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In the latest move in the escalating war between Apple and Google, Google’s latest hire has said that he hates Apple’s iPhone.

Tim Bray, a developer advocate for Android who has been recently hired at Google, said, “The iPhone vision of the mobile Internet’s future omits controversy, sex, and freedom, but includes strict limits on who can know what and who can say what.” This harsh characterization of Apple and its iPhone was expressed in a blog post.

Bray’s comment is the latest move in an escalating competition between Apple and Google—a competition so intense that it may be driving Apple and Microsoft to possibly collaborate against Google in the future.

To be fair, Bray does reserve some criticism for Google as well, saying that Google is “now too big to be purely good or in fact purely anything.” He also mentioned the fact that iPhones are selling at a rate of 90,000 units per day and Android devices are selling at a rate of 60,000 units per day, supporting the fact that the competition between the two companies is getting intense.

Via InformationWeek, image via Apple.

Apple’s iPad looks set to be a huge success, and this has competing companies worried. If competing companies do not improve their products that are meant to compete with the iPad, these products simply won’t sell and will be overshadowed by the iPad. Obviously they do not want this to happen, so companies such as Amazon, HP, and Microsoft are hard at work creating products that will be able to compete with the iPad.

Amazon wants to hire a software developer to improve its Kindle by adding web browsing capabilities to it. HP has been heavily promoting its Slate tablet, especially the fact that it will support Adobe Flash (Apple’s mobile devices famously do not support Flash). Even Microsoft has said it intends to make a tablet called the Courier.

This has all happened before the iPad has even been released. After April 3, once we know definitely what the iPad is really like, more companies will offer iPad competitors.

Via ZDNet, image via Apple.

Apple began taking orders for the iPad, which is to be released on April 3, this past Friday. By all accounts, the device now looks set to become a huge success. Estimates say that Apple received 120,000 pre-orders for the iPad on Friday alone.

Apple has not released any actual statistics yet, but analysts estimated the number of iPads sold by subtracting Apple’s typical online daily sales from Friday’s online sales. Of course there has been no official confirmation from Apple, but the estimate is probably reliable.

The purchasing appears to be evenly split between the 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB models. Seventy percent of the orders were for the WiFi only model, which is the model being due to be released on April 3 (the 3G model comes out later in April).

Via Examiner.com, image via Apple.

Apple COO Tim Cook

Apple’s Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook, who temporarily led Apple last year when Steve Jobs had to go on medical leave, has earned a bonus of $5 million cash, plus stock that is worth nearly $17 million. Jobs recommended the bonus and Apple’s compensation committee unanimously approved it.

Jobs recommended that Cook be given the bonus based on his “outstanding performance” while Jobs was on medical leave. Jobs received a liver transplant when he was on medical leave. Apple was rather secretive of the whole affair, which lead some observers to criticize Apple for not being more upfront about Jobs’ condition.

Under Cook’s leadership, Apple stock rose from around $80 to around $140 per share. Cook has spent a lot of his career in the technology industry. Before working for Apple, he was vice president of Corporate Materials for Compaq and has also worked for IBM. He has an MBA from Duke University.

Via BusinessWeek, image via Apple.

Steve Jobs with an iPad

Batteries are always an issue when you begin to talk about portable devices. They go bad so easily that users always want to know (and rightfully so) how to get their batteries replaced. Though Apple has not yet shipped its newest product, the iPad, it has released the details of how an iPad user would go about getting a battery replaced.

The process is apparently similar to what happens with an iPhone that needs a new battery. iPad users will have to pay $99, plus $6.95 for shipping, plus whatever local tax is, to get a new device. And apparently when you send your iPad to Apple for a new battery, you do not get the same exact one back. Instead, you receive a refurbished one, so it goes without saying to make sure to back up all data on the iPad.

This is the same process that iPhone users go through to get new batteries (luckily for me, I wouldn’t know because so far, my iPhone’s battery has behaved itself).

Via PC Magazine, image via Apple.

