Technology Archive

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Epic Citadel Brings Unreal Engine To The iPhone/iPad

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on September 1, 2010Posted in: Technology, Video Games

Hot off the announcement of their first iOS game (Project Sword – check out the clip at the end of this post!) this morning at Apple’s iPod event, Epic Games (Gears of War, Unreal Tournament) sends word that a playable tech demo of Unreal Engine working on the iPhone is now live on the iTunes store.

Entitled Epic Citadel, the demo gives you a sneak peek as to what kind of graphics you can expect from Project Sword when it releases later this year. As you can see from the screenshots below, the graphics are jaw-droppingly good. It reminded me a little bit of the wonder I experienced when I saw the first Unreal engine fly through way back in the 90’s before the first Unreal game came out.

Now, don’t expect much of a game with Epic Citadel, it’s basically a really pretty graphics tech demo. You can move around using virtual dual analog sticks or you can let the software take over and provide a “Guided Tour”, which is basically an autopilot demo. You can also navigate by tapping anywhere on the screen and the character will automatically walk there.

I gave it a short test drive and the frame rate was locked in at about 30fps for the most part, but dipped below during a flyby or when a lot of the environment was in view. Nevertheless, it’s a real impressive piece of software and might be worth keeping on your iPhone/iPad just to show off to your friends. Plus, at “free”, its the right price.

We’ve already got a cool gyroscope control proof of concept with ngmoco’s Gun Range. Epic’s Epic Citadel shows us what the graphics capability of the iPhone/iPad is. Come on devs, enough with the demos. Let’s get a real game out now, eh?

Download Epic Citadel for free on iTunes

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Mandatory FM Radio In Cell Phones – Is This So Bad For Consumers?

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on August 23, 2010Posted in: Music Industry, Technology

Arstechnica had an interesting article on a potential compromise between traditional radio broadcasters and the RIAA to get radio to start paying for the music it plays on the air.

Right now, radio stations only pay royalties to the original songwriters for the music that goes out over the air, not to whoever owns the actual performance of the song. (This is a key distinction because usually the record labels own the performance recording rights, not the artist.) If the labels have their way, radio will be forced by Congress to start paying up.

The interesting thing is that the compromise isn’t exactly between just radio and the record labels. Broadcasters want Congress to mandate consumer electronics manufacturers to include an FM radio chip in every portable device sold in the US.

(cue to a shot of tech companies going “whaaa?” with a surprised look)

“The backroom scheme of the [National Association of Broadcasters] and RIAA to have Congress mandate broadcast radios in portable devices, including mobile phones, is the height of absurdity,” thundered CEA president Gary Shapiro. Such a move is “not in our national interest.”

“Rather than adapt to the digital marketplace, NAB and RIAA act like buggy-whip industries that refuse to innovate and seek to impose penalties on those that do.”

Now, it’s quite obvious with declining record sales and radio ratings that the NAB and RIAA are on sinking ships. I get that it’s a patently absurd mandate to place on tech firms who shouldn’t have to worry about bailing out the flailing radio and records industries.

But from a consumer perspective, would you really mind having access to an FM radio on your iPod or cell phone? I mean let’s put aside the fact that most terrestrial radio stations put out some poor product. (With a larger audience, maybe more programming chances could be taken. Playlists could widen. Songs could repeat less in a given time period.) Sometimes it’s just easier to put on a radio station and just start listening to music than it is to create a playlist on your own.

Say you’re bored waiting somewhere where there’s no cell reception. Chances are that you’ll still get FM radio reception at the least. It’s old technology, but it’s still probably more reliable than AT&T’s network. Entertainment problem solved.

Of course, this all goes out the window if our iPods and cell phones are suddenly $20 more to buy. But how much can an FM tuner chip cost these days?

All things being equal as a consumer, I feel that it’s a “why not” option for mobile devices. I haven’t had a portable radio since high school. Sometimes I wish I had one, especially when there’s a ball game to listen to and I’m not home. As long as our devices look, function, and cost the same, sure, put an FM tuner in there. We got nothing to lose, right?

