Mr. Apotheker, please don’t be offended, this is merely my opinion.  Seriously, how could you take the 2nd best mobile OS [this is true and just for you Ryan] and put it on ice after weakly pitching it?  How could you?  do you not understand what is happening in the world with mobile computing?

I loved my Palm IIIc and m515.  They were great devices … they had problems, but they were the only real handheld for years!  They are still being used by some people because they work well and had a simple and easy to use interface.  They did lack a decent ecosystem and that was changed with webOS.  Palm made beautiful changes to the operating system and several of my friends got Pre’s and Pixi’s.  I was waiting on my contract to end so that I could move to an iPhone, by this point in time we had moved to Mac’s.  Yet, I was interested, and I grabbed my father-in-laws or friends phone when I had the chance to site down and play with it [that means I was interested in learning about the device because of the OS].  I was not impressed with the hardware.  I to be honest still am not.  The innovation of the pages concept and then the rumored and proven abilities of “tap to transfer”!  Wow!  I thought, how awesome that would be if it could be worked across different systems and then HP bought them and then they finished what Palm had started.

But they only finished what was started.

At this point I need to change directions.  What I was expecting when HP bought Palm was a rebirth of computing at HP and a move to actually compete with Apple.  I saw a future with webOS running on laptops and desktops and mobiles similar to the way OS X has moved into the mobile space [now let's not argue the semantics].  I envisioned HP being able to dual boot Windows and webOS; and I was not the only person envisioning that happening.  I believe, HP brought it up in the first place.  I was starting to see a lightweight fast operating system that would be faster than Windows and as secure as the rest of them.  I saw tablets, smartphones, touch handhelds [yes very similar to the iPod Touch]; and I saw an ecosystem being built or integrated, that would bring it to parity with Apple.  I mean, the computers looked good and were well made [from my personal experience with them].  HP could have spent more time on design even though this doesn’t seem to be a strong point.

Many people know and understand that Apple claims to be a hardware company and they maintain a 30% margin on their hardware and give away the OS [remember that this is a company statement made by Apple].  So, why couldn’t HP start to move in that direction … is it because Mr. Apotheker has no vision?  Yeah, and neither do those that work for him.   I am so disappointed because Android as much as it is touted an competition to iOS; many technologists that I follow and read feel the same way that I do.  Android was just a cheap, bad alternative.  webOS was the real threat to iOS.  It not only did things differently, but it also did them in a visually appealing way, similar to iOS.

So, my request, Mr. Apotheker, is to bring me on board and give me 3 years before you actually shutter this HALF A BILLION business.  Let me have a chance to bring back a group that is failing.  I know I have vision and I have a desire to see some really good competition.

iron wil

I feel like it is time to move on to my other ideas.  Please realize that from time to time I will be back for technology, a new poem, or something else that belongs in this section of my website.  I will be taking down some pages and moving other things around.   The bulk of the content will remain in place … one never knows when a link will be needed.

If you want to see what I am up to every so often you can find me on Twitter at ir0nw1l and on QuoteMyT.

iron wil

I agree that we are in part a product of our environment and that of our parents and grandparents.  I recognize that my parents paradigm and that of my grandparents has had an influence and impact upon my own personality and perception of the world around me.  I also recognize that my view of the world will impact my children and how they view their world.

I am also acutely aware of the course my life has taken and how that has shaped my life and my career.  I once considered a much quieter life on a ranch or farm.  I could have pursued that life and I would probably have been a very different person than I am now.  I would not have the love and drive to understand technology that I have; nor the desire to understand how technology influences our lives.  I am very interested in how we use technology and its impact on each societal group.

How does Mr. Gladwell view choice in the consequence of their history and paradigm of the world.

iron wil

I am not sure what the answer is; but I have to admit that I like Diaspora and am interested in what they end up doing.  They received massive amounts of cash to deliver a product they came up with.  Each person will hold their own ID and control how it is used.  Mozilla has presented Thirdparty and Fingerprinting.  Jason Calacanis has also ranted his displeasure on Facebook‘s Privacy while Leo Laporte has walked away from Facebook because the Privacy Policy has changed several times.

Facebook has now reached 500 Million daily users and is showing very little slowdown.  Twitter is great for short messages and sharing right now news.  Google is now working on a not so secret project titled ‘Google Me‘ a potential competitor to Facebook.  Then we have Open Authentication or Open ID which is designed to deliver single sign on across the web; something that Microsoft tried to deliver years ago with Passport.  There is such confusion over what the best solution will be.

