I bet AT&T is getting a cut from every 3G unit sold in exchange for the availability of a cheap, non-contract data plan. Plus, I get the wifi-only version doesn't have a sim card, so it's not just the 3G antenna being added for 130 dollars; it's also the sim card and associated hardware.
This was mentioned in another article I read earlier today on Gizmodo. They also mentioned that Kodak has successfully sued Sun over Java implementing some of the same patent technology. Also, many other phone and camera manufacturers are already paying a licensing to Kodak for the patent. Apple and RIM just could come to agreements with Kodak over it and it is now going to court.
I got the feeling Microsoft looked at Java and said, "Gee, people really like things that are multi-something, instead of multi-platform, let's do multi-language." Thus the CLI was born, but everyone just uses C# with.NET anyhow.
Unless they rework everything that touches the co-owned intellectual property, there is no way Fusion Garage can legally ship anything. Arrington said as much and stated that a lawsuit would be waiting for Fusion Garage should they attempt to ship anything without CrunchPad's approval.
It was probably part of his job to act as an admin to comments on the site. Also within that, it would be his job to block IP addresses of repeat offenders (at least temporarily to account for non-static addresses). In doing so, it's not much of a stretch that he might do some sort of look up on the address, either because he was interested in knowing where it came from or maybe to see if it might be a repeat offender.
If we can't get a reliable grid even without thinking about terrorists and hackers, then how secure do you think it could be? If one link in the chain can cause a widespread blackout, not very secure at all.
There already is an international standard. The problem is that no one is going to invest a ton of money to scrap their current system (pun?) and switch over to it.
Do customers have the freedom to go elsewhere if those business limitations bother them? Yes. Will nerds on the internet continue to complain that company xyz isn't free and open enough for their taste and therefore an inferior choice for everyone? Also yes.
If Apple starts losing enough customers of the openness of their platform, then it's their decision to make changes or not. That's pretty much how an open market with competition works.
I see you read the same article I did a while back. I don't remember the magazine, but it outlined how the Chinese government basically turns a blind eye to the actions of these ultra-nationalistic hackers. Then it recruits the best for it's actual espionage programs. The author even followed his or her contact with one of these hackers who seemingly disappeared and turned up later under the employ of the regional government. I don't know that locking down the media is the only thing at work here. Look at the US from the 40's and 50's. Because of WWII, most everyone was on this lasting high of nationalistic pride, especially as our economy and power grew. I think many in China, especially those who are too young to remember the upheaval and killings of the Cultural Revolution, are under a nationalistic spell due to the growth that parts of the nation has been experiencing. Just wait until their government starts screwing things up and they'll have their own version of the 60's and 70's. If the upcoming generation is ultra-nationalistic, it follows that a future generation will rebel by questioning authority.
If someone made a miniature rack mount for these guys, you could have a bunch of them sitting on your desk as though it were a scale model of a server room.
I think the only real rub comes with the apps. For all those different models with different screen sizes and different input options, a developer will have more work just making sure his or her app works for the wide variety of phones. And if it was the app store that really catapulted the iPhone to greatness, it's not an issue to take lightly while trying to expand the market.
The Storm doesn't seem to be a business centric phone like the rest of the Blackberries. So having it on a carrier without SIM cards isn't that big of an issue. Besides, there are probably plenty of people on the Verizon network (most subscribers in the US, like you said) just waiting for a decent smartphone to be available on Verizon's network. It really doesn't sound that complicated on a non-GSM carrier. You still need to obtain a new phone from somewhere, even if you have a SIM card.
I agree. Microsoft is probably betting that the computers people are running XP on are so old that they will just replace the entire thing. That's really going to take a while longer for that to happen though. I predict Windows 7 will be a success, but it will be a delayed success. As the economy begins growing again, businesses will finally start upgrading their computers and consumers will begin buying again. If they offered a way to upgrade from XP to Windows 7, maybe it would be different as people wouldn't feel like they might as well buy a whole new computer for the upgrade. However, as you point out, if XP is still working for people, what does Windows 7 add as a new and necessary feature?
The shotgun approach to competition isn't guaranteed to work. I highly doubt Apple is just going to sit around and let the competition pass it up. In the end it's going to be about three things: features, marketing/reputation, and app store contents. And right now Apple has an advantage in both marketing and their app store. Feature comparisons change with every new model is more transient than the other two.
