The latest from TechCrunch
- Microsoft Has Seen The Light. And It's Not Silverlight.
- The Sexy Details of How the iPad and MacBook Will Hook Up
- The Future of Local Commerce = Facebook + Foursquare + Yelp + Groupon
- Top 30 Android Apps Of All Time
| Microsoft Has Seen The Light. And It's Not Silverlight. | Top |
| Nearly a year ago, Microsoft pulled together a group of reporters for Bing Fall Release event. The highlight of the presentation was a demo showing off some nifty new features in Bing Maps. The problem? All of this stuff required Microsoft’s Silverlight browser plug-in to work. I berated the company for once again pushing users towards a more proprietary web. So today it’s time to laud them, as they seem to be backing away from that strategy. During last week’s Professional Developers Conference (PDC), ZDNet’s Mary-Jo Foley asked Bob Muglia , Microsoft’s SVP of the Server and Tools Business, why the company failed to highlight Silverlight in a meaningful way this year. His answer was rather surprising. " Silverlight is our development platform for Windows Phone ,” he said. And while he said that the technology has some “sweet spots” for media applications (presumably like Netflix, which uses Silverlight on the web), its role as a vehicle for delivering a cross-platform runtime appears to be over. “ Our strategy has shifted ,” is how Muglia put it. Instead, as they made clear during PDC, Microsoft is putting their weight behind HTML5 going forward. Hallelujah. Microsoft’s new IE9 web browser (which is in public beta testing) will be a big part of this strategy. And presumably, a lot of the things that currently require Silverlight, like some of those nifty Bing Maps features, will move to HTML5 going forward. Again, that’s great news. So why is Microsoft doing this? It seems that Microsoft sees the writing on the wall. They likely know that’s it’s going to be much harder to make a dent in the new developer world order with Silverlight, which still has a relatively small market penetration and no penetration in mobile , than with HTML5, which is (or shortly will be) everywhere — including all of Apple’s devices. “ HTML is the only true cross platform solution for everything, including (Apple's) iOS platform ," Muglia told Foley. This is a very different tone than Muglia had just a year ago , when he and then Microsoft Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie were out on the circuit drumming up support for Silverlight with hopes that it would become a new de-facto standard like Adobe’s Flash. It’s not clear if Ozzie’s imminent departure from the company has anything to do with this change of tone or vice versa. Regardless, Silverlight will now be mainly known as the development platform for Windows Phone going forward. In other words, the way to make native apps for those devices. But for just about everything else, it will be HTML5 or bust. And that’s great news for all end users. It’s one less plug-in to download. And it’s another step towards a unified web. CrunchBase Information Microsoft Silverlight Information provided by CrunchBase | |
| The Sexy Details of How the iPad and MacBook Will Hook Up | Top |
| During the “Back to the Mac” event two weeks ago, Steve Jobs made a particularly witty remark as he unveiled the MacBook Air, one that made the audience chuckle in laughter: "We asked ourselves, what would happen if a MacBook and an iPad hooked up? Well, this is the result, we think it's the future of notebooks." There is always a strategic intent with the things that Apple says at product launches, especially when they come from Steve Jobs. This is because Apple cares deeply about the perception of its products. By intimating that the Air is the future, and that it blends the best of the MacBook Pro and iPad, Apple is signaling a lot. There is no doubt that this first phase in "hooking up" between the MacBook and iPad foretells a deeply converged future on many levels. iOS and OS X Aren’t Hooking Up Often when people visualize the convergence of the iPad and MacBook lines, they wonder whether a unified operating system will take over, which somehow blends the best of both the touch and "mouse" metaphors. This is unrealistic and silly. Though iOS is OS X's little cousin—both use different APIs and layers, but reside on top of UNIX—merging them makes little sense from an end-user perspective. iOS and OS X serve different use-cases, applications, and markets, and the touch metaphor on a MacBook simply wouldn't serve a user well in the majority of cases. And running multiple browser tabs and multitasking between 8 open applications requires a much more immersive experience than iOS may ever provide. But despite the fundamental difference in how we interact with a MacBook and iPad, Jobs made sure to deeply blend how we view the two products at the marketing level, by touting attributes like the Air's ability to turn on instantly, and last 30 days without a charge. Why the Hardware is Rapidly Intersecting One reason why Steve Jobs wants us to think about the MacBook Air as an extension of the iPad, is because there is a hardware convergence happening under the hood. The MacBook Air benchmarks were the most telling sign that this is occurring. Apple was able to double the system performance of the MacBook Air, despite using the same 3 year-old CPU technology from Intel—Intel Core 2 Duo processors running at pokey speeds. Though profound this isn't surprising—the Air uses flash instead of spinning disks, and SSD technology dramatically cuts data transfer bottlenecks for applications that are I/O (Input/Output) constrained. And guess what? Most simple computing tasks are memory and