iOS 7 - Apple trying to catch up with Android?

While watching the keynote at the Apple WWDC today, I got a huge feeling of deja vu. A lot of the "new" features were things that were already available in Android. However, now that Apple has them in iOS, I guess they are easier to use/more natural :-)

This article summarizes how iOS 7 is doing what Jelly Bean has been doing for a few months now (some might have come before JB, but I don't remember which):

http://www.droid-life.com/2013/06/10/ios7-vs-android-a-quick-comparison-after-the-wwdc-keynote/

Thoughts?

4 more months to a new Kindle (eBook reader)!

I have been in love with my Kindle Paperwhite ever since I got it! Now that I have a Moko cover, I am even more in love!

Counting the days to the next version of the Kindle - wonder what cool features it will contain!

I do have my own wishlist. Here it is:
- Want a quicker/faster way of turning off WiFi (don't like needing to go to Setting and then needing to come back)
- Would love to see Amazon adopt Android as a platform for the eBook Kindles too. Will encourage more people to develop apps for it
- I think I wouldn't mind sound an a built-in eBook reader. Even if I don't ever use it, it shows the product off very well :-)
- I would like page turning to be faster (not sure if this is a processor or screen issue)
- Some magical way to increase my reading speed. All that has happened since the Kindle came out, is my reading backlog has grown enormously!

Google Play Services (and how Google just brilliantly scr*wed Amazon, etc.

In Google IO 2013, Google just announced Google Play Services, which is automatically distributes to all phones running Google Play.

What they didn't announce very loudly, is they just scr*wed all the folks who have branched off Android without working with Google. This definitely includes Amazon. It also includes manufacturers who run AOSP without Google Apps (i.e. without Google's blessings).

"How?", you may ask. Well, all apps that use any of these new Google Play Services, won't run on those devices (since they don't have Google Play or any of the Google Play Services). While this is currently a very small percentage of all apps today, that won't be true in another 6 months.

Brilliant move, Google!

Google+ Overtakes Facebook!

Ok guys, you heard it here first. Within 12 months, Google+ will have a lot more active users, simply because they will start counting all Android users, Google Play users as Google+ users.....

Facebook, here comes Google+!

Edit (a few hours later): Sorry, I should have given more context. I was just listening to the Google I/O keynote. Google has added Google+ login APIs. While this is similar to FaceBooks ability for people to login to FB and use that ID everywhere, since Google owns Android, they can provide app owners some more benefits - e.g. prompt the user to download an app.... Anyway, soon, it will require some work for Android users to not be on Google+. Given the growth of Android (900M+ users today), there will soon be more Google+ active accounts than active FB accounts (IMHO).

Privacy Policy for the International Dialer App

Looks like Google wants me to publish a privacy policy with the app I wrote quite some time ago. The app allows you to dial a calling card number automatically when calling international numbers.

Here goes:

This app as it currently stands doesn't send any of your data to any web site (given that I am writing this policy on my blog, you might be able to guess that I don't have a web site to store your information :-) ). So anything that is on your phone, stays on your phone.

As I said in my writeup on the app, happy to ship people sources to the app itself.

Enjoy!

Ambarish

Nexus 4

Just got my Nexus 4 a couple of days ago. I am in love with the device. The screen is beautiful and the speed is awesome!

I got the 16GB version, but think that was actually overkill!

Love the idea of a relatively cheap phone that isn't bound to any stupid carrier. Expect to get onto one of the prepaid plans when I get back from India - pay around $45 per month for effectively unlimited voice, text and data. Expect that I will go with one of the MVNOs, but if TMo get's it's act together might get a plan from them - I do like their customer service (unlike AT&T or Verizon).

Back to my Nexus 4. I have been using it as a wifi-only device right now, because I don't have a micro-SIM that I can use. Will have more of an opinion on the battery life, data speeds when I get to play with that part of things.....

YotaPhone

Just saw a video of the YotaPhone. Had originally been excited about the e-Ink screen, but I think they have done it wrong.

What I have been hoping/waiting for, is for someone to create a phone with a Pixel Qi screen. Haven't actually played with the screen, but like the idea of a screen that can act as either an LCD or an eInk display.

Getting the latest version of Android on your device

I just saw a post, which talks about why most people won't ever get the latest version of Android on their phones.

All the observations made are correct. However, when you check out the folks at Cyanogenmod, you see guys supporting all kinds of devices - for free.

Wonder if phone manufacturers should just outsource their device OS support business to Cyanogenmod and let them take care of the porting. Give CM a bunch of free devices and pay them around $10K per major release of Android ported within 1 month of the sources being released....

Yikes! What's up with Passbook!

Just read an article about the adoption rate of Passbook!

Don't know if this is another thing that Apple figured out that people hadn't realized they needed or whether it is being adopted by people because Apple created it....

Wow again!

Why does Apple hate T-Mobile?

Just read the following post, which talks about iPhone being available for a bunch of the regional carriers. However, T-Mo still doesn't offer the iPhone. Anybody know what is going on?

Microsoft Surface

Never thought I would be impressed by a Microsoft offerring in the mobile space, but this review makes it sound quite interesting: 

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/19/tech/microsoft-surface-ipad/index.html

Also, think MS could break into the enterprise market with a tablet that acts as a laptop replacement. Big problem for them is getting enough software on their platform.

The Popularity of iPads

This is how popular iPads are. The poor woman just can't keep her hands off them.....

http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/Shoplifter-stealing-dozens-of-iPads-across-North-Texas-150086105.html

Was Google automatically putting ads in my blog posts when distributing?

I use Google Blogger to write my blog. I also use Google Reader to subscribe to my feed.

I was a little surprised to see ads inserted by Google in my blog RSS/Atom feed.

Ofcourse, since they are going to do it anyway, I signed up to let them pay me for it :-(

Cross posting between Google+ and Facebook

Used to use a Chrome extension to cross post between G+ and FB. However, they stopped working, so I had to figure another way out....

Thanks to Google search, it wasn't too hard, but documenting it anyway, for friends and family....

1. Find out the email address that FB allows you to use to post status updates via email. I found that info that from this URL/query:
https://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=210153612350847#What-is-my-personal-publishing-address?

2. Add this email address to your G+ circles as a dummy user (I chose a user name like "Me on Facebook". Create a circle that only contains that user

3. When you post on G+, add that circle to the set of people the post goes to.....


Update (12/4/12): This doesn't work anymore :-(. And even when it did, it stripped out all HTML links.

Just became an Amazon Affiliate

Not quite sure how the Amazon Affiliate program works - anyway, just became one....

Thinking of breaking down and buying a Macbook Air.

Any thoughts?