The NEX band is a wrist band that acts as a hub for clip-on hardware mods that add various notification capabilities. At first blush, this seems like a genius idea. The NEX band tackles some of the same ideas addressed by existing smart bands, but builds in a plug and play extendability.
I can only assume that the appropriate teams at Apple are digging in to this technology with great interest. Fascinating tech.
This story is based on content from Yukari Iwatani Kane’s new book “Haunted Empire: Apple After Steve Jobs”.
One person asked if Apple was going to release a television next. There were already rumors all over the place that it was Apple’s next conquest.
Yukari says “Jobs didn’t hesitate.” He said, “No.”
Bummer. I thought this was a cool idea. The #nerdbird flew between Mineta San Jose International Airport and LAX.
Interesting piece from Seeking Alpha (free reg-wall) about the rise of mobile gaming and the projected financial future for Apple and Google. The real core of the numbers come from the annual App Annie report (free reg-wall) on mobile gaming trends, well worth the read if you are interested in the specifics.
This cannot possibly be true, can it?
For one brief shining moment, commercial drones are now legal in U.S. skies, thanks to a court decision this month that slapped down the Federal Aviation Administration’s attempt to ground them.
A San Francisco company has leaped on the opportunity, gearing up to offer drone delivery of drugstore items in the Mission.
[VIDEO] Moff bills itself as a “wearable smart toy”. Grab a broom and strum, and the Moff bracelet will emit a guitar sound. Grab a banana and point it like a gun, and your shots ring out. A pretend tennis racket, you’ll hear a swat sound when you swing.
I’m not sure this is useful as much as playful, but I love the concept and I think there’s something to this. I’m interested in watching this evolve.
Professor David Brailsford takes you on a walk down memory lane with Apple’s introduction of the Laserwriter.
The Computerphile videos are a bit low tech and homespun, but I find them both charming and informative.
Re/code:
Obama administration officials moved late Friday to end the U.S.’s role in overseeing Internet domain names and addresses, announcing plans to relinquish its role by the end of next year and turning the keys over to the global Internet community.
Commerce Department officials announced that the U.S. government would relinquish its role overseeing Internet addresses in favor of a to-be-determined global body.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has managed the use and governance of domain names and Internet addresses for the U.S. government since 1998, when it was awarded the task by the Commerce Department. Based in Los Angeles, ICANN oversees the Internet’s address system and has moved in recent years to open up new domain names.
Long time coming.
Wall Street Journal on high implied adoption rates for iOS 7.1, especially when compared to KitKat, the latest version of Android.
Tired of waiting for Office to be optimised for their mobile gadgets, a growing contingent of younger companies is turning to cheaper, simpler and touch-friendly apps that can perform word processing and other tasks in the “cloud” – on internet-based systems.
Take Artivest Holdings, a New York-based financial services startup that sells alternative investment products. The New York-based company uses an app called Quip, which combines word processing and messaging, to handle all but the most sensitive legal and financial files.
“There are no more Microsoft Word documents being circulated. If someone emails me a Word document, I’ll tell them to put it in Quip,” said Artivest’s chief investment officer David Levine.
I think this is dead on. My kids don’t use Office and they don’t own a watch. The world is definitely changing.
A new App Store section. Not the app store section we needed, but the app store section we deserved.
Heh.
There is a lot of food for thought in this article. Here’s just a taste:
Trends are always set by the younger generation. Especially with clothing, jewelry and other items that appeal to a demographic with a lot of expendable income. To me, this quote by Tim Cook is the most telling:
“To convince people they have to wear something, it has to be incredible. If we asked a room of 20-year olds to stand up if they’re wearing a watch, I don’t think anyone would stand up.”
This response to Kara Swisher’s question about Apple’s interests in wearable technology covers all the bases. It includes the target market (“20-year-olds”), product focus (“has to be incredible”), and most importantly, he’s seeing the same thing I am: people don’t need to wear watches because they already have that computer in their pocket.
Note also that in the response he doesn’t say “wear a watch”, it’s “wear something”. It’s implied, but not stated. Remember that he learned from the master of misdirection: Steve Jobs.
Absolutely worth a read. Thought provoking piece.
Luis Von Ahn is a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, but is perhaps best known as the creator of the free language learning app Duolingo, Apple’s 2013 iPhone app of the year.