IO-constrained. This fact helps the flash-based Air operate on par with Apple's high end MacBook Pro line , except under taxing CPU-intensive scenarios such as video rendering. So let's get this straight: Apple is using several year old technology, and the Air's system performance screams. This is nothing short of incredible proof that after a certain threshold, CPU advancements are only adding incremental benefit to 90% of what the user cares about today. Instead, performance is more dependent on graphics processing than ever. This is why Apple designed the Lion OS to heavily focus on OpenCL , which leverages parallel constructs within the GPU to extend its utility to non-graphics tasks. And a big reason why Apple didn't go with Intel's newer CPU line is they lack support for OpenCL, and Apple is probably designing new applications like iLife 11 to take advantage of OpenCL’s power. The fact that Apple's sexiest new Notebook didn't go with Intel's latest technology is damning for Intel and is the best signal yet of how innovation in PCs is getting blown away by what's happening in the mobile ecosystem. Right now, benchmarks show that the fastest ARM-based smartphone CPUs are only about 25% as fast as the Core 2 Duo that Apple is using in the MacBook Air. But this delta will compress fast. In about 2-3 years we will be seeing integrated chipsets make their way up the food chain, and potentially fit in notebook-class form factors. Multicore ARM solutions, based on ARM-15 , will make this a reality in about 2 cycles of Moore's Law. Skeptics will say “no way — never, not with the need for Flash”. I agree that Flash is probably here to stay on desktops. But all the pressure on Adobe to make Flash better is, ever so slowly, improving how rendering and compositing are done in hardware. And even in the midst of their darkest public battle last Spring, Apple and Adobe were cooperating in getting Flash acceleration to work on desktop Macs. In the future, it's conceivable that Flash could be the only remaining bottleneck that prevents Apple from using an embedded SoC in a MacBook Air. But hardware acceleration for Flash is approaching which can solve this dilemma. All of this rapid advancement in what’s under the hood has huge ramifications for the future of the MacBook Air and iPad. Anyone want a MacBook Air that is several pounds, Runs OS X, lasts for 30 hours, has a detachable keyboard, and then converts to an iPad running iOS once the screen is removed? I am not saying that Apple is going to make this device, nor that it's even in their best interest to pursue one-size-fits-all form factors. But there is no denying that the hardware is converging, and the "Back to the Mac" theme of Apple's latest event deeply intimated this. The Mac Store’s Incredible Network Effect The remaining puzzle piece in the intersection of the MacBook and iPad is all about the applications—both end-user discovery & distribution and developer support. The iOS storefront was the genius behind the iPhone becoming a low friction distribution warehouse for content. In much the same way, the Mac Store is Apple's umbrella strategy to encourage developers of long-tail content to have an easy landing pad on the Mac, developers who are already building apps on top of iOS. Interestingly, the Mac Store allows Apple to do the reverse of what Microsoft is doing with Windows Mobile 7: whereas Microsoft can leverage .NET familiarity to encourage the desktop dev community to write apps for WM7, Apple will use its iOS franchise to kick-start a vibrant ecosystem of Mac developers. But there's also something more magical that this network-effect provides for Apple: by specifying that developers use Apple's tools, namely Xcode and LLVM , Apple gains a layer of control in how this hardware convergence plays out. How so? Apple can have developers simply flip a recompile switch and upload universal versions of apps to the Mac App Store, which work on both ARM and x86. In this way, Apple is setting up a distribution mechanism to host and install code which will allow them to transition hardware seamlessly. This is the ultimate in streamlined distribution, since a developer can focus on one unified environment based around Cocoa Touch and Objective-C, along with a set of UI / UX constraints. Apple then abstracts all this from the user, independent of the hardware. Apple Hates Control and Loves Optionality If it's not completely clear yet, Apple is setting the stage to be processor and component agnostic. This not only allows them the above-mentioned architecture-neutrality, but also affords them incredible pricing power, and ensures they can tap into consistent component supply, which will be a critical challenge as they lock up an even bigger slice of the supply chain. Apple can build an A4-variant themselves, or they can partner up with one of many vendors. If Intel starts innovating again, that's an easy choice for Apple. If nVidia, with its graphics pedigree, emerges as a winner in combining GPUs with ARM-based CPUs, Apple can partner more deeply or buy the company. Or Apple might decide to stick with x86, but use GPU/CPU technology from AMD. It's all about optionality. And Apple is building that into its long-term strategy, by combining its rapidly expanding footprint in mobile hardware / software with its iOS developer mind-share to rev its Mac franchise into much higher gear. Wow Hooking Up Feels Amazing – When’s Our Next Date? I believe it’s pretty clear: Apple wants to use OS X, running on an incredibly battery efficient MacBook Air-like form factor, as a bottoms-up strategy to attract loyal iOS fans over to the Mac franchise. After all, there are around 150M users of iOS worldwide. Apple knows that iOS is a secret weapon to bring both consumers and corporate users to higher end Mac products. And the marketing around the Back to the Mac event is just a precursor for Apple's underlying strategy in mixing these two worlds. Behind-the-scenes, Steve Jobs is setting up all the pieces for Apple to converge these product lines. But it's all about optionality for Apple. When and how they choose to get there is up to them. And my guess is Steve Jobs is going to do so in a way that continues to make the Apple experience a superior one for you, its loyal customer. | |
