Bank of America: BofA.com down amid $5 fee in anti-regulatory stab

by Bill Palmer

Netflix raises rates by six dollars a month, and a once-loyal subscriber base goes out of its mind. Bank of America tacks on five dollars a month for its checking account holders who use debit cards for purchases, and suddenly America is looking for a new bank. Sure, times are tight. But these are relative pennies. The change in fees is tiny enough that all but the tightest of budgets can absorb it; we are, after all, in an era in which a cup of coffee costs three dollars and a fast food combo meal costs seven. I didn’t understand the Netflix controversy this summer because I wasn’t a part of it one way or the other. I’m not a customer because I don’t care for DVDs or streaming, but it sure looked to me like ten bucks a month was the steal of the century for those who did want it. So as an outsider, I was only able to see it as a price adjustment to an low-price high-value service which is still low priced and highly valued after the bump to sixteen bucks. Logically speaking, I still believe I’m correct in that this is not a big deal in terms of actual money. But the BofA thing has changed my outlook in that this time, I’m a part of it – and even though logic is still against me, I’m inclined to be piping mad…

Bank of America is a scummy entity. But then all banks are. If you’re writing in to defend your bank, don’t bother: a simple internet search will reveal that every financial institution out there has some degree of financial scumminess under its belt. I’ve been with Bank of America since 2007 because after my previous bank gave me nothing but problems over the simplest of issues, I moved to BofA. Despite being warned by a number of people that I was likely to have problems, I’ve been fortunate enough not to. In fact, the only “issue” I’ve had with my account in four years turned out to the fault of outside hackers. Contrast that with my previous bank, which seemed to have a new and inexplicable problem each month.

In other words, I can be pretty mercenary when it comes to doing business with a company as slimy as BofA because, when it comes down to it, I just don’t have the time to do business with a more highly moral bank which can’t get my account right. Criticize me for being less than an idealist if you will. And yet this new five dollar a month charge has me unexpectedly outraged. I won’t miss the five bucks a month, and I’m not willing to take a risk on another bank which might suddenly give me the kind of problems my previous one did, so I’m not going anywhere. But that’s precisely what pisses me off. Bank of America knows that for all the outrage, for all the talk and threats of changing banks, most of its customers just won’t do so. It’s not worth the hassle to most of us, and knowing what we all know about dealing with unregulated banks by now, there’s every reason to fear the grass will be even browner elsewhere. And yet this is how an industry kills itself over time…

The airlines are a good example. The twenty-five dollar checked baggage fee may well be the most ridiculous consumer development in the entire twenty-first century, and yet the airlines reasoned that people are still going to have to fly to places whether they resent the scammy pricing schemes or not. That’s true to an extent, as business conferences aren’t going to stop happening, and not every family is interested in turning their cross-country vacation into a massive road trip. But people are flying less often now. Nevermind that the baggage fees are really just a way for the airlines to advertise artificially lower flight prices knowing they’ll get the money back on the baggage fees, with the resulting total cost to the flyer not necessarily being any higher. It’s just that the principle of it, the notion that the airlines see you as a hostage to be taken advantage of rather than a customer to be doing business with, has consciously or subconsciously turned people against the idea of flying.

Netflix took a blow not because it tried to charge a measly six extra dollars a month but because making such an unexplained and unilateral move without advance warning was a giant middle finger to its userbase, many of whom had only signed on in the first place because the pricing had indeed been super-affordable. For better or worse, if Netflix had been gradually raising its rates a dollar a month each year for the past few years, it would have had a much easier time of getting away with it. The BofA thing feels different, though. Unlike at-home movie delivery, people need banks. There’s theoretically competition, but what one bank gets away with, the rest all will. And yet people appear to be fleeing BofA today, or at least the bank fears as much. Its website has been failing to load properly all day, seemingly pointing to either a massive influx of customers trying to find information on closing their accounts or BofA itself taking the site offline in order to prevent such a mass exodus. Bizarrely, neither of the two official Bank of America Twitter accounts ( @BofA_Help and @bofa_news ) has had anything to say regarding the sixteen hour BofA.com outage, despite both accounts having tweeted about other things during that timespan.

Look deeper, and you realize the banks are using us as unwitting pawns. After years of unjustly hitting us with massive overdraft fees, the government finally outlawed the practice. In retaliation, banks are now instituting a policy which they know will be massively unpopular, and are trying their best to convince customers that it’s the government’s fault. The much needed next step is another several rounds of regulation which fence the banks in so that there are no easy ways for them to legally rip us off. But the banks are betting they can convince the public that the government’s attempt at protecting consumers from scummy bank practices is actually to blame for the fact that we’re all about to become five dollars a month lighter in the pocket. Hopefully the public will have the sense to grasp that these predatory and retaliatory moves on the part of the banks mean that we need way, way, way more regulations imposed on banks. After all, the lack of banking regulation is the reason our economy went off a cliff in the first place. We’ll see how that plays out. But what really infuriates me is this: Bank of America is penalizing me financially in an attempt to dupe me into believing that banking regulations are a bad thing. That’s not unlike the maniac who takes hostages and then tries to blame law enforcement for any harm which comes to the hostages. For once, and way too late, the government is finally trying to have our backs when it comes to protecting us from terrorist banks. And now my bank is trying to punish me while trying to convince me that any attempt to curtail their lawlessness is a bad thing for me too.

It’s not going to motivate me to change banks, as I don’t have time for that, and I know that other banks are all about to pull the same thing anyway. But it does make me doubly supportive of any politician who works even harder to get these banks under control. I’m not about to fall for the Stockholm Syndrome in which I allow the banks to brainwash me into believing that I should be on their side; they’ve clearly never been on mine. The five dollar monthly fee isn’t about the money; it’s a ransom. It’s about me being made into a pawn in the actions of the banks which can without hyperbole be described as legalized financial terrorism. They can have the five bucks. I’d pay a lot more than that if it meant these scumbags finally have to follow a few rules and regulations.

Updated 9:45pm PST with additional information on the BofA.com outage

Amazon Kindle Fire: “Do Not Touch” policy puts release date in doubt

by Bill Palmer

Those invited to attend Amazon’s event introducing the Kindle Fire tablet were in for a surprise when it turned out they weren’t allowed to touch the device afterwards. Although Amazon employees were on hand to personally demonstrate the Android-based Fire for invited journalists, multiple journalists in attendance have reported that they weren’t allowed to do any playing with the demo units of their own. This points to the Fire possibly not being a finished product, with its current incarnation either including bugs or missing features which the Amazon employees were instructed to dance around while demoing the device. Such issues are far from unheard of for products which are being introduced ahead of their release date, so it’s not as if Fire buyers need worry that the finished product will be full of bugs when it reaches their hands. Of greater concern is the possibility that the device may take longer to reach their hands than they might be hoping. If the Kindle Fire operating system is still being refined, let’s just say that operating system refinement and recoding is a process whose timeframe can’t typically be predicted. Of greater concern for Amazon may be the fact that it’s about to pull a sizable bait and switch on its current Kindle user base…

The Kindle Fire will see two types of buyers once it finally does see release date. The first are those who want bare-bones sub $200 tablet and aren’t picky about the fact that it won’t do much. The second are those who are already a part of the Kindle hardware family. And those folks are in for a surprise when they buy the Kindle Fire under the belief that they’re merely upgrading to the next generation Kindle. Gone is the familiar Kindle eReader interface. In its place is the Android interface, which has proven unpopular among tablet buyers after having found success in the smartphone market due primarily to the fact that the iPhone hasn’t been available on most carriers until recently, not due to any public affection for Android outside of the geekiest of circles. Will longtime Kindle fans merely accept that their new so-called “Kindle” is actually an Android device instead? Sure, there’s still a Kindle software app for reading eBooks. But hardware vendors don’t often toss out their existing popular operating system in favor of an unrelated one while retaining the same brand name for the product line. It’ll be, to say the least, an interesting transition… whenever it arrives.