Diaspora seems to bring the best ideas together by allowing the users to own the server, software, and information.  It provides a single sign on that is controlled by the user.

What should the solution be?

That is a really good question.  One, I have been considering for weeks, which is obvious since I am just getting this article finished & posted.  I think that the best solution will allow for cross platform compatibility and easy user deployment. Software that can be installed similar to WordPress or Joomla.  Plug-ins to enable additional features and content or games and video.   It should be easy to update and take care of so that the average web user can manage their account and software.  I imagine that several hosting companies, like DreamHost and SquareSpace, will provide managed installs.  I hope that it will interface with Facebook and Twitter and several other services.  It would make sense to me, that is always the hitch, that in order to compete and over take the competition; it will have to be very open and powerful. It would also need to provide Open Authentication [Open ID] like access to websites and deliver single sign-on services to a multitude of sites and services.

When it happens … the next social network evolution will change the way we communicate and interact.  It will also change who owns the data and where that data resides.  My personal hope is that projects like Diaspora will finally overcome the larger social juggernauts.

iron wil

But so far, failure.

I have used both of these Apps on my iPhone and they are nice on the couch and I will probably set them up with the iMac and use that when we are watching TV shows or movies from the couch.  It is not a great tool for sitting and working with my MacBook like I would a mouse.

I have to say that for a standard mouse replacement this blows … big time!!!

I think that it will only fit that remote use like the Mac Mini I keep thinking about for my media center.

iron wil

I can see replacing my 13″ MacBook with the iPad and using my iMac to do the heavy lifting.  I can see using Dropbox and Evernote even more.  I can see converting all my current OOo [OpenOffice] documents to iWork which means that it easily justifies the expense [not that I consider iWork expensive].  In fact, I think that I could buy 1 iPad for each of my family members and then set up accounts on our iMac as the kids get older.  This would allow my boys to each have one for online games and Apps and their own music selections.

While my personal transition to eBooks has been slow, this may entice me to make that move.  I am using Stanza on my iPhone & it isn’t really a compelling experience.  I also don’t have a lot of reading time and find that Audible is a better resource for me right now.  I hope that this iBook software allows for marking and notes because that would be a big failure right out of the gate if it wasn’t included.  I hope that Amazon gets on board like Audible has with Audiobooks available via iTunes; especially if they can keep the books at the low cost they already are for Kindle owners.

I think this beats the NetBook model hands down even if it isn’t quite what I thought it would end up being. Now, a few weeks ago I published my own predictions for the iPad.

I predicted that Apple would release a multi-touch device similar to the JooJoo [aka CrunchPad] that ran Apps, eBooks, with WiFi/3G, iTunes, a built in battery, Lala, and the content aspects of the Sports Illustrated Tablet demo.  I was right on some items and we could still see Lala become part of the service package MobileMe [I was not the first to suggest this].  I will admit that I am still blown away.  I love the device and look forward to heading into town in 60 Days and testing one out.  I think I will have to get a sitter & take the wife to a movie to justify the whole thing.

I know that many people will not get it until they see others using it and that I can understand.  It was the same way with the Kindle and other devices.  I didn’t get the iPod until I owned one.  Yeah, until I owned one and then I felt dumb because I had not invested in it before then.  It was a mind blowing music experience and since then, I have bought a couple dozen albums.

New Prediction, iSlate with Inkwell for writing with a finger or 3rd party stylus.  This will be more like the Axiotron ModBook.  It will be slide between the iPad and MacBook.

iron wil

Now this is the correct concept when it comes to reaching the consumer and ‘selling’ products to them.  It can also be called smart advertising, Leo Laporte “gets this” concept which can be seen by the growth of the TWiT.tv network that he has built over the last several years.  Those, like myself, that listen to TWiT network shows understand the content and are not blind buyers.  We are people that research and look into products that we purchase.  Leo said once in a talk that advertisers are seeing real returns from those that listen [& now watch] shows on the TWiT network.  I am an Audible subscriber now because I love to read, but I have a long commute (sometimes) during the week and my physical book reading time is reduced to nill.  Now, I read books while driving or taking the train.  It has allowed me to read Tarzan, Free, and John Adams in the last few months.

