Wired.com's Report on the State of 3D Technology
This is the most significant bit to me:
But even handsome 3D specs can’t mitigate the headaches and fatigue suffered by some viewers of 3D content
Avatar in IMAX made me nauseous and dizzy after just a few moments. The Nintendo 3DS is the only 3D display I've been able to use for more than 10 minutes at a time, but even then it tires my eyes out faster than normal displays.
Android Developers Blog: Holo Everywhere
Adam Powell, an Android engineer:
In Android 4.0, Holo is different. We’ve made the inclusion of the unmodified Holo theme family a compatibility requirement for devices running Android 4.0 and forward. If the device has Android Market it will have the Holo themes as they were originally designed.
This is interesting. Google and Apple have different approaches to platform building. Google gradually lays down more rules and control over time, forcing the developers and experience more in line every release if they want to be part of the Google platform at large. Apple starts stringent, sees what people clamor for, what they think they can allow without overwhelming the user experience, and then slowly adding features bit by bit.
It's very much a choice between letting the genie out of the bottle and gradually forcing him back in versus letting him out just a little bit at a time. I'm under the impression the latter (Apple) is the far easier and smoother approach to putting the perceived user experience first, while the former (Google) gives developers more of what they demand. I don't think that point is arguable. What is arguable is which one actually ends up building a more fruitful (or, to use an opinion word, better) platform. My opnion is that the Android vs iOS battle has thus far pointed toward's Apple's approach being better for building a real platform--both for the developers who want to make money and the users who want a stable and consistent experience.
Still, even if you'd agree with me on this point (which you might not), this is but one platform battle. We've had others before, and we'll have others again.
What is inarguable is this: Google is improving the experience of Android by forcing authorized Apps to include support for their theme. Therefore, Google is improving the experience of Android by requiring developers to do work they might not want to do because Google deems it better for the user.
by Michael in Video Games
Japanese Game Market Declined in 2011, 3DS Was Top Console
People need to chill out when consoles don't launch to incredible sales. The 3DS, which the entire internet world was declaring to be doing terribly, still managed to sell more than every other console in Japan in 2011. Oh, it also sold faster in its first 8 months in the US than the first year sales of the original DS (the best selling video game console of all time). That was before the holiday season sales rush.
Google TVs confirmed from LG, Samsung, Sony, Vizio
Electronista.com:
The launch isn't universal and will leave out companies like Panasonic, but it helps explain Google chairman Eric Schmidt's beliefs that most TVs would use Google TV by mid-year. Although doubtful that most TVs will use the platform given that the OS may skew towards higher-end sets, it could make Google TV difficult to avoid for those buying within a certain price range.
Will Google TV be genuinely useful this time around? I've spent extensive time with the Logitech Revue and liked it well enough for browsing the internet on a TV, but there's no way it was practical enough for normal users.
How is this going to work? An Android App Marketplace for Google TV is a step in the right direction. Will it integrate cablecard support into TVs and have TV tuning capability? The existing box's ability to integrate with DISH Network set top boxes was pretty effective, but really, Google needs something more if it's going to really change television.
I wonder how this will compare to whatever successors to Apple TV are being working on.
MG Siegler on B&N potentially spinning off the Nook:
At the same time, they’re in a bit of a Catch 22. The brick and mortar stores are probably their greatest asset for selling the Nook. But the more Nooks they sell, the more irrelevant the brick and mortar stores become.
And when they start to close those stores (which will happen), where are people going to buy the Nook? Barnesandnoble.com is not Amazon.com. That’s a huge problem.
I hope they can figure something out.