The end of Flash according to Apple and Microsoft

On the same day both Apple and Microsoft made announcements that signify the end of Adobe Flash. Microsoft's Dean Hachamovitch, General Manager for Internet Explorer, announced that IE9 will use only the H.264 standard to play HTML 5 video. Microsoft seems to have become very committed to HTML 5, while Flash loses even more ground. The announcement came the same day Steve Jobs detailed why Apple does not accept Flash on iPhone and iPad.

Microsoft is taking HTML 5 very seriously. Hachamovitch stated: “The future of the web is HTML5 ... HTML5 will be very important in advancing rich, interactive web applications and site design.” Many wondered what is Microsoft going to do about HTML 5 and, if they start integrating it, what video standard is it going to use? Microsoft has already started implementing some of the HTML 5 features – history, inline editing, web database – but they still have to catch up with the other browser vendors which have many more feature implemented like Canvas, Drag&Drop, Messaging, Video, Audio, Workers and others. But IE9 will certainly contain many of these features, Microsoft being known of advancing quickly on something after they have set their mind on it. For example, the IE team demoed recently IE9 running HTML 5 video on GPU, a step in front of other browsers by using hardware acceleration.

Steve Jobs in his post on Apple said "I wanted to jot down some of our thoughts on Adobe’s Flash products so that customers and critics may better understand why we do not allow Flash on iPhones, iPods and iPads. Adobe has characterized our decision as being primarily business driven – they say we want to protect our App Store – but in reality it is based on technology issues. Adobe claims that we are a closed system, and that Flash is open, but in fact the opposite is true."

He closed his discussion about the future of platforms with "Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice. Flash is a successful business for Adobe, and we can understand why they want to push it beyond PCs. But the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards – all areas where Flash falls short."

"The avalanche of media outlets offering their content for Apple’s mobile devices demonstrates that Flash is no longer necessary to watch video or consume any kind of web content. And the 200,000 apps on Apple’s App Store proves that Flash isn’t necessary for tens of thousands of developers to create graphically rich applications, including games."

"New open standards created in the mobile era, such as HTML5, will win on mobile devices (and PCs too). Perhaps Adobe should focus more on creating great HTML5 tools for the future, and less on criticizing Apple for leaving the past behind."

Apple iKey - unlock you car and pay for the bus

Apple is set to revolutionize the traditional door key with introduction of a hi-tech alternative nicknamed the 'iKey'. It means people can stop carrying around a set of keys, and use a single electronic device to unlock their car, front door and gain access to their office.

The technology may require the user to enter a pin code and wave the device over an electronic pad fitted beside a door to open it. A newly published patent application, filed with the US Patent Office, contains the details of the new technology. It is speculated that the next model of the iPhone will contain this feature.

The application states: "The device can communicate with an external device to open a lock. By way of example, the electronic device may be a model of an iPhone.  "The external device may be any suitable electronic device such as a portable media player, personal data assistant or electronic lock that may be used to access a door, car, house or other physical area."

For safety purpose, the device may be attributed with a feature to encrypt any information that passes between the iPhone and the computer-controlled lock, preventing hackers from listening. If this is true, it is a very big deal. As well as opening doors and unlocking your car, it could also turn your iPhone into an electronic wallet and ID card.

Gizmodo have sketch how this device embedded within your iPhone could work. "At its surface, a recently uncovered Apple patent application describes a Motion Based Input Selection. But a closer look reveals that Apple wants the iPhone to become your life's omnitool." The picture below from Gizmodo shows how moving your phone can unlock your front door.

This is massive for Apple ... you could be able to pay for buses and trains, your morning coffee and groceries by swiping your iPhone on a pad, and the price is electronically deducted from your account.

If granted, the application filed at US Patent house will offer Apple legal protection from other companies copying its ideas and technology. Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive, said: "We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We've decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."

Apple giveaway for 1 billion apps downloaded

Apple is approaching the 1 billion mark for applications downloaded from the iTunes App Store. The Billionth customer will recieve a swag of Apple gear.

Update: The number of downloads is about to hit 980 million.



Apple put up a countdown on their WEB site on Friday. As you can see there has been over 933 million applications have been downloaded from the App Store since it went live last July. Whoever manages to download the 1 billionth application will come away with a pretty good collection: a MacBook Pro, a 32GB iPod Touch, a Time Capsule, and a $10,000 iTunes gift certificate.

More than 32,000 applications have been added to the Apple App Store. Along with the promotion, Apple released some stats on the top downloads in both the paid and free categories: Facebook has been downloaded the most times among the free applications, while Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D has received the most downloads among paid applications.

A link to the count down page can be seen here.

Apples new productivity suite - iWorks 09 (documents, spreadsheets presentations)

Apple's iWork '09 is a great suite for Mac users who are after a well designed and easy to use productivity suite. iWork doesn't offer an integrated business e-mail solution like Microsoft Outlook, it does include a core group of applications; Keynote, Numbers, and Pages . The number of intuitive features is impressive, including things like interoperability across apps to make that absence easy to overlook. Apple has significantly updated all three products to enhance and streamline workflow with numerous interface tweaks and feature enhancements. iWork files are fully compatible with its Microsoft Office counterparts looking after the Windows / Mac interchange.