Facebook video chat trips up veteran users, Twitter lists are liferaft

by Bill Palmer

One of the odd things about having been on today’s popular social networks since the early days is that while those networks have significantly changed over the years, I’ve been reluctant to change the way I use them. Twitter since late 2006, Facebook since early 2007. In social media years, I’m older than Moses. It doesn’t mean I know anything more about how to use either network. It just means that I’ve seen more. I still want to use those networks like I used to back in the day. And at this point that may be a handicap.

Case in point: I still approve every Facebook friend request I receive, so long as the account appears to be a legitimate, real person. That habit started back in the day because when I first joined the network, it had just gone public and very few fellow non-college adults were on there. In other words, I’d take whatever “friends” were seeking me out, within reason, in the name of populating my Facebook page. Gradually, over the years, my (actual) friends, family, and colleagues have shown up and my 1700 Facebook “friends” are a mix of people I know and people I have yet to get to know. And that’s always worked. Except now, with the launch of facebook.com live chat, at least once a week someone “friends” me and, upon approving the request, they immediately want to live-chat with me. Placed on the spot, I have no way of knowing who they really are (Beatweek reader or random spammer, for instance) and so I nearly always ignore chat requests when they come from someone I don’t know. Even though I may have just approved them as a “friend,” that doesn’t mean I want to be their buddy – especially in my line of work when those trying to “sell me” on something will use any means they can come across; there’s nothing worse than being sucked into a sales pitch you didn’t know was a sales pitch. It’s left me in a position where I’m no longer inclined to approve Facebook friend requests without finding out specifically who the person is first. Maybe I should have started doing it that way a long time ago, but I’d been too busy trying to use the 2011 evolution of Facebook as if it were still 2007. The same thing has come up and bitten me on Twitter as well…

Actually, Twitter served up a liferaft for old timers like me. Back in the day, you followed back everyone who followed you. If it turned out their tweets weren’t to your liking, you’d quietly unfollow them later. But in those days the total numbers were manageable (Robert Scoble was considered king of Twitter because he alone had five thousand followers). These days the sheer number of people who end up following a frequently-tweeting account like mine is such that I finally had to turn off email notifications regarding new followers; they were in the hundreds per day. So now, not only am I not following back new people, I’m not even aware of who my new followers are unless I hear from them in a “reply” message. That’s fine, except I’m left with a back-catalog of fifteen thousand people or so whom I’ve “followed back” over the years out of habit (or during one misguided stretch, automation). Some of these people are pure spammers. Some of them tweet things I’m fundamentally opposed to reading about. And yet there they are, leaving me with a Twitter timeline which is literally unmanageable. Thankfully, Twitter’s “lists” feature bailed me out in that I now only pay attention to certain lists of various sizes. I make no apologies for that, either. Only so much time in the day. But the group of people I’m “following” on Twitter has no correlation to who I’m actually paying attention to. In fact I’m fairly certain there are people on the private lists I check with regularity that I’m not “following” publicly. And I wouldn’t be in this non-correlating mess if not for the fact that I jumped on board with Twitter so early that it was a different network and the unwritten rules read differently…

None of this is a complaint, nor an attempt at nostalgia. Both networks are infinitely more useful to me now that they’re well populated by the mainstream. After all, I choose my social networks by who all is there. In contrast, while the new Google+ has some technical promise, it’s of no value to me at present because of who all isn’t there. The old saying is that the pioneers get the arrows while the settlers who come later get the land. I have no regrets about having been an early adopter of Facebook and Twitter, even though the usage habits I picked up back in those early days have left me with baggage I now need to clean up. I’m just not as inclined to get involved with yet another social network, one where the arrows are still flying and there’s no meaningful land to be had – particularly now that the two reigning social networks include just about everyone I actually want to converse with (along with, clearly, even more people on top of that). Even if it does mean that I’m an old graybeard on those networks who’s still trying to adjust to what they’ve evolved into as opposed to what they once were.

Avril Lavigne confirms she’s not pregnant, talks Wish You Were Here

Avril Lavigne has confirmed that she’s not pregnant, shooting down a spate of recent rumors claiming otherwise. Appearing on Access Hollywood, the pop singer explained that upon going out to get her nails done while wearing a poncho, “there was a whole thing online that I was pregnant.” Making clear that she’s not, she added “not any time soon.” Full AH interview here.

She also revealed that she’s taking her mother on the tour bus with her for her upcoming tour dates, and that her brother is already a part of her road crew.

Avril’s new single “Wish You Were Here” is the third off her current album Goodbye Lullaby, which he discussed at length in a Beatweek interview this year.

Prime Suspect, The Playboy Club ratings point to cancellation syndrome

by Bill Palmer

Prime Suspect and The Playboy Club couldn’t be much more different, but they have one thing in common: the premiere episodes of both shows saw paltry ratings. The collection of billboards around Hollywood and the slew of promotional spots during popular existing shows made sure that the viewing public knew these shows were coming, and yet by and large, the public just didn’t tune in. That could be the fault of the shows themselves. The Playboy Club sounds like it’s out of the 1960s, and because it’s on network television, we all know it’s not going to incorporate the one thing the “Playboy” brand name is best known for. Prime Suspect, depending on which ad you want to believe, is either a dark tale about a tough cop who gets battered and bruised a lot, or a heartwarming tale of a single mother. Viewers apparently weren’t interested either way. But these new-show-flops are part of a growing trend in which high budget, highly promoted new network television series simply aren’t tuned in for, and they may be a victim of the fact that these days, most shows get canceled before their first season is over – and the public knows it’s coming…

There are few things worse, in the mind of television viewer, than spending thirteen or twenty-two episodes getting to know a fresh set of characters only to see the plug pulled in abrupt and unsatisfying fashion. But that’s precisely what happens to the vast majority of new shows these days. If they don’t bite as pups, they never will, the networks theorize, and the quickly cancel any new show whose ratings don’t pick up steam within the first season. Plenty of new shows are canceled after thirteen episodes, four episodes, one episode. If that’s what viewers have to look forward to, they might as well just stay away.

