2D Barcodes – Keep it Simple, Get embedded!

atmaspheric | endeavors — QR Code

Silicon Alley Insider drew my attention to a new project at Google designed to embed 2D Barcodes into print ads. On the surface this seems like an interesting idea and I like the 2D/QR/Semacodes. They are pretty easy to deal with as a geek and in theory can provide shortcuts for text entry for URLs, text and phone numbers. I say in theory because I’ve become pretty damn fast with T9 on the N95 and it’s hard to beat QWERTY for entering URLs, the main thing you see 2D codes represent.

Google’s idea is not new if you consider the CueCat from early 2000 which as you might recall, sucked. It sucked (and boy did it ever) because the idea was that when you’d see a code in a magazine you would then get up from your couch and bring your magazine over to your computer where the CueCat was tethered. This is not exactly how people consider doing things. When you are already at the computer, why not just type the url directly in rather than go through a special process which takes more time?

This brings me back to QR Codes … We are still in the early days here and I’m guessing the only people who really care are the mobile geeks. It’s great that it’s “really big in Japan,” but they’ve been mobile focused for a long time — and this is an entirely new way to do things for Americans. My Nokia N-Series mobiles have had access to barcodes for a while and I’ve dabbled. You can hit that one at the top of the post to go right back to my site if you like – helpful I know.

The issue which could very easily kill adoption on arrival is that you have to load an application on your phone other than the camera in order to make this useful. A lot could be solved with some software engineering and I’d like to see that happen, but it’s likely to be a forward moving thing — and not really able to help those with current high end handsets.

Nokia is actively experimenting with additional functionalities through betalabs and location tagger is a good example of a small step towards embedding new functionality. While it’s an application you have to run, it can be set to run in the background on startup and is likely to find its way into the OS itself with a future (FP2?) release. I’m willing to bet that we’ll see embedded 2D codes and a reader in the imaging application within Android software stack when it arrives this year.

Software applications can show us how things work, but as a long term solution they run the risk of keeping QR codes outside of broader adoption. The gimmick of seeing the code on an ad is not enough to get this to fly … ease of use and convenience through embedded functionality is what we really need to see.

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QIK Updated – VGA Streaming from your N95!

Qik Updated!

This is very cool – Qik Updated tonight and you can now stream VGA quality from your N95 … while this is not the most interesting of videos, it will certainly show the quality. I streamed this over my home wifi since I only have EDGE access from the house. My only request for Qik now is to support the phone’s memory cards for storage so we can broadcast longer. I’ve actually been cleaning my phone out a bit to make sure there room on board…

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Nokia – Why must DUN crash my N95?

Why must Dial up Networking (DUN) crash my N95-3? It happens so regularly I often think twice about using DUN when on the train for my daily commute. When I used an N73 or E61 with my Nokia 770 internet tablet and subsequently the N800, I never had any issues and in fact left things connected all the time. Since getting the US capable 3G N95, I’ve found it’s only a matter of time til I crash after initiating a connection. I had the same issues with the N810 when it was here as I’ve had with the N800 so I’m convinced it’s the phone rather than the tablet causing the issue.

If I had to guess on what’s causing crashes I’d have to point to when my connection shifts between EDGE and 3G/3.5G but I can’t be sure. Today as an example of not crashing my phone and N800 have been connected for much of the day in a non-moving location all the while connected by 3G. On the train however things seem to flicker between speeds as well as towers and I find my phone locked up. I usually have a bunch of things running on the phone, but have also just had a DUN connection working when the freezes have occurred… I’ve become remarkably quick at popping the back cover off and flipping the battery out, but that was not really a skill I was looking to hone.

The N73 + N800 combo was truly bullet proof. I never had any connection issues and rode the same train line (before 3G rolled out). I had the N800 set to switch over to DUN from Wifi because I knew it would just work. Now, as much as I hate writing this, I am much less sure and even reluctant to automatically connect to the N95. Instead I find I use my N95 more solo than in conjunction with the tablet … and that’s actually not my ideal way to go mobile.

Anyone else finding these issues? I’ve yet to see anything from Nokia in any formal communication regarding a bug. I’d be more than happy to test things and if you would prefer to contact me direct, Nokia, please do. I know you read this. My email is atmasphere atmasphere net.

