App developers have it hard enough on the iPhone; on Android, they've got to keep prices just as low, and sell to a much smaller audience. So how are some of them coping? By packing up and leaving, like Gameloft.
Finance director for the company, Alexandre de Rochefort, says that even a company that's done extremely well on the iPhone can have trouble breaking even on Google phones:
We have significantly cut our investment in Android platform, just like ... many others ... [The Android Market] is not as neatly done as on the iPhone. Google has not been very good to entice customers to actually buy products. On Android nobody is making significant revenue.
Our Friday lists are all about gadgety fun and leisure, but sometimes technology can be frustrating—and there is definitely a right way and a wrong way to handle it. This is definitely the wrong way.
If you have a problem with you TV, like a certain 70-year old Missouri man did with his converter box during the DTV transition, DO NOT get loaded, shoot it and engage in a standoff with the police. [Link]
Black Friday is a week away, and thousands of markdowns are already announced. Our master list of Giz-friendly deals—a hefty read—includes similar items priced differently at different stores. Keep it refreshed, cuz we'll be updating it all week.
I get that this Flo TV iPhone demo is just a proof of concept. That's fine! I'm just a little confused as to what the concept is.
Is it just what they're showing us? A Flo TV app, that requires some kind of accessory to tune into broadcasts? That's possible, but given how well the iPhone can stream video over 3G, it'd be a hard sell, even with Flo TV's cable-like channel selection. It would also help if said accessory wasn't larger than the actual iPhone.
Those annoying ads you're forced to watch before online previews and television clips? Apple plans to bring them to your iPhone/iPod, which might mean lower prices at the cash register.
Google Chrome debuts! Have you downloaded it?
Everyone's favorite pocket video camera, the Flip Mino, to include wifi!
Now they'll be praying online ...
This is part of a regular series of Google Apps updates that we post every couple of weeks. Look for the label "Google Apps highlights" and subscribe to the series. - Ed.
Over the last two weeks, we've made improvements across Google Apps, some geared for individuals, others meant for business customers.
It's not Voice Candy, but Voices looks as good, if not better: Retro tape recorder and microphone, cute icons, simple touch interface, and sharing via Twitter, Facebook, and eMail, so you can spook everyone with that infernal Reverse Voice effect. For $1, it's impossible to resist.
Also known as the entire technology press amirite? Ha? In all seriousness though—Maclife asked various bloggers, journalists and tech personalities what their dream Apple products would be, and mocked them all up in detailed renders. Here's what happened:
Veronica Belmont, of Tekzilla/Mahalo/BOL fame/general video on the internet fame, sees Apple finally going ahead with that Courier concept Microsoft keeps dragging their feet on. Or, Apple subsumes Microsoft entirely. What do you know, Belmont?
This year's Microsoft shareholder meeting wasn't a lot of fun for Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Chairman Bill Gates, thanks to shareholders grilling him about Apple and the iPhone with questions like the above. Ballmer smacked him right back:
There's certainly always opportunities for improvement. There is a group of people with whom our market share is less. You take any country, including this one, and you say, how are we doing? The truth of the matter is, we do quite well. Even among college students, we do quite well. Do we have an opportunity for improvement? We do. Some of that is marketing some of that is phase of life.
Like the prior model, the new Pogoplug allows for USB drive sharing over the Internet. It'll run for $129, still have no service fees, take up to four USB drives, and have Twitter and Facebook integration.
Aside from automatically syncing content with a Mac or PC, you can share and watch movies, listen to music, or view photos directly through the Pogoplug website and even on an iPhone. Since we looked at the original version, Pogoplug has apparently made some upgrades to add a drag-and-drop interface and sharing over social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook. But as we mentioned back then, while this is a great interface and solution, you are going to be relying on the company staying in business in order to be able to share data.
While trying out Stud/Dud and Single?, two romance-themed iPhone apps, I've realized that I've got a lousy relationship history. First I discovered that several ex-boyfriends were "duds," then that one was actually married...to his grandmother. I can't look anymore!
Stud/Dud and Single? are pretty much public record search engines repackaged in a neat app format. There's not much to making a search with either aside from entering a name (and any details that help narrow down the query) and you'll get partial results on the iPhone and the rest emailed. But if you want, you can see video guides of the search procedures here and here.
There are loads of Apple haters out there (even some among our commenters), and they deserve great tech gifts just as much as that guy who thinks all PMPs are called iPods. Here are some very un-Apple gift ideas.
BTW, if you hate the gallery format as much as the Grinch hated Christmas, click here.
Apple told The Little App Factory to change the name of their popular app iPodRip, as it had the word iPod in it. The CEO sent a passionate letter to Steve Jobs, and he got a response.
Every time I receive an emailed loan agreement for a product review, the process of signing it becomes a complete pain. I either have to print, sign and scan the document, or paste a signature in Photoshop. No more!
Zosh is a $3 app that allows you to sign attached documents on your iPhone. Basically, you forward the emailed document to Zosh from the iPhone's mail app, then you open the Zosh app to sign it (plus you can add a date and stuff).
In the name of productivity, snag a great deal on a 17" HP Elitebook 8730w mobile workstation and load it up with a free beta of Office 2010. Also, clean up with a decidedly badass Dyson hand vacuum.
The birth of Wikipedia, the death of Napster, the iPhone, Facebook and Twitter have been named by the Webby Awards as among the top 10 Internet moments of the decade.
In a surprising but sensible partnership, Griffin will be adding Threadless designs to their iPhone cases. So far, only two models are available, and the going rate is $35. [Griffin via Gearlog]
Glowing. Shiny. And a coin slot. Can you have no clue what something is, but still want to possess it at any cost?
This vintage Russian Swedish jukebox, the AMI I (1958), was photographed by Flickr user woodztream with an almost divine level of hipness through HDR (high dynamic range) techniques.
Samsung's Bada Mobile OS to Launch in Early 2010...Google Talk Knows When You're on Android, and Likes It...California Passes New Efficiency Standard for TVs...Acer Ferrari Netbook's Tackiness Burns My Eyes...
App developers have it hard enough on the iPhone; on Android, they've got to keep prices just as low, and sell to a much smaller audience. So how are some of them coping? By packing up and leaving, like Gameloft.
This year's Microsoft shareholder meeting wasn't a lot of fun for Microsoft CEO 
Apple told 
In a surprising but sensible partnership, Griffin will be adding Threadless designs to their 
Glowing. Shiny. And a coin slot. Can you have no clue what something is, but still want to possess it at any cost?
Everyone's making money off the iPhone, so that might as well include George Lucas. $30 this December. [
