Yawn…not impressed. Allowing dozens of device manufacturers to implement the “open” OS as they each, individually see fit will increase the amount of work for developers as they have to develop for lots and lots of different devices. Keyboard or no keyboard? Scroll ball or no scroll ball? Directional keys? Hard buttons? Soft buttons? This “open” OS only increases the amount of work for developers to ensure that their applications perform as expected on all the different devices available. It will become a cluster, as users just want it to work. Google will blame the device maker, the device maker will blame Google, the application developer will still be blamed by both, and the consumer, especially the non-techie consumer, which is the gross majority, will be screwed. Bring it on Google.

YouTube – Google I/O 2010 – Keynote Day 2 Android Demo, pt. 1.

This is a post over at MacDailyNews.com from earlier today:

This is an open-ended question for our readers who are cable/satellite subscribers:What would Apple have to offer for you to seriously consider dropping your cable/satellite subscription?Certain networks? Tiers of networks bundles or à la carte network selection? Specific monthly subscription price? Cost of hardware? Additional capabilities Blu-ray, DVR, 1080p, etc.?

MacDailyNews Take: Wed need the major networks, certain cable networks, HBO, a robust sports package which would mean live streaming from Apple for a reasonable monthly fee that we wont specify for fear of tainting your responses below. Wed hope it would be something our current Apple TV hardware could accommodate via firmware update, but would consider a new hardware purchase depending on the additional capabilities offered.

via MacDailyNews.

I wanted to comment, but it started getting a little long, so I figured I’d respond with my own post about it.

I think, for me, it’s not about either cable/satellite or AppleTV. I have, and love, cable internet service. I wouldn’t get rid of that because it’s my ISP. I’m not a satellite user, so I don’t have much opinion there. Although I did switch back to cable about 5 years ago after using satellite for a few years. For me, cable has been a better value primarily because of high-speed internet access. There is no one offering anything remotely as fast as my cable company in my area. So, to address the question at hand, “What would Apple need to offer for [me] to drop [my] cable/satellite subscription?” I would have to answer that Apple would have to become an ISP with better value than my cable company.

With the context of AppleTV surrounding this question, though, I’d like to clarify. Isn’t MacDailyNews really trying to ask this, “What does Apple need to do to make the AppleTV no longer a “hobby”, but a product that’s as successful, if not more, than iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad?” Because if that’s the real question, we might want to think about how Apple’s been referring to themselves lately, as a mobile electronics company. AppleTV is not a mobile device. Sure some people may have one in their camper or tour bus, but it’s not going in your pocket or backpack. Not like the previous three incredibly successful mobile products. (Yes, I’m speculating on the iPad, but early indications are good.) How does AppleTV fit into Apple’s mobile strategy? That’s a better question if you ask me. And I’m not dissin’ on MacDailyNews. They are still one of my favorite Mac news publications around.

I think there are some obvious and not so obvious possibilities. One of the obvious is tighter integration with iPhone, iPod Touch and the new iPad. Apple’s Remote app is pretty good, but it could still be improved. Can you imagine a newly improved iPad version of Remote for AppleTV? I can. Unfortunately I’m not a mock-up artist or I’d come up with something cool to express what I’m thinking, but I think there could be some really nice interface enhancements to Remote once the iPad hits. As for the not so obvious, what about the other recent patent filings that show Apple looking at smart/connected/automated home technology? What if AppleTV could become a hub for your home’s various systems, such as lighting, HVAC, security, etc. What if, again, the iPad allowed for amazing user interface and control of home automation? Now I’m getting more and more interested in AppleTV and how I can’t live without it.

I enjoy my AppleTV and I look forward to seeing how Apple makes it even better. But I still need an ISP. Unless Apple gets into that business as well, the question posed by MacDailyNews is irrelevant to me.

What do you think? Leave me some comments below.

There has been discussion and argument over this topic for a while now. It appears that at least one researcher has reason to believe that who we are on Facebook is, well, who we are.

U. TEXAS-AUSTIN—Online social networks such as Facebook are being used to express and communicate real personality, instead of an idealized virtual identity, according to new research from psychologist Sam Gosling.