| The Future of Local Commerce = Facebook + Foursquare + Yelp + Groupon | Top |
| Editor’s note : The following guest post is by David Marcus, founder and CEO of Zong, a mobile payment provider for Facebook Credits, AT&T and hundreds of leading destination websites and mobile applications There’s been much hype, crazy valuations, and overall market excitement about businesses that promise to unleash the power of the social graph, location, recommendations and group buying. Facebook’s latest valuation according to SecondMarket is now about $30 billion , Foursquare raised $20 million at a post-money valuation of $115 million while still at a pre-revenue stage, Yelp, short of selling for $550 million to Google, raised over $25 million at an undisclosed but very high valuation, and finally Groupon raised $135 million at a whopping $1.35 billion valuation. So besides their huge success with the investment community, and their users, what do these companies have in common, and what does all this have to do with disrupting Local Commerce? In an August TechCrunch guest post , Alex Rampell, describes how Online2Offline commerce is a potential trillion dollar opportunity. The gist of it is that we spend most of our disposable income offline, in local stores, restaurants, and shopping malls. But companies like Groupon, Gilt, and other group buying and private sale startups are changing the money flow. People buy online, and redeem offline. But this is just the beginning of a perfect storm brewing that will change the way we discover, shop, and pay for things. Let’s focus on the main function each of these different startups provide to understand how bringing them together will ultimately disrupt multiple trillion dollar industries: Facebook: provides the Social Graph, which is fast becoming a utility. Through its open platform, and APIs, we share more about our lives and our interactions online and on mobile every day. Foursquare and Gowalla: provide location services and check-ins, along with game mechanics that motivate users to unlock badges, earn mayorships, and get discounts at local stores in the process. Yelp: provides crowdsourced reviews of local businesses. Now also provides check-ins, and offers. Groupon: provides discounted offers against a promise to increase sales and bring in brand new customers to local businesses. The interesting thing here is that there’s a lot of overlap between the features offered by these companies. Recently, Facebook launched Places, a mobile geo-location service that mimics Foursquare local check-ins. Yelp also added check-ins , and recently rolled out Yelp Deals , a Groupon clone. Considering that Local Commerce will be mostly mobile, one of these companies still must bring all of these features together, along with one-click payments (IMHO), to truly tap into the potential of all these disruptive technologies. In my mind, the ultimate product combines all these features in a mobile app. A user would launch the app, see what special deals are in her area (location + group buying), whom of her friends already bought the coupon/item (social graph), local reviews from friends (social graph + reviews), and then she could buy the desired coupon in one click on her handset. She could walk into the local business with a discount code, barcode, or maybe at some point in the future, an enabled RFID tag, and redeem what she just bought. All of these companies, with the exception of Yelp, are at an early stage of their product development in this space. Facebook Places is lacking the gaming mechanics of Foursquare, the reviews of Yelp, and the local deals of Groupon. Foursquare is missing scale in its discounted offers. Yelp is missing the reach of the social graph, and the embedded payments. Groupon is lacking core social graph features that would give it better relevance through social shopping. So which one of these companies will succeed in unleashing the power of Local Commerce by combining the right set of features with the appropriate on-the-ground salesforce? My bet is on Facebook to be first. They have a large advertising sales organization that could reach out to local businesses, already are supposedly testing offers on Places, they have de-facto more distribution and social graph access than any of the other companies, and finally they are building a true payments platform. Groupon and Yelp also have a decent shot at it, but it will be tough to compete with Facebook’s distribution capabilities and ubiquity. In order to remain relevant, they will have to innovate and come up with original features. Foursquare’s future is probably going to be more challenging with more players entering their space, but it it could end up being bought (once again for founder Dennis Crowley) by Google, which is preparing to aggressively go after the local commerce opportunity. CrunchBase Information Facebook Foursquare Groupon Yelp Information provided by CrunchBase | |
| Top 30 Android Apps Of All Time | Top |