I decided awhile ago that I’m not inclined to watch any new television show until I get word that it’s been renewed for its second season. If it’s something that sounds really good, I then catch up with the first season via iTunes or (if I have to) Hulu, and then I’ll go forward as a viewer from there. For those wondering, the one-season run of Studio 60, one of the smartest shows to ever air on network television, was my last straw. That was nearly five years ago. Sensing the growing pattern, I decided my time was too valuable to get sucked in brief run after brief run of new shows which went poof just as I was starting to become accustomed to having each of them in my life. And I’m beginning to suspect that I’m not atypical in this fashion…

On the one hand, you can’t blame networks for wanting, no, needing to dump shows which are drawing such small audiences that they’ve become advertising sinkholes costing the network money. But the more times the networks hype up a new show like Prime Suspect or The Playboy Club only to turn around and give up on it after just a few episodes of lower than expected ratings, the more leery the viewing public is going to be of getting sucked in next time. From what I’m told, both shows have the potential to be good, which means they might find a big audience through positive word of mouth eventually if they’re allowed to remain on air long enough to find their footing. My gut tells me I’ll never see an episode of either, however, as the networks will be so quick to pull the plug that a second season for either now sounds like a pipe dream. Perhaps I’m being premature in my prediction. But I can promise you that after the low ratings for their pilot episodes, the word “cancellation” is being kicked around the NBC offices regarding both shows already. The more times the networks pull an early trigger, the less effective their next round of new show promotion will be. It’s a vicious cycle the networks can’t seem to break.

iPhone 5 release date has up to 42% of Android users switching, not 4S

The iPhone 5 release date, if it comes this year, will nab a fourth to nearly a half of all current Android users as they become switchers, depending on whose study you choose to believe. If Apple disappoints with an iPhone 4S instead, however, those numbers drop precipitously. A recent survey from InMobi showed that twenty-seven percent of Android users plan to move to the iPhone 5 once it arrives, with more than half of BlackBerry users doing the same. Another survey from a competing research firm showed those numbers to be forty-two percent of Android users and sixty-seven percent of BlackBerry users. The differing numbers can be assigned to differently chosen participants or the way the questions were phrased. But both sets of numbers reveal the same future: the iPhone is set to finally turn years of trickling BlackBerry switchers into a tidal wave, and iPhone is set to turn the tide back against Android marketshare growth after a couple years of seeing its primary competitor explode. All Apple has to do, of course, is deliver a real next-gen iPhone and not another warmed over iPhone 4. But the eagerness with which users of competing platforms are eyeing the iPhone 5 is explainable by a number of factors…

BlackBerry fatigue is more universally understandable. RIM’s smartphones were pioneering a decade ago, but haven’t evolved significantly since and are now considered significantly outdated technology. Those still clinging to their BlackBerry phones are often laughed at these days as if they were using AOL. Many BlackBerry users openly express frustration with their device, but tend to point to one specific reason or another as a reason to stand pat for another generation. Some have pointed to BlackBerry Messenger as the feature which keeps them on the RIM platform. Apple’s new iMessage feature in iOS 5 for the iPhone 5 changes that. The other oft cited reason for sticking with BlackBerry is that the iPhone hasn’t been available on the customer’s preferred carrier, which of course leads to the topic of Android…

The iPhone spent its first several years glued to one carrier per nation for the most part, and Apple paid the price dearly as a result. Non-iPhone carriers like Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile jumped on the Android OS when it surfaced because it was free for them an they could slap it on any phone hardware, and they needed something to try to keep their customers from switching away from them to get an iPhone. For every customer who switched to AT&T to get the iPhone, another bought an Android under the promise that it was “like an iPhone” and remained with their existing carrier; Apple lost a potential iPhone sale in the process. Apple has recently begun to correct this liability in a gradual manner. The Verizon iPhone 4, which arrived in the second half of the iPhone 4 era, was a warning shot. Now comes the iPhone 5 on Verizon and AT&T from the start, with Sprint customers believing they’ll be included as well. With it disappears the primary reason most Android buyers went with Android in the first place, although T-Mobile will remain married to Android for the remainder of 2011 as it has announced it won’t have the iPhone 5 this year. Verizon, AT&T and Sprint, however, will have the iPhone 5 front and center as their (official or unofficial) flagship smartphone, as all three carriers believe it’s the key to their growth potential.

Geeks and tech enthusiasts will cry foul, as many of them prefer Android for what the mainstream would call hackability (although geeks prefer propaganda-laden terms like “open” and “customizable” which in all cases comes down to being able to hack and re-code the device, something mainstream consumers wouldn’t be interested in one way or the other). But aside from the geekiest fraction of the population, iPhone and its iOS platform have long been explicitly more aimed at mainstream consumers even as Android and its Linux underpinnings and unsupervised amateur-driven app store are clearly meant to appeal to ones inner geek. For the typical consumer, combine a year of disappointing Android experiences (the second survey above shows the majority of Android users plan to leave the Android platform with their next purchase whether there’s an iPhone 5 or not) with the fact that the iPhone 5 will be available on most major carriers nationwide and worldwide, and it’s not a surprise to see so many Android users ready to give up the ghost. Expect the Android geeks, however, to be shocked when this plays out; most of them are under the false impression that Android sales have been high among the mainstream because people actually like it. Here’s more on the iPhone 5.

Updated 9:15pm PST with additional information on T-Mobile and Android

Wifi in 2011: iPad 3, iPod touch 5 need 4G more than ever

by Bill Palmer

Pervasive public wifi, far from the dream once envisioned, never came to pass. Here in 2011, wifi is still something which exists at home and in coffee shops, with relatively few other instances in between. It’s why the iPod touch 5, if there is to be one, must include a 3G or 4G mobile networking option. And it’s why the iPad 2 and upcoming iPad 3 are a mistaken purchase if the 3G option is bypassed. At least these were my beliefs heading into a recent chat with a friend as we discussed the future of the iPod lineup. The conversation left me feeling like I should step back and make sure my stance on wifi and mobile networks really is what I think it is.

First I examined the places in which I can find wifi. My home: check. Most coffee shops: check. Hotels: yes and no, considering their notorious unreliability. Other people’s houses: sometimes, as I have multiple relatives who don’t have home wifi and I’ve visited friends who couldn’t tell me their own home wifi password because they’d autosaved it into their computer long ago. Then I began logging the places in which I can’t find wifi…

I live in LA, which isn’t quite Silicon Valley when it comes to technology but I’ve traveled enough to know that we’re ahead of the tech curve here overall. And yet of the half a dozen local Hollywood restaurants which I frequent most regularly, only one of them has wifi – and that’s because it’s literally in a hotel. The rest of them have no wifi signal of which to speak. One of them used to have a paid wifi option when I first moved out here a few years ago, but no longer does. I don’t know why it’s gone, but I’d guess it’s because people who used to bring their laptops to the restaurant now bring their smartphones instead, and smartphones have cellular network access, so it ceased being used.

Restaurants aside, there are the various other places in which I use my iPhone as a data device in which I can almost never find wifi: when I’m out for a walk. When I’m in the passenger seat of a car. When I’m on the train. As it turns out, my original assertion stands: wifi can usually be found a Point A, sometimes at Point B, and almost never anywhere in between. Having network access and actually needing it, however, are two different beasts. So I re-examined the ways in which I use my iPhone when I’m in those situations where wifi doesn’t typically exist…

It turns out the list hasn’t changed. When I’m away from home, most of what I do with my iPhone involves sending and receiving email, looking things up on the web, participating in social networks, and when I want to kill time, online gaming such as Words With Friends. All of these activities require an active network connection, and none of them would be do-able if I were on a wifi-only device like the iPod touch. The only two activities I do on my iPhone with regularity which don’t require a network connection are listening to music and taking down notes. And even music is becoming somewhat of a network-based affair with the mobile iTunes Store and the impending rise of iCloud. Additionally, when I’m using my iPhone as a mini-computer it’s most often when I’m not at home, as I have a real computer there. In other words most of the time, when I want to use my iPhone for network-based activities, it’s when wifi is least likely to be available.