Think about it this way. If you need to lubricate something (not like that), what kind of lubricant do you reach for? Most people would say WD-40. Yet WD-40 is general purpose, only sells one type of oil, and really hasn't changed in something like 40 years. Having a good reputation is the key. That gets diminished when you put your platform on different hardware. Why do you think Microsoft decided to produce the Zune as a different device than the PlaysForSure shotgun approach before it? They found that in the handheld gadget arena people stick with brands rather than platforms. So they had to craft their own brand separate from their own existing platform.
Or you just create a new account for your WoW account. But I think selling existing WoW accounts is against their terms anyhow. It isn't about restricting the reselling so much as trying to create a fair environment in-game for everyone that worked for their levels and gear.
This is just an analyst's prediction though. So a heaping teaspoon of salt is required while reading. Sure it's possible, but is it really likely at this point?
Well, if no one else was really making computers anymore (and moved on to something else, I guess), it would be similar. That's the thing about a monopoly. You actually have to have one first. Having a monopoly of almost all mainframes and only licensing an Operating System and software for those mainframes is different than having a monopoly of a specific Operating System that is only licensed for specific hardware which in total is less than 10 percent of the personal computer market.
It's not the "fundamental components of biology" that are being patented. It's the new methods of manipulating and studying them. I don't really see the problem. Patents can be licensed and will eventually end. It costs a lot of money in R&D to do this research. Why should an organization bear this cost out of the kindness of their heart? Isn't this pretty much the point of the patent system? To promote the sharing of new and novel ideas while still protecting the inventor's/researcher's work?
True, but if 85% of all Mac users also have at least a Windows machine, it can be assumed that at least 85% of all Mac users have more than one computer in the home. 85% compared to 29% is a very large gap (which is likely even larger if one includes households with two or more Macs or with a Mac and Linux mix).
Slashdot Mirror
I bet AT&T is getting a cut from every 3G unit sold in exchange for the availability of a cheap, non-contract data plan. Plus, I get the wifi-only version doesn't have a sim card, so it's not just the 3G antenna being added for 130 dollars; it's also the sim card and associated hardware.
This was mentioned in another article I read earlier today on Gizmodo. They also mentioned that Kodak has successfully sued Sun over Java implementing some of the same patent technology. Also, many other phone and camera manufacturers are already paying a licensing to Kodak for the patent. Apple and RIM just could come to agreements with Kodak over it and it is now going to court.
I wonder if this would counter the other studies saying that the y chromosome is doomed.
I got the feeling Microsoft looked at Java and said, "Gee, people really like things that are multi-something, instead of multi-platform, let's do multi-language." Thus the CLI was born, but everyone just uses C# with .NET anyhow.
Unless they rework everything that touches the co-owned intellectual property, there is no way Fusion Garage can legally ship anything. Arrington said as much and stated that a lawsuit would be waiting for Fusion Garage should they attempt to ship anything without CrunchPad's approval.
It was probably part of his job to act as an admin to comments on the site. Also within that, it would be his job to block IP addresses of repeat offenders (at least temporarily to account for non-static addresses). In doing so, it's not much of a stretch that he might do some sort of look up on the address, either because he was interested in knowing where it came from or maybe to see if it might be a repeat offender.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_Blackout_of_2003
If we can't get a reliable grid even without thinking about terrorists and hackers, then how secure do you think it could be? If one link in the chain can cause a widespread blackout, not very secure at all.
There already is an international standard. The problem is that no one is going to invest a ton of money to scrap their current system (pun?) and switch over to it.
http://gizmodo.com/5391271/giz-explains-why-every-country-has-a-different-fing-plug
Do customers have the freedom to go elsewhere if those business limitations bother them? Yes. Will nerds on the internet continue to complain that company xyz isn't free and open enough for their taste and therefore an inferior choice for everyone? Also yes.
If Apple starts losing enough customers of the openness of their platform, then it's their decision to make changes or not. That's pretty much how an open market with competition works.
This is the GAO instigating. DHS slapped them down saying that not only is it not their job, it's probably not even possible.