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Cutting Through The Potty: ‘Antennagate’ Apple iPhone 4 Keynote

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on July 16, 2010Posted in: Cutting Through The Potty, Technology

Cutting Through The Potty is a new segment where we break down large announcements into TL;DR takeaway points, provide real world-based conclusions, and posit some nitpicky snark (if applicable)

The issues surrounding the iPhone 4’s antenna have been fodder for one of the biggest product backlashes in recent memory. I’m sure most readers are aware of the fact that the iPhone 4 seems to lose cellular reception if you hold the phone in a “natural way.” Today, Apple addressed those concerns in a 30 minute presentation along with a Q/A session.

Takeaways:

  1. Free Cases – Every iPhone 4 owner gets a free case until Sept. 30. You can choose from Apple’s Bumper or other unspecified 3rd party ones. If you bought a bumper already (but not any other case) you’ll get a refund.
  2. No Restocking Fee Refunds – If you continue to be dissatisfied, Apple will allow you to refund the iPhone 4 within 30 days of purchase with no restocking fees. You will also get your AT&T contract refunded too.
  3. There Is A Reception Problem, “But It Only Affects A Small Percentage of Users” – Though it was obfuscated in the presentation at first, Apple did acknowledge that the iPhone 4 did seem to suffer from a real issue of losing cell reception when gripped. Jobs wasted no time in pointing out that Blackberry, Android, and Windows Mobile phones also exhibit the same behavior. He then concluded that this issue only affected a small percentage of users.
  4. The Stats Support That Conclusion – Lots of statistics were presented to put the problem in Apple’s perspective. Out of the 3 million iPhone 4’s sold, only 0.55% of those reported problems to AppleCare. 1.7% of iPhone 4 users have returned their phone, compared to the 6% return rate of the iPhone 3GS. 5,000 people have emailed Steve Jobs personally saying they have no issue. iPhone 4 drops less than 1% more calls than the iPhone 3GS.

My Take:

Let me start by disclosing that I am indeed an iPhone 4 user and that this antenna issue did affect my phone. I can make the bars go down on the display by covering up the antenna at the right spots. It’s a neat parlor trick that you can do at parties and bars, but honestly hadn’t noticeably affected my real world use of the phone. However, I don’t like the nagging feeling that the way I hold my phone could cause decreased usability. It’s a crappy feeling to be lurking in one’s subconscious. Hence, I bought a bumper not only to prevent reception problems, but also because i liked the gripability of the case and the buffer it creates for putting the phone down on public tables.

Nothing in the presentation was especially surprising. The announcement of free cases to given away (and refunds for previous bumper purchasers) was certainly welcome and a sigh of relief that I didn’t just get jacked $32. The restocking fee waiver seemed like a no-brainer too. I doubt most people would return their iPhone 4’s over this, so it’s an easy bone for Apple to throw.

All the stats Jobs rattled off were a nice way to shift perceptions away from the “overblown” media hype. I mean what looks better: 16,500 people have complained about the issue to AppleCare or that 0.55% of all iPhone 4 users did? (Hint: they’re the same) Can’t blame them for doing this though, the tech bloggers and mainstream media have made this out to be a “doomsday”-like scenario. Even non-techies know about this issue. It’s only fair Apple gets to frame perceptions too.

Troll all you want on the web about principles and Apple apologists, but the antenna is simply not a deal-breaking issue. If you’ve decided that the iPhone 4 is the best phone for you, go ahead and buy it. Yes, it’s an admitted issue. No, you shouldn’t interpret that as the Scarlet Letter and avoid the phone solely because of it. Shit, take advantage of the 30 day grace period Apple is giving you now. You can always return it if the antenna issue bugs you so much.

Ultimately, both the media and Apple can be attributed blame for this mess. Consumer Reports’ “non recommendation based on the antenna issue” was simply a shameless attempt at retrieving relevancy again. Apple’s an easy target now because of their success and prominence. It doesn’t hurt that people love reading this stuff too. We’re a society that delights in schadenfreude, especially when the most successful are involved. While it’s easy to poke fun at Apple’s egomania and hubris, there has to be some sort of journalistic restraint involved.

Apple also fucked up in not addressing this as a problem sooner and by initially blaming the user for “holding it wrong.” It’s one thing to stay silent, but it’s another to dismiss a clearly demonstrated problem by blaming the customer. Had they been more transparent and admitted the issue earlier, the media may not have been able to reach the fever pitch that it has in recent days. The issue may even have been contained and forgotten by now.