On Friday, Nokia asked for dismissal of a lawsuit Apple filed against it, alleging anti-trust claims. Nokia claims that Apple is trying to deflect attention from the fact that it has stolen Nokia’s intellectual property.

The whole business was started back in October 2009 by Nokia when it filed a patent violation suit against Apple. Apple then countered with a lawsuit of its own, alleging withholding of patent information and demanding unreasonable royalties. Both companies have asked the US International Trade Commission (ITC) to ban imports of the other company’s phones.

The ITC plans to hear Apple’s case against Nokia in October of this year and plans a final decision by June 2011. It has not yet set a date for hearing Nokia’s case against Apple.

Via Mac Observer, image via Nokia.

The day that so many Apple fans have been waiting for has finally arrived. This morning, Apple started taking orders for the iPad, which is due to be released on April 3. The device, which has been extremely anticipated, was introduced on January 27 and is described by Apple as being between the iPhone and MacBook. The device itself is still a bit of a mystery since Apple hasn’t really made it available for review or testing.

Nevertheless, many people have taken the plunge and ordered an iPad in hopes that it will provide a very new and different type of computing experience. Apple has a history of releasing innovative products and many future iPad owners have said they think the new device will be no exception.

Though analysts have predicted that iPads will not be widely used at corporations, some employees at companies have ordered them. Developers who hope to create applications for the iPad have also ordered the device.

Apple has not responded to requests for comment about the pre-orders, but according to some Apple watchers, the pre-orders were coming in at an impressive rate of 20,000 per hour.

Via PC World, image via Apple.

Twitter just got a bit too personal by introducing a new feature today that allows users to automatically share their location with their tweets. Make no mistake: I’m not anti-Twitter or anything. I have Twitter and I use it. I think it’s very fun and quite useful for sharing links and the like. But location sharing on the Internet, is, in my opinion, going way too far.

At least Twitter is handling the whole situation properly. When I logged in today, I was asked if I wanted to turn on the location sharing feature or not and was given the opportunity to learn more about the feature if I wanted to. Of course, I did not opt to turn it on. I do commend Twitter for handling this new feature a lot better than Google handled their new Google Buzz back when they introduced it.

Twitter is responding to the recent trend of location sharing over the Internet. Many other Internet services have adopted location-sharing features, and Facebook is expected to join them soon. Twitter’s new feature works with Chrome and Firefox 3.5. For it to work in Internet Explorer, a download of extra software is required.

Via The Associated Press, image via Twitter.

Even though the next iPhone OS update probably won’t be released for several months, the tech blogosphere is already speculating about what new features the iPhone OS 4.0 will contain. Apple is, of course, very tight-lipped about the whole thing, so all of the following is simply speculation.

The feature that seems to be the most desired is multitasking. Currently, only one app at a time can run on the iPhone. For example, you cannot listen to your Pandora radio app in the background while you surf the Internet with your Safari app (however, you could listen to music through the iPod function on the iPhone). Other smartphones have supported multitasking for some time now, so this is the next logical update for the iPhone.

Video calling is another feature that users want. Again, many other smartphones have a front-facing video camera that allows for video calls. Though video calling has not really gained much popularity with smartphone users, Apple may try to change this by offering it as a new feature.

Finally, many users want a better camera with a flash on the iPhone. Although the iPhone 3G S has a better camera than the iPhone 3G (3.2 MP vs. 2 MP, respectively), it is difficult to take decent photos with an iPhone in anything but the brightest light, so a flash would be a welcome addition.

Of course, Apple is so good at keeping secrets that we won’t find out anything until the next OS is released, so all we can do now is speculate.

Via PC World, image via PC World.

FileMaker Pro 11 left beta testing and was released to the general public last Tuesday. It is the only software of its type that runs on both Windows and Mac. As noted by Ryan Rosenberg, vice president of marketing and services for FileMaker, Inc., FileMaker Pro is number one on Mac and number two on Windows after Microsoft Access.

The software is aimed at workers at mid- to large-sized businesses, though FileMaker, Inc. hopes to expand its consumer base to less advanced database users.

