Author Archives: Tarun

Link: Lion: Now Available →

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Tarun

As promised (and rumored), Mac OS 10.7 Lion is available on the Mac App store for download. (You could buy the USB disk for $69, though, which answers many of the lingering questions for people who own Macs in areas … Continue reading →

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Link: MacDonald’s →

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Tarun

Peter Oppenheimer, Apple CFO: Apple Retail has been in business for 10 years. During this period, we have had over 1 billion visitors through our doors, many of whom are new to the Mac, as the Apple Store is the … Continue reading →

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Link: Exactly This →

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Tarun

MG Siegler: Of course, we can rest-assured knowing that Twitter is very likely are not this foolish. After being in business for a full five years, they must know by now that their strength is not to mimic every just-launched … Continue reading →

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Link: Borders Is Not Dead Because of E-Books →

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Tarun

Harry McCracken: If e-books didn’t exist, I’m pretty positive that Borders would have still collapsed in much the same way. It might have cratered even if the Internet had never been invented. I’m sorry to see it go, and particularly sorry … Continue reading →

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Weekly Download #4: Microsoft & Tablets, Netflix, Google Earnings, Spotify

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Tarun

Microsoft is trying to play catchup, Netflix is taking a turn in a different direction, and Google is sitting pretty with the Q2 earnings call. All this and a little (large) plug about a service that we both haven’t used … Continue reading →

Posted in Google, Microsoft, Netflix, Podcast | Tagged , , | Permalink | 2 Comments

Link: Scoble Thinks Twitter Is Boring →

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Tarun

Robert Scoble thinks Google+ is the best thing since sliced bread. Is his experience a general case for using Google+ and ditching Twitter, or an exception to the current status quo? Continue reading →

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Link: Poor memory? Blame Google →

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Tarun

The actual article is behind a paywall via Science, but this quote was particularly telling: Just as we learn through transactive memory who knows what in our families and offices, we are learning what the computer ‘knows’ and when we … Continue reading →

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Possible Privacy Hole in Google+

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Tarun

Tarun has discovered an awkward privacy implication with Google+. The bug/feature stems from reshares of posts from limited circle sharing. Continue reading →

Posted in Features, Google | Tagged , , | Permalink | 3 Comments

Link: 350 Billion > 1 Billion →

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Tarun

Nice catch, MG Siegler: Today, exactly 5 years to the day since they launched, Twitter adds the context. Google+ may be serving up 1 billion items a day, but Twitter is doing 350 billion items a day.

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Link: Look Who Decided to Join the Party →

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Tarun

Known as Tulalip (also the name of a group of Native American tribes near Redmond), the project promises to help users “find what you need and share what you know easier than ever” — which, at this early stage, is … Continue reading →

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Weekly Download #3: Mac OS 10.7 (Lion)

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Tarun

ROAR! Chris Robbins gives his take on Mac OS 10.7, Lion. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:28 — 63.0MB)

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Building an Ecosystem

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Tarun

Microsoft is crafting Windows 8 to be the first OS that unifies their mobile and PC platforms. For Apple, this concept is old hat. So, what does it take to create an ecosystem and is Microsoft ready to handle the challenge? Continue reading →

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Link: What Else Is New? →

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Tarun

Of course, Microsoft is chasing Apple, which has more than 320 stores, including 86 abroad. Microsoft actually was once ahead of Apple on the retail front, opening its first retail store in 1999 at the Metreon shopping center in San … Continue reading →

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Link: Attorney Argues Encrypted Laptop Password is Protected Under 5th Amendment →

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Tarun

This case is set to make a legal precedent, so it is worth noting the implications. If Ramona is protected and is not required to reveal the password that decrypts the data on her laptop, passwords can be said to … Continue reading →

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Link: Why I left Google. What happened to my book. What I work on at Facebook. →

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Tarun

Paul Adams: Google values technology, not social science. (Thanks, Leo!)

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Weekly Download #2: Facebook vs. Google+, Cash, and a Cloud Party

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Tarun

A weekly podcast with an attitude! It is so spunky, it needs a second recording done in a few days. On our second episode, we talk about Facebook’s recent announcement in relationship to Google+; the importance of cash reserves for … Continue reading →

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Link: Like It Or Not →

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Tarun

Here’s a better take on what Google+ is trying to do in relation to Facebook, from Dhanji Prasanna: It might surprise you to learn that I don’t find Google+ all that innovative. It hits all the notes that a Facebook … Continue reading →

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Link: 28% of US Smartphone Owners Use Them As Primary Internet Connection →

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Tarun

Jacqui Cheng, ars technica: According to Pew, 28 percent of smartphone owners access the Internet this way most of the time, which amounts to 10 percent of all cell owners or 8 percent of all adults in the US. Mobile-only … Continue reading →

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Link: A Modest Proposal →

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Tarun

Bill Gross: I predict that Google+ will go from 0 to 100,000,000 users faster than any other service in history. I just don’t see the point of using the Plus without the additional features that Google has yet to bake … Continue reading →

Posted in Google | Permalink | 2 Comments

Link: Wireless Charging →

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Tarun

Arnold Kim: Apple describes a scenario where your iMac could be the source of this resonance power to provide a virtual charging area in front of your computer. Keyboards, mice and even mobile electronic devices like the iPhone or iPad … Continue reading →

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Link: Jesus Diaz’s (Gizmodo) Review of 10.7 →

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Tarun

My main reply to this review is that Mr. Diaz doesn’t get it: Lion is designed to be the final piece of the iOS-ification puzzle of the new Apple era. Without iOS 5, the operating system’s main feature — deep … Continue reading →

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Weekly Download #1: Google+, Office 365, Web OS

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Tarun

Inaugural episode of “Weekly Download” (without “the”), where we discuss Google+ and social networking; Office 365 and cloud computing; WebOS and tablet devices. Sponsored by listeners like you! Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:53 — 86.7MB)

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Link: Notetaking In The Future? →

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Tarun

Yes, patent applications are just ideas that may never get implemented, but the concept is pretty cool: Meanwhile, a second filing for a “Communicating Stylus,” describes a stylus that includes a position sensing device such as an accelerometer, a tip … Continue reading →

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Link: Apple’s App Store Hits 15 Billion Downloads →

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Tarun

Eric Silvka, MacRumors: The milestone puts the App Store essentially on par with Apple’s iTunes Music Store, which the company announced as having reached 15 billion downloads at its Worldwide Developers Conference one month ago.

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Link: Amazon’s iCloud →

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Tarun

Eric Slivka, MacRumors: Users signing up for any paid storage plan, including the lowest tier priced at $20 per year for 20 GB of space, automatically receive unlimited storage space for music in MP3 and AAC formats. The change leaves … Continue reading →

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