Just been reading that MySpace has signed up to Google’s OpenSocial platform. OpenSocial is designed to allow developers to build applications that work on any website. It’s the big competitor to FaceBook which opened it’s API to deveopers in May 2007. Another battle brewing here.
My question is this. Why? Based on my experience of FaceBook applications, 99% are a waste of time. Do we really need hundreds of incarnations of the “X Me” application, or “FunWall”, “BigWall”, “WallWall” and the other thousands of clones? The tools are being developed ahead of the actual need. There’s no “need” for most of the applications on FaceBook, but the tools exist to create them very easily.
Sounds like a clear case of technology moving quicker than the wisdom to yield it.
Say that three times fast!
Moore himself today has stated that he expects his own law to reach its limits within 10 to 15 years. For those who have never heard of Moore’s Law, it predicts that the number of transistors on integrated circuits will double every 2 years. And computer CPU’s have followed this pattern accurately ever since.
But as we reach the physical limits of our current IC technology (silicon, and now hafnium) this will become harder to follow. For instance, we’re currently at a 5 molecular layer gate in a transistor. You cannot go beyond 1 layer, so you reach your limit.
What’s next I hear you ask? Well the main contenders are quantum computers and the yet to be developed photon based technologies. As there is already a commercially available quantum computer, my money’s there. For now.
Apple has recently launched the new incarnation of the iPod. A more standard design with a slightly chunkier Nano. Along with the new look there have been some UI changes. Most noticeably the “Cover Flow” browser that was a feature of iTunes, has now been added. This is the jukebox style way of flipping through your albums visually.
The biggest addition to the range is the iPod Touch. This is based on the look of the iPhone and incorporates the signature multi-touch screen interface. What this show’s is Apple breaking the industry standard mould of product convergence. Whilst everyone is trying to pack more and more features into a single device, Apple have decided to take a different tack.
Most people are happy with the phone they’ve got, and the locked down nature of the iPhone to a particular carrier has also turned some punters away. A lot of potential customers will not want to switch carrier, or they are locked into a long term contract so cannot switch to the iPhone. But by releasing the Touch they can grab this share of a market that would be out of reach with the conventional product convergence mentality. If they can also release it at the right price and at the right time, they stand an excellent chance of it becoming this years “must have” gadget.
For me, I’m not convinced of the iPhone’s ability to compete in the European market where there are a lot of mature vendors already. But the Touch is definitely on my Christmas list, and I’ll stick with the Blackberry. For now….
Seems like the US will stick guns on anything! The Register reported today about a truely robot helicopter that can be loaded with weapons. Check out the details here.
In contrast, Mersey police have just got “tooled up” with a microdrone. Its got a camera and…er… well, thats it really. It looks like something you get from the gadget shop to fly around the office! Now don’t confused with the picture here, this is something I got from a gadget site. Actually, it was from BigPockets for half price, as they were made promises about packaging that weren’t kept. Still, it works great, but I’m still learning to fly it without hitting Michelle in the head!
