Is iAds Apples New Revenue Stream Or A Developer Support System?

Apple CEO Steve Jobs says the companies new ad platform for mobile devices, namely the iPhone, iPad, and iPod, is not a get rich quick scheme for his company but a support system for application developers by which they will be able to keep the cost of apps down, increasing the likely hood of continued interest in app development. The iAds program offers developers a platform onto which they can "build complex interactive ads into apps..." according to the NYTimes. Apples plan is to keep 40% of the revenues with 60% going to the apps creator, following a similar model as the iTunes App Store. “This is us helping our developers make money so they can survive and keep the prices of their apps reasonable.” said Jobs. When comparing his iAds network to Google's Adsense Jobs said “Search is not where it’s at” on phones, he said. “People are not searching on a mobile device like they are on the desktop.” I tend to agree with the observation but I have a hard time believing it's all about helping the developers...

The iPad Unboxed - bow chicka wow wow

The folks at Revision 3 decided to poke fun at Apple's iPad with an unusual unboxing, in a video segment reminiscent of a 70's style porn movie... not that I would know what they looked like.

iPad Content Work Around For Canadians

The Globe and Mail is reporting that Canadians will be faced with a copyright issue when the iPad is released north of the border. It's an issue that we're already used to regarding video content from US television networks. The apps, books, and video content that is catching fire with our neighbors to the South, may not be available to us here because of domestic licensing and copyright ownership laws regarding certain content. Bummer! The article goes on to describe the dilemma, but the most valuable piece of information that you'll get is the following:

Workaround Tip:

Globetechnology reviewed the iPad earlier this week using a pre-paid MasterCard purchased at Shoppers and created a U.S. iTunes account with a throw-away U.S. mailing address. That allowed us to download all of the apps available on the U.S. store, including iBooks, the ABC Player and Netflix. Some apps are geo-blocked, such as the ABC Player, but we were able to buy and download books from iBooks.

Enjoy your new iPad!

North Korea Trumps China On Sensorship And PC Usage Spying

According to the BBC a Russian student studying in North Korea, of all places, has revealed a government created operating system (OS) sold to residents known as Red Star. The OS, according to researchers in South Korea, is aimed at monitoring user activity, though very few North Koreans have computers or Internet access.

It is designed "to control [North Korea's] own information security", a report by South Korea's Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI) said.

"Due to few applicable programmes available, Red Star will not even by easily distributed in North Korea," it added.

Red Star is Linux-based and is influenced by Microsoft with versions Office embedded and an e-mail system called Pigeon as well as a Mozilla Firefox browser - which opens to the North Korean government website as the home page.

I'm not surprised by this, just that it's made the news! Would we expect anything less of this dictatorship? Perhaps the BBC is simply looking for anything to report other than iPad...

And Now For Something Completely Different Than iPad

In order to resist the urge, and because the only thing you can find online is iPad news I'll present you with something completely different. Happy Easter... enjoy!

Is Linking To Defamatory Statements The Same As Publishing Defamatory Statements?

The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear the case of a former political campaign manager who claims that links to defamatory content on other sites is the same as publishing the content on your own site. The case was heard by a judge at the British Columbia Supreme Court and was struck down, but the Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear the appeal.

David Fewer, director of the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic at the University of Ottawa, said:

"To import liability in those circumstances is to impose just a tremendous burden of liability on all participants in the internet,".

"Not just hosts, not just websites, not just bulletin boards, not just ISPs, but also individual participants, commenters on blogs, commenters in newspapers, newspapers themselves, other publishers who allow anybody to speak on the internet.

"You can just imagine the chilling effect that would have."

This is scary stuff!

Source: CBC

And I Thought My Wi-Fi Detector T-shirt Was Cool!

Some time ago, I purchased this T-shirt from Think Geek and it was the hit of the company pot luck! I do believe however that I've been trumped... well done Chris Ball!

From github.com

"How's it work?
==============

There's a Python script (gmail.py) to be run on any Bluetooth-enabled
device with Python installed (I use an Android phone, you could use a
laptop). The script simply downloads your Gmail RSS feed to see how
much unread e-mail you have, and sends that number over a serial port
every two seconds. I use /dev/rfcomm0, which is the serial device that
connects my phone to the Bluetooth dongle on my Lilypad.

There's also a C program (lilypad.pde) that runs on the Lilypad, reads
a number over the serial port, and renders that number on a set of LEDs
(I use seven LEDs). That's it."

A Dual View Of The iPad

This morning I read David Pogue's NY Times review of the Apple iPad with great interest, amusement, and to be quite honest, joy! What a refreshing take on a product review! David looks at the device from two perspectives and highlights the features and detractors from both points of view. You see, to many consumers this is a wondrous device that is going to change computing forever, but to the hardcore techie it's not that at all. So rather than attempting to reach out to either camp and offend the other, David has written a review for each. This might be viewed by some as a cop out, but to me it makes perfect sense. The way that I might want to use such a device, or the opinion that I might form of it after having it for a time, is quite likely vastly different than say, my wife's view. We are after all on opposite ends of the techie scale.

You be the judge... refreshing or the Switzerland of tech reviews?

A Look At Robotics

The Globe and Mail | Technology section is running a 5 part piece on robots with excerpts from the book Sex, Bombs and Burgers, by technology journalist Peter Nowak. It's worth a peek if you are as smitten with robotics as I am. Part 2 published today, looking forward to the rest of the week!

New iPhone Rumoured For This Summer

According to this article in the Globe and Mail, the Wall Street Journal is citing unnamed sources as responsible for rumors surrounding an upcoming new iPhone from Apple and in particular a version designed specifically for the Verizon network. Currently AT&T is the only authorized carrier of the iPhone in the U.S.

Both Apple and Verizon are refusing to comment.