There are other products that I have been made aware of via the NetCasts from TWiT because they covered and talked about, not because they were a sponsor of the shows.  I am not interested in everything mentioned on the shows I listen to; however, I do spend time on the pages of the products mentioned so that I can get a better understanding of them and become more informed about that product.

So, the Brand is the Consumer, the products that we use and consume key to us for a reason, they resonate with our culture or our needs.  They maybe something that we are already using; like on TWiT’s book pick section of the Audible ad it extends our awareness of something that we maybe interested in.  I have picked up Free: The Future of a Radical Price, Ringworld, John Adams, and The World is Flat from listening to Audible ads in the NetCasts.  These books are not something that I would have picked up on my own.

What the future holds will be in show ad placement and ads that reflect the audience you are trying to reach.  The days of TV commercial ads are going out and companies will have to be able to adapt to the changing consumer.  Smart, engaging, and doing research on the things they may want to purchase.  That is social media and that is the future.

iron wil

As I thought about it, I remembered that Verizon & AT&T both said they would open up their networks by the end of 2008.  Well, it is the beginning of 2010 and Verizon & AT&T, from what I know, are still clam-shelled.  They are not allowing users [us] to bring the device that we want to their service.

I am disappointed in this, very disappointed.

I believe that one day the mobile providers will have to open up because hardware manufactures & users will stick it to them and they will change.  The beginning of the end for their selecting of hardware we can use was started when Apple released the iPhone.  Since then, Google has released the Android software package and now the Nexus One phone.  Other hardware manufactures are jumping in and building handsets and devices that access mobile providers networks.

Times are changing.  The hardware manufactures are tightening the thumb screws and things will change for users and the carriers that provide our services.  I have to say that my prediction for 3 to 5 years is looking dismal; however, I am hopeful that it will happen.  That soon handsets and NetBooks will be open to provider transfer.  I know there are people that would like to take their iPhone to Verizon or T-Mobile and have the ability to move around per their need.

Time will tell, I am hopeful that it will happen soon.

iron wil

Hosts: Leo Laporte, John C. Dvorak, Lisa Bettany, and Andrew Warner

Guests: Adam Jones and Johnny Worthington

The inside story on the Crunch Pad, mandatory ISP filtering in Australia, and the 3D tech in Avatar…

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MacBreak Weekly 172: There’s Always A Donna

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Steve Jobs loses one and wins one, Apple enters the TV biz, and a Macworld Expo preview…

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Security Now 228: Your Questions, Steve’s Answers 82

Hosts: Steve Gibson with Leo Laporte

Steve responds to questions covering Skype spam, SSL cracking, unencrypted UAV video feeds, free SSL certificates, and more.

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Windows Weekly 136: We Need More Coal

Hosts: Paul Thurrott and Leo Laporte

PC gaming on life support, Microsoft Word and i4i, iPhone vs. RIM, Atom platform, and more.

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This Week In Google 22: The Cloud In The Bottle

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Gina Trapani, and Jeff Jarvis

The year in Google, the meaning of open, and whither Microsoft. Literally.

Show Notes

iron wil

Hosts: Leo Laporte, John C. Dvorak, Jason Calacanis, Brian Brushwood, Robert Heron, and Jason Howell

The Google phone spotted in the wild, Facebook’s privacy blunder, and a visit with Leo’s mom…

Show Notes

MacBreak Weekly 171: Man Of The Year

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Scott Bourne, Alex Lindsay, Peter Krogh, and Andy Ihnatko

This week on MacBreak Weekly – Steve Jobs for man of the year? is the problem with AT&T the iPhone, and more tablet rumors…

Show Notes

Security Now 227: Cyberwarfare

Hosts: Steve Gibson with Leo Laporte

Steve covers what may be the future of conflict, Cyberwarfare.

Show Notes

Windows Weekly 135: Sleeping With Scissors

Hosts: Paul Thurrott and Leo Laporte

Microsoft vs. EU, Intel vs. USA, Dell, Bing iPhone app, Google Nexus One, and more.

Show Notes

This Week In Google 21: Love Your Scroll Bar

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Gina Trapani, Jeff Jarvis, and Kevin Marks

Android Listen, Huffduffer, a real Google phone, Schmidt and privacy, Yelp, and more.

Show Notes

iron wil