Weekly Download

Link: Amazon to Hold Presser on 9/6 →

Tarun — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 18:59:57 +0000

A day AFTER the Microsoft announcement for Windows Phone 8. Probably two different agendas, but interesting that both companies are attempting to preempt any Apple announcement.

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Link: T-Mobile to Offer Truly Unlimited Data Plan →

Tarun — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 15:54:26 +0000

I wonder what would happen if they carried an iPhone?

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Link: AT&T Responds to Facetime Plan Criticism →

Tarun — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 15:43:33 +0000

Basically, AT&T sees them in the right to limit FT to shared data plans, even though iPhone users demand a more “open” policy on the usage of their data.

It’s actually a pretty complex situation: a user sees their data as their own, wanting some empowerment over what they choose to do with their allotment. AT&T wants to control the experience of data usage by limiting FT usage over 3G, as it will provide an overall improvement to the network by making it so that FaceTime only works on a small portion of customers’ data plans. Sometimes what people want isn’t the best option, at least according to AT&T.

The last paragraph points to this compromise:

We will be monitoring the impact the upgrade to this popular preloaded app has on our mobile broadband network, and customers, too, will be in a learning mode as to exactly how much data FaceTime consumes on those usage-based plans. We always strive to provide our customers with the services they desire and will incorporate our learnings from the roll-out of FaceTime on our mobile broadband network into our future service offerings.

Allowing FaceTime on cellular data through shared plans is an experiment. This could lead to opening the floodgates to all plans in the future, or it could lead to an even more limited use of FT on cellular data plans. The fact is that Apple has actually made video calling prevalent, so AT&T needs to brace for a future filled with this communication.

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Link: Windows Phone to surpass BlackBerry in install base →

Tarun — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 14:33:02 +0000

Might not hit that 10% mark, but everything else seems to be going as expected.

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Link: Facebook Investors Cash Out →

Tarun — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 15:27:29 +0000

These are early investors, and most of them not employees. Employees have a bit more time before they can sell their stock, and Mark seems to think that this is just enough time that the company needs to make the investments worth while:

Mr. Zuckerberg went on to tell employees that the press doesn’t know the company’s future plans, and if they did, they would have the same faith in Facebook’s ability to fulfill its lofty stock-market valuation. He said that investments the company has made over the last six to 12 months will soon bear fruit, the people said.

Guess it is going to be an interesting year for Facebook.

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Link: Two Strikes →

Tarun — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 22:07:51 +0000

Apple is now backpedaling on a recent initiative to decrease retail staffing and make cuts at some of their more “bloated” international stores.

This is the second high-profile acknowledgment of a “mistake” on Apple’s part in recent weeks, with Apple just last month having backpedaled on removing its products from the EPEAT environmental registry. In that case, Apple senior vice president Bob Mansfield posted an open letter apologizing for the company’s error.

There have been other mistakes in the past as well, like “Antennagate,” but having two happen so recently is interesting to note.

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Link: Apple Licensing Microsoft iOS Design Patent →

Chris — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 22:23:04 +0000

It’s no secret Apple and Samsung are one of the largest patent battles in recent tech history. Things have gotten quite heated over the pas few weeks in the trial. It was just revealed that Apple is licensing Microsoft some of the very patents it is currently in a battle with Samsung over.

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Link: Kinect 2 Sensors Show Great Improvement →

Tarun — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 13:21:00 +0000

This would make the Kinect a great solution for applications beyond just gaming — like physical therapy or fitness exercises. The amount of depth is pretty amazing.

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Link: Starbucks to Accept Payments with Square →

Tarun — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:17:21 +0000

Love the URL for the letter — signifies the forward movement this ~~startup~~ company has with the partnership.

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Link: Double Down on Facebook (In the UK) →

Tarun — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 19:52:12 +0000

Though I expected credits and payments to be a good move to generate revenue, a casino game seems just… shady. Not to mention far from the image of Facebook which “connects people.”

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