Interestingly, Luis Von Ahn was part of the team that created CAPTCHA:
In the early years of his Ph.D. study, von Ahn had helped his advisor, CMU computer science professor Manuel Blum, develop a handy identity verification device known as a CAPTCHA. Think of those distorted words you’re asked to translate after attempting to log into your email too many times to verify that you’re human. Those are CAPTCHAs. Initially invented to help keep spambots out of chat rooms, these tests are effective because computers have a difficult time reading distorted text, while people are rather good at it.
What Von Ahn did next was a real stroke of genius.
I’m a big fan of Amazon Prime, have been since the very first day. The original goal of Prime was to build loyalty. If I’ve already paid my $79 for the year, I get free 2nd day shipping on anything I order through Amazon. And if I already have free 2nd day shipping and the price of an item is as low or lower than anywhere else I could buy it, why would I go elsewhere? Very smart. Here’s why I think the new price hike for Amazon Prime is OK with me and good for Netflix.
Earlier today, we posted about United Airlines offering a free in-flight movie service, available to folks running iOS but not available on Android.
Now Time writer Harry McCracken uses that info to make the case that Apple has won the app wars. Not sure I quite see it the same way, but I do get his point. No matter the market share, the trend continues to be to develop for iOS first, if not only.
[VIDEO] Could this be the future of business cards? Based on the Arduino Pro-Mini, the programming is done on a computer and downloaded into the chip. A lot of hand work and not flexible, but if the market likes this, I suspect automated manufacturing and a more flexible form factor will follow. Video embedded in the post.
Sweet!
This story has been making its way around both tech and commercial real estate circles. Google is said to be locking up a lease on 131 Greene St in SoHo for an 8,000 square foot retail space. I find it an interesting choice for Google. Here’s why.
Good Steve Jobs anecdote. Interesting how this coincides with SoftBank’s campaign to merge Sprint (which it owns) with T-Mobile.
Bottom line, differentiating a step from, say, a bump or an arm raise is a difficult problem to solve. Arm biometrics is an important part of the future.
Fantastic piece from MG Siegler on the trend of producing high quality content traditionally reserved for films, making it longer, then cutting it up for television or for web consumption.
The mind reels. Analysts are troubled by Apple’s current stock price, proclaiming doom and gloom. But Candy Crush? They can’t wait to get their hands on this stock. I just don’t get it.
Users must reenter their password to make in-app purchases once you make your first in-app purchase.
I love the emphasis Apple puts on creating iconic structures. I think this is especially important when you take a potentially historic property and convert it to commercial use.
This is infuriating.
Tesla was dealt a crushing blow in New Jersey today after the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission passed a rule that will prevent the company from selling its electric cars directly to consumers starting in April. Unlike other automakers, Tesla sells its Model S through company-owned retail stores — a business model that cuts out the franchised auto dealerships that have ruled the market for decades. New Jersey is the third US state to ban car manufacturers from selling directly to customers, joining Texas and Arizona. But unlike those two states, New Jersey is home to a booming luxury vehicle market, making this a major loss for Tesla.
Big improvement to iBeacons means your apps can fire off notifications even if they are not running.
From Rafael’s Forbes bio:
On September 19, 2013, the Board of Directors of Autodesk, Inc. elected Betsy Rafael to the Board. Ms. Rafael, age 52, has over 30 years of executive financial experience in the technology industry. Ms. Rafael served as Principal Accounting Officer of Apple Inc. from January 2008 to October 2012, and as its Vice President and Corporate Controller from August 2007 until October 2012. From April 2002 to September 2006, Ms. Rafael served as Vice President, Corporate Controller and Principal Accounting Officer of Cisco Systems, Inc., and held the position of Vice President, Corporate Finance for Cisco Systems from September 2006 to August 2007.
Solid credentials.
Thoughtful piece from the Wall Street Journal.
How are we supposed to level the playing field for girls and women if we discourage the very traits that get them there?
Ben Thompson makes the case that the Digital Hub is a moving target, starting with the TV, then moving to the iPhone, then, possibly the iWatch, presuming such a thing exists.
The post is thought provoking, absolutely worth reading, though I do disagree with a premise here or there.
This might seem a small detail, but I find it fascinating that Comcast customers do not have to go through Netflix to be able to buy access to the excellent House of Cards series that Netflix brought to life.
Impressive performance for a service that only launched last September. I wonder what it is that keeps Pandora so solidly locked in first place. Is it great branding/marketing? The value of being first to market? I wonder what this list will look like in another year.