Jon Rubinstein Declares HP Acquisition "a Waste"

Remember WebOS, the innovative and spritely mobile OS that feature new concepts on multitasking and syncing? Well, Jon Rubinstein would really wishes you don't. In an interview with FierceWireless, Rubinstein offers a dismal retrospective on his time at Palm and the year long tenure of HP.

FierceWireless: Looking back, if you could do things over again with the rollout of webOS, would you do anything differently?

Rubinstein: Well, I'm not sure I would have sold the company to HP [Hewlett-Packard]. That's for sure. Talk about a waste*. Not that I had any choice because when you sell a company you don't get to decide that. Obviously, the board and shareholders decide that. If we had known they were just going to shut it down and never really give it a chance to flourish, what would have been the point of selling the company? I think the deal we had with Verizon really hurt us, but who knew that at the time? These things are all hindsight.

*emphasis ours

The interview is pretty interesting, so check it out at the source.

SOURCE: FierceWireless via Techland

It’s a Trap: Microsoft sets a Youtube shaped app-trap, and Google falls in headfirst

When Microsoft updated their Youtube app for Windows Phone last week, users rejoiced as the public tiff between Google and Microsoft had seemingly come to an end. However, a closer look revealed that not everything was as good as it seemed in the Google-Microsoft realm: the updated app offered no advertising and allowed for the downloading of Youtube videos, two major breaches of Youtube’s API. For those wondering why Microsoft would violate the ToS in such an explicit way, four words can sum up the entire ordeal. It was a trap, the kind of which amphibious space creatures yell about all the time.

After ordering a cease-and-desist of the application this afternoon, Google found itself in an imbroglio with Microsoft. Google requested that Microsoft “immediately withdraw this application from the Windows Phone Store and disable existing downloads of the application by Wednesday, May 22, 2013.” Microsoft then countered with this statement, referencing CEO Larry Page’s comments earlier today about cooperation and positivity in the technology industry. “We’d be more than happy to include advertising but need Google to provide us access to the necessary APIs. In light of Larry Page’s comments today calling for more interoperability and less negativity, we look forward to solving this matter together for our mutual ” Thus, Microsoft has effectively lured Google into further Windows Phone development and cooperation, a risky strategic move that could potentially pay off.  Google has avoided developing for Windows Phone in the past, but this counter could lead to further interest for the platform and the arrival of Google apps.

In the growing strategic games and competition between Google and Microsoft, onlookers may wonder when the user will be placed first. But the games are only beginning, and that time doesn’t appear to be happening anytime soon.

[via The Verge, 1, 2]

Yahoo! Now Has Rights to SNL Clips, For Reasons Beyond Our Comprehension

I’m as perplexed as you are, folks. Yahoo! now has exclusive rights to the SNL archives, in a move that is as unexpected as it is totally perplexing. While CEO Marrissa Mayer contemplated her favorite skits with Matt Foley, Motivation Speaker, and Tina Fey as beloved (?) Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, several questions raced through my mind. Why does Yahoo! need this partnership right now? Why doesn’t Marissa Mayer list Lazy Sunday on her list of memorable skits? We can’t do this right now. The content will come soon, but the questions will remain forever.

SOURCE: Yahoo Yodel! (ugh)

Own an iPhone 4? Get $15 from "Antennagate"

If you own an iPhone 4 and didn't receive a bumper from Apple, you're in for an awesome, rich payday of $15. After a legal settlement over antenna issues in defective iPhone 4's, purchasers will be able to spend the $15 before July 16th. So, began preparing for payday, and maybe buy yourself a new iPhone with all that extra pocket cash.

SOURCE: 9To5Mac

 

Microsoft Schedules Xbox Event on May 21

The next generation of Xbox, be it always online or not, will debuting the 21st of May. That's pushed back from a previously scheduled April event, according to Paul Thurrott. Though there has been no official mention of the console, recent comments by Microsoft Studio's Creative Director Adam Orth hint that the console will be continuously connected, though Microsoft has yet to confirm or deny the claim. Besides connectivity, the Xbox will reportedly feature great voice support, an updated version of Kinect, and perhaps some form of the IllumiRoom concept shown at CES. Either way, its guaranteed to be an interesting reveal for sure.

 

SOURCE: Winsupersite

 

#DealWithIt: Microsoft’s Creative Director Trolls His Way to Internet Outrage

Microsoft Studio’s Creative Director Adam Orth is a man who likes to troll. Sorry, Adam Orth was a man who liked to troll, until the entire internet took his personal opinion on “always on” games- games like Sim City that require internet access- as hints of Microsoft’s next moves. Though murmurs of Microsoft’s next Xbox hint at the consoles requirement to be “always on,” there’s no concrete evidence that this means required internet access to play games or a console that stays in a low power state. Adam Orth continued to make outlandish claims about rural areas without internet, asking hypothetical questions like “why would I want to live there?” Again, Orth was unwisely trolling people to the point that it has created a PR kerfuffle for Microsoft.

Being a site that lends itself well to speculative rumors and creating mountains out of molehills, the people at Reddit have begun preemptive protest of refusing to buy a next generation console they have neither seen nor definitely know. But, the same thing can be said of the PS4, so what do I know?

SOURCE: TechnoBuffalo

Vines Can Now Be Embedded, Still Not on Android

Vine has updated the iOS app to support embeds. Previously, users could only stumble upon Vines by checking Twitter and Facebook feeds. Now, Vines like the post below are viewable even away from those sources. It’s a good start, but how about those iPad and Android apps, eh?

T-Mobile is the “Uncarrier” That Wants to “Stop the Bullsh*t”

T-Mobile CEO John Legere isn’t only our new favorite CEO, but he’s our new favorite foulmouthed CEO. A self proclaimed wireless industry outsider, Legere is an anomaly in a stagnant and bizarre American wireless industry. So when T-Mobile held an event today to announce iPhone availability, there was far more to be said.  Starting today, T-Mobile is the “Uncarrier,” the opposite of every other carrier you’ve ever dealt with. No more contracts, no more “phone subsidies,” no more T-Mobile girl. This is an all new T-Mobile, one with cheaper plans, available LTE spectrum, and the one with the iPhone 5 for $99 upfront (and 24 subsequent months of $20 payments, of course).

Let’s just say that things got really interesting, and there’s no better time to root for the underdog. It’s time to shake things up, and how better to do so than expletive rants and brutal honesty?

SOURCE: The Verge

Google Experimenting with New Mobile Design

Google is breaking from addition and attempting a new blue-orange color scheme for mobile. Recent searches using Google's mobile site revealed a new design choice that emphasizes new shades of orange and blue, a break from previous color schemes of blue and green only. The move is surprsing for a comapny like Google, who was once famous for testing for 41 shades of blue and 50 shades of grey. Have you experienced the new layout? Speak up in the comments below.

Google Experimenting with New Mobile Color Scheme

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