services offerings.

“We’ve added a lot of capacity to support those growth rates,” Szkutak said.

Amazon’s Apple War Costs Investors $20 Billion as Net Misses - Businessweek

Amazon Misses Earnings Target - John Paczkowski - News - AllThingsD

Could be worse; could be Netflix…

One bit of good news: CEO Jeff Bezos said in a statement that the company is seeing huge demand for the Fire. “In the three weeks since launch, orders for electronic ink Kindles are double the previous launch,” Bezos said. “And based on what we’re seeing with Kindle Fire preorders, we’re increasing capacity and building millions more than we’d already planned.”

In other words, Amazon underestimated demand for the Fire and is ramping up accordingly. Could that be part of the reason behind today’s earnings miss? Certainly possible. Recall that according to some reports, Amazon is likely losing about $50 per Fire.

Amazon Misses Earnings Target - John Paczkowski - News - AllThingsD

Screen Time Higher Than Ever for Children, Study Finds - NYTimes.com

Check the article link below for more scary stats

Despite the American Academy of Pediatricians’ longstanding recommendations to the contrary, children under 8 are spending more time than ever in front of screens, according to a study scheduled for release Tuesday.

The report also documents for the first time an emerging “app gap” in which affluent children are likely to use mobile educational games while those in low-income families are the most likely to have televisions in their bedrooms.

Screen Time Higher Than Ever for Children, Study Finds - NYTimes.com

Here's A Different Take On All These Android Patent Cases [Business Insider]

From an extensive interview on mobile, patent, and other market dynamics

It used to be that you would look at mobile, your choice of cell phone and your choice of computing equipment as two separate, distinctive, unrelated decisions. Now they are very much becoming one and the same decision. If you look at the AT&T and Verizon solutions that are offered by Motorola, where they're also coming out with it at Apple -- dockable smartphones that create the intelligence to drive 12 to 14 inch displays on host mechanisms. They look like PCs but they're really being driven by a dockable smartphone. Those experiences are I think very threatening because they're not tablet experiences where you're playing with a scaled down web version of your applications, but you're playing with real applications and you have the ability to bring in data in all kinds of formats, whether it be display content from Microsoft applications or from Open Office. I think there's a transition now to this other strategy that's designed to preserve or create a "what you can't accomplish in the marketplace, you need to attempt to accomplish through the utilization of patents to be able to slow or stall the movement of Android to its inevitable position." It's an interesting dynamic.

Here's A Different Take On All These Android Patent Cases

The Steve Jobs verdict on Microsoft, HP and others | FT Tech Hub | FTtechhub - Industry analysis – FT.com

Check the article link below for Steve Jobs commentary on Google, Microsoft, and other companies

And, finally, on Hewlett-Packard, which, to judge from Iaacson’s book, had a particular significance for Jobs given its formative role in creating Silicon Valley: “Hewlett and Packard built a great company, and they thought they had left it in good hands. But now it’s being dismembered and destroyed. It’s tragic. I hope I’ve left a stronger legacy so that will never happen to Apple.”

The Steve Jobs verdict on Microsoft, HP and others | FT Tech Hub | FTtechhub - Industry analysis – FT.com

Business & Technology | Microsoft watchers keep eye on Nokia as it gets set to roll out Windows phones | Seattle Times Newspaper

One thing for certain: this is more bad news for RIM

For Microsoft, which has had a hard time gaining traction in the smartphone market, Nokia's worldwide reach is a chance to clamber out from behind the shadows of Android, Apple and Research In Motion.

"This is what could make the difference from Windows Phone becoming an also-ran or being a solid No. 3 and making its way to No. 2 in coming years," said Rob Sanfilippo, a research vice president with the independent analysis firm Directions on Microsoft.

Business & Technology | Microsoft watchers keep eye on Nokia as it gets set to roll out Windows phones | Seattle Times Newspaper

Apple TV Project Is Said to Be Led By ITunes Creator Jeff Robbin - Bloomberg

Watch different; also see (via Techmeme) Here’s how Apple could finally put the “TV” in Apple TV (SplatF) and Piper Jaffray: Apple is already building prototype TV sets (Fortune)

Until now, the company’s TV efforts have been limited to Apple TV, a small $99 gadget that plugs in to a television and gives users access to content from iTunes, Netflix Inc. (NFLX)’s streaming service and YouTube. Jobs had called it Apple’s “hobby,” rather than something designed to be a serious moneymaker.

That may be changing. Apple has a prototype TV in the works and may introduce a product for sale by late next year or 2013, according to Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray Cos. He based that timing on meetings with contacts close to Apple’s suppliers in Asia, industry contacts and Apple’s patent portfolio. Munster said Apple also is investing in manufacturing facilities and securing supplies of LCD screens.

Apple TV Project Is Said to Be Led By ITunes Creator Jeff Robbin - Bloomberg

Brave New Thermostat: How the iPod’s Creator Is Making Home Heating Sexy | Gadget Lab | Wired.com

Excerpt from a Steven Levy profile of Nest

Fadell explained his concept: Untold tons of carbon were being pumped into the air, with people losing billions of dollars in energy costs, all because there was no easy, automatic way to control the temperature. But what if you could apply all the skills and brilliance of Silicon Valley to produce a thermostat that was smart, thrifty and so delightful that saving energy was as much fun as shuffling an iTunes playlist?

You could revolutionize an important but neglected tech backwater—and significantly improve the environment. Within 15 minutes, Dani got it. As did the others Fadell would talk to over the next few months. These included a dream team of Silicon Valley engineers, designers, and computer scientists who became the first employees of Nest Labs, the company Fadell founded.