The Snark:

  • So Steve Jobs rattled on about “working their butts off” over the last 22 days to find solutions and the solution was “show videos of other smartphones dropping bars when gripped”? That’s the best their $100 million testing facilities employing more PHD’s than a full NBA roster could come up with? Come on, at least show us some “hard numbers” as the fruits of your labor. Anandtech has written up two very detailed and articulate reports using less than $100 million of equipment. Tell me why Apple can’t provide us with something similar instead of talking down to us like we’re Luddites (or the New York Times).
  • Along those lines, I got why they showed one of each Blackberry, Android, and Windows Mobile phones, but why the Droid Eris? Why not show something more relevant, like an EVO or Incredible or even a Nexus One? Maybe these phones didn’t exhibit so many dropped bars…

    • image courtesy of Engadget.com

  • Think someone failed on the slide showing the table with the 3 other phones’ “Min” and “Max” bars. Those columns on the table seem to be flipped.
  • Gruber asked the Apple execs if they used bumpers or cases for their iPhone4s. Each of them whipped out their phones to show that none of them do. That’s a  pretty telling image.
  • Steve Jobs explained the delay in making a public stance by needing to collect “hard data”. It’s understandable, but there’s no reason to let this fester without comment for so long or blaming the customer for “holding it wrong.”
  • Steve Jobs gives himself plausible deniability on his public email replies by saying that “some of them are made up!” Great, now we’ll never know which assholic dismissals are real or not.
  • On the topic of the iOS 4.0.1 update yesterday that “fixes” the reception display algorithm: Someone brought up the fact that Apple supposedly “fixed” the reception bar display algorithm two years ago. Jobs feigned ignorance at this. Uh huh. I still think two years ago they updated the display to show 5 bars even when reception wasn’t that good and now that it’s bit them in the ass, they’re changing it again. Cell phone reception bars are such a load of crap. Personally, I’d love an option to show real dB readings.
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How Lebron’s Choice Is Like An Apple Keynote

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on July 8, 2010Posted in: Sports, Technology, Video Games

Tonight, LeBron James will reveal which NBA team he will play for in a one-hour television special on ESPN. “LeBron’s Choice” some are calling it. I’d prefer not to, if only for the disturbing word association it invokes to a film about a unfathomable decision.

Then again, it kind of is a no-win situation for Lebron isn’t it? Choose to stay at home in Cleveland and he gets railed for running to stand still. Choose to go anywhere else and he becomes Ohio’s Judas for All Eternity.

It’s truly amazing that no one has gotten advance knowledge of his final decision, especially in this day and age of twitter, SMS, and instant broadcast media. In fact, one could say LeBron’s been almost Apple-like in keeping his most valued secret. (Well, prior to this year’s BarPhone scandal anyway.)

Think about it, how much speculation does the internet generate before every Apple keynote nowadays? It’s a goddamn free for all out there. Anything within reason gets blogged, tweeted, shared, much like all the different free agent scenarios thrown about with LeBron the past week. Why do we do this?

Because we love this shit.

We love speculation and we love drama. It’s in our DNA as red-blooded humans. We eat it up. It’s fun to analyze every little clue thrown to us. We’ve even made pseudo stars out of the best “detectives” out there. I’m sure Brian Windhorst over at the Cleveland Plain dealer has massively increased his audience lately, becoming the Jon Gruber of the sports media world.

Do you remember what Apple revealed at keynotes prior to the iPhone announcement in 2007? Yeah, neither do I. How about E3’s before the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Wii were announced in 2006? Mmmhmm.

Now, we expect the spectacular announcment every year during those shows. We want the circus of rumors, gossip, and speculation to culminate in an orgy of event live tweeting and blogging. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if the planned TV announcement special becomes the norm for any superstar free agency decision in the future. As American Idol and reality TV have proven over the years, we’re willing to sit through “results” shows where we watch 59 minutes of fluff to get to content that could be over with in one minute. Why wouldn’t LeBron do what he did? There’s already a precedent for it out there.

Personally, as someone who doesn’t have a particular rooting interest in where LeBron goes, I kind of want him to go somewhere else. I want the NBA landscape to be changed. I want to participate in the avalanche of Twitter posts and comments troll hate. More importantly, I want my fascination over this dog and pony show to have been for something. Because what’s shittier than sitting through an Apple keynote only to find out that they’re just selling faster Macs?

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Hulu Plus A Timed Playstation 3 Exclusive?

