Sherlund: "We do not believe that Microsoft will price Surface at $199" | Microsoft Pri0 | The Seattle Times

Excerpt from Surface RT pricing analysis

"Sherlund does say, however, that he thinks Microsoft may enter the lower-end tablet market with Barnes and Noble, with the two creating a new, 7-inch tablet. The two companies announced a partnership in April to create a subsidiary focusing on digital books.
"We would not be surprised to see Microsoft ship a 7-inch device along with Barnes and Noble, sometime in the future, which might be more appropriately priced at $199," Sherlund said in his note."

Sherlund: "We do not believe that Microsoft will price Surface at $199" | Microsoft Pri0 | The Seattle Times

Computer History Museum | Exhibits | This Day in History: August 16: 1890: Census Bureau announces results using Herman Hollerith's machine

An early Voter ID system prototype...

"The US Census Bureau announces the U.S. population of 62,622,250, determined for the first time by using an automated method, the Hollerith Census Machine. The Hollerith machine sorted returns by completing an electrical circuit wherever a hole existed in a punch card and could process almost 10 times the number of census data than a human clerk
[...]
Hollerith formed the Tabulating Machine Company in 1896. This company merged with two others in 1924 to become the International Business Machines company or IBM"

Computer History Museum | Exhibits | This Day in History: August 16:

PostgreSQL is Our New Default | Engine Yard Blog

Perhaps the database meme of the last year should have been "NoMySQL" instead of "NoSQL"

"PostgreSQL’s popularity is growing, and rightfully so: it’s reliable, performant, and competes well with traditional (and expensive) enterprise databases like Oracle and SQL Server. PostgreSQL is completely community driven and has a rich ecosystem of tools and documentation.
A few months ago, we released full support for Postgres 9.1 in the Engine Yard database stack. Today we are happy to announce that we are making PostgreSQL the default database for all new Engine Yard Cloud applications."

PostgreSQL is Our New Default | Engine Yard Blog

Nokia and Microsoft holding Windows Phone 8 press event on September 5th | The Verge

One week before the anticipated "iPhone 5" event; tbd which will be available (as in taking one home, not just placing an order) first -- a Windows 8 phone from Nokia or "the new iPhone;" see Nokia to shoulder past Apple with Windows Phone 8 debut: report for more speculation

"We've been waiting to find out when Nokia would unveil its first lineup of Windows Phone 8 devices, and it looks like we'll be getting all the details on September 5th at 9:30AM in New York City. "

Nokia and Microsoft holding Windows Phone 8 press event on September 5th | The Verge

Google Maps now has schedules for more than one million public transit stops worldwide | Official Google Blog

Check the link below for ways in which Google is making the transit information more useful

"Since 2005, we’ve collaborated with hundreds of transit authorities around the world to make a comprehensive resource for millions of riders to find out which bus, train, subway or tram can take them to their next destination. Today, Google Maps has public transportation schedules for more than one million transit stops worldwide, in nearly 500 cities including New York, London, Tokyo and Sydney."

Google Maps now has schedules for more than one million public transit stops worldwide | Official Google Blog

Windows 8 Release to Manufacturing Review - Watch CNET's Video Review

Check the review link for a detailed overview with several screen shots

"The good: Windows 8 embraces the future wholeheartedly. Log-in and boot times are fast, the apps look gorgeous, and the Sync feature brings seamless transition between devices.
The bad: The learning curve is steep and in-app navigation isn't obvious. There are just too many known unknowns here.
The bottom line: Microsoft makes an aggressive, forward-thinking and bold statement statement for the future of PCs with Windows 8, and vast security and speed improvements more than justify the $40 upgrade price."

Windows 8 Release to Manufacturing Review - Watch CNET's Video Review

With Creativity, the Computing Industry Can Survive Windows 8 - Businessweek

Excerpt from a stark assessment

"With Windows 8, we get to find out what the non-Apple computing industry really has left.
By this, I mean that, yes, Microsoft will sell plenty of copies of Windows 8, and, yes, the PC makers will sell plenty of computers. But let’s see which companies can take Microsoft’s software and online services and bundle them together into a lifestyle choice that rivals what Apple has on offer on all manner of devices. (Soon enough, this will go for TVs, cars, and home appliances, too.)"

