I’ve been <a href="/blog/2012/02/06/no-moon">making a bit of fun</a> at <a href="/blog/2012/02/07/galaxy-note-iphone">the expense of</a> these big old Android phones. But here’s HTC admitting the problem.
<blockquote>
HTC “dropped the ball” on its 2011 devices, the company’s CFO has admitted, with LTE-equipped handsets simply too thick and offering insufficient battery life. Speaking on the company’s financial results call today, following HTC’s unappealing Q4 2011 results, Chief Financial Officer Winston Yung conceded that HTC had plenty of work to do improving both “design and components.”
</blockquote>
I like <a href="http://daringfireball.net/linked/2012/02/06/whoops">John Gruber’s take</a>.
<blockquote>
I, for one, am shocked — shocked! — that big thick phones with poor battery life fared poorly.
</blockquote>

Speaking of Overlarge Phones

So… this is interesting. Years ago, Apple started eating away at Avid’s entrenchment in the pro-video marketplace. Is this payback? Time will tell.

Leanna Lofte writing on iMore

iMovie vs Avid Studio for iPad

<img src="/images/blog/2012/02/07/Galaxy-Note.jpg" alt="Galaxy Note">
Is it just me or is this insane?

Jim Dalrymple

Galaxy Note next to iPhone 4S

Because, phones just can’t ever be big enough.
<img src="/images/blog/2012/02/06/thats-no-moon.png" alt="NewImage">

Chase Gallagher

That’s No Moon…

<blockquote>
Windows Phone 8, codenamed Apollo, will be based on the Windows 8 kernel and not on Windows CE as are current versions.
</blockquote>
Hmm, now I wonder where they could have gotten that idea from? No other mobile OS that I know of shares a kernel with it’s desktop sibling OS…
Oh, right. Nevermind.

WinSuperSite

Windows Phone 8 Preview

<blockquote>
The transition to a plug-in free Web is happening today. Any site that uses plug-ins needs to understand what their customers experience when browsing plug-in free. Lots of Web browsing today happens on devices that simply don’t support plug-ins. Even browsers that do support plug-ins offer many ways to run plug-in free.
</blockquote>
For once, I’m with Microsoft. Let’s get rid of all the stupid plugins!
But then they go and ruin it:
<blockquote>
This post describes a way for sites that continue to rely on plug-ins to provide consumers browsing with Metro style IE the best possible experience.
Developers with sites that need plug-ins can use an HTTP header or meta tag to signal Metro style Internet Explorer to prompt the user.
</blockquote>
Ugh. Provide developers with the lazy way out, and they will take it. Way not to force adoption of HTML 5. Bleh.

MSDN Blog

Web Sites and a Plug-in Free Web

<blockquote>
The largest-ever Android malware campaign may have duped as many as 5 million users into downloading infected apps from Google’s Android Market, Symantec said today.
</blockquote>
emphasis mine
But in defense of Google, Symantec has been known to greatly exaggerate the state of malware on platforms before. To hear them tell it, OS X is practically crawling with malware. To date, there are something like 5 trojans on for the Mac — I don’t have the exact figures, lets be really generous and say it’s under 100, because it is — and no known viruses for OS X. None. And as of right now, the trojans available won’t even install on current versions of Snow Leopard or Lion. And even if you have an older, out of date system, you must provide and administrator password to install the trojans out there. Because of the way OS X is designed, malware would have a very hard time doing any actual damage without an administrator password. I will not say it is impossible, but it is unlikely.
And iOS has no known malware of any kind.

Open is better?

Phone-Size.com

Phone size comparison

<blockquote>
US mobile operator AT&#x26;T today announced its fourth quarter financial results, declaring that it saw huge growth in mobile broadband sales and smartphone activations, with the iPhone accounting for 81% of all smartphones activated by the carrier.
</blockquote>
So this is what “Android is winning” looks like.

The Next Web

81% of AT&T’s Q4 smartphone activations were iPhones

<blockquote>
<img src="/images/blog/2012/01/23/rim-ceos-stepping-down.png" alt="rim-jet-crash">
</blockquote>
Love this image from Marco. Love it!

Marco Arment

RIM’s CEOs: “Someone else can take it from here”


<blockquote>
Research In Motion will be getting a new chief operating officer shortly, replacing current co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis.
</blockquote>
Is anyone actually surprised by this?

Jonathan Geller writing on BGR

RIM’s co-CEOs step down

<blockquote>
<ol>
<li>Call a meeting of all top executives.</li>
<li>Pull my iPhone 4S out and rest it gently on the table in front of me.</li>
<li>Wait for dramatic effect.</li>
<li>Fire anyone not patient enough to wait for me to speak first.</li>
<li>Tell everyone left in the room that they have 3 months to bring me a working prototype that makes me want to use it over my iPhone. (While gesturing towards my iPhone already placed on the table.)</li>
<li>Fire anyone that asks “How?”</li>
<li>With everyone gone, hire a new executive team.</li>
</ol>
</blockquote>
Right on.

Posts tagged “The Competition” from the blog