I see you read the same article I did a while back. I don't remember the magazine, but it outlined how the Chinese government basically turns a blind eye to the actions of these ultra-nationalistic hackers. Then it recruits the best for it's actual espionage programs. The author even followed his or her contact with one of these hackers who seemingly disappeared and turned up later under the employ of the regional government. I don't know that locking down the media is the only thing at work here. Look at the US from the 40's and 50's. Because of WWII, most everyone was on this lasting high of nationalistic pride, especially as our economy and power grew. I think many in China, especially those who are too young to remember the upheaval and killings of the Cultural Revolution, are under a nationalistic spell due to the growth that parts of the nation has been experiencing. Just wait until their government starts screwing things up and they'll have their own version of the 60's and 70's. If the upcoming generation is ultra-nationalistic, it follows that a future generation will rebel by questioning authority.
If someone made a miniature rack mount for these guys, you could have a bunch of them sitting on your desk as though it were a scale model of a server room.
I think the only real rub comes with the apps. For all those different models with different screen sizes and different input options, a developer will have more work just making sure his or her app works for the wide variety of phones. And if it was the app store that really catapulted the iPhone to greatness, it's not an issue to take lightly while trying to expand the market.
At least there's a benefit for shareholders in the scary corporation scenario.
The Storm doesn't seem to be a business centric phone like the rest of the Blackberries. So having it on a carrier without SIM cards isn't that big of an issue. Besides, there are probably plenty of people on the Verizon network (most subscribers in the US, like you said) just waiting for a decent smartphone to be available on Verizon's network. It really doesn't sound that complicated on a non-GSM carrier. You still need to obtain a new phone from somewhere, even if you have a SIM card.
I agree. Microsoft is probably betting that the computers people are running XP on are so old that they will just replace the entire thing. That's really going to take a while longer for that to happen though. I predict Windows 7 will be a success, but it will be a delayed success. As the economy begins growing again, businesses will finally start upgrading their computers and consumers will begin buying again. If they offered a way to upgrade from XP to Windows 7, maybe it would be different as people wouldn't feel like they might as well buy a whole new computer for the upgrade. However, as you point out, if XP is still working for people, what does Windows 7 add as a new and necessary feature?
Ubuntu is that nerdy chick who bought YOU a drink.
But only other nerds really have a chance with her.
The shotgun approach to competition isn't guaranteed to work. I highly doubt Apple is just going to sit around and let the competition pass it up. In the end it's going to be about three things: features, marketing/reputation, and app store contents. And right now Apple has an advantage in both marketing and their app store. Feature comparisons change with every new model is more transient than the other two.
Think about it this way. If you need to lubricate something (not like that), what kind of lubricant do you reach for? Most people would say WD-40. Yet WD-40 is general purpose, only sells one type of oil, and really hasn't changed in something like 40 years. Having a good reputation is the key. That gets diminished when you put your platform on different hardware. Why do you think Microsoft decided to produce the Zune as a different device than the PlaysForSure shotgun approach before it? They found that in the handheld gadget arena people stick with brands rather than platforms. So they had to craft their own brand separate from their own existing platform.
Or you just create a new account for your WoW account. But I think selling existing WoW accounts is against their terms anyhow. It isn't about restricting the reselling so much as trying to create a fair environment in-game for everyone that worked for their levels and gear.
This is just an analyst's prediction though. So a heaping teaspoon of salt is required while reading. Sure it's possible, but is it really likely at this point?
Well, if no one else was really making computers anymore (and moved on to something else, I guess), it would be similar. That's the thing about a monopoly. You actually have to have one first. Having a monopoly of almost all mainframes and only licensing an Operating System and software for those mainframes is different than having a monopoly of a specific Operating System that is only licensed for specific hardware which in total is less than 10 percent of the personal computer market.
It's not the "fundamental components of biology" that are being patented. It's the new methods of manipulating and studying them. I don't really see the problem. Patents can be licensed and will eventually end. It costs a lot of money in R&D to do this research. Why should an organization bear this cost out of the kindness of their heart? Isn't this pretty much the point of the patent system? To promote the sharing of new and novel ideas while still protecting the inventor's/researcher's work?
There where those few hours while Bush was at the doctor's.
You make this sound like American Idol: Star Wars Edition.
True, but if 85% of all Mac users also have at least a Windows machine, it can be assumed that at least 85% of all Mac users have more than one computer in the home. 85% compared to 29% is a very large gap (which is likely even larger if one includes households with two or more Macs or with a Mac and Linux mix).