Brave New Thermostat: How the iPod’s Creator Is Making Home Heating Sexy | Gadget Lab | Wired.com

Steve Jobs' Hilarious Response To Larry Ellison's Plan To Buy Apple So They Could Both Get Richer [Business Insider]

Must have been an amazing friendship

Ellison was happy for his friend, but pointed out that something was missing. He said to Jobs, "If we don't buy the company, then how can we make money?"

At this point Jobs got real close to Ellison and said, "Larry, this is why it's really important that I'm your friend. You don't need any more money."

Steve Jobs' Hilarious Response To Larry Ellison's Plan To Buy Apple So They Could Both Get Richer

Subtext Launches Social Reading App for iPad - Liz Gannes - Social - AllThingsD

Another take on social reading

A new social reading app called Subtext today launches on the iPad with a selection of books laden with annotations from authors and researchers.

What you’ll find on Subtext is a lot like the special features you’d find on a DVD, but for ebooks. And, you can create your own annotations.

Subtext Launches Social Reading App for iPad - Liz Gannes - Social - AllThingsD

Oracle acquires RightNow for $1.5 billion, aims turrets at Salesforce.com | ZDNet

Busy and acquisitive times for Oracle

RightNow is a software as a service company that focuses on customer service via call centers and self-service options via the Web and social networks. That customer service focus is aimed at the heart of Salesforce.com.

Thomas Kurian, executive vice president of Oracle Development, said in a statement that Oracle is “moving aggressively to offer customers a full range of Cloud Solutions including sales force automation, human resources, talent management, social networking, databases and Java as part of the Oracle Public Cloud.”

That quote is basically shorthand for “Oracle is going cloud shopping.”

At Oracle OpenWorld, the company outlined plans to get into cloud computing, big data and other efforts such as NoSQL databases. Oracle said its NoSQL database was generally available today.

Oracle acquires RightNow for $1.5 billion, aims turrets at Salesforce.com | ZDNet

The Jobs backlash begins | Real Dan Lyons Web Site

Recommended reading – the full blog post and the Daily Beast article; the final paragraph of the latter is, imho, both deeply insightful and devastating

That’s the title of my piece that just went up on Daily Beast, and it’s what I kept thinking as I pored through the Isaacson biography, which landed on my iPad last night. Much of the stuff in the book is not new, but much of the stuff that is new is kind of disappointing to people who want to view Steve Jobs as a kind of messiah figure.

The Jobs backlash begins | Real Dan Lyons Web Site

EmTech: Saving Solar Startups - Technology Review

Excerpt from a Bill Joy interview

As the politicians use the Solyndra debacle as a political football, it's not helping the country. We need to find ways for these companies to get financed. One wasn't well conceived, and it's the nature of these things that some of them will fail. But maybe we shouldn't have ever had the expectation that we couldn't lose our money.

Maybe the government should ask for some equity as well. They could loan the money and get some stock. And with the ones that succeed, the stock will pay off the ones that don't. That's kind of what happened with the auto bailout, right? They got a bunch of stock in GM, made a lot of money off of it. I should say "we" made a lot of money.

EmTech: Saving Solar Startups - Technology Review

Google Builds Music-Download Store - WSJ.com

Digital music is one of many examples of domains in which I believe Google should be partnering with Amazon, rather than trying to beat Apple as an end-to-end solitary supplier 

Google Inc. is building a music-download store that would work closely with its Google+ social network and could launch it within the next two weeks, according to people familiar with the matter.

Users of Google Music, as the service is tentatively named, could recommend songs in an online library to Google+ contacts, who in turn would be allowed to listen to those songs once for free. The songs would then be available for sale as MP3 downloads, probably for around the usual 99 cents each.

Google Builds Music-Download Store - WSJ.com

Economists See More Jobs for Machines, Not People - NYTimes.com

A timely reality check, along with a W. Brian Arthur article referenced in the NYT article; the book appears to be exclusively available in a Kindle edition, for $3.99, FYI, suggesting publishers are facing multiple races…

A faltering economy explains much of the job shortage in America, but advancing technology has sharply magnified the effect, more so than is generally understood, according to two researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The automation of more and more work once done by humans is the central theme of “Race Against the Machine,” an e-book to be published on Monday.

Economists See More Jobs for Machines, Not People - NYTimes.com

iPad's Market Share Will Crater, and You Shouldn't Care | TechPinions

Steve Wildstrom analysis – although the story will likely be different (than it was, e.g., in the PC market with Packard-Bell and AST) with iPad/Kindle Fire competition, since Amazon is more interested in selling digital goods than it is hardware; one clear take-away is that it is not going to be fun for tablet makers competing with both Amazon and Apple

Apple does not care about market share and never has. It cares about absolute volumes and profit margins. And this has been a phenomenally successful business model that Apple should not and will not change. The history of the tech industry is littered with the corpses of PC makers that died chasing market share. Anyone remember Packard-Bell and AST? Dell and Hewlett-Packard nearly destroyed themselves chasing share at the expense of profit and Acer seems to be pulling back from the same fruitless race.

iPad's Market Share Will Crater, and You Shouldn't Care | TechPinions

Microsoft collects license fees on 50% of Android devices, tells Google to "wake up" [Ars Technica]

This will be small comfort to Microsoft, if Windows Phone continues to flounder

According to charts in the blog post, 55 percent of Android devices by worldwide revenue are subject to patent license agreements between Microsoft and original design manufacturers, such as Compal. Moreover, 53 percent of Android smartphones by unit share in the United States are subject to patent license agreements between Microsoft and original equipment manufacturers, such as Samsung and HTC.