With Creativity, the Computing Industry Can Survive Windows 8 - Businessweek

Missed Call: How the iPhone Conquered Japan - WSJ.com

I suppose RIM and Nokia may take some solace in this

"Today Apple and Samsung Electronics Co.'s  are enjoying record profits and are combining for some 54% of global smartphone shipments in the first quarter, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.
The combined share for Sony Corp., Panasonic Corp., Sharp Corp., Fujitsu Ltd. and other Japanese manufacturers: 8%.
In an effort to catch up, Japanese companies are redoubling their smartphone push with varying degrees of ambition."

Missed Call: How the iPhone Conquered Japan - WSJ.com

Meet Gram, HP's New Name for the Company Formerly Known as Palm - Arik Hesseldahl - News - AllThingsD

Check the full post for a recap of Palm's disintegration

"It has been about two years since IT giant Hewlett-Packard closed on its $1.2 billion acquisition of the smartphone company Palm. And it hasn’t exactly been a happy ride.
But now there’s a glimmer of hope. A new wholly owned subsidiary has been created within HP called Gram, and it’s essentially the remaining bits of the old Palm."

Meet Gram, HP's New Name for the Company Formerly Known as Palm - Arik Hesseldahl - News - AllThingsD

TripAdvisor, Expedia, Yelp, Amazon: Are online reviews trustworthy? Economists weigh in. - Slate Magazine

Final paragraph from a timely crowdsourcing reality check

"So the techno-utopians were at least half right: The Internet has helped a lot of people make better decisions about which movies to watch, where to eat, and where to sleep. But on the other side of any sophisticated system designed to produce fair and honest appraisals will be equally resourceful schemers looking to game the system. In fact, given the subversive efforts of those working to undermine honest rating systems, it’s a testament to the fundamental good nature and public spiritedness of human beings that crowdsourced evaluation doesn’t unravel completely. The only way group feedback can survive is if there is a massive counterweight of reviewers taking the time to provide honest feedback despite the complete absence of economic incentives for doing so."

TripAdvisor, Expedia, Yelp, Amazon: Are online reviews trustworthy? Economists weigh in. - Slate Magazine

Samsung 10" Galaxy Note Tablet Review - Walt Mossberg - Personal Technology - AllThingsD

An excerpt from Walt Mossberg's Galaxy Note 10.1 review; for David Pogue's take, see A Tablet Straining to Do It All (NYT)

"I’ve been testing the Galaxy Note 10.1 for the past four days and, in general, I like it. It works smoothly and quickly, and the stylus and split-screen features perform as promised. However, I found its battery life to be much lower than the iPad’s, and some of Samsung’s software to be overly complicated. Plus, even Samsung concedes that the key differentiator, the pen, isn’t likely to be used by most people most of the time.
Still, I can recommend the Galaxy Note 10.1 as a better choice than the iPad for people who value the stylus or split-screen capability, or for those who prefer Android."

Samsung 10" Galaxy Note Tablet Review - Walt Mossberg - Personal Technology - AllThingsD

Apple's New Front in Battle for TV - WSJ.com

Also see Apple Patents Reveal New Directions for Apple TV, Touch Displays (Wired) and Because That’s Where The Content Is (TechCrunch; preview: the URL for the latter includes "die-cable-companies-die")

"Apple Inc. is in talks with some of the biggest U.S. cable operators about letting consumers use an Apple device as a set-top box for live television and other content, according to people familiar with the matter.
The talks represent Apple's most ambitious crack at infiltrating the living room after years of trying."

Apple's New Front in Battle for TV - WSJ.com

A new modern SkyDrive.com, updated apps, and Outlook.com at 10 million users [The Windows Blog]

Check the link below for some screen shots of the new SkyDrive UX, including a new Android client; SkyDrive + Office Web Apps is a compelling combination

"Today, we’re updating SkyDrive with a new, more modern web design, refined SkyDrive apps for PCs and Macs, a new SkyDrive app for Android devices, and improved developer offerings. While there’s always more to do to improve our products, these updates bring SkyDrive out of preview and ready for a billion users – in time for the upcoming releases of Windows 8, the new Outlook.com, and the new Office. "

