minima-list // mnl.st

Why Google bought Motorola — Tech Talk

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:14:19 +0300

Google buys companies because, well, they can. It’s not really a win, it’s more of a loss. Wall Street is just virtual money. It’s a game played by investors. Some get richer, some get poorer. But in the end, it’s about the company and its potential to innovate. Google stopped innovating. Google is in the money game now.

Ho do you kill Facebook chat?

Sun, 19 May 2013 23:25:00 +0300

To put it shortly, I hate Facebook chat. I turn it off, it turns on, well, just because. How the hell do you shut it down completely? Is there any setting like that? Because, as far as I can tell, there’s some privacy Facebook lacks to respect. If I say that I DO NOT WANT TO USE FACEBOOK CHAT, I HATE THE DAMN OVERLAYER AND I DO NOT WANT OTHERS TO SEE THAT I’M ONLINE, why in hell would Facebook don’t give a shit about WHAT I WANT and just keeps turning it on?

I do believe there’s a privacy issue here. And if anyone would ever go in court with Facebook, he or she would win.

Penitent Romanian hacker aims to protect world's ATMs

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:53:00 +0300

Penitent Romanian hacker aims to protect world's ATMs:

VASLUI, Romania (Reuters) - Valentin Boanta, sitting in his jail cell, proudly explains the device he has invented which, he says, could make the world’s ATMs impregnable even to tech-savvy criminals like himself.

His invention - an anti-skimming device that can be used even in older generations ATMs - was awarded at the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, probably the most important exhibition of its kind in the world.

Now, that’s what penitence should be about, right? :)

Hi-tech contact lenses show texts and maps

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:14:58 +0300

Hi-tech contact lenses show texts and maps:

Imagine texting while driving, or placing a call while showering, without holding your phone in your hands. It’s not sci-fi any more â a new technology allows information like text messages and driving directions to be projected onto a contact lens.

Beat that, Google!

The Twitter church :D

Sat, 18 May 2013 01:51:57 +0300

The Twitter church :D

Welcome to Google Island | Gadget Lab | Wired.com

Sat, 18 May 2013 01:19:19 +0300

Welcome to Google Island | Gadget Lab | Wired.com:

Reading the title, I said “Damn, sounds like a James Bond movie.” Then I read the article and, yeah, it’s a great satire. And it’s a great story, actually. And like all the stories, there’s a bit of truth in there. Unfortunately, that satirised truth is rather similar to a James Bond movie, where a villain is silently working on new ways to rule the world. And that’s pretty much what Google seems to be doing. I said *seems*, OK?

The Czech National Symphonic Orchestra playing on iPads and...

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:48:42 +0300

The Czech National Symphonic Orchestra playing on iPads and iPhones.

I don’t know if it was actually live, using the devices - which would actually be really cool -, or if it’s just playback, but it’s a hell of a good idea.

Marco Arment is wrong — New Media

Wed, 15 May 2013 23:33:35 +0300

Marco Arment is wrong — New Media:

My first article on Medium.

Android is kind of losing Google's money

Wed, 15 May 2013 21:07:00 +0300

Just take a look at the following titles from 9to5mac.com:

Soon, probably, we’ll hear about Google Music or whatever it’s called, coming to iOS.

On Hangouts

Let’s put it this way: Google’s competitors on the messaging segment are Viber and Whatsapp. Maybe iMessages combined with Facetime, which I wouldn’t be really sure about it. What do they do? They take Hangouts to iOS. AND to the desktop (Viber, anyone?)

I’m not sure how they expect to make money out of Hangouts, but most probably it’s going to be shut down in three or four years due to being Google’s. It’s rather interesting how a Google+ feature turned to be a standalone app. Maybe Google is trying to bring more traction to Google+. Or they’ll just shut it down because no one actually uses it.

On Google Play

What’s even more interesting is their choice to launch Google Play on iOS. Basically, Android is not profitable enough, maybe not profitable at all, they have users who don’t pay for apps (whatever apps, including games,) so they try to make money on the competitor’s platform. It’s actually funny and says a lot about Android users.