In any case, it’s a lot. Some have concluded that Microsoft makes more money from Android than from its own Windows Phones, and HTC reportedly pays Microsoft $5 for each Android phone it sells. Google, meanwhile, distributes Android (at least the smartphone version) as open source software.

Microsoft collects license fees on 50% of Android devices, tells Google to "wake up"

Steve Jobs: “I Admire Mark Zuckerberg For Not Selling Out” | TechCrunch

An excerpt from an extended-play version of the “60 Minutes” Steve Jobs story

“We talk about social networks in the plural,” Jobs told Isaacson, “but I don’t see anybody other than Facebook out there. Just Facebook, They are dominating this.  I admire Mark Zuckerberg . . . for not selling out, for wanting to make a company.  I admire that a lot.”

Steve Jobs: “I Admire Mark Zuckerberg For Not Selling Out” | TechCrunch

Crucial Test for Nokia as Latest Smartphones Arrive - NYTimes.com

First and final paragraphs from an overview of what is going to be a pivotal week for Nokia and Microsoft

When Stephen Elop, the chief executive of Nokia, introduces the company’s first phones bearing Microsoft Windows Phone software Wednesday, he will probably be met with equal parts good will and skepticism.

[…]

“I think given Microsoft’s dominant position in fixed and portable keyboard computing, Nokia is not their final chance, but it is probably one of their final chances to enter this market,” Mr. Mawston said. “They probably won’t get too many goes after Nokia.”

Crucial Test for Nokia as Latest Smartphones Arrive - NYTimes.com

Apple’s Lower Prices Are All Part of The Plan - NYTimes.com

An interesting case study in increasing returns

Apple’s new pricing strategy is a big change from the 1990s, when consumers regarded Apple as a producer of overpriced tech baubles, unable to compete effectively with its Macintosh family of computers against the far cheaper Windows PCs. But more recently, it began using its growing manufacturing scale and logistics prowess to deliver Apple products at far more aggressive prices, which in turn gave it more power to influence pricing industrywide.

Apple’s Lower Prices Are All Part of The Plan - NYTimes.com

Microsoft and Google Consider Bid for Yahoo - NYTimes.com

Yahoo = AOL++

Microsoft and Google are both weighing whether to participate in the bidding. Each has its own business reasons for wanting to see the continued existence of Yahoo, which despite its financial struggles still has a monthly audience of almost 700 million unique visitors.

But there’s one thing the technology giants have in common: Not one of them wants to actually buy or run Yahoo.

Microsoft and Google Consider Bid for Yahoo - NYTimes.com

“I finally cracked it” – Marco.org

Concluding paragraphs from some speculation about what it could mean for Apple to enter the TV business

The way to revolutionize the TV market is to cut out all of the legacy. No cable companies. No broadcast tuners. No channels. No DVRs. All internet delivery. All on-demand. No commercials.

But that’s an incredibly tall order. Apple can do a lot, but I’m not sure that they can do that, given how much of it is out of their control.

If all they do is make a really nice TV set like everyone else’s, it’ll probably be as interesting as the Airport Extreme: a nice product in its category, but not exciting or scaring the crap out of anyone.

But if they’ve managed to pull off something more interesting, I’d hate to be in the TV business when it’s released.

“I finally cracked it” – Marco.org

Look out, Google: Siri is poised to take Apple into search (q&a) | Apple - CNET News

Excerpt from an interview with Gary Morgenthaler, Siri’s first investor; for a sense of Apple’s near-term Siri priorities, check out the first Siri TV ad

So Apple could pretty quickly add more capabilities?
Morgenthaler: Honestly, as implemented by Apple, Siri is de-featured. Siri [before Apple integrated it into the new iOS] used to get you flight information. You could say, 'When's the next flight leaving SFO arriving JFK?" and it would immediately pull up a whole list form United, American, and other carriers that travel on that route. Apple elected not to release that in the initial version.

And that's where the commercial potential comes in.
Morgenthaler: It's easy to imagine things like: Send my wife a bouquet of flowers. Buy me this book on Amazon. Book me tickets to the A's game on Saturday. And Siri did most of those things--they were up and working--and Apple didn't put them in the first release...The system is capable of all those things and many more.

Look out, Google: Siri is poised to take Apple into search (q&a) | Apple - CNET News

Amazon's Silk browser: Now EFF approved. Really! | Webware - CNET

Check the article link for more details

The Silk browser was only one of many revelations at Amazon's Kindle event last month, but it was a doozy. Expected to ship initially only on the Kindle Fire in November, Silk promises to learn how you browse and to predict where you're going to surf to next.

That kind of stickiness with your personal data left many security experts and some lawmakers uncomfortable. But the Electronic Frontier Foundation now says it believes Amazon will provide users with the tools to disentangle themselves.

Amazon's Silk browser: Now EFF approved. Really! | Webware - CNET

Jobs Threatened ‘Thermonuclear War’ on Google’s Android, AP Says - Businessweek

Most of the article, as is the case with several other articles I’ve read this morning about the new Steve Jobs authorized biography, focuses on his medical treatment choices

Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs said he was “willing to go thermonuclear war” on Google Inc.’s Android software, saying that its features amounted to “grand theft,” the Associated Press reported.

Jobs, then Apple’s CEO, said he would “spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong,” according to the AP’s account of his biography, “Steve Jobs,” by Walter Isaacson. Jobs died on Oct. 5.