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WSJ Enables Mobile Access, but Google takes it down a notch

I honestly don’t know when this activated, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the following while scanning my mail on the train today…

WSJ links now mobile friendly

You might recognize the mail app as Gmail which uses the Google proxy to mobilize links so this is not that huge a deal except that the google proxy is pretty gnarly compared to what I saw with the view HTML link from Gmail. Google in my humble opinion does an average job, not great compared to mippin or mowser or whatever the WSJ is actually using.

As you can see here, the Google view is on the left and the way the WSJ wants to show it is on the right:

Google Mobile view of the WSJ WSJ Mobile

You can see the WSJ is trying to serve an enhanced mobile page even with an ad, while google suppressing things, which can’t make them too happy. I’d really like to choose which mobile proxy gets used for these activities and ideally would even have the option to turn it off as I go as a browser preference. Google is trying to simplify the experience from a mobile app to the web, which is admirable, but in many cases they render the page in far to rudimentary a manner.

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Gizmo5 launches Backdoor Dialing

gizmo5 labs logo

Thanks to a tip from Andy, I just learned about a very cool new Gizmo service!

Approximately 11% of US telephones, including mobile numbers and land lines from carriers such as Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc., are connected via VoIP. Working with telecom partners we are now making it possible to dial these numbers without going through the traditional phone system.

This means you can call certain mobile and land line numbers from any computer connected to the net and talk for free. Because these calls are bypassing the traditional phone network entirely there is no per minute fee or other charge for the caller regardless of where they call from. [Gizmo5]

gizmo5 backdoor dialing

As you can see this is clearly focused as an end run around the standard PTSN dialing universe. While I don’t see a use for this every day, there are certainly situations when using Gizmo to make free calls could be quite nice. No roaming charges for example internationally… If your number is supported you can take advantage of this service by dialing 0101 and your 10 digit number from anywhere in the world as long as you use a Gizmo or SIP based client. I happen to have a few of those here and look forward to testing this out. An added bonus here is that the recipient can call you back on the number they see on callerID and the return call to you is also free.

I checked my home number and it’s available for use, while my cell and grand central numbers are not. You can test your numbers on the Gizmo5 site.

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iPod touch is now a “mainstream Wi-Fi mobile platform”

Trojan Horse activated …

‘We believe one of the iPod [touch’s] future directions is to become the first mainstream Wi-Fi mobile platform, running all kinds of mobile applications,’ company executives said.

The iPod touch led a significant amount of Apple’s iPod shipment growth during the first quarter, particularly in Japan. Though US iPod sales came in relatively flat year-over-year, the Apple executives said they were happy to sacrificed sheer unit volume in the short term for a long-term objective.

While the executives didn’t explain what the iPod touch’s future directions would entail, the statement marks a reversal of Apple’s previous approach to the iPod line. While introducing the fifth-generation iPod a few years back, chief executive Steve Jobs said that the device remained ‘all about the music’ — a statement now challenged by equal attention to web browsing and other wireless data features. [Appleinsider]

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2008 Prediction – Lexicon Digital Communications will be a non-starter

Call me crazy here, but David Caruso does not seem to not have any idea what’s going on with online media (sorry but Cnet does not do embeds) and that appears to be the crux of what his company is all about. Aside from the ridiculous escalator bit in this video here’s what I’ve picked up:

  • solution based company
  • simplification to the internet itself
  • take this format and turn it into something competitive
  • competitive level of content
  • sleezy pickup

Here’s another take from G4TV:

But perhaps the best video they’ve made so far has to be the one on their site (I promise this video will be a waste of your time, but does include more escalator riding) which says the least of all, yet proves this is purely an ego play.

Admittedly I am interested in learning What happens when the King of Broadcast Worldwide meets the Chief Architect of Digital Media and Content Delivery? Not.

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Macintosh WinXP



Macintosh WinXP, originally uploaded by atmasphere.