Most interesting though, is going to be when they’ll launch Google Play, the music edition, for iOS. Because it is going to happen. Right now, Google isn’t about innovation or about free stuff anymore, it’s about making money. Google is in the money game now.

Google kind of confirms that Android is pretty much an operating system that costs more than it actually delivers.

That’s pretty sad, actually.

Dyle mobile TV receiver for iPhone & iPad

Wed, 15 May 2013 20:48:47 +0300

Dyle mobile TV receiver for iPhone & iPad:

Belkin today announced that it is launching a new TV receiver for iPhone and iPad specifically designed to work with the Dyle Mobile TV service which provides live local broadcasts…

Now, this is really cool.

A new RSS Reader: what features I need

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:25:00 +0300

folders to organize my feeds
“mark all as read” button
a decent layout, no wider than 600px
speed, speed, speed
a very, very good refresh time, because I check Google Reader very often, so I need it to be the same - real time, maybe?
speed, speed, speed
“mark all as read” button
folders

Groupon launches POS app to expand payments service for merchants to iPad

Mon, 13 May 2013 22:42:13 +0300

Groupon launches POS app to expand payments service for merchants to iPad:

Just when I thought Groupon was dead, this news came out. This has to be some sort of a last breath, right?

A very old Ford in Bucharest

Sun, 12 May 2013 19:02:00 +0300

A very old Ford in Bucharest

Not Sure Why Anyone Would Spend So Much Time and Effort on an iOS 7 'Concept' Redesign

Sat, 11 May 2013 01:26:29 +0300

Not Sure Why Anyone Would Spend So Much Time and Effort on an iOS 7 'Concept' Redesign:

I usually enjoy John Gruber’s opinions, but this time, I don’t get him. Why would anyone spend so much time on redesigning iOS? That’s the easiest question. No kidding. It’s really, really easy to answer.

It’s free PR. It’s marketing. It’s whatever you want, as long as your work (preferably some good work) is getting published or linked on some important sites and/or blogs.

They publish it, you get some exposure - who the hell heard about this design studio before their iOS 7 concept? really, I’m not kidding - and grab new clients. If your demo is good enough, you get called by people. You get contracts. You get money. Simple as that.

Facebook Pages Manager for iOS rebuilt for speed, gains emojis, photo filters, and stickers

Thu, 09 May 2013 09:25:00 +0300

Facebook Pages Manager for iOS rebuilt for speed, gains emojis, photo filters, and stickers:

Coming next (probably): filters for the Facebook user app.

How long until Instagram is gone?

Is it me or do this people just look really stupid?

Wed, 08 May 2013 00:28:33 +0300

Is it me or do this people just look really stupid?:

A collection of pictures with Google Glass users. A bunch of them.

Just asking. Because either they look stupid with Glass on their foreheads, or the pictures are just really ugly.

Tech journalists should really pay attention to the next D...

Sun, 05 May 2013 00:11:00 +0300

Tech journalists should really pay attention to the next D Conference. Oh, and read between the lines, because Tim Cook actually confirmed some stuff last year. Here’s what I got after seeing last year’s interview with Tim Cook:

“We have some money (…) we want to share that” - on dividend program; it happened last year, it happened again this year, it might happen again.
Apple products assembled in the US - “I hope so, at some point.” So, yes. iMacs are now assembled in the US.
“The tablet will extend the purchasing cycle of PCs” - remember the slight decrease in Mac sales? It was foreseen.
On iOS and Android: “Anything can change. Smartphone revolution is still in it’s early stages” - basically, expecting shifts in market share and losing some to Android; overall, not quite predictable
On iPhone models: “Our objective is not to make this design for this kind of price point, (…) or for an arbitrary schedule. (…) There’s not a policy or a commandment that I shall have one or whatever [number of models.] (…) If we find that we can do more great [models]… - do we have to?” - translation: we never say no, it only depends on how great all the models will be
Bonus, giving the iPod example: “Whenever we can do some fantastic products and they yield different price points, then we’re all for that. We don’t have a religion to sell anything below X” - most probably, a new cheaper iPhone model, at some point.
Walt asks about a seven inch tablet and Tim Cook answers: “We’ll have to invite you guys to our meetings” - translation: yeah, kinda. iPad mini was launched.
On iTV: “Can we control the key technology? Can we make a significant contribution? Can we make a product that we all want? Cause we think we’re reasonably good proxies for others. (…) I love the product but I think the Apple TV is something that you keep pulling the strings to see where it’s heading” - So, no iTV, not really.
On a possible iRadio - Tim Cook declined to comment; still, iTunes Match was launched and he also adds that content is not a problem due to good relations with content providers. “Getting content isn’t an issue. (…) This is an area where Apple partnering well is the right approach” - translation: we’re thinking about streaming. But we’re still thinking about cannibalisation (so, not probably to launch in the next year; please check the earnings context over at Horace Dediu.)
“Siri, as a feature, it has moved into the mainstream.” He also talks about features “in the coming months,” features that didn’t really came (well, some did, but not some game-changers for the broad users) - we should probably expect something new about Siri in iOS 7.
Kara Swisher asks him about wanting Apple to become the first trillion company: “No, I don’t,” is the answer, lost between other questions. So, basically, it’s not about the stock prices, market cap is not an objective - and the typical blah-blah: focusing on that would mean less quality, less quality means less money.
Josh Topolsky asks about Apple TV and gaming. Tim Cook says something like “We’re not in the console business” and “We see people playing more and more on portable devices.” He also seems interested in this area - gaming on the big screen, but not in a Game Center way. Maybe the possibility of adding AirPlay to games?

What the media got from the interview - pretty much what I remember it got stuck in tech journalists’ minds:

Tim Cook is not Steve Jobs
double down on secrecy

Topics for this year, as I see them coming:

stock prices & resignation
cheaper iPhone
Retina screens
iCloud
Siri

Apple set to focus on "power users" with 10.9, but whither the regular folks?

Sat, 04 May 2013 15:35:00 +0300

Apple set to focus on "power users" with 10.9, but whither the regular folks?:

iTunes is a horrible, bloated beast, and while its upgrade cycle isn’t implictly tied to the operating system update schedule, that seems like a good time to deconstruct things a bit. iTunes has become this massive digital cloaca through which all information flows to iOS devices, and, oh yeah, it plays music and videos too. Maybe it’s time for Apple to start breaking apart these features into separate applications, or just figuring out a less unwieldy way to let iTunes manage it all. And don’t even get me started on iPhoto.

Peter Cohen says that iTunes is horrible and “it plays music and videos too.” And it should be broke apart. I disagree. How exactly do you use iTunes? Because, as Peter puts it, iTunes should only be used for iDevices. Hell, no.

It’s true that iTunes shouldn’t do everything. But iTunes was initially created as a music player and that’s what it should remain: a player. Maybe a new app for devices should be added, but it works as it is just as well.

I don’t sync my iPhone with iTunes, I sync it wirelessly with iCloud every night, when I go to sleep, while the phone is charging. I only use iTunes for software restore, if necessary. For any other restore, I use iCloud. For downloading images, I use the default OSX app called Image Capture. That’s it. Period.

But I do use iTunes for music and videos. iTunes is the only *player* that actually AirPlays videos to Apple TV. QuickTime can’t do that. VLC can’t do that. So if Apple should change something, it’s the AirPlay protocol. Let other app use it. Let VLC, so I can play new video formats. Let me AirPlay another space or whatever new app I’d like to run on a secondary display. Mirroring the same display I look at on my MacBook’s screen doesn’t help.

iTunes just isn’t Apple’s real problem. iTunes is perfectly OK as it is.

About iPhoto, yeah, that app actually does suck, because it renames your photos and scatters them where you can’t find them. It’s the reason I don’t use it. But not iTunes.

