Linked List: December 16, 2010

Thursday, 16 December 2010

Another week, another show. Pretty good, I think. Topics include my impressions of the Nexus S I’m testing, the iPhone-ification of smartphone form factors, and Chrome OS. Brought to you by two fine sponsors: GitHub and Harvest.

Speaking of Dan Benjamin co-hosted podcasts, this week’s Big Web Show is a humdinger, with Dan and Zeldman talking to Jim Coudal.

Joanna Stern Gives Up on BlackBerry ★

Avowed BlackBerry fan Joanna Stern gives up, buys a Droid:

It was all a bit hard to decipher, but the strategy seems to be: keep the current smartphone platform in the market at the moment, build out QNX on the PlayBook for a Q1 2011 release, work to bring the OS down to dual-core smartphones once the power consumption is right, and then finally enter the high-end smartphone game for real — a timeframe that seems to stretch out at least a year if not more. That strategy might makes sense on a few levels, but Apple, Google, Microsoft and Palm aren’t going to sit still while RIM gets to work, and I need a phone now.

This really gets to the heart of what’s wrong with RIM. They seem primarily focused on catching up to the iPad, when they still haven’t caught up to the iPhone.

Ninjas Unbox a Nexus S ★

Requires Flash, but it’s worth it.

Apple Updates iBooks ★

The new hyphenation feature improves the word spacing, noticeably, particularly if you have “full justification” turned on, which most do, since it’s the default. The new support for illustrated books is iBooks’s best competitive angle against the Kindle.

The Daily Patdown ★

“Your daily dose of security theater.”

Now’s Probably a Good Time to Link to Pinboard Again ★

I’ve previously linked to and recommended Pinboard, Maciej Ceglowski’s “antisocial” bookmarking service. It’s not a copy of Delicious, but rather more like a re-imagining of Delicious. If you use Delicious and regret its apparently imminent demise, Pinboard is probably what you want. Delicious-like features and interface (including a clone of its API), and Delicious importing. And, the sooner you sign up for Pinboard, the less you pay.

Update on the TikTok and LunaTik iPod Nano Watch Kit Kickstarter Project ★

Fascinating video from Scott Wilson, showing the manufacturing process in China. Watching that silicone get dyed is hypnotic. There are still a few hours to get in on the Kickstarter project, by the way. They’ve raised just under $900,000.

Yahoo to Close Del.icio.us ★

Other properties are being closed or “merged”, too, including Upcoming. The whole Delicious team was fired yesterday, according to a friend who works at Yahoo.

It’s almost hard to remember now, but just a few short years ago, Yahoo was the place for hot startups to find a home.

InMobi: iPhone OS Dominates European Mobile Ad Market ★

Robin Wauters:

Research from mobile ad network provider InMobi has found that iPhone OS currently dominates the European mobile ad market with a 31.9% share, while Nokia’s share has slide to 19.7%, putting it in second place.

Android OS, meanwhile, is making its way after a slow start in these parts: the platform has gained +9.5 share points between July 2010 and October 2010, growing to a 12.9% share.

One big difference between Europe and the U.S.: the iPhone is available on multiple carriers throughout Europe. (Via Alex Vega.)

Mac App Store to Open on January 6 ★

Just as Jim Dalrymple reported.

The Line at Best Buy to Buy the Nexus S ★

Captured by Julie Johnston.

Mick ★

Good profile of Mick Jagger by Zoe Heller for the NYT’s T Magazine:

The rise of illegal file sharing and the correspondingly steep worldwide decline in CD sales have made these tough times for record companies and recording artists alike. But the Rolling Stones continue to do very nicely, thank you. This is partly because what remains of the market for CDs is dominated by baby boomers — the Stones’ demographic — and partly because Jagger, together with his recently retired financial adviser, Prince Rupert Loewenstein, has been exceptionally wily about exploiting other revenue streams. “There was a window in the 120 years of the record business where performers made loads and loads of money out of records,” Jagger says. “But it was a very small window — say, 15 years between 1975 and 1990.” Touring is now the most lucrative part of the band’s business.

‘I Wanted to Join the Fight Against Hitler’ ★

Bob Feller, four years ago, on why he joined the Navy to fight in World War II:

A lot of folks say that had I not missed those almost four seasons to World War II — during what was probably my physical prime — I might have had 370 or even 400 wins. But I have no regrets. None at all. I did what any American could and should do: serve his country in its time of need. The world’s time of need.

I knew then, and I know today, that winning World War II was the most important thing to happen to this country in the last 100 years. I’m just glad I was a part of it.

Bob Feller, Dead at 92 ★

The New York Times:

Joining the Cleveland Indians in 1936, Feller became baseball’s biggest draw since Babe Ruth, throwing pitches that batters could barely see — fastballs approaching 100 miles an hour and curveballs and sinkers that fooled the sharpest eyes. He was Rapid Robert in the sports pages. As Yankees pitcher Lefty Gomez was said to have remarked after three Feller pitches blew by him, “That last one sounded a little low.”

When I was around 10 or so, I went to see the local minor league team play. Feller was there at the concourse, in a kiosk, signing autographs and selling photographs and other memorabilia. All I saw was an old man I’d never heard of. My dad took me aside and filled me in. “John, that’s Bob Feller. He threw three no-hitters and could throw the ball 100 miles per hour. He might be the best there ever was.”

So we got in line (it wasn’t long), and Feller signed the ball I’d taken with me to the game. And he was just great. He asked about my little league team, he talked to my dad about the great Indians teams in the late ’40s. There was a palpable sense that Feller simply loved baseball.

Thomas Hawk’s Open Letter to Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz ★

Thomas Hawk:

I dispute both your grades of B- and “pass.” I’d give you a fail for your first two years. A failure to grow the stock price. A failure to inspire the troops. A failure to innovate. I wouldn’t care so much except for the fact that you currently own what is one of the most important and significant cultural treasures of our lifetime. Flickr. And Flickr holds so much promise and so much could be done to innovate there and it just doesn’t feel like you give a damn.

Layoffs at Yahoo ★

Carol Bartz’s memo announcing a new round of layoffs at Yahoo.