Jobs Threatened ‘Thermonuclear War’ on Google’s Android, AP Says - Businessweek

Facebook Initiative Could Lead to Job Posting Service [Mashable]

Probably not good news for BranchOut or LinkedIn

Facebook wants to help you find a job. The social network announced on Thursday that it has teamed up with the U.S. Department of Labor and three employment-related agencies in an attempt to decrease the country’s 9.1% unemployment rate using social media — a project that may eventually include a Facebook jobs posting system.

The new partnership brings formal job hunting content to Facebook — which some recruiters already prefer over LinkedIn — for the first time.

Facebook Initiative Could Lead to Job Posting Service

Microsoft Income Gains 6%, but Weak PC Sales Continue - NYTimes.com

Challenging times for Microsoft

This week, Apple’s chief executive, Timothy D. Cook, said he thought that the iPad was cannibalizing some sales of Macs, but that a “materially larger” number of iPad buyers were choosing the tablet device over a Windows PC. Apple sold 11.1 million iPads in its last quarter. “With cannibalization like this, I hope it continues,” Mr. Cook said.

Microsoft intends to tackle the threat from the iPad with a new version of Windows, known currently as Windows 8, that has been redesigned for the touch screens of tablet devices, but that product is not expected to appear for about a year.

Microsoft Income Gains 6%, but Weak PC Sales Continue - NYTimes.com

BlackBerry's New OS: Too Little, Too Late? - Technology Review

Definitely funereal; also see Oh, RIM.  Can Nothing Go Right? (WSJ)

Developers at the conference were reportedly disappointed. "If they had introduced a BBX device that would be ready to go tomorrow, people would be jumping up and down...But they didn't, so that was a bit frustrating," said one. (To be fair, we did get some details: BBX will offer 100 open source libraries, will support HTML5, and will include a graphics framework called Cascade UI. Still, a press release announcing these details isn't the same thing as letting developers loose on an actual, functional OS.)

[…]

Meanwhile, RIM's own decline is something like a slow-moving car wreck. It needed to pull off a Hail Mary at its conference; it doesn't appear to have done so.

BlackBerry's New OS: Too Little, Too Late? - Technology Review

Official Google Reader Blog: Upcoming changes to Reader: a new look, new Google+ features, and some clean-up

The post goes on to note that you can always export your Google Reader subscriptions etc., if you aren’t inclined to use Google+ (i.e., don’t bother sending feedback indicating you’d prefer to continue using Google Reader as it is today)

In the next week, we’ll be making some highly requested changes to Google Reader. First, we’re going to introduce a brand new design (like many of Google’s other products) that we hope you love. Second, we’re going to bring Reader and Google+ closer together, so you can share the best of your feeds with just the right circles.
As a result of these changes, we also think it's important to clean things up a bit. Many of Reader's social features will soon be available via Google+, so in a week's time we'll be retiring things like friending, following and shared link blogs inside of Reader.

Official Google Reader Blog: Upcoming changes to Reader: a new look, new Google+ features, and some clean-up

Google+ readies new features - FT.com

Check the article link for more Google+ feature/integration point previews

Google will roll out major improvements in the next three months to Google+, its new social networking service, as it seeks to close the gap with Facebook, the market leader.

Early enhancements will include the incorporation of Google Docs, the word-processing application, which will make collaborating on documents easier “within days”, said Vic Gundotra, senior vice president of engineering, on Wednesday.

Google+ readies new features - FT.com

Business & Technology | Amazon expands video licensing deal with PBS | Seattle Times Newspaper

The video streaming choice for you, if you’re looking for “The French Chef”

Online retailer Amazon.com Inc. said Wednesday that it has expanded its licensing agreement with PBS to let members of its Amazon Prime premium shipping program watch current and older PBS programs.

Amazon said this will bring the total number of instant videos available to Prime members - who pay $79 a year for discounted shipping costs - to 12,000.

Business & Technology | Amazon expands video licensing deal with PBS | Seattle Times Newspaper

Google: Android tablets haven’t ‘completely flopped’ - Android app article - Phil Hornshaw | Appolicious ™ Android App Directory

Likely to be at least one mainstream Android tablet success…

Still, 6 million tablets should at least be encouraging, and there are more Android tablets on the horizon that could cause a splash in the market. Google probably isn’t thrilled about possible Amazon success, given what a big competitor the online retailer has become, but Amazon’s upcoming Kindle Fire might have the potential to upgrade the tablet market numbers a bit. The Android-running Fire has Amazon’s Kindle brand to lean on, which gives it some recognition and reliability, and it’s a smaller tablet that doesn’t try to be the iPad, which is also a good way to distinguish a product in a market full of imitators. Plus, there’s the Kindle Fire’s price point of $199 which will undoubtedly entice quite a few buyers who’d rather not play in Apple’s walled garden.

Google: Android tablets haven’t ‘completely flopped’ - Android app article - Phil Hornshaw | Appolicious ™ Android App Directory

Sergey Brin: I was wrong about Google+ | Rafe's Radar - CNET News

Excerpt from a timely Google snapshot

Battelle asked about the highly critical memo from a Google engineer that was mistakenly made public. Gundotra's talking point on this: "Larry and Sergey have fostered a culture that allows open debate. The outside world got a peek into what it's like to work at Google. That's why we didn't fire him."

Brin was less diplomatic about the memo. "I stopped reading it after the first 1,000 pages or so," he said. "If you want to get a point across, limit it to a paragraph or so."