A new modern SkyDrive.com, updated apps, and Outlook.com at 10 million users

iPad mini will look like a large iPod touch with smaller side bezels [Gallery] | 9to5Mac | Apple Intelligence

Check the full post and related links for details

“We received a number of tips over the last few weeks from sources that we have reason to believe hold knowledge about Apple’s plans on the upcoming iPad mini. A reoccurring theme of late is that the iPad mini will “look like a big iPod touch” with smaller bezels along the sides in portrait mode and separate volume buttons and not a “rocker” and a mic on the back.”

iPad mini will look like a large iPod touch with smaller side bezels [Gallery] | 9to5Mac | Apple Intelligence

Branch, a Group Conversation Site, Publicly Branches Out - NYTimes.com

Another new Obvious communication/collaboration creation

"Branch entices people to start a longer, more in-depth conversation about a specific topic and invite others to join the discussion. Unlike most social networks, where anyone can join in and add their verbose opinions, only people involved in the conversation can invite others. This includes friends on Twitter and other social networks.

[...] 

 Branch, which has been in a private beta for several months, grew out of the Obvious Corporation, an idea incubator started by Evan Williams and Biz Stone, the two co-founders of Twitter, and Jason Goldman, a former Twitter executive."

Both Branch and Medium also use Twitter as an identity/authentication service.

Branch, a Group Conversation Site, Publicly Branches Out - NYTimes.com

New Windows Tablets: the Good, the Not-So-Bad, and the Ugly - Businessweek

Excerpt from a GigaOm RT round-up:

"Although Microsoft’s Zune player fizzled, the Surface looks to sizzle. And outside the Zune debacle, Microsoft does have some consumer-electronics wins, most noticeably with the best-selling game console of all time: the Xbox 360. Perhaps Microsoft will be the biggest surprise here and end up leading the pack when it comes to the Windows RT market."

The RT Surface will be especially disruptive if, as recently rumored, it's introduced for $199

New Windows Tablets: the Good, the Not-So-Bad, and the Ugly - Businessweek

Welcome to Medium — About Medium — Medium

The creators of Blogger and Twitter introduce a new Medium

"The Obvious Corporation decided to take on the project of building a new publishing platform from scratch, not just because it’s in our wheelhouse, but because we believe publishing—and media, more broadly—is important. It’s easy to forget this given how much pointless and destructive media is in the world. But there’s also more great stuff than ever before—and we haven’t even scratched the surface of what our smart devices and our networks that connect most of the planet might enable."

Welcome to Medium — About Medium — Medium

Groupon earnings report: The daily deals site’s crummy business model is finally dead. Hooray! - Slate Magazine

Not such a bargain

"Now, after a spectacular debut on the Nasdaq, Groupon is a public company. On Monday, it reported its second-quarter earnings results. The numbers were dismal. They paint an unmistakable picture of the future of Groupon and other similar sites: The daily deals industry is drying up. Groupon reported that its customer growth slowed substantially over the second quarter; the amount of money that each customer spends on the site tanked; and the company’s “guidance” for the current quarter suggests that things are going to get a lot worse. The spin from Groupon’s executives was not very encouraging. In a conference call with analysts, the firm’s CEO Andrew Mason kept talking up Groupon Goods, a service in which Groupon sells discounted merchandise to customers—in other words, something completely different from the coupons that earned the firm its IPO."

Groupon earnings report: The daily deals site’s crummy business model is finally dead. Hooray! - Slate Magazine

Gartner: Android Extends Smartphone OS Dominance in Q2 | PCWorld

Some big licensing checks in Apple's future, should it prevail in its Samsung lawsuit

"There is no doubt that Samsung is currently the most successful phone vendor. Samsung's overall sales were up 29.5 percent year-on-year to 90.4 million units. Growth was driven by record sales of Samsung's Galaxy smartphones which totalled 45.6 million units.
[...]
Samsung's success propelled Android to a 64.1 percent market share, compared to 43.4 percent during the second quarter last year and 56.1 percent during the first three months of 2012.
[...]
Apple sold 28.9 million iPhones to end users during the second quarter."

Gartner: Android Extends Smartphone OS Dominance in Q2 | PCWorld

Office Next - New file format options in the new Office

Check the post link below for additional details

“The following table shows the evolution of file format support in the last few versions of Office:”

Office Next - New file format options in the new Office