Does every user have the same usage patterns that I do? Of course not. But over the years I’ve encountered one too many iPod touch users who either have no idea how much more they’d be using it if it were an iPhone (or had 3G network access) or are aware of how crippled their touch is outside the home and have merely rationalized that they’re somehow better off with a less functional device. In 2011, most of the things that the iPhone and iPad and iPod touch do are network based. And outside the home, wifi still exists all too rarely. The iPod touch, far from being an “iPhone without a phone,” is instead a mostly-crippled device which amounts to little more than a child’s toy outside the home, and even children are finding it increasingly unsuitable because more of their gaming than ever is now network-dependent. Those adults who claim they only use their touch at home anyway are merely rationalizing their way around a mistaken purchase. If Apple wants the iPod touch 5 to be taken seriously, it needs to add 3G or 4G networking to the device. Until then the iPod touch remains a toy, and an incomplete one at that.

Review: Incipio iPad 2 Premium Kickstand Case

By: Daynah

If you’re looking for a nicely padded folio-style iPad 2 case, the Incipio iPad 2 Premium Kickstand Case may be the one you want. It has a unique three-fold design that converts your iPad into many different positions and uses.

First of all, putting your iPad 2 into the case is absolutely easy. Open the case and simply slide your iPad into the four sturdy clips. It’s best to hold the case in landscape mode when doing this and slide in from left to right. Once it’s in, you have yourself a good looking iPad 2 folio. But transform itself to be much more.

The exterior of the case is made of a rugged rip-stop nylon. It’s thick enough to provide a lot of protection for your iPad 2. To protect it from bumps and scratches, the interior is made of a soft micro-suede material, along with four sturdy clips that hold your iPad 2 in place. There are cutouts in the flaps for the camera and the buttons and ports are not covered, making them easily accessible.

A stand. The tri-fold design allows this case to become a stand. On the front interior flap of the case is a soft rubber strip that has 3 grooves (or indentations) in it. Fold flap with the iPad 2 on it and set it on one of the grooves. This then converts your case into a nice iPad stand. There are three angles that you switch between. Each one is good for surfing, video viewing, and email reading.

Typing Mode. It was such a pleasant surprise when I learned that the case can be converted into a typing position. You’ll first need to flip the case inside out (backwards). Then you’ll notice on the front flap, there’s a smaller mini front flap that can be pulled up. Open and pull up and you’ll see three ribbon stays. Now fit the flap with the iPad 2 into the exposed ribbon stays and it’s in the perfect elevated position for you to type your notes or documents. This feature makes the case work very well in the classroom or business meetings.

Screen View Only. Perhaps you’re playing a game or reading a book and prefer to have your screen exposed. So you need the front flap to not get in the way. To do this, flip the front flap back so it touches the back side. On the back flap is an elastic band. Pull this band over the front flap so it gets held in place. Now the case won’t get in the way of your reading/game playing!

Overall, the Incipio iPad 2 Premium Kickstand Case is not only very functional, but lovely and professional at the same time. The rip-stop nylon on the exterior adds a beautiful texture to the case. The only drawback is that the case is slightly thicker than most folio-style cases. But this extra padding helps absorb any drops or impact the iPad 2 may face. If you enjoy having a built-in stand, need a case that will protect both the front and back of the iPad, and type a lot on your device, this is case may suit you.

The Incipio iPad 2 Premium Kickstand Case is available in four colors — Black Nylon, Light Gray Nylon, Sand Nylon, and Black Synthetic Leather. Each can be purchased for $39.99.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars · MyIncipio.com · $39.99 · Amazon ($25.94)

iPhone 5 release date for October – 82%. iPhone 4S – 50%. Sprint – 67%

by Bill Palmer

Apple is six days away from taking the lid off what the public hopes is an iPhone 5 complete with a 2011 release date, what could be an iPhone 4S under a pair of very different circumstances, and what will certainly be the new iOS 5 operating system. In addition to existing Verizon and AT&T iPhone iterations, Sprint could join the club as well. Other new product categories, from the iPod touch 5 to the iPad 3, are on the table for the October Apple Event to varying degrees. Lacking a crystal ball but having observed Apple’s actions and motivations, here’s a rundown of our odds of various products and concepts coming to fruition at Apple’s October 4th event.

iPhone 5: 82%. The widespread assumption is that Apple’s “Let’s talk iPhone” tease is in reference to the iPhone 5, and that’s probably a correct one. However, it’s no guarantee. The “talk” part of the invite is in reference to Apple’s unannounced new Assistant feature of iOS 5, which allows you to control your iPhone in a human manner simply by speaking to it. Apple’s choice to focus on an iPhone software feature rather than new hardware aspects in its tease leaves the door open to the scenario in which Apple never was able to get past the component and/or manufacturing issues which dogged the iPhone 5 all summer, and are now instead coming to market with an iPhone 4S. That would push the iPhone 5 release date well into 2012, and would result in some unhappy customers. About that iPhone 4S…

iPhone 4S: 50%. There are two ways in which the 4S can play into Apple’s 2011 puzzle, one of them exciting and the other not so much. The first is the doomsday scenario in which the iPhone 5 isn’t ready and the 4S is a substitute. Put that at 18%, to counter our 82% odds of an iPhone 5. The other 32% comes from the scenario in which the iPhone 5 arrives with the iPhone 4S as a sidekick. The reasons are multiple: the current iPhone 4 won’t power Assistant, or so we hear, so the 4S will have the same A5 processor as the iPhone 5 and iPad 2. A single 4S unit would eliminate the separate Verizon and AT&T units, while adding Sprint compatibility.

Sprint iPhone: 67%. There’s at least twice as much evidence in favor of a Sprint iPhone 5 (and/or 4S) as there is against it. Sprint execs have teased it publicly without quite confirming it. Sprint employees have installed signal boosters around Apple Stores. Come to think of it, there’s really no concrete evidence to suggest it won’t happen.

T-Mobile iPhone: 0% T-Mobile itself has confirmed it won’t get the iPhone 5 this year. It didn’t say why, but the eight hundred pound elephant in the room is the ongoing merger talks with AT&T, which would seem to preclude T-Mobile from doing its own deal with Apple in the mean time…

iOS 5: 100%. The only sure bet is the iOS 5 operating system itself. Apple previewed many of its major features this summer, and will reveal the remainder of them next week. It’ll run on whatever new iPhone(s) Apple introduces, plus the iPhone 4 and 3GS (in limited capacity), and all iPads.

iPad 3: 2% If this were to be a co-headlining event in which the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 debuted together, the invitation would have reflected as much. If the iPad 3 were to get its own separate event, it would have happened before this one, not after; the holidays are too close at this point to have another event in November for a new iPad. If there is to be a new iPad this year, it’ll be something quieter like an iPad 2S.

iPod touch 5: 50% We give it equal odds as to whether Apple upgrades the iPod touch 5 with 3G or 4G networking and makes it a powerful device, or merely kills it off in recognition of the iPhone 5 working on most carriers. Would a contract-free iPhone surface to take the place of the iPod touch? That may be the more interesting question.

iPod nano, shuffle: does anyone care? Somewhere in the rundown will be the debut of the new traditional iPod lineup. Those models still sell well, but they’re inexpensive and considered commodities. We’ve lost count as to what generation the nano and shuffle are even on, let alone what new features they might gain in their next revision.