Cool Benefits

This software is very flashy, making it very easy to create eye-catching presentations. The iWork suite play well together with added interoperability across all applications. Intuitive interface design and easy access to useful features make iWork the best office suite choice on the Mac. Though it lacks some of Microsoft Office's advanced options, iWork '09 is an emerging powerhouse in its own right.

I have my own copy of Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac and I know I will be using both product suites. The fact that they file formats are interchangeable is good news.

Hardware Requirements

OS Required - Apple MacOS X 10.4.11 , Apple MacOS X 10.5.6 or later
Software Requirements - QuickTime 7.5.5 or later
Minimum Processor - Intel Power PC G4 , Intel Power PC G4 Power PC G5 - 500 MHz
Peripheral / Interface Devices - DVD-ROM
System Requirements - Apple MacOS X 10.4.11 - PowerPC G4 - RAM 512 MB - HD 1.2 GB

Apple unleashes Genius Sidebar ... would you like fries with that?

Well done Apple ... but don't confuse the Genius sidebar with the Apple Genius Bar (technical support in Apple stores).

On Tuesday Steve Jobs unveiled their latest feature for iTunes. Genius.

Everyone know that Apple's agenda is to push more iTunes sales. Genius sidebar is the latest arsenal in their toolkit.

When you highlight a song, the Top Songs You're Missing feature tells you the most popular tracks by that artist that you don't own. This is obvious next step, but very clever. Then there are the recommended tracks from other artists. It's pretty slick, and may make money from people who are keen to extend their collections.

It will be interesting to see when Genius extends to movies and television shows. It would be great if it provided music fans with the tools to analyze how their music collection fits together. But it is still a step in the right direction.



I tried out Genius and it worked quite well with rock, but the service seems to stumble with older music including my indie, acid jazz and classical collections.

Melbourne's 10km Nike+ Human Race

OK tomorrow is the big race ... Im running in the Melbourne part of the million people run this weekend. Nike+ Human Race has already started around the world and right now the US, South America and Europe have finished their race and the results will soon be online. Our race is tomorrow morning.

So I decided to create a Google map of the course. Tomorrow I will have my running gadgets with me. My new polar watch RS800sd, heart monitor, pedometer and iPod Nano (RED). As part of the race gear we all recieved a RED Nike shirt with our number printed on the front and a digital nike tracker (that needs to be handed in when we finish the race).

I took my Polar watch for a test run of the course today, and it has some great features. Heart rate, running speed, distance, altitude and a whole lot more.

So on Sunday morning if you see a mass of people running in RED shirts ... then that is us.


View directions of the Nike+ Human Race

Update: The Nike banners are starting to go up and the finish line is up at Linlithgow Ave near the Botanical Gardens.

Just visited the Nike+ Human Race web site and it looks great - well done to the designers!

I also came across this cool promotion @ The Inspiration Room for the Faker at tomorrows event ...

Ideas for my new iPhone

On Friday 11th July 2008 I put register with Optus to get my new iPhone and Wednesday the following week I got the call to say it was ready to pick up.



With the 3G iPhone available in more than 20 countries, it is no surprise that Apple has announced that it sold a million phones in the first three days of the product’s release—71 days faster than it took the original iPhone to reach the same number.

After using the iPhone for only a week, ideas for business applications are already start to flow. This phone is very intuitive to use.

my iPhone in one week ...

• Made & receive more than 30 calls


• Sent 37 SMS


• Read 15 emails


• Taken 10 photos


• Browsed 8 web sites


• Installed 3 applications:
  
  
  
  • Super Monkey Ball - $12.95
  
  
  • Lonely Planet - Mandarin Speaking - Free
  
  
  • Apple remote - Free
  
  
  
  


• Added 5 cities to my timezone and my weather


• Charged my phone once

The motion sensors have to be one of my favourite features. We have already joined as an iPhone & Facebook developers. Some this that does concern me is the reports already starting to come out about the performance of the AppStore.

The iPhone can be programmed by creating web pages that can be viewed on the device. This means you have to ensure your web apps work with the resolution of the screen and with the idiosyncrasies of its browser - Safari.

Acording to a post on ZDnet

Like the Opera-based internet browser on the Nintendo Wii, most developers will look at the iPhone as yet another high-volume consumer-oriented web platform for their pages and applications. As a first pass, it would be a good idea to ensure your apps don’t look like crap on the device. Then if you notice a lot of iPhone traffic or want to target it specifically for some other reason, you can use CSS and user agents to customize your presentation to your heart’s content.

Apple Sydney launch goes crazy!

OK so I thought I would drop by and have to queue for a bit to see inside the new Apple store on George Street, Sydney. Instead I stopped across the road and looked into the 3 levels. The queue stretched along George Street up King Street and back down York Street. Apple was giving away bags tonight - but with the amount of hype and publicity in Sydney at the moment they probably didn't have to.

It is a pity that you can't see the amazing staircase from the street but the photos I have seen of them look amazing.

From this ...

To this ...

This is a cool photo on the Gizmodo website.




I am going to buy a new imac so I will try and stop by on the weekend, but with queues this long it may have to wait until next week.