ChomeOS may finally be a reality

It can be hard, sometimes, to figure out Google's software strategy. On the one hand, they are running Android, a classic Operating System with Apps. On the other hand, they have been crowing over ChromeOS, a new operating system built to be lean and mean, with no built-in applications but only easy access to Web-based applications like GMail and Picassa. They seem to have hitched their wagon to two teams pulling in opposite directions! But until now, ChromeOS has remained primarily theoretical - there's no shipping hardware for it, and it exists only where people have hacked their own systems to install the Beta.

But now, Download Squad is reporting that a ChromeOS tablet will be on store shelves by Black Friday 2010. And it will be designed specifically to compete with the iPad during the busy Christmas shopping season.

One can only wonder how all of the hopeful Android partners who were planning to release their own Android-based tablets in the fourth quarter are feeling about this news.

AT&T leaks personal information for iPad 3G owners

Every day, the choice of AT&T as exclusive partner for Apple seems like a worse and worse decision. Not only have they dropped the unlimited data plans for iPhone and iPad, but now they have leaded personal information for iPad 3G owners. This is a very serious security breach, and affects many, many powerful people. It is time for Apple to take AT&T to the woodshed, or else open up the deal to other providers.

The breach, which comes just weeks after an Apple employee lost an iPhone prototype in a bar, exposed the most exclusive email list on the planet, a collection of early-adopter iPad 3G subscribers that includes thousands of A-listers in finance, politics and media, from New York Times Co. CEO Janet Robinson to Diane Sawyer of ABC News to film mogul Harvey Weinstein to Mayor Michael Bloomberg. It even appears that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel's information was compromised.

It doesn't stop there. According to the data we were given by the web security group that exploited vulnerabilities on the AT&T network, we believe 114,000 user accounts have been compromised, although it's possible that confidential information about every iPad 3G owner in the U.S. has been exposed.

iRony

A Week with the iPad Wifi + 3G

It has now been a little over a week since I received my iPad (a Wifi + 3G model), and I have had it with me almost constantly since then. This seemed like a good time to sit down and put down some thoughts.

• The iPad is your real "notebook computer". Steve Jobs wanted to position the iPad between your cell phone and your laptop or desktop computer. And it really is excellent for the sweet spot where until now you have been carrying around a paper notebook or clipboard. With tools like Evernote, you can take notes at meetings, classes, or in church and have them ready to access anywhere. With apps like Kindle or iBooks, you have a library of reference or fiction books. With apps like Paperdek, you can even capture sketches or your new ideas.
• The lack of multitasking makes the iPad a tool, instead of a toy. While there are plenty of great games for the iPad, but its lack of multitasking actually makes is a better productivity tool than would otherwise be possible. If you're taking notes on it, you can't quickly jump off in the middle of a meeting to chat on AIM, post to Facebook, or play a round of golf without losing your place in the notes. This encourages focus, and actually means less distraction than using a normal laptop for the same job.
• The battery life transforms the experience. My first workday with the iPad - without a plug available - I was on 3G checking e-mail, surfing the web, and using apps literally from 5:30 AM to 4:30 PM and still had 20% of my battery left at the end of the day. This kind of freedom is absolutely distinct from any of my laptops, or even my iPhone. It means I never have to worry about the current state of my iPad's battery. Amazingly freeing.
• 3G is worth the price of admission. I have friends with Wifi-Only iPads, and they love them. But it is impossible to overstate the utility of having always-on, always-there internet at all times. I am always connected, always able to look up the info I need, always able to get that important e-mail. And yet, the fact that the contract is month-to-month means I am not locked into it, if my financial situation changes. I'll be traveling next weekend and staying in a hotel without internet... and yet will stay fully connected to my friends and family.
• Yes, it's "just a big iPhone" and that's a good thing. The iPad can run almost any iPhone app, but give a larger space for that app to work. But the well-developed user interface is intuitive and well-defined. Even the new iWork apps feel familiar due to the established standards of the iPhoneOS. And being built from the ground up for security, stability, and connectivity means it has none of the legacy problems of Windows or the MacOS X systems.

Those are just a few of my thoughts, so far. I'm interested in the impression of other Mod-Bloggers, both with and without iPads.

Happy iPad 3G Day

If any Mod-Blog readers have pre-ordered 3G iPads, we'd like to wish them a happy visit from the FedEx man!

Caution: iPad reading may disrupt your sleep cycle

When it comes to sleeping, the human brain is a finely tuned machine. It is designed to allow us the 8 hours of sleep we need each night, without putting us at risk for attack from predators or missing out on meals. Sometimes, without intending to, we can short circuit these built-in protections and disrupt our own sleep pattens. It is a good reminder that light-emitting devices like the Apple iPad can lead to a worse night's sleep, if misused.

Light-emitting devices, including cellphones and yep, the iPad, tell the brain to stay alert. Because users hold those devices so close to their face, staring directly into the light, the effect is amplified compared with, say, a TV across the room or a bedside lamp, said Frisca Yan-Go, director of the UCLA Sleep Disorders Center in Santa Monica.

Your mileage may vary, as the brain is also a very flexible, adaptable machine. But if you find yourself losing sleep after picking up a Netbook or iPad as a portable bedtime reader, it may be time to rethink your investment. Or switch over to paper for your bedtime story.

Sprint bypasses AT+T with the "iPad 4G Case"

Sprint may be dying, but it is not going down without a fight! While AT&T and Verizon continue to get the cool phones, it is trying everything to wrest marketshare from the giants. Their newest attempt is the 4G iPad Case which includes a Mifi router (which interfaces with their WiMax network and produces a mobile Wifi hotspot) and a professional-looking case for your Wifi iPad. The idea being you get a faster connection this way, than by using AT&T's 3G network. Great idea, although it lacks the convenience of a built-in 3G connection.

How scared is Amazon of the Apple iPad?

Amazon has been twitchy lately. They suddenly offered new deals to their suppliers for eBooks. Then they offer risk-free Kindles to some high-value customers. Then they de-list Macmillan's books over a contract dispute. All of that tightly around the Apple iPad and their new iBookstore. Clearly, Amazon is terrified of this threat to their business model.

The newest evidence of Amazon's paranoia? They have bought a multi-touch display company called Touchco. This is likely for future Kindles, which would imply that they are abandoning e-Ink technology central to current Kindles in favor of a more Apple-like technology.

Revealed: the Apple iPad

The short version: 9.7" touchscreen tablet computer running a variant of the iPhoneOS. Wifi or Wifi+3G on board. Running a custom 1 GHz Apple A4 chip with 16, 32, or 64 GB flash memory. Runs iPhone apps without modifications. Includes a new iBookstore. Pricing from $499 to $829. Available in 60 days for Wifi, 90 days for 3g (which costs an added $14.95/month).