Some key new features in FileMaker 11 include an easier way to make charts and graphs; Quick Find, a search engine for database information; and a Quick Start Screen for making new databases and managing files.

There are actually four versions of FileMaker to choose from: FileMaker Pro, FileMaker Pro Advanced, FileMaker Server, and FileMaker Server Advanced.

Via Betanews, image via FileMaker.

The next iPad competitor?

Dell, with some help from Amazon and Google, may be releasing an iPad competitor called the Dell Streak. The Streak will be a tablet that will have access to all of the e-books in Amazon’s Kindle store and everything in Amazon’s MP3 download store, which includes songs as well as TV shows and movies. This is a comparable to what the iTunes store offers.

The Streak allegedly will have a five-inch screen, which would put it between the iPhone and iPad in size. It is supposed to offer access to the Kindle store through 3G with no extra fees. This is an advantage over the iPad, which requires a data plan for 3G access. The Streak is supposed to be Android-based.

Both Amazon and Dell refused to confirm if this rumor is true or not. No one has speculated about the ship date or price of this unannounced product. A tablet processor manufacturer has said that it expects over fifty iPad competitors to be released this year.

Via Wired, image via Wired.

Good old Steve

I really never thought I’d see the day that Steve Ballmer said nice things about Apple. After all, Ballmer is the CEO of Microsoft, and aren’t Apple and Microsoft supposed to be mortal enemies? We must recall that Ballmer completely dismissed the threat the iPhone would have to the smartphone market and Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system. Three years later, Ballmer has been proved wrong, as proved by the runaway success of the iPhone and the App Store.

Ballmer knows he was wrong. At a recent speaking engagement, he actually praised the App Store, saying, “Apple’s done a very nice job that allows people to monetize and commercialize their intellectual property.” The comment may appear to be insignificant at first glance, but when we consider the history between Microsoft and Apple, as well as the possibility that Apple may be replacing Google as the default search engine with Microsoft’s Bing, Ballmer’s words take on a new meaning.

Could Apple be prepared to team up with Microsoft to defeat a common rival, Google? I’m not sure how I feel about this idea: I’m an avid Mac user and I’m also rather fond of Google products (I have an interest bordering on obsession with Gmail), but I don’t like Microsoft at all. I’d rather see Apple and Google teaming up against Microsoft.

Of course, it may be too early to make any predictions. After all, Microsoft is still planing to compete with Apple by releasing a new mobile operating system, Windows Phone 7.

Via DailyTech, image via DailyTech.

Apple is a notoriously secretive company. Usually the rest of us have no idea about its upcoming products until they are released, and we know even less (that is, nothing) about the inner workings of the company itself.

But thanks to the cleverness of an organization, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the rest of us have been allowed a glimpse into the inner workings of Apple. Basically, the Electronic Frontier Foundation used FOIA to force NASA to release Apple’s nondisclosure agreement for iPhone developers. Developers have to sign the agreement before they can access the software development kit for the iPhone OS.

It does not really come as a surprise that Apple very strongly regulates what programs are allowed to run on the iPhone OS. Some analysts have expressed surprise that people are so enthusiastic about products that are so heavily regulated by their manufacturer, but they underestimate Apple’s appeal to the public.

Via Wired, image via Apple.

The iPad is almost here. It has an official release date (April 3) and a pre-order date (the first day users will be allowed to pre-order the much-anticipated device will be March 12). Now, the iPad has a commercial.

The commercial debuted during the Oscars, which I didn’t watch (I know, I’m lame, but I was trying to make my way through the plethora of reading I’ve been assigned for my classes). If you missed the commercial, you can watch it here.

Yes, I know I expressed disappointment when Apple first announced the iPad. But it looks pretty amazing in the commercial (of course, Apple would go out of their way to make a product look amazing in a commercial so they can sell more).

Steve Jobs also reportedly made an appearance at the Oscars, as demonstrated in photographic evidence from a Twitter user.

Via PC Mag, image via Apple.