Nokia N958GB DNLA Certified

Seeing some chatter on this today …

DLNA has certified the Nokia N95 8GB as a Mobile Digital Media Server, an acknowledgment that taps into the genius of this multimedia computer. The extensive connectivity and cutting-edge media capabilities of the Nokia N95 8GB are ideal for enjoying content, such as music, photos or videos, wirelessly on other devices in the home environment. [Nokia – ShowPressRelease ]

What’s amazing about this is that it’s just happening now. All of the wifi enabled N-Series devices (with the exception of the N91) have been capable of UPnP host streaming. As you may recall I showed this via the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet and the N93 on November 12, 2006. You can see it in action at around 90% of this video…

Thing have advanced in the past year, and there are many more products like set top boxes that support UPnP. The advantage of this of course is wireless streaming / sharing of content from your mobile to a more shared environment like your TV. What would really make this special in my home network anyway would be support for UPnP within Apple’s iTunes / Bonjour protocols so I could stream content from my devices to my TV within the AppleTV environment. People don’t want too many devices connected to the TV …

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A couple of days with the iPhone has me right back to the N95

In honor of Macworld this week, I put my SIM card back in the iPhone and charged it back up and after the keynote I was excited to to update all my Apple kit and I did as soon as I got home that night. Interestingly (or not) that’s when my interest sorta fell into whatever mode. The Quicktime, Itunes updates were nice and revealed the rental marketplace, but AppleTV is still two weeks away and the platform on which I’m most likely to use it. The iPhone updates while nice on the surface really don’t offer a whole heck of a lot. The biggest change being the enhancements to Google Maps, which are indeed quite nice.

Changing my home screen around and adding web shortcuts however is a total non-started for me at this point. I don’t find adding a bookmark to my home screen to be enabling any additional speed to the process – especially since I tend to keep a few tabs (the ones most likely to appear on my home screen) open at all times in Safari. Dropping back to EDGE only speeds and seeing the limits of the camera were also bummers and not having any legit applications like Jaiku, Gmail, Shozu among others … The addition of multi-address sms messages is something that should have been there from the start and is only worth mentioning that it’s there.

This morning after two days of straight iPhone use, I swapped the SIM back to my N95-3 and was immediately reminded why I love this device. It’s fast. Applications run quickly and in the background and I can multi-task like the power user I am. The addition of DUN let’s me fire up my N800 as well and take advantage of both devices to their respective limits. I tend to push things pretty hard (if you had not noticed) and the I reach the limits on the iPhone rather quickly.

One note of interest … while I previously thought the battery on the iPhone was amazing, I’m feeling considerably closer to reality now after two more days of full use. I have no problem reaching the 20% warning in a day and in fact if i don’t trickle charge during the day will run out of juice quite a bit more quickly. That said the battery is certainly more robust than the N95’s and I’m used to charging through the day, but don’t let anyone tell you the iPhone can handle the torture of intensive use without needing a refill before the day is over.

All of this is bringing me back to my initial conclusions on things. The iPhone is truly a mass market device that is designed to bring aspects of mobility many of us take for granted to a much wider audience. While certain aspects of the experience are undeniably wonderful (browsing, syncing and connection switching to name a few), they don’t outweigh the needs (HSDPA, DUN, Applications, image and video capture, and local storage) I have on which the iPhone falls very flat. I can’t help but think how nice that upcoming N958GB NAM device is going to be when it arrives … a larger screen is always a good thing for reading as much I do on the go.

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AppleTV Take 2

Apple - Apple TV - Features - Movies

As I am sure you know, I was really looking forward to an update to the AppleTV and Steve largely delivered today!

The new software (available in two weeks) will bring a completely revised interface, direct downloads for purchase and rental of movies as well as purchase of TV shows and music. I love the flickr integration (it’s what I use) and am looking forward to putting some of the new 720p HD content to the test.

There were some clear concessions to get the studios to play here. HD content is substantially limited compared to SD for movies and there’s no day in date with DVD releases as my cable provider currently offers.

I’ve seen some rather ridiculous criticisms from people on twitter about the lack of 1080p material. This is just a spec and most people do not have systems capable of showing the differences anyway. Before you say this is like the edge vs. 3g claim on the iPhone it’s not. It’s real. Anyway …

A legitimate critique here and not something Apple can really do to fox is that HD rentals are not transferable to your Mac. The HDCP copy protection baked in will not allow it. It also may not allow you to play through an analog cable converter if you are connected that way… just be warned. Copy protection of this kind is pretty strict. I hope the likely to follow HD purchases will be allowed to sync as there’s only so much space on the drive – even the larger of the two.