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on June 29, 2010Posted in: Technology, TV, Video Games

This morning, Hulu announced plans for a paid version of their popular video streaming service entitled, “Hulu Plus.” Among the added features is the ability to access Hulu through different mobile and home theater devices.

Now, the first thing I noticed on the devices page was this large discrepancy in time between the service’s availability on the Xbox 360 and other set-top devices:

If I were a betting man, I’d certainly put some money down that Sony ponied up something fierce to have Hulu available on their game console first. It’s a big deal. Consumers have been pining for Hulu on consoles for a long time now. Sony should be coming out the huge winner in this. If I was in a monogamous relationship with the Xbox 360, I’d be pissed and wanting a PS3.

Not so if I had only read this statement from Microsoft community evangelist Major Nelson:

We are happy to announce that Hulu will be coming to Xbox LIVE as part of their Hulu Plus experience. In the announcement today, Hulu announced a preview of their Plus service, along with a series of partners of which Xbox LIVE is one of them. We’re working hard on creating customized experience for Xbox LIVE members, which means that Hulu Plus will be coming to Xbox 360 in early 2011. We are taking the time to ensure that the Hulu Plus experience for Xbox 360 is the best on TV and like our other entertainment experiences it will not be a port, but rather a custom experience that leverages the Xbox LIVE community features.

I’d be thinking, “HOLY SHIT!! Hulu coming on my Xbox 360?! And they’re making it special just for me!”

This isn’t an AAA exclusive game, folks. Since when have 3rd party services on a game console been anything but a port? It certainly won’t take over a year of additional development time to get Hulu streaming on an Xbox 360. All signs point to a timed exclusivity deal between Sony and Hulu here.

It’s amazing how effective marketing spin can be in coloring how we react to news.

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Video Review: ngmoco’s Eliminate Gun Range

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on June 28, 2010Posted in: Reviews, Technology, Video Games

When a gyroscope was announced as one of the new features of the iPhone 4 a few weeks ago, I was admittedly a bit nonplussed. After all, didn’t we already have tilt gaming on the iPhone?

Like the Wii Motion Plus, all it took was some hands on gameplay experience before I “got” it.

Eliminate: Gun Range is a simple shooting gallery game that requires the iPhone 4. (supposedly a 3GS version is on the way) You’ll earn credits by hitting a certain target number threshold on a given range scenario. Credits can then be used to unlock more guns and challenge levels to play. The game itself not very original, but the method of control is.

Aiming in Gun Range utilizes the iPhone 4’s gyroscope to present a 1:1 movement to graphics representation on the screen ratio. Think about how fluid the screen display is when you use the camera app to take a picture. Now imagine that smooth display in a game. That’s basically how Gun Range feels. The graphics are also very nice, taking advantage of the Retina Display, but the star of this show is the control scheme.

It’s almost more of a tech demo than a fleshed out game, but there’s enough entertainment in this $0.99 package that it’s worth keeping around to play even after you’re done showing off your new iPhone 4 to your friends. I can’t wait to see where this leads iPhone game developers. If nothing else, we’ll have a great way of aiming in iPhone first person shooters.

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Some iPhone 4 Thoughts

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on June 7, 2010Posted in: Technology

It’s kind of a shame we had so many iPhone leaks before Steve Jobs’ keynote today at WWDC. He may not admit it, but it definitely took some wind out of  the announcement sails from a consumer perspective. That being said, it’s still an impressive looking device on paper. However, like the iPad, it’s beginning to look like hands on exposure to the device is what’s really going to determine it’s necessity.

My initial thoughts on the words and pictures sent forth from WWDC today:

  • Design – It looks great. A logical evolution of the “iPhone shape”. I definitely would not be embarrassed to be carrying it around. The one “unknown fact” about the device was that the aluminum siding on the phone is actually the antenna. Hopefully, this will help network usage out. (I’m not holding my breath on AT&T, but will be open to pleasant surprise.)
  • Screen – Looks to be the best mobile screen on the market. IPS LCD means the highest consumer quality panel tech, while still being fully readable in direct sunlight. The pixel density of the display is almost unheard of for a device so small. It’s approaching native 720p on a 3.5″ screen! However, all the slides, videos, and words in the world can only convey so much. According to everyone at WWDC who’s handled the device, you have to see this thing with your own eyes to really appreciate it.
  • Faster processor(A4 chip, same as in the iPad) – This doesn’t sound very exciting, but it’s HUGE if you’re upgrading an older iPhone. If it’s one thing i abhor about my current iPhone, it’s that it takes so damn long to load almost anything. Not to mention sluggish frame rates in games and app animations.
  • Gyroscope – Ok, can’t say this excites me greatly. I mean, Sony had SIXAXIS movement 4 years ago and everyone pooh pooh’d that to oblivion. I’d love for there to be awesome new games based on this, but the pragmatist in me worries that this might be a Wii MotionPlus situation where most developers are just going to develop for the lowest common denominator (iPhone 3g tech).
  • Camera – 5 megapixels with LED Flash. Finally. This is probably the biggest feature for me. I find myself increasingly unwilling to carry a separate camera around with me to the point of just forgoing photo taking unless I plan in advance. The camera on my iPhone 3G is atrocious in low light conditions and is truly frustrating when I want to take pictures at concerts or dimly lit bars.
  • Video Recording– 720p resolution recording at 30 fps. Fuck. Yes. Flip who? We’ll see if the quality is up to snuff, but if the iPhone 4 can really obviate the need for a point and shoot camera and Flip-like video camera, I will be overjoyed. LOVE how you are able to send recorded videos to Youtube/email/mms with 2 taps. Mobile video blogging will also be feasible now with the front facing camera. I may have to try my hand at that.
  • iMovie – At first I was like “WHOA!” Then I was like “Ehh, would I really use my phone to edit videos when I already have a Macbook Pro.” But now, I’m thinking that it might actually be a godsend. If it’s one thing I hate about the current iPhone/computer syncing paradigm, it’s the plain annoyance of shuffling content from one to the other. If I can do most edits and production on the phone and publish it, well, that would definitely be worth $4.99.
  • iOS4 Stuff – Multitasking, folders, iBooks, iAds, etc. We saw all this stuff in March – it’s needed and will be welcomed.
  • Battery/802.11n antenna/dual mics – Longer battery, faster WiFi throughput, and better sound input. Not exactly sexy-sounding, but who wouldn’t want these things?
  • FaceTime – This is the “WOW” feature of the new phone. I have to admit, it looks to be the best video conference solution out there in that it “just works.” There’s no account creation, no logins, no setup required. Everything is automagically done via the iPhone. That’s going to be crucial in getting video communication widespread adoption with the mainstream. When Grandma Luddite can video chat with little Timmy, then you’ve got something special. That being said, I can’t see this taking off for a couple more years. Communication methods are only truly compelling once everyone is using them and it’s going to take some time for the required hardware to disseminate. I see myself using it a couple of times for the novelty, but probably not on a regular basis.

If you’ve been following mobile technology at all over the past couple months, none of the iPhone 4 feature announcements should come as a big surprise. That doesn’t mean they should be dismissed though. All of the new features are significant and definitely place the new iPhone on par, if not ahead of other smartphone options out there. However, I think the days of Apple with a 2 year features lead on the competition are over.

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AT&T’s New Data Plans Actually A Change For The Better?

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on June 2, 2010Posted in: Music, Technology

So the big news today in the tech world is that AT&T Wireless will be drastically changing their smartphone data plan options on June 7th.

It boils down to the following for smartphone users:

  • No more $30 “unlimited”(actually 5gb) data plan (if you have one now you can still be on it, even if you buy the new iPhone, but you won’t be able to get it back if you change plans)
  • Choice 1: “DataPlus” $15 a month for 200mb of data (Overages: $15 for each additional 200mb)
  • Choice 2: “DataPro” $25 a month for 2gb of data (Overages: $10 for each additional 1gb)
  • If you want to tether your data, you’ll have to choose the DataPro plan and pay an additional $20. (Shitty, but unsurprising)

Naturally, the first thing that went through my mind when i saw this was, “ZOMG WTF!! FUCK YOU AT&T YOU ARE THE WORST!”

Then, once I was done nerd raging, I thought, “Hmm, how much data do I actually use each month?”

Here’s my last 6 months of usage (You can find your graph by logging into your AT&T wireless page and clicking “Past Data Usage”):

I’ve gone over the hypothetical 200mb plan only twice, and didn’t even come close to a 2gb limit. I can’t remember what I did in November, but I do know that in May I had been streaming more live baseball games using the MLB At Bat app. Using the iPhone for Twitter, Foursquare, and looking random shit up while you are out does not use up a ton of bandwidth. It’s pretty clear streaming media is going to be the deciding factor for a lot of people. Since I’m paying $30 a month for data currently, I could be saving either $15 or $5, depending on how much I want to limit myself to.

