Reuters: What happens is that when you order a Kindle Fire […] it comes with your Amazon account information preloaded, along with “1-Click” ordering. That means anyone who is holding that device can place an order, whether it’s their account … Continued
Getting a job
Get out of the box. Stop thinking there is a magical process to getting a job if you follow the rules. Hone in on 3-5 companies that you’re passionate about and get creative. Meet people, find employees of the company a year before you are graduating and send informational emails through LinkedIn. Go to industry events. Heck, send them a 20 foot tall painting in the mail((Credit to Merlin Mann on Back to Work for this idea.))! Do all of this with the intention of learning more, not necessarily getting a job, because if you wait until you need a job, it’s too late.
I agree with the two main points here. There is no magical solution and if you need it, it’s already too late.
I will add this because I’ve seen it so many times in the last 17 years as a technology journalist: Don’t burn your bridges on the way up. It’s a long way down if there’s nobody to help you when you fall.
Editorial cartoon plagiarism
The Daily Cartoonist:
As a general rule, as long as the cartoonist isn’t light-boxing, I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. Even the ones cited above can be excused when looked at individually (the ‘nationalized’ cartoons are easy word gags based on the topic of the day). Collectively, however, the matter gets harder to explain away. Only Jeff knows for sure and the only on-the-record response he’s given me was that “it’s a coincidence.”
All of the examples seem a bit too close for my liking.
Understanding Apple’s endgame
Whenever you bring up Apple or any of its products, the conversation inevitably goes to market share. So much so that it seems clear to me that some people believe that Apple thinks about market share when it releases products. … Continued
Usability expert hates the Kindle Fire
Part of making a successful product is making it usable for your target audience. That, apparently, is something that Amazon completely missed with its new Kindle Fire. “Amazon.com’s new Kindle Fire offers a disappointingly poor user experience,” said usability expert … Continued
PlayBook is an ‘albatross’
Businessweek:
Lazaridis said at the time the PlayBook was worth continuing because the tablet market is still “in its infancy and that “based on the positive response to the promotions that are underway in select markets, RIM believes this strategy will accelerate adoption” of its new operating system and help built the application ecosystem for devices planned for 2012.
RIM failed to plan for the future while it controlled the smartphone market years ago. Then it lied to its users and the market and said the PlayBook was planned all along — it didn’t take a genius to see that the PlayBook was thrown together at the last minute to mitigate a threat from the iPad.
Windows 8 will be ‘irrelevant’ and ‘disappointing’
AppleInsider:
Microsoft’s Windows 8 is still a year away, but IDC is already predicting that the new release will be “largely irrelevant” to conventional PC users and that its ability to sell tablets will be “disappointing.”
You didn’t need a market research firm to tell you that, did you?
A Facebook phone — why?
Jean-Louis Gassée: Back to Facebook. Both Google and Zuckerberg’s company vie for the same advertising dollars. This makes Google Facebook’s biggest, most direct competitor. The Trojan Horse applications on Android-powered smartphones are a direct threat to Facebook’s advertising business. Just … Continued
Android bug allows hackers to record phone conversations
The Register: Computer scientists have discovered a weakness in smartphones running Google’s Android operating system that allows attackers to secretly record phone conversations, monitor geographic location data, and access other sensitive resources without permission. Well now, there’s a feature the … Continued
Telephoto lens for iPhone
Photojojo:
Simply put, our sheepishness turned to sheer addiction (the good kind, not the itchy-skinned paranoid kind) — and we started taking our iPhone Telephoto Lens with us everywhere.
Yeah, it may look funny, but if it takes great pics, it would be worth the investment.
Apple, HTC, Samsung, Motorola, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile sued over Carrier IQ
The law firms of Sianni & Straite of Wilmington, DE, Eichen Crutchlow Zaslow & McElroy of Edison, NJ, and Keefe Bartels of Red Bank, NJ, have today filed a class action complaint in Federal Court in Wilmington, Delaware related to … Continued
Frustration with magazines on the iPad
I’m convinced that the people who actually write for magazines, edit them and publish them have never actually tried using their iPad versions for more than a few moments. If they actually did try to use their publication’s app as the actual means to read each issue, things would have to improve. Right? RIGHT?!
Justin Williams tears apart GQ, Esquire and Sports Illustrated for their poor implementation on the iPad. He also offers 10 solutions magazine publishers could use to help themselves.
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45 powerful images from 2011
I looked through the images and was impressed. When I got to the one of the dog and the navy seal, I felt it tugging at my heart.
