Go East Young Man.

As NFC continues to gain traction throughout the world a few points are worth noting: 1) Nokia is pushing this technology in India whereas in the low-mid-end handset market they still dominant (aside from the simple reality that there’s still a large consumer-base within these tiers that’s being unserved) which clearly plays to their favor despite the overall setback(s) the firm has experienced in most of the OECD nations; 2) NFC is being pushed by a consortium in Singapore (with a goal of widespread adoption) via Citibank, etc., this translates to a savvy tech-population that’s open / receptive to further integrating said medium into their daily lives; 3) America is missing the boat (at it now stands) which is just absurd… In sum; how is it that the nation that has pioneered the majority of the technological breakthroughs in this area is far too often inept when it comes to the (mass) adoption of them?!

(Source) Fast Company: http://goo.gl/pFXA9

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All Mixed Up…

The preliminary reviews are coming in mixed on the (Amazon) Kindle Fire (which shouldn’t be any real surprise given the comparison with the iPad). Independent of whether or not it is ultimately a ‘me-too’ play the ultimate test will be how it sells during this holiday season (as to whether or not it is a genuine hit and/or miss as have been all of the Fire’s predecessors thus far).

(Source) eWeek: http://goo.gl/UjDtF

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Going Through Some Changes.

Given the continued growth / adoption-rates; awareness and resulting demand for tablet-computing there’s an upward trend of longer on-line video viewing via the aforementioned medium vs. on a desktop and/or smartphone (which makes sense given the devices portability; screen resolution; Wi-Fi capabilities and how novel it still is i.e., unlike the desktop or handset it’s still not commercially ubiquitous). In light of this trend, and the buzz being generated by Amazon’s pending release, this holiday season could be a harbinger of an explosive growth-spurt of consumers purchasing tablets (regardless of the manufacturer) in record numbers.

(Source) CNET: http://goo.gl/t5Lec

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Breaking the Law!

Google’s refusal to remove an illegal (according to the RIAA) app from their Market has continued to draw the ire of said association as well as help spur this app into the Top Five (for downloads). Long story short; perhaps this isn’t the best approach towards ‘winning friends and influencing enemies’ e.g., in advance of launching their long-rumored official music service…

(Source) PC Magazine: http://goo.gl/JAqvF

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The Midas Touch.

Roughly 18 months after it received a glowing endorsement from (none other than) Steve Jobs; HTML 5 has gone far (fast) in how it has been / being developed (and how it looks to be squeezing out the competition e.g., Adobe)… which plays into guess whose benefit?

(Source) WSJ: http://goo.gl/y0lF6

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Just Plain Dumb…

In today’s news: a person in Missouri in a fit of frustration regarding having to actually ‘wait in line’ (oh, the inconvenience of social order!) to purchase a copy of the latest edition of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 decided to just rob someone who had bought a copy in the same line instead…

Simply put; perhaps they might have heard of Amazon and/or eBay (amongst a number of other possible purchasing options?)

(Source) UPI: http://goo.gl/gLfUl

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‘Droid Days.

Honda’s latest Asimo iteration made a successful debut / return to the public realm in Tokyo as the Japanese heavyweight is still committed to building upon the nascent market (interest) that it generated when it was initially released 12 years ago (which at that time was viewed as more of a gimmick than a practical-use application).

In retrospect, robotic technology could have proven extremely beneficial as part of the disaster relief for the crippled Fukushima reactor; however, it simply wasn’t available / ready via the present AI capabilities. That said, leaving natural disasters aside, as the OECD nations continue to age robotics could play a growing role regarding health care (for example, addressing limitations with mobility and/or basic geriatric assistance are two possible options that come to mind). And, if mechanical dexterity and/or AI, etc. are further developed / geared towards providing this sort of support there’s no reason why it might not become a viable option to consider.

(Source) CNET: http://goo.gl/eam0r

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Chicken Little.

Count 1, 2, 3, 4 Asian locations now as sold-out of their existing stock (within minutes / hours depending upon said locale of the launch of Apple’s newest iPhone) as Singapore; Shanghai, Hong Kong and S. Korea all did banner sales… which (at this juncture) debunks a number of recent Smartphone reports regarding Samsung ‘shipping’ more handsets than Apple last quarter.

(Source) 9 to 5 Mac: http://goo.gl/o8Yn0

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Counter Strike!?

Okay, while Modern Warfare 3 (the new and seriously hyped release that’s set to debut today) is not the same as the aforementioned game 6,000 copies of this highly-anticipated installment were nevertheless stolen in an early morning heist (that involved tear-gar of all things in Paris of all-places?!)

Art imitating life and/or life imitating art as this sounds like something right out of the Cold War…

(Source) Digital Spy: http://goo.gl/431ho

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Apple Fan(boys) Rejoice!

Only Steve Jobs could generate the sort of press where a lost interview (from 1995) has been found; restored (to full-length) and slated for release (in theaters across America no less!)

(Source) CNET: http://goo.gl/1YnSM

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