Sergey Brin: I was wrong about Google+ | Rafe's Radar - CNET News

Even the BlackBerry faithful are abandoning RIM | Mobile Technology - InfoWorld

Another dynamic I’ve noted recently: many BlackBerry users carry two phones, with the second phone either Android or iPhone

Anecdotal evidence bears out this fast shift. At a conference I attended last week for big-company CIOs, more than half had iPhones and about half had BlackBerrys. There were also a couple Android smartphones in use. (Some CIOs had multiple devices, thus the totals coming to more than 100 percent.) All but one had an iPad with them. I've been attending this twice-yearly conference for seven years, and in the last 18 months the shift away from the BlackBerry has been dramatic, going from 100 percent to about 50 percent. And most still using BlackBerrys expected to drop their RIM devices in the next two years.

Even the BlackBerry faithful are abandoning RIM | Mobile Technology - InfoWorld

Can Netflix Regain Lost Ground? - Businessweek

There are other significant market dynamics, e.g., Amazon Prime video and more competitive on-demand offerings from companies such as Verizon

For years Netflix had carefully tested its products in focus groups assembled in the Lord of the Rings conference room in Building A at its Los Gatos (Calif.) headquarters campus or at rented space around the country. Focus groups have been asked about everything from the red color of DVD envelopes to the quality of video streams. This time Hastings skipped the focus group step, missing an opportunity to gauge customers’ potential reactions to separate websites and billing, according to the former employee. (Netflix spokesman Steve Swasey declined comment.) Instead, Hastings and his team relied on data showing that 75 percent of new signups before the price hike preferred streaming.

Can Netflix Regain Lost Ground? - Businessweek

As Brain Changes, So Can IQ - WSJ.com

No indication if this is related to More Facebook Friends, More Gray Matter in Brain?

A teenager's IQ can rise or fall as many as 20 points in just a few years, a brain-scanning team found in a study published Wednesday that suggests a young person's intelligence measure isn't as fixed as once thought.

The researchers also found that shifts in IQ scores corresponded to small physical changes in brain areas related to intellectual skills, though they weren't able to show a clear cause and effect.

As Brain Changes, So Can IQ - WSJ.com

Silver Lake, Microsoft and Canada Pension Plan Mulling Bid for Yahoo - WSJ.com

Perhaps this is what Steve Ballmer was referring to when he recently said “Sometimes, you’re lucky”

But investors are daunted by the challenge of revving up returns for Yahoo's core U.S. business of selling online display advertising, which has lost market share to nimbler rivals. Since Yahoo rebuffed a $44.6 billion takeover offer from Microsoft in 2008, its shares have lost nearly 44% in value.

Microsoft has been less willing to make a solo run for Yahoo ever since the failed bid, people familiar with the matter said, but it wants to maintain influence over Yahoo's future. Its participation in the discussions is mainly driven by its interest in protecting and enhancing an Internet search-advertising partnership it struck up with Yahoo after its bid, they added.

Under the proposal being discussed, the buyers would spin off Yahoo's Asian assets after a takeover, people familiar with the matter said.

Silver Lake, Microsoft and Canada Pension Plan Mulling Bid for Yahoo - WSJ.com

Groupon Seeks Offering Near $12 Billion Valuation - NYTimes.com

Maybe this was part of the Groupon plan the entire time – set expectations at ~infinity, so that ~.5 * infinity seems reasonable

Such a valuation, which is being weighed as the company prepares for an investor road show next week to pitch its initial public offering, would be a steep comedown from earlier expectations that an I.P.O. of the Internet darling could value the company as much as $25 billion to $30 billion.

But shaky stock markets in recent months have prompted the company’s bankers to revise their calculations. Enthusiasm for Groupon has also been tempered amid sharp questions over its business model and accounting.

Groupon Seeks Offering Near $12 Billion Valuation - NYTimes.com

Facebook Changes Inspire More Grumbling - State of the Art - NYTimes.com

Concluding paragraphs of a David Pogue review

The bottom line: The recent Facebook changes really do make things both better (Timeline, Friend Lists, Subscriptions) and worse (Top Stories, Ticker).

If you’ve been participating in the online gripefest, well, you have a point.

On the other hand, if you hate the new design, look at the bright side: it’s only a matter of time before Facebook changes its design again.

Facebook Changes Inspire More Grumbling - State of the Art - NYTimes.com

XML Aficionado: HTML5, large-scale ETL, Java API, JDBC, MDA, and web differencing

Altova has been a developer-focused market leader in XML tools for many years; if you want to get a sense of recent mainstream XML market trends, tracking Altova’s product updates is a good bet.  Check this page for the latest MissionKit features.

It is always a very exciting time of the year here at Altova when we reveal our latest major software version, and I am pleased to announce our MissionKit 2012 release today!

As always, we've packed a ton of exciting new features into this release and they span the entire product line.

So here it is in a nutshell - the cool "stuff" that is now available in version 2012

XML Aficionado: HTML5, large-scale ETL, Java API, JDBC, MDA, and web differencing

Kinect Turns Any Surface Into a Touch Screen - Technology Review

New ways to Kinect

A new prototype can transform a notebook into a notebook computer, a wall into an interactive display, and the palm of your hand into a smart phone display. In fact, researchers at Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University say their new shoulder-mounted device, called OmniTouch, can turn any nearby surface into an ad hoc interactive touch screen.

