Posted: May 15th, 2010
Google changes Nexus One plans, will stop selling handsets online — Engadget: “Although Google launched the Nexus One with grand plans to radically change the way consumers purchased phones and service, it looks like the experiment has fizzled to an end — the company just announced that will eventually stop selling handsets online and instead partner with carriers to sell the N1 in-store while using its website to promote ‘a variety of Android phones available globally.’”
Failure by any other name.
And the Nexus One is the only Android phone I would consider buying given that the other manufacturers have a terrible track record on getting android updates to their customers.
Posted: March 21st, 2010
Diary Of An x264 Developer » Flash, Google, VP8, and the future of internet video
H.264, Flash, Theora and VP8. Google, Microsoft, Mozilla, Nokia, Apple and Adobe.
Nice non-technical article from a developer of x264 (a free H.264 encoder). Discusses why flash won, the shortcomings of HTML5, the problems with moving away from flash and why H.264 will be around the web for a long time.
Touches on subjects related to my previous post.
Posted: March 21st, 2010
Dear Mozilla, Please Don’t Kill HTML5 Video! | Brian Crescimanno: “I’m a huge supporter of open formats; I always have been. One of the main reasons Microsoft was able to rise to its Monopoly-level dominance was the proliferation of the proprietary MS Office file formats. However, I have reason to believe that Mozilla’s decision not to support H.264 encoded video via the HTML5 video tag due to the ‘patent encumbrance’ of the codec, is a wrong decision and one that, unless they change their mind, will kill any hope of ushering a new era of online video distribution that exists without plugins. Mozilla has always been an organization willing to take a stand for what they believe in; and they believe in the open web.”
An interesting post arguing for the mozilla to support H.264 in the HTML5 video tag in firefox. Rethinking my position on the matter, I guess dual support for both Theora and H264 would be way to go right now. H.264-encoded internet video that is free will continue to be exempt from royalty fees until at least December 31, 2015. It won’t be a problem until 4 years from now. That’s plenty of time for Theora to improve or Google to open source VP8. With storage and processing power becoming cheaper, I can see Google flipping a switch on December 31, 2015 and Youtube becoming VP8-powered overnight. Google has the power to do that if the licensing terms of H.264 become “disagreeable”. Acquiring VP8 was about giving it bargaining power in the future licensing negotiations with MPEG LA or to give them a way out if necessary.
Granted, I’m not entirely sure that Theora isn’t up to the task, but that seems to be the dominant opinion. But 4 years is plenty of time to get it up to the task if it isn’t already. In the meantime, HTML5+H.264 or flash (yuch) seem to be the only options for internet video. Flash is way worse than HTML5+H.264 in every way (it’s proprietary, buggy, a security hazard and a resource hog). I don’t see any more freedom in Flash than in HTML5+H.264, do you?
So, Mozilla, I’m reversing my previous stance, be pragmatic, support both codecs. I hate flash too much (not to mention it won’t work on my iPhone and future iPad).
Oh by the way, you know that flash uses is H.264 right?
Posted: March 19th, 2010
New Phones Still Sold With Old Versions of Android | Gadget Lab | Wired.com: “Two weeks ago when Buddy Roark bought a brand-new HTC Eris smartphone from Verizon, his first Android device, it was a big step up from his feature phone. But it wasn’t until a few days later that he realized part of his new phone wasn’t so new after all. The Eris was running a version of Android that came out almost a year ago, which means many of the newer apps available in the Android Market won’t work on Roark’s phone.”
I’ve been hearing people complain about a lack of update for their Android 1.5 or 1.6 devices around the blogosphere and twittersphere for a while now.
Multiple OS versions going around, hardware with completely different specs, “customized” software and even different app markets or devices that can’t even use the regular android market (tough that device now seems dead now).
Complete Android fragmentation. No wonder Microsoft is taking android as an example of what not to do with WP7 in every way. I really wonder what the state of android will be in one year.
Posted: February 1st, 2010
Tinkerer’s Sunset [dive into mark]: “When DVD Jon was arrested after breaking the CSS encryption algorithm, he was charged with ‘unauthorized computer trespassing.’ That led his lawyers to ask the obvious question, ‘On whose computer did he trespass?’ The prosecutor’s answer: ‘his own.’
If that doesn’t make your heart skip a beat, you can stop reading now.”