| Editor’s note: This guest post was written by Alex Ahlund ( @alexahlund ), the former CEO of AppVee and AndroidApps , which were acquired by mobile app directory Appolicious . He is currently an advisor to Appolicious. In his previous guest posts , he gave us his picks for top iPhone apps. With the ubiquitous media coverage surrounding the iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) app market, it’s important to remember that Android also is making huge headway. More than 100,000 apps are now available in the Android Market. Within the last six months, Android devices have reigned supreme, comprising 32 percent of all new smartphone purchases. There is finally a larger selection of models being manufactured and more carriers offering them. When the first Android device launched, I predicted that the OS would surpass iPhone in the coming years. While this looks to be true, those of us involved in the app industry are concerned with something more specific: Who will have the most active app marketplace? Currently, iOS is still the definitive winner. There is not enough app interest on the Android consumer front to warrant a mass exodus just yet. I have a pretty simple metric for determining the potential of an app market: Is PopCap involved? If the answer is no, then the market is still too green. While PopCap has yet to enter the Android space, they have noted plans to port some of their game titles in the coming months. This supports the notion that Android has big potential, but it’s still too early. Nevertheless, Android does have serious potential, and there are some fantastic apps already available! Without further ado, here are my top all-time picks for the Android platform, broken down by top free apps, top paid apps, and top games Top 10 Free Apps 1. Kindle ( review ) – bring the book reading experience to your Android device. Read all the same titles from your Amazon account and enjoy the same functionality in a pocket format 2. SkyFire ( review ) – faster web browsing and video streaming than included mobile browsers 3. Google Voice ( review ) – take control of your phone by creating a new number, route calls to various paths, and take advantage of tons of advanced features like voicemail transcription, free texting, cheap international calling, and more 4. EverNote ( review ) – the ultimate, centralized notebook and note creation system that syncs to the cloud 5. Barcode Scanner ( review ) – scan books, movies, and music to quickly get information and pricing 6. Lookout ( review ) – the problem with an open system like Android is that you are prone to viruses and walware. Lookout keeps these in check and runs scans on your device for installed apps and downloaded files 7. Facebook ( review ) – you know the drill, get your social network fix 8. Layar Reality Browser ( review ) – see overlays on your camera as you scan the real world and get up to date information on it 9. Mint ( review ) – aggregate all of your finances safely and stay on top of your bank account balances, credit lines, mortgages and more 10. Places Directory ( review ) – like AroundMe, Places Directory lets your know of restaurants, movie theaters, and more in the area Top 10 Best Paid Android Apps 1. Root Explorer (File Manager) ( review ) – a comprehensive file manager to access and manipulate all files on your device 2. Advanced Task Manager ( review ) – keep all system tasks and apps in line to get the most efficient and speedy phone 3. Beautiful Widgets ( review ) – customize your device with tons of skins and widgets 4. SetCPU for Root Users ( review ) – overclock, underclock and tweak your device’s performance 5. MyBackUp Pro ( review ) – keep everything on your phone backed up and secure incase you need to restore remotely from the cloud 6. CacheMate for Root Users ( reviews ) – the best cache clearing app currently available, free up tons of space 7. Sound Hound ( reviews ) – like Shazam or Midomi, find music instantly by letting your device listen 8. Dropbox ( review ) – sync files between your computers and your mobile 9. LogMeIn Ignition ( review ) – access your computers remotely from your phone 10. DroidAnalytics ( review ) – keep on top of all your blogs and websites with this solid Google Analytics client Top 10 Best Paid Android Games 1. Robo Defense ( review ) – as a fan of tower defense games, Robo Defense stacks up with the best. Open maps, solid graphics and excellent upgrades, this will make any TD gamer happy 2. Fruit Ninja ( review ) – like its iPhone brother, Fruit Ninja is all about cutting up fruit and earning bigger points 3. SNESoid ( review ) – play all of your favorite SNES games right from your device 4. HomeRun Battle 3D ( review ) – a quirky sports game with online play, multiple game modes, and a casual but exciting experience 5. Abduction! 2 ( review ) – a Doodle Jump clone with plenty of new features and power-ups 6. HyperJump ( review ) – launch a creature higher and higher by collecting coins and power-ups along the way 7. Zenonia ( review ) – a fantastic mobile RPG with all the fixings that’d you’d expect from the genre 8. WOW Keyboard ( review ) – play World of Warcraft directly from your mobile device 9. Angry Birds ( review ) – the chart topping, bird tossing game is now available on Android 10. Voice Music ( review ) – let your voice become a musical instrument as its converted into a keyboard In addition to the paid offerings available on Android, the platform offers great free game classics like UnblockMe , Bubble Blast II , and Backgammon . So those are my picks. What have you been using that has become a staple on your device? CrunchBase Information Android Information provided by CrunchBase | |
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