I think this may be a photo leaked from the test program

Kinect Turns Any Surface Into a Touch Screen  - Technology Review

More Facebook Friends, More Gray Matter in Brain? - Yahoo! News

Future job interviews may routinely feature neuroimaging (or perhaps scans will be an expected part of your résumé/LinkedIn profile/etc.)

The researchers found that the number of Facebook friends that students had correlated with the size of the gray matter in several areas of the brain.

One of the areas, the amygdala, is associated with memory and emotional responses. An earlier study found that this area was larger in people who had many real-world friends. Now it has been found that that's also true for those with lots of online friends, Rees said.

In addition, three other areas of the brain -- the right superior temporal sulcus, the left middle temporal gyrus and the right entorhinal cortex -- were also larger among those with lots of Facebook friends, but the size of these areas did not correlate with the number of real-world friends, the researchers noted.

More Facebook Friends, More Gray Matter in Brain? - Yahoo! News

How Dropbox Will Die - Forbes

David Coursey on Dropbox

Forbes’ Victoria Barret has written a wonderful insider piece about Dropbox that you can read here. She describes an early meeting between Dropbox founder Drew Houston and Apple‘s Steve Jobs.

Jobs smiled warmly as he told them he was going after their market. “He said we were a feature, not a product,” says Houston.

Steve was right. Houston’s job — along with his partner Arash Ferdowski — is to prove Steve Jobs wrong, but it won’t be easy and few have succeeded.

How Dropbox Will Die - Forbes

Robert Scoble– [on what Apple could do to respond to Google’s latest news]

Check the link below for some speculation.  Also check the comment/discussion dynamic differences between the Google+ version and the Facebook version of the same post (e.g., the former is far more extensive, at the time of this post).

Did you see all the news on http://techmeme.com/ ? The new phones and new Android OS are finally making me reconsider my Apple fanboyishness. Will Tim Cook answer with a sweeping new strategy?
He could.
Some things Apple/Tim Cook could put in play?

Robert Scoble - Google+ - I just posted this on Facebook, link later (I did that…

Exclusive: Matias Duarte on the philosophy of Android, and an in-depth look at Ice Cream Sandwich | This is my next...

Excerpt from an extensive interview with Android’s head of user experience; also see Ice Cream Sandwich: What you need to know about Android 4.0 (GigaOM)

Matias is somewhat of an anomaly in our industry. He led major user interface projects at Danger, Helio, and most notably Palm — where he gave birth to webOS — which were incredibly inventive in both design and functionality. At those companies, he took the lead on the creation, design, and implementation of novel and new mobile interfaces. But he’s not just a skilled designer. Matias can talk about his designs in a way that people understand. Not only understand, but get excited about. He’s effusive, brilliant, and very focused.

Unfortunately his work at those companies couldn’t find a foothold, and he seemed destined to toil away on doomed projects until he arrived at Google last year (he left Palm just after the company was acquired by HP) to work with his old boss from Danger, Andy Rubin.

Exclusive: Matias Duarte on the philosophy of Android, and an in-depth look at Ice Cream Sandwich | This is my next...

Groupon IPO could be as soon as Monday • The Register

The end of Bubble 2.0 is nigh…

Groupon's foray onto public markets hasn't exactly been smooth, but sources are saying it's a go for next week after many rumours of the on-again-off-again variety.

Those people familiar with the matter have been chatting to Reuters again, and are now saying that Groupon has a definite-ish start for its IPO roadshow: next Monday or Tuesday.

Groupon IPO could be as soon as Monday • The Register

China Becomes Apple’s Second-Largest Market, Cook Says - Businessweek

Interesting times

Apple Inc. said China has become its largest market after the U.S. as the iPhone, iPad and iMac computer maker opened an online store last year and six retail outlets in the past three years in the Asian nation.

China, the world’s most populous country, accounted for 16 percent of Apple’s fourth-quarter sales, or about $4.5 billion, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said on a conference call yesterday. Revenue in the nation was almost four times the year- earlier level, he said.

China Becomes Apple’s Second-Largest Market, Cook Says - Businessweek

Google Ice Cream Sandwich Debuts as IPhone Sets Record: Tech - Businessweek

The next level of smartphone and tablet competition (and, no doubt, related lawsuits) is underway

Google Inc. today will unveil the first device running the new version of its Android software, stepping up competition with Apple Inc. and seeking to win over developers by making it easier to write programs that run on both phones and tablets.

[…]

The latest Android incarnation will offer easier multitasking and a new way to access applications. With the update, Google Chief Executive Officer Larry Page aims to boost mobile-advertising sales and give customers an alternative to Apple’s iOS software, which runs iPhones and iPads. At stake is dominance in the $207 billion mobile-phone market, where iPhone is the top-selling device and Android is the most-used software.

Google Ice Cream Sandwich Debuts as IPhone Sets Record: Tech - Businessweek

Apple Loses Some of Its Shine - WSJ.com

A key theme from Apple’s earnings update yesterday – targeting revenue growth of ~38% compared to Q1 2010

Still, Apple executives continued to ratchet up expectations for the current quarter that ends in late December. In an interview, Apple's chief financial officer, Peter Oppenheimer, described early sales of the iPhone 4S as "blow-away," and said "we enter the holiday quarter with tremendous momentum."

The company, which is known for issuing low guidance, said it expects fiscal first-quarter earnings of about $9.30 a share on revenue of about $37 billion, higher than some analysts had predicted.

[…]

Apple Loses Some of Its Shine - WSJ.com

Oracle Press Release: Oracle Buys Endeca

Interesting in part because it means Oracle just acquired another XQuery-compliant content server; see this Oracle presentation (PDF) for more details

Oracle today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Endeca Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of unstructured data management, web commerce and business intelligence solutions.