There are a few things missing:

  • There’s no way to expand the storage capacity yet. I checked the Apple support docs and there does not seem to be any reference to external USB storage, Airport Disk or Time Capsule which is a shame.
  • I’m assuming that Apple has also not added the ability to control playback on an AppleTV without the TV. As it stands today, it cannot be used like an Airport Express for audio output.
  • No way to record live TV… I had a feeling this would be missing as it directly competes with the sale of content from the iTunes store, but it’s still the way most of us view TV — from TV. Elgato has made some beautiful updates to their eyetv software with the v.3 release and this will definitely complement the AppleTV nicely. Even better though would be a direct add-in for the AppleTV to record without a computer… like if that USB port accepted the eyetv hybrid
  • More important to me than the DVR piece though is the ability to support other codecs. We know the hardware is capable and this would seriously open the box to let it do what we all want. Again, not very Apple… but it would be quite nice.

None of the missing pieces are deal breakers … but would be very nice to have. All the new stuff with the UI and iTunes store come in today’s AppleTV (after the software update) and new boxes being shipped will get a nice price cut which should hopefully increase adoption. Apple’s got a very compelling system here even with the knocks. I might just have to upgrade my original unit for the larger drive as I have a feeling there’s going to be quite a bit of downloading in our house.

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What’s in store for AppleTV?

With Macworld coming this week I’ve been actively considering what’s in store for us and the one thing I’m hoping to see (almost more than an Apple MID) is an AppleTV strategy in conjunction with some updated products.

Apple could, as I’ve thought for a few years now, easily own the (still fledgling) media center market. While the current crop of MediaCenter PCs offer far more than AppleTV they are not really targeted at a mass market. Apple owners must add additional devices to handle TV recording and since Apple currently only officially supports the iTunes ecosystem from both a codec and content perspective it’s a tad limiting. That said, what it does it does very well.

It’s easy to add a Mac Mini to your system, which offers more power than an AppleTV, but the simplicity of the interface should be a benefit not a hinderance to getting access to content. Most people (not the geeks though we are most likely to want this first) do not want a keyboard and mouse a the TV. You want to lean back and use the remote… The AppleTV is a potentially perfect solution, but it needs to evolve.

What’s the grand vision? In my mind it looks something like this:

AppleTV_MediaCenter

Assume it’s all open for change, and consider that Apple actually has most of these parts in place now though they just don’t all connect … yet.

  • I’m feeling the AppleTV is ripe to support an even larger drive than it has now, though ideally it would work with an Airport Disk / NAS which would give you considerably more flexibility and storage potential.
  • In addition to enhanced storage options, the AppleTV needs to gain the ability to record live television. In an ideal world that would come through CableCARD, though ATSC tuners would be acceptable as a consolation. CableCARD would let you record premium channels like HBO, while ATSC is limited to what’s coming in over the air and unfortunately is not even available in all markets.
  • Apple’s rumored Movie Store (rent and purchase) is likely to be shared at Macworld, and everyone believes that you will be able to purchase from AppleTV at that time as well. There’s no reason to assume (we are dealing with rumors here) that the store would not also support direct purchase of Music and TV shows. The iPhone already has a great purchase and sync function for music … seems like a logical extension to use in for AppleTV.
  • I’ve added Subscriptions to the iTunes store and hope we see this eventually. It’s probably unlikely for Macworld this year, but is something I hope Apple really considers. Rhapsody has led to purchase for me and subscriptions bust the walls down for people to actively sample.
  • The iPhone has some serious potential in my vision. Using Back to My Mac technology, the iPhone would be capable of controlling the AppleTV from within the home as well as anywhere you can get a connection. Apple actually already has the technology to control considerably more than just the AppleTV and the iPhone / (or iPod Touch) is a perfect form for this. Back to My Mac would just the way to do it from outside your home… Though it would potentially also offer a remote way to schedule recordings or purchases you want to watch upon your return.
  • I also see the iPhone as a new addition to where content can be streamed (not just synced). Through wifi and the likely 3G successor we’ll see this year, you get a remote viewing platform to rival SlingBox.