Most of the time, when we fill out those annoying security questions while creating an online account, we really don’t think about what we’re doing. We don’t think about how secure our questions and answers are (or are not) and whether someone else could easily guess them and be able to hack into our accounts.

According to security researchers, this is a bad thing. It is far too easy to guess the answers to security questions such as someone’s mother’s maiden name (this information could easily be found online by a determined and persevering hacker). Research has shown that if hackers get three chances to guess answers, they could hack into one in eighty accounts.

Guessing the answers to security questions can allow a hacker to overwrite a password without knowing what it is. In most cases, it is not difficult to guess answers—a study conducted by Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon showed that seventeen percent of the answers to security questions could be guessed by people who knew the owner of the targeted account.

And there is more at stake when email accounts are hacked: access to a person’s email account can give access to other online accounts that require email registration. Because of this vulnerability, some email providers are trying to make their password reset functions more secure. For example, Google can send reset passwords by text message.

Via BBC News.

The iPad is set to be released on April 3 in the United States and later in April in Great Britain. In anticipation of the iPad’s British release, Apple is seeking mobile carriers who will provide service for the iPad.

Unlike with the iPhone, which was originally carried in Britain solely by the carrier O2 (it is now carried by Vodafone and Orange in addition to O2), the iPad is expected to be carried by multiple providers. All the major British providers—Vodafone, Orange and O2—do not want to be left out of the iPad frenzy.

Apple executives are flying to Britain this week to conduct talks with mobile providers. Steve Jobs is not a part of the delegation. Sources have said that mobile phone carriers have already had some preliminary talks with Apple concerning the iPad.

As in the United States, there is worry about how the mobile networks will handle all the extra data from the iPad. The O2 network originally struggled to keep up with the data influx generated by iPhone users.

Via Times Online, image via Apple.

A recent news story about Sony published in the Wall Street Journal has caused a lot of speculation about Sony’s plans for mobile devices. Though Sony is not officially confirming anything, it is thought to be developing products and services to compete with Apple.

Sony is reportedly ready to launch an online media platform called “Sony Online Services” that is intended to compete with iTunes. It is also releasing a mobile phone with the Android operating system soon. The phone is going to be called Xperia X10. Currently, Sony makes an e-reader that is a competitor to Amazon’s Kindle.

If Sony is intending to directly compete with Apple, it may want to prepare itself for potential lawsuits. Apple is currently engaged in a lawsuit against HTC for patent infringement relating to the iPhone, which many people are interpreting as an indirect against Google.

Via Digital East Asia.

I reported last month that Microsoft would, starting on March 1, be offering browser choices to its European users as a result of an agreement between Microsoft and the EU.

Microsoft has started offering browser choices, as they promised. But according to a web designer, users are not getting as much of a choice as they think they are, due to the fact that a lot of the browsers offered are basically clones of Internet Explorer. Many of the lesser-known browsers offered use the same rendering engine, Trident, that Microsoft’s Internet Explorer uses.

Of the twelve browsers offered, five use Trident, three use Mozilla’s Gecko, two use WebKit, and one uses Opera’s Presto. One of the twelve browsers can use either Trident or Gecko. Most web designers do not like Trident because it does not conform to rendering standards. Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Opera are the browsers that adhere to rendering standards best.

Via BBC News, image via Microsoft.

Apple’s legal action against HTC, the first manufacturer to use Android in its phones, could have larger implications for other companies using Android on their phones. In the case, Apple alleges 20 patent infringements, and this case could be the first of many.

Apple hasn’t specifically named Google in the lawsuit, but many of the patents relate to operating system processes. Google has declared its support for HTC. Due to the increase in competition between Google and Apple, some analysts have speculated that Apple is attacking Google indirectly through this lawsuit. Therefore, the lawsuit could have implications for other companies later.

Apple asserts that HTC has infringed on 20 patents owned by Apple that are used in the iPhone. Apple wants an injunction that would bar HTC from selling phones that use the patents in the United States.

Via BBC News, image via BBC News.