A privately-held company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Endeca provides powerful and highly intuitive products that help companies analyze unstructured data, gain better business intelligence, and deliver a superior customer experience.

http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/press/517791

Leo DiCaprio slated to play Turing in biopic • The Register

I greatly enjoyed the book and look forward to seeing the movie

The Time Warner studio paid an unspecified seven-figure sum for the rights to The Imitation Game, by first-time screenwriter Graham Moore. Moore's screenplay is an adoption of Alan Turing: The Enigma, a biography of the pioneering computer scientist, mathematician and wartime codebreaker by Andrew Hodges.

Next year marks the 100th anniversary of Alan Turing's birth, with numerous events organised to celebrate Turing's life.

Leo DiCaprio slated to play Turing in biopic • The Register

iPhone 4S Sales Now Reservation-Only at Apple Retail Stores in U.S. and Canada - Mac Rumors

After a 4 million-unit introductory weekend

Apple has updated its "how to buy" page for the iPhone 4S to note that Apple retail stores in the United States and Canada are now selling the device on a reservation-only basis. Customers will need to visit Apple's site after 9:00 PM each evening to reserve a phone for the following day.

“iPhone 4S is available in store by reservation only. Reserve yours after 9:00 p.m. tonight for pickup tomorrow. When you come in, you’ll choose a carrier and plan, and we’ll get your iPhone up and running before you leave the store.”

iPhone 4S Sales Now Reservation-Only at Apple Retail Stores in U.S. and Canada - Mac Rumors

Sean Parker: Facebook Power Users Have Gone to Twitter or Google+ [Mashable]

From the increasingly prolific @sparker

Spotify investor and former Facebook President Sean Parker had some harsh words for his favorite social network: its problem isn’t privacy, it’s that some of its most active users are leaving for other services.

“”The threat to Facebook is that power users have gone to Twitter or Google+,” Parker told the Web 2.0 Summit — because, he says, Facebook isn’t giving them enough ways to manage a glut of information.

Sean Parker: Facebook Power Users Have Gone to Twitter or Google+

U.S. Debated Cyberwarfare Against Libya - NYTimes.com

Sign of the cyber-times

But administration officials and even some military officers balked, fearing that it might set a precedent for other nations, in particular Russia or China, to carry out such offensives of their own, and questioning whether the attack could be mounted on such short notice. They were also unable to resolve whether the president had the power to proceed with such an attack without informing Congress.

[…]

In the end, Libya’s air-defense network was dangerous but not exceptionally robust. American surveillance identified its locations, and it was degraded through conventional attacks.

U.S. Debated Cyberwarfare Against Libya - NYTimes.com

Groupon's Red Flags Were Missed -- Sorkin - NYTimes.com

An ominous Groupon snapshot

All of this raises an obvious question: How did so many Wall Street firms desperate to underwrite the Groupon I.P.O. miss these warning signs when pitching such a sky-high valuation? Or did they just turn a blind eye?

“Underwriters are supposed to be gatekeepers, not just a sales and marketing agent,” said Lynn E. Turner, a former chief accountant for the S.E.C. “Underwriters have gotten to the point of being cheerleaders. I question whether they are really fulfilling their obligation to investors.”

Groupon's Red Flags Were Missed -- Sorkin - NYTimes.com

The Great Tech War Of 2012 | Fast Company

Excerpt from a Farhad Manjoo market snapshot

To state this as clearly as possible: The four American companies that have come to define 21st-century information technology and entertainment are on the verge of war. Over the next two years, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google will increasingly collide in the markets for mobile phones and tablets, mobile apps, social networking, and more. This competition will be intense. Each of the four has shown competitive excellence, strategic genius, and superb execution that have left the rest of the world in the dust.

The Great Tech War Of 2012 | Fast Company

Trying to gauge the impact of growing up digital - Business - The Boston Globe

Actual results may vary…

“We are conducting the world’s greatest experiment in real time on our children,’’ said Liz Perle, editor in chief at Common Sense Media, a San Francisco nonprofit group that helps parents manage media and technology.

[…]

Trying to gauge the impact of growing up digital - Business - The Boston Globe

BlackBerry outage made roads safer, police claim | Naked Security

Check the full post for more context-setting

Road traffic accidents in Abu Dhabi are said to have dropped by 40%, and there was a 20% reduction in Dubai in the past week.

According to The National newspaper, Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim, the chief of Dubai Police, and Brig Gen Hussein Al Harethi, the director of the Abu Dhabi Police traffic department, both linked the drop to the service disruption experienced by BlackBerry users.

BlackBerry outage made roads safer, police claim | Naked Security

Head To Head: Siri Vs. Google Voice Actions [Search Engine Land]

Excerpt from a snapshot of a close race

Indeed, Siri is not a Google killer. It relies heavily on Google search for things it can’t do or answer. For many users Siri may become the voice front end to Google search on the iPhone 4S and beyond. We may see Google’s query volume on the iPhone increase and not decrease accordingly. (The conventional wisdom is that Siri is a direct threat to Google but the reality is somewhat more nuanced — so to speak.)