World Press Freedom Day

Sat, 04 May 2013 01:11:49 +0300

World Press Freedom Day

Unlimited limits us

Fri, 03 May 2013 16:08:00 +0300

It’s been like forever since I first touched a computer. OK, not quite like forever. Still, I was a six-grader when I walked into an electronics store in my town. I had this strange attraction for technology, I was looking at colour TVs and stereos while trying to understand their design. Some were nice, others were just kitsches.

One day, I turned around and saw them. Those cathode ray tube powered screens. Big and bigger. And those huge IBM or Dell keyboards that you could have used them to slice a man’s head in two. Really, those should be considered white arms nowadays. And those towers with buttons.

It’s been 17 years. I started with Duke Nukem 3D, moved on to computer classes where I’ve learned some MS-DOS commands, I absolutely loved Norton Commander. I found Windows 95 terribly ugly because it took me a few days to understand why in hell someone would need those folder structures in the Windows Commander left panel.

It’s strange, now, to try to remember what were Windows 95’s features and how they were called. For instance, while I know exactly what it looked like, I can only think of Mac’s Finder and as sure as hell I can’t be certain that it was Windows Commander or whatever other name.

Anyway, 17 years later, after learning to operate those fantastic AMD K6-2 powered machines, then finding out what the hell was so cool about that thing called internet, after discovering ICQ - that’s right, that was the first social-network-slash-chat-service I ever used, then IRC, after learning to code some PHP, after starting to design websites without any Photoshop help - just writing HTML and CSS - and after reading a ton of documentation and tons of articles, I find myself stuck.

The internet is a parallel universe. It’s a digital universe. It’s just the same, but it’s keep getting bigger and bigger, at exponential rates, probably way faster than the Universe itself. Each day, there’s something new. Each second, new information is published. Still, I’m stuck.

It so happens that I gravitate mostly around four or five websites. Google Reader, soon to be dead, is one of them. It’s where every single news comes from. I browse Tumblr and I get some more info from Twitter. And there’s Facebook.

And here’s the thing: Facebook is terribly boring. There’s absolutely nothing new. It’s the same pictures I’ve seen earlier on Tumblr and the same links I’ve seen earlier on Twitter. Nothing new, no actual friendship, just tons of likes and shares and, thank God for not seeing them, ads.

Still, Facebook became an addiction. It’s like smoking. I can’t find any new taste, nor any satisfaction. I just keep on doing it. Both, actually, smoking and scrolling on Facebook.

Maybe it’s just me, but news aggregators are evil. Social aggregators, such as Facebook, are even worse. They make you think you can access anything. That everything is there and there’s nothing new to discover all by yourself. Instead, it gives you nothing valuable in particular. It calls you to login and browse, it gives you the false hopes that you will find something interesting there, while killing your desire to explore, to find what you’re interested in by yourself.

You just hope it’s going to appear something there, like magic, that will excite you. It won’t. It just won’t. You can click around shared posts, like pages, befriend with new people, but nothing really changes in the end. You’re still uninformed and you get dumber by the minute you spend there. You learn nothing new. You get nothing in return for the time you literally spend.

For some, and studies tend to confirm, Facebook is the equivalent of internet. For a while, it was Google. Now, apparently, it’s Facebook. It’s their main interface with the digital world. And it’s actually sad, because those people will have no passions, no hobbies, no interests that might help them evolve as individuals.

The unlimited is now limited to some “social aggregators” that limit us, as individuals, to limited interaction. They offer us the illusion that they give you everything. They don’t.

I’m not some regular internet user. I discovered it since 14k dial-up modems were around, then I developed stuff. I used it for research for the articles I used to write for the news organisations I used to work for. It’s a wonderful tool. Still, I find myself bored and lacking ideas, brain-wrecked by the futility of a bunch of sites I apparently depend on.

One day, this must end. The question is: how the hell can you quit, when nobody lets you do it? When everyone else is there and you feel the urge to see what they’re doing despite the fact you know that you’re never going to find anything else than some pictures with cats or whatever is considered funny.

The only downside of technology is that, once every given period of time, someone uses it not for helping evolution, but for pushing involution. Such great technology, such great evolution of processing power, and we’re only using it for stupid stuff like that never ending scrolling on Facebook.

That’s sad.