While I realize that adding LiveTV goes somewhat against the grain in the Apple ecosystem of iTunes, it’s an important component to the overall media center vision as it’s still the primary vehicle for how most people consume broadcast material. It would be trivial to add…

Another detail I did not include in the illustration, but I feel is important to note is that Apple should really open the capabilities of the box up to developers. A plugin SDK would enable a new world of opportunities for content providers and even more importantly the addition of codecs. Let’s face it, there’s a whole world of content well beyond the iTunes store and the Quicktime world and simply letting people view that as you can on your Mac would be a win. Of course that challenges Apple’s H.264 vision a bit and so I’ll just leave it as wishful thinking for now. There are always hacks to get around things…

Apple has nothing but opportunity with AppleTV. While it’s been a hobby since it launched it’s time to rip the doors off their hinges and define the market. It’s easily within reach.

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Apple Going WiMax – Doubtful

xohm + Apple

Not like Valleywag has ever been a keen source for Mac information.

“Our sources tell us that Apple may include WiMax, the high-speed, long-range wireless broadband technology, in an ultraportable 13′ notebook computer, and possibly across the entire MacBook Pro line. Just part of the rumor mill flying in preparation for Steve Jobs’s Macworld keynote next week in San Francisco, of course, but our source gives it a ’60 percent chance.’ AppleInsider has pictures of Apple’s banners inside the Moscone center with ‘There’s something in the air’ as a slogan. If true, this could be a risky move for Apple. [Valleywag]

A couple of considerations …

  • Apple chose NOT to go with 3G for the iPhone because it’s not in wide enough distribution.
  • Apple has chosen NOT to release a Blu Ray drive machine yet even though they’ve been in that camp for a very long time.
  • Apple did add ethernet, Wifi and Firewire before anyone and killed the floppy so you never know.

It just seems high risk to me to bet on WiMax as much as I’ve been starting to like the idea. The interesting angle with WiMax is the bring your own device. You just buy network access… not quite as simple as the iPhone all you can eat plan which is currently part of purchase, but considerably more open sounding than your standard voice+data plan. And of course there’s no reason why Apple could not shake that up as they’ve done to date with the mobile market.

ZDNet thinks there’s the opportunity for a few WiMax enabled devices. If this is happening, I’d really like to see an OSX Multi-touch MID much more than a WiMax iPod…

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Single or Multiple Device?

I’m clearly in the two piece camp at this stage of my mobile life.  Andy talks about the Camps of One or Many today  and links to another post written by Alan Reiter on the same topic.  Today I use the N95 with the N800.  I recognize the benefits of each as well as the overlaps but choose to use one of the other to maximize my enjoyment or enhance the experience across the two.  I’ve tried all in one with the iPhone and lasted a few months … A few years ago, I was a heavy Treo user and pushed that to the limits as well.

While I really see the enhanced benefits of browsing, reading and viewing photos and video on a larger screen, I also use my devices so heavily that having a second thing ready to back me up when the battery in one fades is quite helpful.  As we see the release of MIDs with embedded WWAN like the WiMax units shown at CES or the alluded to but not yet seen WiMax N810 from Nokia things will get even more interesting.

My normal day works something like this:

  • Wake up with the N95 alarm, and then check email and Jaiku on the phone right out of bed.
  • On the one hourtrain into NYC, I fire of the N95’s music player and listen to music or podcasts (which I update over the air through the day)
  • The N800 usually then slides out of my pocket and I tether to the N95 to start diving into my feed reading.  I usually also fire up IM, Email and Mauku, a Jaiku client.
  • Depending on which device happens to be capturing my attention at the time, I check in with Jaiku, Gmail, Twitter and Google Reader.
  • During the day I swap the N800 for a work issued blackberry as the second device in my pocket but really only use it for email as it actually sucks (yes sucks) at most other things.
  • My return trip is pretty similar to the morning though I’ve watching a fair bit of video over the past few months instead of feed reading on the N800.  I do multi-task with the N95 and find myself staying connected with Jaiku and email.