“I was surprised by the findings because the widely held assumption is that people are using their profiles to promote an enhanced impression of themselves,” says Gosling of the more than 700 million people worldwide who have online profiles. “In fact, our findings suggest that online social networking profiles convey rather accurate images of the profile owners, either because people aren’t trying to look good or because they are trying and failing to pull it off.

via Futurity.org – Facebook profiles reveal true self.

“US consumers are making an inexorable transition to an all-digital, Internet-powered world,” Forrester Research’s Principal Analyst, Charles S. Golvin, said as part of the announcement. “The Internet pervades all aspects of Americans’ lives, from how we shop and buy, how we communicate, how we entertain ourselves, and how we seek out information to how we manage our personal relationships.”

“While today these digital activities are constrained to the home and the office, in the next several years consumers will increasingly rely on a ubiquitous Net that is instantaneously accessible on a wide variety of devices, from mobile phones to laptops to new form factors such as eReaders.”

via According to a survey released this week by Forrester Research, Americans are embracing technology like never before. : Dealerscope.

Is this you? Are you finding yourself amongst the many that are making the transition to an “all-digital, Internet-powered world”? If so, leave me a comment telling my how you’re making the transition and what you think about it. Is this a good thing? If you’re not in this group, then you might not be reading this. But if you are reading this, and you’re not in this group, or if you think this is bad, leave me a comment with your thoughts as well.

How does this site work? How does anything work? When you land on the home page, the first thing you may notice is the short bio information at the very top. In the gray column, you will see page navigation. There’s an “About” page as well as “Post Archives” and a “Sitemap”. You should also see an overview of recent posts, recent reader comments on my posts, and my responses to those comments. You’ll also see the calendar, which will let you take a look at posts by date. There is also a “tag cloud” which gives you a visual indication of popular topics of conversation. If you select and click on one of the tags, you can see all posts made with that tag attached. And lastly, as it relates to content and navigation, you’ll see a categories section where you can select a category to see all posts made in that category.

Other things of interest here would be the column on the right side of the page. Here you will find links to the various social networks in which I participate, such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Delicious, YouTube and Vimeo. Go ahead. Click on one. See what I’m up to in the digital world. Follow me, friend me, share your interests. And for those that need or want it, if you click on the green, square icon above my name in the blue column, you’ll download a vCard with my contact info. This should automatically load into your Address Book, for my Mac friends, or Outlook for those not so fortunate.

Let me know what you think of the design and let me know if you have questions. I look forward to writing/blogging/sharing/discussing with everyone.

Peace

My wife often asks me that question, “Just what is it, exactly, that you do?” I think, in her defense, for the longest time I wasn’t even sure “what I do”. I have determined, over the years, that there are really only several things that really matter and are worth doing. First, love God with all my heart, soul, mind and body. Next, love and treat others the way I want to be loved and treated. Third, be the best husband and father I can be to the most incredible wife and kids a man could have. I think a valid argument could be made that those are all fairly equal as far as importance goes. I mean really, if I keep those things as my priorities in life, how can I go wrong? So, what I do is try to live out each of those three things. That’s it. Yeah, I fail as much as anyone, maybe more. But it’s much harder to lose sight of what’s important and it’s much easier to get back up when you fall when you put the important things first.

As far as “what I do” to make money and pay bills and support my family, well, that’s probably what my wife is referring to when she asks that question. And to answer that, I would say this: I consult with clients and help them develop and implement strategies that maximize the effectiveness of their web presence by integrating social networking with their web site, their hub. We also provide IT consulting, service and support for customers using Apple Macintosh computers. I do all this with a business in which I am a co-owner, Digital Design Solutions. You can check us out online at Digital Design Solutions.

The text in the heading pretty much sums this up. But if you’re here on the post page and you can’t see the home page, here you go.

I’m a husband to Stephanie, a dad to Neal and Eli, and the son of Walter and Jannie. I am co-owner of Digital Design Solutions, an Atlanta, GA based consulting firm. We specialize in Apple consulting and web presence consulting, using WordPress as the hub to power our, and our clients, web presence. I love Georgia Bulldog and Atlanta Falcon football and Atlanta Braves baseball. I’m a techno-junkie and dig all things relating to Apple, WordPress and leveraging the interwebs to extend and increase influence and more effectively communicate a positive message of love, hope and peace.