Invasion of the Apps

We have always heard people talking about how the iPhone drastically changed the technology sector as to how consumers view their mobile gadgets in recent years, and in retrospect mobile apps played a big part in it. Last weekend, I happened to watch Bloomberg TV’s coverage of the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas with a special report called “Invasion of the Apps” where host Cris Valerio had conversations with personalities from venture capital and apps development sectors. The discussion zeroed in on the bright future of the apps industry and its potential for investors and developers to make a lot more money down the road.

Apple reported that over 3 billion applications have been downloaded online since they opened their app store just 18 months ago. This wave of demand from iPhone and iPod Touch users has propelled a number of app developers into overnight millionaires, reminiscent of what happened during the dotcom era of the late 1990s. Industry analysts are now convinced that the mobile platform wars between Apple, Google’s Android, and Nokia’s Symbian rest on the apps, and so far most developers choose to build for Apple giving the Cupertino, California-based company the competitive advantage.

The 2010 Detroit Auto Show rolls on

Without a doubt, last year’s Detroit Auto Show was gripped with uncertainty as the financial crisis brought question on the future of Detroit’s so-called “Big 3″ — General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler — as to whether they can survive an avalanche of threats to their existence such as bankruptcy, energy efficiency, Asian competition, just to name a few.

What a difference a year could make and much of those fears were allayed but not without setbacks to the American auto industry. This year’s Detroit Auto Show is definitely more vibrant according to most experts who were interviewed by CNBC’s Phil LeBeau last night. Ford seems to be the standout brand in the event claiming both the best sedan and SUV awards.  The rebound in the U.S. economy and the stabilizing of pump prices has brought back American car buyers to large-size fossil-fuel run cars. Good management and broad range of products has afforded Ford to stay in the blue and has so far avoided Chapter 11 unlike GM and Chrysler.

Energy efficient cars such as hybrid and electric are yet to gain a significant market share in North America which has led many industry analysts  to think that petrol-run cars are here to stay for the time being despite President Barack Obama’s efforts to infuse public funding in the development of environmentally friendly vehicles.

This however has not stopped the upward surge in sales of fuel-efficient compact sedans especially in the United States. Korean car maker Kia has already put up their first North American plant and the brand is poised to join its Asian counterparts Toyota and Nissan in the growing U.S. light vehicle marketplace. This comes as the United States has ceded to China the title of being the world’s top car manufacturer in 2009.

Google’s Nexus One review: Revolution or evolution?

Just a couple of days ago search engine giant Google unveiled its newest handset product named Nexus One. With its name taken from the 1980s sci-fi classic “The Blade Runner,” the Nexus One runs on the Android software platform. Google announced it will offer an unlocked version of the product directly to consumers giving them freedom to choose any GSM-based carrier. Consumers may also opt for a lock-in version of Nexus One with leading telco operator T-Mobile.

However, many financial analysts believe it is unlikely that Nexus One will significantly bite off a big chunk of Apple’s iPhone market as the product is not seen as a big leap functionality-wise from the current crop of smart phones. Although it does show some potential in terms of convergence of Google’s search capabilites into mobile technology. Nexus One might lead to increased search queries using mobile phones and eventually giving consumers more edge in user experience.

Reaction to the Steve Jobs 2005 Stanford speech

Another year has gone and we all set our sights to the new one. Naturally, we spend most of our time thinking of what is ahead than bother ourselves with what is already considered as history.

I just watched the commencement speech given by Steve Jobs at Stanford University in 2005 and what struck me about it was the emphasis he gave on the past and how it affects the present. Jobs is currently the CEO of Apple and Pixar Animations and he has inspired countless innovation in technology for the past 30 years.

In that speech, Jobs shared his view why he never regretted his decision to drop out of his classes just 6 months into his first year at Stanford. By having done so, he was able to attend classes which he found interesting rather than practical such as caligraphy. Little did he know then that a decade later he would use that knowledge in making the different fonts that were used for his Mac PCs that we continue to benefit from to this day.