Here’s more on the iPhone 5.

Updated 10:50pm PST with additional information regarding T-Mobile and Apple

Amazon Kindle Fire: $199 tablet targets TouchPad fans, no iPad threat

by Bill Palmer

Amazon’s new Kindle Fire places tablet technology in the hands of cheapskates who don’t want to pay much more than they did for a Kindle book reader, and while it’ll carve out significant share within the Android portion of the tablet market, it represents no threat to the current market leader the iPad 2 or its successor the iPad 3. The $199 Kindle Fire marks an inflection point in tablet pricing: when Apple’s iPad first debuted a year and a half ago, its $499 and up price tag was far less than expected and was considered to be aggressive pricing. Most of the iPad’s competitors including the Samsung, HTC, and Motorola Android tablets subsequently surfaced with similar pricing ranges (or in some cases more expensive), and have each found varying degrees of modest success. The HP TouchPad did the same, but after flopping and being quickly discontinued, was fire-saled briefly at $99 and created a new market: tablets for cheapskates. While the $499 TouchPad was thoroughly rejected by the public for its webOS operating system, lack of apps, and copycat hardware, the $99 TouchPad made clear that there was potential for an uber-cheap tablet, even if its particulars were far from what the public was looking for. Amazon now seeks to take advantage of that market sliver with the Kindle Fire. The key difference is that while the $99 TouchPad was a full-featured tablet selling at a loss (and still would have sold at a loss at $199), the Kindle Fire is a bare-bones tablet which can be sold profitably at $199. But the people looking at the Kindle Fire are largely the same people who would never have bought an iPad anyway. Here are the groups at whom the Kindle Fire is aimed…

Cheapskates: The iPad 2 starts at $499. That’s less than half the price of a Mac computer, and cheaper than all but the most incompetent of bargain priced Windows PC. But there’s the “I don’t really want a tablet and I don’t know what I’ll do with it but I’ll take one at $199″ crowd, along with those whose tight budgets simply don’t allow for a $499 tablet purchase. Currently, tablets are mostly purchased to supplement ones current computer usage. Apple believes that’ll change in the future, and the iPad will replace most home computers. Amazon’s skimpy Kindle Fire can’t come close to doing that, but Amazon is positioning its tablet as a cheap computer sidekick anyway. That’s not the crowd Apple is targeting with the iPad 2, and it won’t be the case with the iPad 3 either. Worth noting is that Amazon is taking the “inexpensive” theme and running with it with the rest of the Kindle lineup. The basic Kindle is $79, and the “Kindle Touch” is $99.

Geeks and Apple haters: Those who ruled out the iPad because it’s either A) too consumer-oriented and not geeky/hackable enough, or B) simply based on the Apple logo on the front, have already decided they’re going to end up with an Android based tablet because it’s essentially the only competing tablet platform (Windows 8 Tablet is a “maybe” for the future and, despite the claims of its biggest supporters, the TouchPad’s webOS is clearly in the past-tense). In those instances, the Kindle Fire will be competing with its fellow Android-based tablets. Those buyers can decide whether they want a $199 Fire or a $499 Galaxy Tab, but either way the iPad was never in the running for those folks to begin with. The Fire may also benefit from being the only Android tablet remaining on the shelf in those regions where Samsung and HTC tablets are being yanked for patent violation reasons…

Existing Kindle users: Those who’ve already been through a Kindle generation or two and are comfortable with it as an eReader may view the Kindle Fire as merely the next-generation Kindle, with the tablet functionality merely an add-on. For those who’ve stuck with a Kindle this long, even in the face of a year and a half of overwhelming iPad and iPad 2 sales, Amazon is going to be able to hang onto this crowd until they let them down. How easily those users transition from the current Kindle interface to the Android-based Kindle Fire will dictate how popular the Fire is among the existing Kindle crowd. But these folks were going to stick with the Kindle brand for some time anyway.

So what is Apple’s response to the Kindle Fire? Nothing, for now. The Fire will steal away some measure of tablet sales which were never going to be iPad sales to begin with. That leaves Apple to continue on its current path of trying to position the iPad 2 as a full-featured eventual computer replacement, even as Amazon goes for the lowball crowd. In other words, don’t expect the iPad 3 to suddenly morph into a $199 tablet simply because Apple’s new competitor is going after the cheapskates. Here’s more on the iPad 3.

Updated 5:55pm with additional information on the full Kindle late 2011 lineup, as provided by Amazon

Review: Marware C.E.O. Hybrid iPad 2 Case

By: Daynah

Think of the Marware C.E.O. Hybrid iPad 2 case as the mini convertible car of iPad 2 cases. It’s lightweight, sleek, and transforms into different cases for the desired functionality.

Folio. This folio-style iPad 2 case has a sleek and professional design on it’s shell. To use the case, insert the iPad on the right side by sliding it into the two holders. If you want to use the case as a portfolio, push the other edges into the the remaining corners and close the front. You’ll notice that the iPad will be in sleep mode when it’s closed (and will automatically wake up when open). When the case is closed, only a little bit of the top and bottom edges are exposed, but most of the iPad is well protected. This folio case is quite thin and light for a folio-style case which is an absolute plus! The interior is made of a soft microfiber material that prevents scratches on the screen when closed. The case itself also has cutouts for the camera and speaker on the back shell of the case. All other ports and buttons have cutouts along the edges as well, making it easier to sync and charge with the case on.

Stand and Typing. This case also transforms into a stand. Not only that, it can position the iPad in a nice typing angle too. To do this, leave the iPad in the case, but push it out of the two corner holders (left side). Now bend the case along the fold and let the iPad rest in one of the grooves on the interior of the shell. There are three grooves, allowing your iPad to adjust to three different angles — 120°, 140° and 165° angles — ideal for typing, viewing and FaceTime.

Hand Strap. If you open the folio case, there’s an elastic strap that you can put around the iPad. This holds the front cover against the back cover. Also on the front cover is an elastic hand strap made from the microfiber that helps you hold the iPad in just one hand. This makes it easier for you to use FaceTime or display your iPad during a presentation or demonstration.

Overall, the Marware C.E.O. Hybrid iPad 2 Case is a wonderful choice if you need a folio-style case that covers both the front and back of the iPad 2. The design has been well-thought out. The case is thin and light, but most importantly, it’s also protective of your device. It does all this is a very stylish and professional way too. The only improvement I would make for this case is have the inner grooves for the stand angles a little deeper. Every time I move the location of the case, while in stand position, it tends to fall down to the next angle. It’s not really a big deal as the iPad 2 is held securely in place in the case, but it’s the only thing I could nitpick since the case works so well.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars · Marware.com · $49.99

Demi Lovato at Club Nokia in Los Angeles: Concert Review

by Jason Tucker

Demi Lovato took over the intimate Club Nokia on Friday night and delivered an inspirational message to the sold out crowd, which included my six year old daughter and me. She’s the real concert reviewer tonight; I’m merely her plus-one. The show started with the song All Night Long, the band started rocking out and Demi was raised up from below the raised part of the stage. The first few notes of the song started, the crowd went wild. Demi came out in a black skirt dancing with some stiped shirt dancers wearing dress jackets with disco balls for heads. The crowd loved every minute of it. Got Dynamite started and the theme here was her being in jail, dancers carried prison bars making a jail cell around Demi after which she “breaks down the walls” as described in the song. Towards the end of the song the dancers were dancing with lit dynamite sticks.