Head To Head: Siri Vs. Google Voice Actions

iPhone 4S Siri Review [Mashable]

Final paragraph of a Siri snapshot

Siri on the iPhone 4S still feels like a work in progress. I think it could have used another few months of development before it was released to push it well beyond gimmick territory. But Apple was already later than usual in its product cycle with this iPhone 4S, so might have been compelled to release it early. Even so, Siri as it stands now gives us a hint at what’s to come, and the future looks bright.

iPhone 4S Siri Review

Research in Motion Pins Hopes on Its Next OS - NYTimes.com

Likely to be a funereal event

After months of misery underlined by the declining market share of its BlackBerry phone in North America, a profoundly unsuccessful move into tablet computers and, just last week, a prolonged failure of its service for millions of users worldwide, Research in Motion has a new opportunity to convince the world that it remains relevant.

Research in Motion Pins Hopes on Its Next OS - NYTimes.com

Supercomputing’s exascale arms race | FT Tech Hub | FTtechhub - Industry analysis – FT.com

tbd if Oracle will sue for the “Exa” prefix usage…

The current Jaguar supercomputer there will become known as Titan as it is boosted from 2- to 20-petaflop performance – that’s 20 million billion mathematical operations per second. An exaflop is 1,000 petaflops and the US wants to achieve this 50x improvement on Titan by around 2019.

China, the European Union, India, Japan and Russia are also targetting Exascale computing.

“This has become a real priority for national governments,” he said, “There’s a growing realisation around the world that high-end computing is at the root of economic competitiveness.”

Supercomputing’s exascale arms race | FT Tech Hub | FTtechhub - Industry analysis – FT.com

Google Plus - Good News Or Bad News - Technorati Technology

Check the post link below for additional Google+ reality check details

If you look at the initial traffic figures, as presented by Chitika, the dramatic drop in traffic following the initial search might well make you wonder whether people were not finding sufficient to keep them involved. The image presented shows the data as determined by Chitika Insights: those interested can check out the methodology used.

Google Plus - Good News Or Bad News - Technorati Technology

Jeff Bezos of Amazon: Birth of a Salesman - WSJ.com

Excerpt from a soon-to-be-published Jeff Bezos biography

During the first few weeks, everyone at the company was working until two or three in the morning to get the books packed, addressed and shipped. Mr. Bezos had neglected to order packing tables, so people ended up on their knees on the concrete floor to package the books. He later recalled in a speech that, after hours of doing this, he commented to one of the employees that they had to get knee pads. The employee, Nicholas Lovejoy, "looked at me like I was a Martian," Mr. Bezos said. Mr. Lovejoy suggested the obvious: Buy some tables. "I thought that was the most brilliant idea I had ever heard in my life," he said.

Jeff Bezos of Amazon: Birth of a Salesman - WSJ.com

Buzz by Google Buzz Team - Today we announced our plans to retire Google Buzz along…

A snapshot suggesting Buzz had at least a few loyal users – perhaps Google would have received more user feedback, if they hadn’t disabled comments on the post.

Buzz by Google Buzz Team - Today we announced our plans to retire Google Buzz along…

Siri is best part of iPhone 4S - Business - The Boston Globe

Whatever Apple paid to acquire Siri, it appears to have been money well invested

Why did thousands of people in Boston and across the country stand in line at dawn yesterday to buy the newest smartphone from Apple Inc.? Why not just wait a few days, until the crowds ebb? I asked the new iPhone 4S, the latest version of Apple’s best-selling device, which was released yesterday. The phone didn’t know. But it did know last week’s lottery numbers, next week’s weather report, and the capital city of the Asian nation of Uzbekistan.

I simply spoke to the phone, and it displayed the correct answers in seconds. That might explain why so many people stood in line for the newest version of the iPhone. Its most vaunted new feature, the voice command system called Siri, responds to human speech with speed and precision. With the new iPhone’s faster processor, and its host of major software improvements, yesterday’s buying frenzy made a little more sense.

Siri is best part of iPhone 4S - Business - The Boston Globe

Post-PC LibreOffice heads for Web, iOS, Android | Webware - CNET

Yet another Microsoft Office subset clone to be available on non-PC devices … in a year or so, maybe…

LibreOffice, the project forked from OpenOffice.org, is moving into the modern era with developers working on versions that run in Web browsers and on iOS and Android devices.

[…]

"These are not products available to end users, but advanced development projects which will become products sometimes in late 2012 or early 2013," the foundation said today.

Post-PC LibreOffice heads for Web, iOS, Android | Webware - CNET

Official Google Blog: A fall sweep

Bye-bye Buzz; see the post link below for other soon-to-be-terminated Google services/programs

We aspire to build great products that really change people’s lives, products they use two or three times a day. To succeed you need real focus and thought—thought about what you work on and, just as important, what you don’t work on. It’s why we recently decided to shut down some products, and turn others into features of existing products.
Here’s the latest update on what’s happening:

[…]

• In a few weeks we’ll shut down Google Buzz and the Buzz API, and focus instead on Google+. While people obviously won't be able to create new posts after that, they will be able to view their existing content on their Google Profile, and download it using Google Takeout.

Official Google Blog: A fall sweep

Has Blackberry finally found its final straw - unreliability? [Chicago Sun-Times]

Final paragraphs from a stark Andy Ihnatko RIM reality check

When you visit Blackberry community forums, the phrase “the final straw” pops up reliably in post made over the past few days and as much as IT managers like the Blackberry, the device is becoming unreliable at the one task it’s meant to perform.

And the problem with the business of making fleet vehicles is that your end-users have no allegiance to your product whatsoever. Apple would have to anger tens of millions of iPhone users at the same time to threaten the product’s ongoing existence. For RIM to kill the Blackberry, they only need to anger thousands of administrators. And it’s possible that this week, they’ve done just that.

Has Blackberry finally found its final straw - unreliability?