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“If one could conclude as to the nature of a Creator from a study of his creation, it would appear that God has a special fondness for stars and beetles.” – JBS Haldane
This week it was straight into it again. I mean, come on we’re busy people here…
Android is on the march – The Motorola Droid is the first in a slew of new Android phones due out. Those, along with the version 2.0 firmware, is going to ‘kill’ the iPhone. Not because its necessarily better, but just by sheer weight of numbers. Will it be the triumph of ‘good enough’, where a whole plethora of pretenders have so far failed.
Apple TV updated – The other day Gareth and I were discussing the Apple TV, and how it could do with a software update. Well it turns out Apple was listening, and lo and behold, 3.0 was released. With a new interface and support for iTunes new LP format. We’re genii and Apple TV 3.0 was our idea.
Google adds ‘turn by turn’ navigation to Android 2.0 – As part of the afore mentioned Android 2.0 software, Google are rolling in a complete ‘turn by turn’ sat-nav. And, pending approval, an iPhone app on the way as well. With the Google maps app and the compasses built in to the newer smartphones, it was probably a no brainer. That didn’t help Garmin and Tom Tom et al, when their business model disappeared overnight.
Chrome OS released – With a whimper of news, that followed the bang of publicity greeting the initial announcement, Chrome OS has been released. Or has it? A distribution of Chrome OS appeared online featuring a Gnome desktop on a linux kernal, with Picasa and Chrome browser. While all seemed legit, it was posted on sites.google.com, this has site has since been disabled. I’m wondering if it was from the same people who will sell you a copy of Firefox, for a bargain price.
MS decides against Family Guy Windows 7 promo – Apparently the show ‘is not a good fit with the Windows brand’. It’s not as if I wasn’t expecting this story to come out, about a nano-second after the original story, actually, it’s the reason we didn’t cover it initially. A show which finds humour in the holocaust, feminine hygiene and incest, that is not a fit with the Windows brand? Never. Did anyone in Redmond actually watch Family Guy before signing up?
Verizon getting the iPhone? – Will Verizon get the iPhone, next year? More rumours circulate of the end of AT&T’s exclusive deal with Apple. With potential suitors lining up, it seems more likely that someone else will get to sell it. Maybe not Verizon, as their CDMA network would necessitate a new model, which goes against Apple’s mantra of keep it simple. But with Orange and Vodafone to start selling them over here. America, land of choice and competition, could be the last place to get some.
Thin superconductors promise faster electronics – I found a fascinating article on the interwebs this week. About the development of a superconducting film, just a few nanometers thick, suitable for electronic devices. Unfortunately it only works at 32 kelvin (-241 centigrade) so far, but development are continuing. And as I talk, Gareth’s eyes slowly close, and he starts to drift into a deep, deep slumber.
