Common Paradox Tech Blog

This article at CNet takes a detailed look at the growth of social gaming through Apple’s iPhone, a market many developers — and Apple themselves — are still struggling to figure out. The piece also speculates on how such games and networks will continue to evolve. Quoting: “While competition has spawned better features among these services, the future brings a growing need for a more unified network. Even if all these networks begin to become impossible to differentiate, users are eventually going to want a less-disjointed platform when jumping from game to game, and app to app. Thus far Facebook, and even Twitter to some degree have provided that constant, just by giving users a way to log in to these platforms. The unification can shake out in a number of ways though, the most likely of which is consolidation. Open Feint can continue to grow until it’s snatched up by a larger company (like Apple). Or it can begin absorbing, or muscling out the other, less popular networks. As mentioned before, Apple plays a big part in this: not only in how it changes the hardware, but also how it continues to evolve the business of the App Store and information sharing between applications.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Despite several sources reporting that post-indefinite-injunction Psystar was closing their doors for good, the company’s lawyer is claiming Psystar plans on going forward with PC sales — they just won’t be pre-loaded with Apple’s OS X. Psystar plans on selling systems pre-loaded with “other operating systems,” including Windows, as well as selling their “Rebel EFI software” that allows consumers to load OS X on generic PCs.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

If Apple ends US iPhone exclusivity with AT&T in 2010, could Verizon handle the handset that currently crushes service in data-dense cities like San Francisco and New York? BusinessWeek scored the quote from Verizon Wireless Chief Technology Officer Anthony Melone:

“We have put things in place already. We are prepared to support that traffic.”
[...]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Verizon Prepared to Handle iPhone in 2010 — If Exclusivity Ends with AT&T

I’ve been waiting for this damn update for months: Apple’s dropped the latest RAW compatibility update—2.7 to be precise—for Mac, which adds compatibility for these fine cameras:

• Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
• Canon EOS 7D
• Canon PowerShot G11
• Nikon D3S
• Nikon D3000S
• Nikon D3000

Snag it on Software Update, of course. [Apple

MBCook writes “Despite claims earlier in the year that the iPhone was hated by Japanese consumers (later disproved), the iPhone has been doing well in the land of the rising sun and the evidence is in. Apple has taken 46% of the Japanese smartphone market, cutting in half the once 27% market share of the previous lead, Advance Sharp W-Zero3 (Japanese site). The article includes a large chart of the market share of Japanese smartphones over the last 3 years.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Release date: Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:39:00 GMT

According to Impress, the iPhone has taken over 46.1 percent of the Japanese smartphone market. This is extremely surprising, because the Japanese are known for being impervious to alien cellphones, preferring their weird mobiles. The two top spots are Apple’s:

The iPhone 3G commands the ranking with 24.6%, while the iPhone 3GS tops at 21.5 for number two. Dropping from 28.8% to 14.6% is the Sharp Advanced W-ZERO3. According to Impress survey, the reason of this huge advance in only one year is the app store and the iPhone’s ease of use. I always thought that Japanese cellphones user interfaces were designed by the devil himself, so I’m not surprised. [Impress]

For those of you who just can’t wait for whatever tablet goodness Apple is dreaming up, the Archos 9 running Windows 7 might be the answer. But wait—is that Windows 7 Starter Edition?

Unfortunately, yes, which means that this version won’t take full advantage of Windows 7’s tablet capabilities. Still, UMPC Portal reports a solid 3 hours of battery life, 60GB hard drive, 1GB RAM, and a 1.1Ghz Atom under the hood. Our initial hands-on impressions were generally favorable, and there’s nothing really here to contradict that (although $500 is still pretty steep). UMPC will be giving more updates today that we’ll keep an eye on. [UMPC Portal via Engadget]

As we all know by now, Google Chrome for Mac and Linux are now here, and despite the Mac version missing a few features at the moment, both are earning rave reviews around the web. Meanwhile, a report a couple days ago from Net Applications suggested that the Mac and Linux builds helped push Chrome into the number three browser spot in terms of usage, past Apple’s own Safari. And it could be on the verge of jumping even higher thanks to Google now promoting it on its homepage to all Mac users.

Across all the major web browsers that work on the Mac (Firefox, Safari, Opera, Camino), Google is now placing an overlay on google.com which reads “A faster way to browse the web” and includes a Chrome logo and a button that you can click to be taken to the Chrome for Mac download page. This shows up regardless of if you’re signed into your Google account or not. The only requirement is that you not being using Chrome. Clicking on the “X” will make the overlay disappear.

Apple takes advantage of all my weaknesses in their new Christmas-themed iPhone ad. It’s not only whimsical and cutesy, but it also mentions cookies, coffee, and several feet of snow. What more could a gal want?

Maybe I’m just so enamored with this commercial because my home smells of freshly baking cookies or maybe it’s a general adoration for alternate versions of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” but I just think it’s a lovely Christmas greeting from Apple. Even if the voiceover guy doesn’t really sing. [TUAW]