Smalltalk with James Robertson

Apple has always been about profit margin, but it used to be the case that they were also all about the user experience. Now that they are enforcing the "no link to outside stores" rule, they are all about a worse customer experience.

Someone ask Jobs this: do you really think that the extra margin you'll get from this rule will outweigh the irritation experienced by end users who suddenly have a less useful device with crappier features?

Technorati Tags: apple, stupidity

I have this old (first generation Nano) iPod that I use for exercise - it's convenient to clip on my shorts and go, whether I'm jogging or lifting weights. This afternoon, before heading to the gym, I sat down to get the thing synched with the latest podcasts I listen to. Imagine my surprise when I found I was out of room (I've only added something like 5 songs recently, so music should not have been the hangup). iTunes informed me that music was taking up something like 7 GB, and "other" was nearly 1 GB- leaving nothing for podcasts.

So... I reset it, and lo and behold - music is back to 4 gb. Fragmentation? Bit Rot?

Technorati Tags: ipod

I don't call this progress:

Several companies are hopping on the LTE bandwagon, but it's turning out to be more isolating an experience than we hoped. According to PCMag, a Verizon spokesperson confirmed that its fourth-generation broadband network won't be compatible with other carriers in the US. As it turns out, Big Red and AT&T each own a separate block of 700MHz spectrum with only a fraction of overlap, leaving little room for phones on both networks to mingle with one another. There's not much hope for roaming on MetroPCS or LightSquared, either, as their waves of LTE run at 1700MHz and 1500MHz, respectively. This smattering of frequencies means it'll be near impossible to get roam on other companies' 4G networks nationally. What's worse, the ITU has approved twelve bands for LTE use around the world, so don't count on a wide selection of global devices -- and you thought sorting through international 3G was bad, didn't you? We're still a long way from learning our LTE roaming fate, but it appears the largest carrier in the US won't make the journey any easier on us.

Fortunately, most of these devices will keep their 3g radios (at least in the short term), and they'll roam at that level. Even there though, your Verizon phone (if you are on their network) is a brick overseas - and it looks like it'll stay that way. This is not the mobile future most of us were joping for...

Spotted in Engadget:

While searching for updates in iTunes, a MacRumors reader stumbled upon this page, which alludes to an "Automatic Download" feature that allows for wireless syncing. Also, the fact that Apple went out of its way to say "...if your device has Automatic Download enabled for apps" makes us wonder what else we'll soon be able to update over the air. The company has since pulled the tattletale page in iTunes, but MacRumors grabbed a screenshot while it was still live.

I'd be happier about it if the phrase "about d*** time" didn't keep coming to mind :)

Technorati Tags: ios, apple

Engadget has the scoop, and it's interesting - basically, Nokia did some actual introspection, and determined that they couldn't get where they needed to go with their own OS - so they partnered with Microsoft. A lot of companies could benefit by looking at their own strategies with as much of an open mind as Nokia apparently did.

Technorati Tags: management, strategy

TechCrunch asks an excellent question - where the heck is the iPad app for Facebook? The iPhone app looks kind of stale for that matter - maybe they can't find anyone to replace the guy who famously declared that he wasn't doing that work anymore (which should have led to his immediate termination, IMHO, but that's another story).

So here it is, 2011, and there's still no iPad app - meanwhile, Facebook is looking for help on the desktop:

On the jobs page for the relatively new Seattle Facebook office, one of the openings is for “Software Engineer, Desktop Software”. Desktop software. Desktop. Before the damn iPad. Hey Facebook, 1986 called, they want their strategic vision back.

Apparently, this is the start of some big team. I think TechCruch is right - they lost their calendar, and think they are living through a re-imagined "Back to the Future", set in the 80's....

Technorati Tags: mobile, iPad, social media

Honestly, this is a level of disintermediation I hadn't really expected: tablets replacing a lot of waiter functions:

So what does the future of ordering food look like? The tablets allow you to browse the menu, and check out what your meal look like before you order. You can then share what you find with others at the table. Once you and your group find something that you like, the tablet relays your order directly to the kitchen.

Makes sense to me, and I'd expect this sort of thing to be used as a major cost saving measure in some of the bigger chains. High end places will still employ full service wait staff, but this sort of thing could take out the entire mid range.

Technorati Tags: tablets, restaurants

InfoWorld savages the new PlayBook - and it does sound like RIM not only dropped the ball, they purposely threw it away. Go read the whole thing - the list of things they did wrong is simply too long to excerpt.

Technorati Tags: playbook, tablet

My wife has had no joy getting voice activated dialing to work on her new phone (a Samsung Transform running Froyo) - it simply refuses to use the bluetooth headset in a reasonable way. She'll tell it "Call Jim Cell", and it'll prompt her on the screen as to what it should do. Seriously?

This wasn't making her happy, so we headed to the mall to go to the Sprint Kiosk where we bought the phone a few days ago. There was a sign there:

We waited an hour, doing a couple of other errands nearby - the Sprint guy never came back. So now we blew an hour on that, and we still have this crap phone that doesn't do voice calling well. Awesome, Sprint - if you guys wonder why I plan to stay with Apple, you can read this post and ponder it a bit. They might cost more, but the customer service is always awe inspiring

Technorati Tags: sprint, customer service

Just as your OS and phones now need regular updates, it looks like your car will need the same thing.

Technorati Tags: cars