RIM exec a suspect in BlackBerry sales stampede
Indonesian police named Research In Motion’s country director a suspect for negligence Monday after a BlackBerry promotion turned chaotic and left dozens injured and others knocked unconscious.Andrew Cobham, president director for Research in Motion (RIM) in Indonesia, and British security consultant Terry Burkey were named as two of four suspects in the incident at a Jakarta mall and could face five years’ imprisonment.
Just when you think things can’t possibly get worse for RIM.
RIM’s mismanagement
Matt Alexander: I have no doubt that QNX is promising, but why on Earth would you push it when it’s not even compatible with your flagship email software? Why would you build Android emulation when you’re looking to develop your … Continued
Rolling Stone’s Beatles Album-by-Album Guide iPad app
The editors of Rolling Stone bring you the essential Beatles experience. From Please Please Me to Let it Be, Rolling Stone’s “Beatles Ultimate Album-by-Album Guide” takes you on a journey deep inside the Beatles catalog. Read about the inspiration and … Continued
Gruber translates Carrier IQ’s doublespeak
Hilarious.
Fantastical
I’d like to thank Fantastical for sponsoring this week’s RSS on The Loop.
Fantastical is the Mac calendar you’ll actually enjoy. Create events with simple sentences like “Go to lunch with John on Tuesday” or “Summer vacation 6/9-6/16.” Easily locate and search for your events with Fantastical’s beautiful and easy to navigate calendar. Fantastical works with iCal, BusyCal, Entourage, and Outlook and is compatible with OS X Lion and Snow Leopard.
Try Fantastical now for free, or purchase it from the Flexibits Store or on the Mac App Store for only $19.99.
Facebook buys Gowalla
CNN:
Most of Gowalla’s employees, including founder Josh Williams, will move to Facebook’s offices in Palo Alto. The team will work on Facebook’s Timeline feature, which launched at this year’s F8 conference and is gradually rolling out to Facebook’s 800 million members.
Probably a great deal for Gowalla.
Kindle Touch vs Nook Simple Touch vs Kobo Touch vs Kindle 4
Marco Arment does an extensive review of each device.
Pablo Escobar’s cartel spent $2,500 a month for rubber bands to wrap cash
But cash flow remained absurd, with revenues of $3 billion in 1983 and $2.3 billion in 1984, netting Escobar alone at least $1.3 billion in profit.Around this time he bought a Learjet to fly cash out of the U.S., and the Cartel’s expenses included $2,500 per month for rubber bands for bricks of cash.
That’s a lot of rubber bands.
Ferrari lovers dream party
Wow, so many beautiful cars.
RIM misses Q3 guidance on slow PlayBook sales
From RIM’s advisory this morning:
As previously disclosed, RIM has a high level of BlackBerry PlayBook inventory. The Company now believes that an increase in promotional activity is required to drive sell-through to end customers. This is due to several factors, including recent shifts in the competitive dynamics of the tablet market and a delay in the release of the PlayBook OS 2.0 software. As a result, RIM will record a provision that reflects the current market environment and allows it to expand upon the aggressive level of promotional activity recently employed by the Company in order to drive PlayBook adoption around the world.
Drunk RIM employees disrupt flight
The Star: George Campbell, 45, of Conestogo, Ont., and Paul Alexander Wilson, 38, of Kitchener, pleaded guilty to one charge of mischief in Richmond Provincial Court on Wednesday. They were each given suspended sentences and one year’s probation, and ordered … Continued
Better blogging
Dan Frommer gives his advice on how to write a better blog. There are definitely some good tips in here.
One of my main rules for writing: Be honest with yourself and your readers.
Napster merges with Rhapsody
Mashable:
On Thursday, Napster will officially merge with Rhapsody, the largest on-demand music service in the United States. Rhapsody signed an agreement last month to purchase Napster for an undisclosed sum from its parent company, Best Buy.
I didn’t even know Napster was still around.
The Fisker Karma Hybrid car
Ian Hamilton: But a roof with solar panels that help extend the range of your vehicle? Instant feedback so I can tell exactly how much my driving style impacts my mileage? An electric car that feels perfectly smooth as you … Continued
iPhone most searched term on Yahoo
Reuters:
Apple’s iPhone edged past major news events, celebrities and pop stars as the top searched term on the Web in 2011, according to Yahoo!
Not to be rude, but Yahoo only holds 15.2 percent market share. I’d be interested to know where “iPhone” falls on Google since it controls 65.6 percent of the market.
Hackers jailbreak PlayBook
Reuters:
Three hackers say they have exploited a vulnerability in Research In Motion’s PlayBook tablet to gain root access to the device, a claim that could damage the BlackBerry maker’s hard-won reputation for security.
Why bother?