I also sporadically snap photos, shoot video (which upload or stream as they are captured).  3G service (ATT) kicks in after about 20 minutes in my ride towards NYC and substantially enhances the overall online experience…

I could probably do all of this on the N95, though it is actually more convenient to have two, in the same way it’s more ideal to work on two monitors.

When I had the N810, I was actually writing posts on the go, not just consuming them and that’s purely a factor of having a built in keyboard and the availability of applications like Maemo WordPy which is offline blog editor for the tablet.

Maybe it’s that I miss my Nokia N810 (still waiting to get a release version swapped with the proto I tested) or maybe it’s the sheer lack of excitement from this year’s CES, but now I really want to get a MID.  The Intel booth showed off all kinds of cool devices and for me this really is a category of interest.  I know MIDs are not likely to become mainstream in the next year (or two) but for the power user, they really fill a beautiful spot in my mobile life.

Typically  a MID is pocketable vs. a UMPC which is something you need a bag to carry.  This distinction is something that makes the experience for a mobile power user like myself.  I can’t see going to a single device anytime soon.  I think the SDK and pending apps for the iPhone are a very interesting thing to watch here, but more interesting to me would actually be a slightly larger connected tablet from Apple

DataPortability – Keeping in perspective for now

I’ve been reading a fair bit as I am sure many of you have on the desire for dataportability, (it’s my info!) the social graph and of course the BS with Scoble and Facebook …

Today the news is that the DataPortability Org has signed on new members from Plaxo, Google and Facebook which is great, but should not be blown out of proportion like everything I’m reading seems to state. These are individuals, not corporations (regardless of where they work) and while they are likely to bring some ideas back to their respective companies, there’s absolutely no guarantee that we’ll be syncing data across any of these services in the near term … if ever. Just keeping it in perspective …

Quick update … I should actively read more sometimes…

According to Techcrunch, the new people are in fact official reps of their companies:

I spoke with the head of the DataPortability Group Chris Saad prior to this post (Chris is also the CEO of Faraday Media.) After about 24 hours of correspondence, the following are to join the working group as official representatives of their respective companies: Joseph Smarr (Plaxo), Brad Fitzpatrick (Google) and Benjamin Ling (Facebook).

Here’s hoping it does in fact mean something real and not just talk.

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Best Wishes for a Speedy Recovery to Om Malik

I was stunned to learn today that Om Malik had suffered a heart attack last week!

“I had a heart attack on Dec. 28. I was able to walk into the hospital for treatment that night and have been recovering here ever since. With the support of my family and my team, I am on the road to a full recovery. I am going to be OK.”[GigaOm]

Om is truly one of the great ones and I have enormous respect for what he does and how he carries himself. While we’ve yet to meet in person I look forward to that day and hope it’s sooner than later.

Best wishes man! I’m glad your report was as positive as it could be today, and hope you take plenty of time to recover properly. Take it easy man and we’ll be looking forward to welcoming to back in due time. I’m sure your growing empire at GigaOm is in good hands while you recover.

Full YouTube on the Nokia N95 8GB

Today’s firmware update for the N95 8GB includes Flash Lite 3, which as you can see in Ricky’s video enables full YouTube (desktop) playback.

The widgets runtime is also included which will be a great addition on your connected handset. I was not previously into single function web apps but I can definitely see the value in single purpose information or entertainment online apps.

I’m hoping we’ll see this update (including Demand Paging) within the N95-3 someday soon … it would be nice to be on par with the rest of the N95 family.

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Apple Ultra Portable to Dock into an iMac like system?!

apple docking system

This is such a cool patent I hope it’s real for Macworld this year. I’ve been reading about Apple’s potential products for MacWorld like most enthusiasts and the notion of an ultra portable (MID or UMPC) would be a very cool release. The market is certainly ready this time around – at least from my accounts of how things are working. A device that gives me full access to my stuff, locally and from the cloud and all in the same elegant Apple OS would be a home run.

While I’m not currently a major traveler I would totally want this type of rig as it truly would offer the best of both worlds. From what I can tell this is probably something in the 5-7inch screen size like the EEEPC, rather than the Nokia Tablet and would not fit in your pocket, but would easily fit in a bag. Macworld starts on January 14th … getting close!

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