Hands Up started with a skit where Demi and one of the male dancers drove in a car, she acting as passenger making a “getaway” as stated in the song. Lots of theatrics in this song harking back to her roots with Sonny with a Chance. By the end of the song the dancers were welding tactical rifles with lights on them. Catch Me & Don’t Forget was an acoustic song with lots of singing along from the audience. Part way she switches to an electric guitar showing that Lovato is the real deal as a  singer, pianist and able to play the guitar. Who’s That Boy After a costume change a skit in which the two female dancers acted like they were on a dating game show looking to set Demi up on a date with either a good looking guy or a nerdy guy. The good looking guy wins this round. You’re My Only Shorty Demi sings and dances with the winner of the previous song and at the end the nerdy guy comes in and decks him and walks off stage with Lovato.

Showing her range, Demi hits the stage again this time singing a bit slower song, My Love Is Like A Star. She blew through a few of her songs in a medley of Get Back, Here We Go Again and La La Land which was a crowd pleaser. After another costume change she came out and sang Lightweight one of her newer tracks. A bit of performance art here with her dancers dancing with each other dressed in fancy attire. One of which dressed in a vest holding an umbrella while huge holes in it. At the end it begins to rain and Demi is left on stage holding the broken umbrella. A piano is brought on stage for but before she plays Skyscraper she addresses the crowd with the following:

“Before I play this next song I just want to take a moment to thank all of you guys for everything for being there for me over the past year. I can’t tell you how many times I just wanted to give up and I just wanted to throw my hands up in the air; but I had to think of every single one of your faces and every single one of your letters and every single one of your posters and it just kept me going. And a lot of you guys say that I inspire you but its really you guys that inspire me, thank you so much. And if there is anybody out here tonight that doesn’t feel beautiful enough or doesn’t feel worthy enough, you’re wrong. Because all you guys are so incredible. And if you are dealing with any of the issues I’ve been through don’t be afraid to speak up because someone will be there for you. And if you think you are alone put on my music and I’ll be there for you.”

The crowd sings along to Skyscraper while Lovato plays on the piano, tears and sniffles are heard from many of her die hard fans in the crowd. The crowd gets excited for this one, she come out and states that she didn’t write this song but loves it, she begins singing Lil Wayne’s song How to love. She pretended to finish the night off with Together which got the crowd going, arms swinging and all around excitement. At the end of the song the room goes dark and inside the pit area you can see a cloaked person enter with security, I heard a few girls say “I wonder if it’s Justin (Bieber)” who unbeknownst to them was actually in the VIP area up stairs with Selena Gomez. The cloaked figure gets on the small platform and drops the cloak, its Demi and the audience in the pit realizes it and begin rushing the small plaform and sang Remember December. The room goes quiet again as shes escorted back on stage, various dancers in all black with flashlights rush the stage and start dancing as Lovato is brought back on stage for her encore and title track Unbroken which was welcomed by the crowd. After the concert we heard that Justin Bieber had given free reign to the Staples Center and watched Titanic with his girlfriend Selena Gomez after selling out his past three shows at the arena.

Review: Eton Soulra XL solar powered stereo system for iPhone and iPod

by Bill Palmer

Boombox stereos for iPhone and iPod are clearly intended to be used while out and about, and Eton takes this concept to the logical extreme by building solar power into its Soulra XL. The wedge-shaped stereo system features a recessed device dock on the front with a flip-open hard cover lid, and the entire rear surface is a solar panel which flips up to catch the sun’s rays and power the unit. It can also be plugged into a wall for recharging the internal battery while at home.

A good amount of thought went into this product. Fully covering the iPhone-iPod dock is a nice nod to the fact that the product is meant to be used outdoors where a number of elements could ruin your shiny Apple device. The solar panel folds tightly enough into the rear of the device that you wouldn’t know it was there, and doesn’t add much overall bulk. The catch? The Soulra XL is priced at $250, and the audio quality, while good enough, sounds like it’s coming from a $150 device. In other words, you’re paying an extra hundred dollars for the solar panel, so you need to make sure you’re actually going to put that feature to use often enough to justify it. Comes with a detachable carrying strap and a remote control.

Rating: four stars out of five • Price: $250 • etoncorp.com

Review: Uzibull Ekto 2 iPad 2 Gaming Case

If you’re looking for an iPad 2 case that’s fun to use as well as protective of your device, look no further! The Ekto² for iPad 2 by Uziball may be just what you need.

The case is one piece, made entirely of an easy to clean silicon. Simply slide your iPad 2 into the case, one edge at a time, and press down on each of the sides to make sure it’s securely in. You’ll notice that both the front and back sides have raised bevels. This is important, especially if the iPad 2 should land face down on a drop.

There is also extra silicon on the corners and edges of the case to make holding the iPad 2 much easier. The ribs on the back side of the case adds an extra layer of durability and the grooves within the inner part of the case absorbs any impact the iPad 2 should encounter.

All ports and buttons are accessible in the Ekto 2, so you can charge and plug in headsets as usual. Both the front and back cameras are completely unobstructed as well. There is also an opening on the back of the case to display the beautiful Apple logo. In addition, there are two cutouts in the back to place an optional strap that can be used to tie around a car headrest.

The best use for this case is when you’re playing racing games or apps that make heavy use of the gyroscope. Being able to grip both sides of the iPad in your hands makes your movements more accurate. Which means, your car is crashing less in racing games!

Overall, what makes this case a good choice is the maximum protection without adding too much weight and the ease of grip it adds on the iPad. The only thing that can be improved is if the case had a film or something to cover the Apple logo. I can see a child using this case and scratching that back part of the iPad. But other than that, this case is one of the best gaming case for the iPad 2 yet.