That’s the good news. The concerning news is how this will affect rumored features in the new iPhone, such as video calls and a cloud-based iTunes. According to Wired, 200mb is roughly 7 hours of streaming audio. Thats like 2 baseball games, or a few commutes. Live, 2-way video streaming just sounds like it would eat up bandwidth like Brian ate poop in last month’s Family Guy episode. While I don’t see myself using video chat regularly, I’d like the option to, without feeling like I’m wasting precious allocated bits.

Maybe it was just wishful thinking to assume I could save $15 a month on my phone bill. It’s looking pretty tough to get by on only 200mb if you’re looking to stream any sort content. Ideally, Pandora, Spotify, iTunes, or whatever music cloud service ends up winning will over a robust caching feature so I can just preload all of my music at home before heading out into the wild.

Another silver lining in all of this is that AT&T will let you figure out which plan you want without much dicking:

The carrier’s going to be very flexible about changing between the DataPlus and DataPro plans — if you’re on DataPlus, for example, and you discover that you’re blowing past your allotment, you can choose either to start DataPro the following billing cycle, pro-rate it, or apply the higher plan retroactively to the beginning of your current billing cycle.

I look at this whole thing as hey, at least I’ll probably be saving $5 a month at the very least.

Read a more detailed breakdown on Engadget.

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PSA: Get Textie for iPhone Stat

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on April 29, 2010Posted in: Technology

I’ve hated other “free texting” apps for the iPhone because they either have shitty interfaces, or they just take waaaay too long to load.

Textie is written by Loren Brichter, developer of the awesome (and soon to be official) Tweetie client for Twitter.  That was enough to get me to download the app, as I consider Tweetie one of my most indispensable apps on my iPhone and Mac.  It’s free with ad-support or you can pay $1.99 within the app to get rid of the ads.

Textie requires a simple user signup, but once that’s done it looks and feels almost exactly the same as the official “Messages” app on your iPhone, complete with message threading.  The best thing about Textie is that it loads just as quickly as Messages does.  It supports text and picture messages between email or Textie users.  Of course, you can text any mobile phone as normal for free.  Unfortunately you can’t MMS, though.

We’ll see how I feel after using it in the wild for a couple weeks, but as of now I’m in love.  Go grab it.

(Man, Lefsetz was right, tech guys are the rock stars of the 21st century.  As soon as I knew “the guy from Tweetie” was behind this, I gobbled it up like a side project album from “the guy from Radiohead”.)

Textie Messaging for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store.

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Steve Jobs Explains Why Theres No Flash On iPhones

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on April 29, 2010Posted in: Technology

Many people wonder why their beloved iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads (iDevices) don’t support Flash.  People often cite this lacking feature as a reason to avoid Apple mobile products.  Today, Steve Jobs published an open letter arguing Apple’s case.

Here’s the TL;DR of what he had to say:

  1. Adobe’s Flash is a proprietary and closed platform. Apple’s pushing HTML5, which is an open web standard not owned by Apple.
  2. Most video on the web is actually in a format viewable by iDevices, H.264.  Yes, you can’t play Flash-based games, but games from the app store are better anyway.
  3. Flash is the number one cause for Mac crashes, is full of security holes, and has never performed well on a mobile device.
  4. Most Flash video drains battery life at almost double the rate of H.264.
  5. Flash was designed for mice, not touch devices.
  6. Allowing developers to use Flash for mobile app development means apps created for the lowest common denominator, rather than apps created to maximize the capabilities of iDevices.

Reading this letter made a whole lot of sense to me.  I’m a power user.  I own both a Mac and a PC.  I know firsthand that Flash makes my Macbook fan spin like a tornado and my PC browser crash every day.  I couldn’t care less about what format my web videos play in if they load fast, look good, and don’t slow down my device.  Yes, it sucks that I can’t play the latest fad flash game on my iDevice, but rare is the case that I run out of things to do on my mobile that I clamor for it.

I don’t have an allegiance to either company; I just want the day to come where I can go to a restaurant website and not have my browser crash.

Steve Jobs’ Thoughts on Flash.

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