The Uzibull Ekto 2 iPad 2 case is currently available in two colors — jet black and frost white for $34.95.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars · Uzibull.com · $34.95 · Amazon ($34.95)

iPhone 5 release date in 2011 not a lock despite iOS 5 Assistant event

by Bill Palmer

Apple confirms it’s unveiling a new iPhone on October 4th but offers no hint that it’s the iPhone 5, putting the 2011 release date prospects of the device in at least some doubt heading into next week’s event. Instead the “Let’s talk iPhone” event is a thinly disguised reference to the unannounced new “Assistant” feature of iOS 5 which allows you to tell your iPhone what you want it to do in a human language and then watch it proceed to act as your, uh, assistant. That sounds all well and good, but Apple’s sudden emphasis on a software feature at a time when it know the public’s primary focus is on iPhone 5 hardware is a reason to be at least a smidgeon concerned that the big “iPhone Assistant” announcement will be accompanied by the dreaded iPhone 4S and not the iPhone 5. We’re not saying it’s a probability. Just that it’s something you should prepare yourself for as you gear up to get excited about what all Apple is set to share with the world next week…

The invite itself doesn’t clear up much. Typically cryptic, the only words are “Let’s talk iPhone” which doesn’t specify what new iPhone model or models may be forthcoming. The four iOS app icons merely show the time and location of the event in a clever manner and, again, don’t do anything to scream “iPhone 5″ or “iPhone 4S” or both or neither. Apple board member Al Gore recently spoke of the “new iPhones” in the plural, but that could be in reference to two new iPhones coming to market or simply in reference to multitudes of iPhone units arriving. Some have viewed the 4S as being a low-cost replacement for the current iPhone 4, whose networking technology is outdated and incompatible with new iPhone partner Sprint, while others suspect it’s merely a backup plan in case Apple can’t get the iPhone 5 to market this year…

Either way, the iPhone 5 sky isn’t falling, mind you. We did predict long ago that the fifth generation iPhone would, as always, come with one marketable “killer feature” which would be the centerpiece of Apple’s advertising campaign going forward. With the iPhone 4 it was FaceTime. With the iPhone 3G it was 3G networking. But lost amid the debate of whether the iPhone 5 would have 4G LTE, or NFC, or AFC, or some other alphabet soup is the fact that A) Apple is often beating its own path apart from its competitors, and B) the iPhone 5 has been so thoroughly delayed from its original expected summer launch timeframe that there’s still reason to be concerned that whatever had been holding it back may still be causing some trouble. We’d say no more than about one in four odds that the iPhone 5 isn’t unveiled next week, which means you can probably breathe easy. We just wouldn’t want anyone falling down all over themselves if next week brings an iPhone 4S running iOS 5 with Assistant and no mention of an iPhone 5. That would place the iPhone 5 release date somewhere in 2012.

Such a development would disappoint a whole lot of people who had been expecting the iPhone 5 to see a 2011 release date. It would then be Apple’s job to sell the public on the notion that Assistant and the other iOS 5 features are so revolutionary, so easy to use, so adept at making the average smartphone user a more powerful one, that they’ll be okay with an “iPhone 4S” (whatever that ends up being) or an “iPhone 5″ which isn’t a hardware revolution and should have carried the “iPhone 4S” moniker instead. It’s something to chew on as Apple gears up to make iPhone announcements next week and without having made any assurances that an iPhone 5 will be a part of it. Here’s more on the iPhone 5.

Updated 3:40pm PST with additional information regarding the event invitation in relation to the new iPhone

Updated 9:30pm PST with additional information regarding the iPhone 4S

iPod touch 5 faces 3G parity or cancellation as of Oct 4th Apple Event

by Johnny Major

Lost in the haze of Apple’s self-proclaimed iPhone event next week is the fact that the iPod touch 5, which should have been introduced in early September in accordance with Apple’s tradition going back to 2007 when the touch was first introduced, is nowhere to be found. With the October 4th a week away, Apple is about to make public the fate of the iPod touch. The “little iPhone that couldn’t” could finally see legitimate feature parity with the real iPhone by gaining built-in 3G or 4G networking, making the touch a legitimate mobile computing device instead of being instantly reduced to a mere music and gaming device the minute you walk away from a wifi signal. Or Apple could just as easily go the other way and kill off the touch entirely, instead steering would-be iPod touch 5 buyers toward a contract-free iPhone instead. In fact that could be merely a matter of semantics…

The iPod touch was originally introduced a few months after the iPhone hit the market as a stop-gap device aimed at those who lived in a nation where the iPhone wouldn’t be available for some time as well as for those in the U.S. who took a sharp dislike to the fact that the iPhone was tied strictly to AT&T. The idea for Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile customers was to stick an iPod touch in one pocket with a flip phone in the other, thus allowing them to at least fractionally participate in the iOS and App Store experience. But Apple’s words and actions made clear from the start that the company (or at least its CEO) had a strong distaste for the iPod touch and only brought it to market grudgingly. The first touch had no volume buttons, no email client, no speaker, no camera, and was clearly intended as a music and gaming device only. But Apple included wifi in the touch so as to include the mobile iTunes Store, which launched that same day, with Jobs admitting from the stage that the Safari browser had only been included on the touch so users could use it to sign onto public wifi networks before using the mobile iTunes Store. But that didn’t last long…

Despite Jobs having referred to the iPod touch as “training wheels for iPhone” in an honest comment he might have wished he hadn’t said out loud, those committed to non-AT&T carriers saw the iPod touch as their long term iPhone substitute and demanded Apple whip it into shape. Future generations of the touch saw the gradual addition of nearly every iPhone feature – except for cellular network access, which assured the touch would remain a brick as a communications device when not within range of free wifi. As such, the iPod touch increasingly feels like a toy (not coincidentally popular with pre-teens whose parents didn’t want to buy them a real iPhone). At the same time, the iPhone is in the process of expanding to nearly every major carrier nationwide and worldwide. The iPod touch, serves little purpose in its current wifi-only incarnation. So will Apple give the iPod touch 5 the kind of cellular networking it needs in order to become a fully functional device? Or does the iPod touch now go away? If it’s the latter, Apple would seemingly need something to take its place along the lines of a modified iPhone which isn’t tied to a carrier or isn’t a phone at all, a device which can use 3G and 4G networks to participate in the internet without making phone calls. Perhaps the real question is whether, upon gaining mobile networking, whether the iPod touch retains its current product name or instead gets folded into the iPhone lineup.

Dr. Seuss’ The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories App Released Today

By: Daynah

Here are some exciting news for Dr. Seuss fans! A collection of seven short stories written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss for Redbook magazine back in the 1950s were recently discovered. The collection is being launched today — the same day as the Random House release of the hardcover book.

This is the first time the rediscovered stories have been published in book or digital form. This is also the first time that Oceanhouse Media has launched an omBook simultaneously with a physical book’s release.

The eBook by Oceanhouse Media comes with all seven short stories:

• The Bippolo Seed, a mischievous, greedy cat leads an innocent duck astray;
• The Bear, the Rabbit, and the Zinniga-Zanniga, a single eyelash saves a rabbit from an insecure bear;
• Gustav the Goldfish, a boy overfeeds his pet fish, causing it to outgrow its surroundings;
• Tadd and Todd, identical twins in search of their individuality;
• Steak for Supper, Seussian creatures follow a boy home hoping for a steak dinner;
• The Strange Shirt Spot, a boy who can’t seem to get dirt off of his shirt and everything else around him; and
• The Great Henry McBride, a day-dreaming boy fantasizes about his career choices.

Each book in this app, like all Oceanhouse Media’s other books, comes with three types of options for reading — 1) Read it myself, 2) Read to me, and 3) Auto Play. Children will enjoy tapping on the words and pictures to hear and see what they are. It’s a must-have for every Dr. Seuss fan!

Get the app now at it’s Special Introductory Price of $6.99! That’s only $1 a story! The Bippolo Seed and other Lost Stories eBook is a universal app. That means it will work on your iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. So be sure to install it on all your devices for on-the-go story time.

Purchase the eBook now in iTunes ($6.99). You can also purchase a hardcover version on Amazon ($10.20).

A Little History Behind “The Bippolo Seed and other lost stories”

Be sure to watch the video below to learn more about the history behind these amazing long lost stories!

iPad 3 out: October 4th event marks death knell for 2011 release date

by Johnny Major

So much for the iPad 3 seeing release date in 2011. Apple is holding a press event on October 4th, which it’s emphasizing as clearly as possible is all about the iPhone and is not an iPad-iPhone double bill. The timing also points to it being the final Apple event of the calendar year. Put those together and it becomes clear that the iPad 3 won’t surface until 2012, falling in line with Apple’s traditional annual upgrade cycle. It’s not out of the question, however, that Apple could quietly rev the iPad 2 with a spec boost or event a minor “iPad 2S” revamp. It just won’t won’t be a major affair. For the past several years, Apple has held its fall product launch events in early September and brought those products to market by the start of October. Next week’s event is already late in the calendar by Apple’s standards, and it’s clear there won’t then be a subsequent iPad 3 event in, say, November. Why? That’s the start of the holiday shopping season, and by then it’s too late – and too chaotic – for a new consumer oriented hardware product to be launched effectively. Now comes the question of whether Apple tacitly pushes an iPad 2 rev out the door in the wake of its big event…

It wouldn’t be the first time. Apple has in the past pushed workman-like revisions to its Mac computer lineup out to the online Apple Store a few days before or after holding a press event to unveil sexier new offerings. In ensures that the less fascinating new products get their own news cycle within the industry press without detracting attention away from the main course. Of course the iPad is arguably Apple’s trendiest product (the iPhone still has something to say about that, particularly after next week). But if there were a major new iPad 3 coming, it would have either been double-billed at this event or gotten its own event. And that separate event would have come before this one, not after it. Apple’s reasons for not doing an iPad in 2011 are multiple…

First there’s the fact that despite a multitude of competing tablets coming to market, the iPad 2 still outsells all of them combined. Android tablets all seem to be competing for the same minority marketshare. The HP TouchPad sold so poorly it was canceled. Amazon is about to launch a tablet which, by virtue of focusing on the extreme low end, isn’t even trying to take the iPad head-on. That means, from a competitive landscape, Apple doesn’t need to be in a hurry. Many have speculated that because the iPad 2 was a workman-like revision itself, Apple may still be sitting on the revolutionary iPad redesign which would have been the iPad 2 and will now be the iPad 3; with a year and a half of work on it already, it must be ready to go, they assume – but that’s merely an assumption on their part. The more practical concern for Apple may be that of holiday shoppers who are concerned about buying an iPad 2 in November or December because it’s been around too long and they fear a “new iPad” may replace it shortly after they make their purchase. This happened last year with the iPad 1. However, Apple can alleviate this issue in large part simply by changing up the iPad 2 just enough (into an iPad 2S, iPad 2 HD, or whatever they call it) that it’s regarded as the “new iPad” by a large enough percentage of holiday shoppers that the issue becomes moot. And that’s precisely what Apple may end up doing, quietly, in late October. Just don’t expect the iPad 3 to surface next week or, for that matter, this year. Here’s more on the iPad 3.

Facebook Timeline: a look inside the beta app and how to enable it now

Facebook recently announced some new and exciting changes to their social network. First, they rolled out a new newsfeed and ticker sidebar that got a lot of members in an uproar. And the newest change that’s about to come is the Timeline.

Timeline is a new way to view all of your Facebook activities on just one page. It will be replacing your current profile page and allow you to add a little personality while you’re at it. On the top, you’ll be able to add a cover photo to feature. And to the left will be a small photo — your profile picture. On the top right is a list of years you can click on, starting from the present time to the day you were born. Click on it and that will jump to that point in your timeline.

And if you ever thought that any posts or update you made were lost after a day or two, think again. Facebook has all of this content, and display it in a nice timeline for you to see. This could be a good or a bad thing, depending on what kind of data you post. Of course, you can go through and edit/remove unwanted data.

Developers have already started tinkering with the new profile pages and most welcome the new change. Others fear the new profile pages are too “Myspace-y.” But since the cover photo can be easily changed to be a photo from your album, we probably will not see too many glitter image and animated gifs all over the social network. A public rollout of Timeline will be happening soon, so hang in there! Pro tip: want to enable Timeline before it’s ready? Here are the instructions.

For more updates on from Beatweek, be sure to subscribe to my facebook feed, as well as Beatweek’s Facebook page!

Facebook iPad app set for October Apple event after developer quits

by Bill Palmer

Facebook’s lead iPad app developer has either successfully fallen on his sword in order to embarrass the company into finally releasing the oft-delayed app, or he’s fallen victim to the worst case of bad timing in recent memory. Jeff Verkoeyen announced today that he’s quit Facebook in order to go work for Google instead, citing reasons “related to the fact that since January of this year I was the lead engineer on Facebook’s iPad app.” Complaining that the app has been “feature-complete” since May and that Facebook has been repeatedly delaying it for no good reason, he decided to walk, although he did subsequently clarify that “working at Facebook was an incredible experience for me.” In any case he may be shocked to learn that according to Mashable, Facebook is set to debut the iPad app in question at next week’s Apple event. How these two pieces of information fit together, assuming the latter report is accurate, is a mystery. But it sounds like iPad users, who’ve inexplicably been without a dedicated Facebook app for a year and a half (even though the Facebook iPhone app can run on an iPad in half-screen mode), are set to finally get their due. Not that Verkoeyen will be around to see the launch…

The longtime lack of an iPad app is merely one prong of Facebook’s seeming anti-app stance. There’s no desktop Facebook app for Mac or PC, despite the fact that Apple and Microsoft have launched Mac and Windows app stores and made clear that they believe dedicated apps are the future. While there have been Facebook apps for mobile platforms like iPhone and Android for some time, those apps have been considered limited in scope and something which would only be used when not at home or when ones computer is otherwise not handy. Even Facebook’s recent initiatives such as group chat and Skype video chat have been launched on facebook.com and are accessed via standard web browser, pointing to the notion that Facebook simply doesn’t want its site accessed via apps when it can be accessed through the official website instead. That’s led some to suggest that Facebook doesn’t want to move to an app format for strategic reasons…

There’s the one theory that says Facebook hasn’t figured out how to properly monetize the app experience, and loses potential revenue when a user interacts with the site via an app instead of visiting facebook.com where ads are typically displayed along the right hand side of the page. Another darker theory points to Facebook placing so much emphasis on collecting a user’s data while they use the internet that it wants to make sure most Facebook usage is done through a web browser so all that usage and can be tracked; if Facebook is limited to a standalone app, it won’t have access to the rest of the user’s browser activities. Supporting this theory is the recent revelation that Facebook now tracks a user’s web surfing habits even when they’re logged out of facebook.com.

But regardless of the reason for Facebook’s continued delays of its iPad app, it appears it’ll finally surface in October at the big Apple event also expected to be the launching pad for the new iPhone(s). Whether Verkoeyen managed to successfully embarrass Facebook into finally releasing the app by resigning and then calling them out on it publicly, or whether he’s merely the victim of really bad timing, is a question we may never see fully answered.

Updated 8:25pm PST with additional remarks made by Jeff Verkoeyen

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