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Droid R2-D2
Xmarks Speaks Out on Paid Services
We’re revisiting the idea of Xmarks as a premium service. We’ve set up a Pledgebank page where you can sign up if you’re willing to pay at least $10 a year for Xmarks. No credit card is required, but please only pledge if you are genuinely willing and able to pay.
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Hopefully you can see that, for us and our investors, we were aiming for a different business, and staffing at a different level, than what it is likely appropriate for a freemium model. For a new company taking a fresh start with Xmarks, a freemium model could be really compelling. The overwhelming positive user support from all of you, combined with strong interest by companies looking to take over Xmarks, means that the service might just find a ninth life. Please stay tuned.
On NYC’s Subway System and Flooding
There’s a massive tropical storm headed to New York, one that may flood the subway. What most people don’t know is that we depend on just 700 fragile water pumps to keep the tunnels dry—some a century old.
In fact, if someone powered down all these pumps tomorrow, the entire subway network would be inundated in just a few hours. To give you an idea of how complex and massive this system is, it pulls 13 million gallons of water out of the subway on any sunny day. No rain. Not even a single drop of water from the sky.
Kill Ping Pop-up in iTunes
John Martellaro at the Mac Observer has the glorious Terminal command:
defaults write com.apple.iTunes hide-ping-dropdown -bool TRUE
Be sure to close iTunes first.
Speaking of the Web...
Axiis has posted a brilliant chart showing browser market share, by year, since 2002.
Sadly, it’s done in Flash and doesn’t list MobileSafari as a separate browser.
‘Apple and the Open Web’
While I know I probably sound like a Gruber fanboy, his recent talk at Web 2.0 Expo 2010 really was great. Check it out.
On the new Apple TV
Joshua Topolsky, in his review of the new device:
The video and audio quality of the Apple TV is to be lauded, the company is making a lot of high quality titles available right off the bat, sharing from your current computers is a snap, and if you’re a Netflix user, the inclusion here is perfectly seamless. The question is ultimately about ease versus options – right now it’s hard to whole-heartedly recommend the Apple TV even at its $99 price point given the thin list of partners Apple has courted. If you just want a dead simple movie rental box and you’re not that picky about content, the Apple TV is a no-brainer. If, like us, you’re looking for options good enough to make you can the cable, Apple’s new box still feels a lot like a hobby.
Gmail Conversation Threads Now Optional
Gmail updated today with a new option that allows users to turn off its trademark threaded conversation view for a more traditional email inbox.
I like threaded messages, but hate how Gmail splices in sent messages.
Thoughts on the RIM PlayBook
Editor’s Note: These are in no particular order.
Phone & Tablet Data Sharing
Thus far, the tablet and the smartphone have lived separate, isolated lives, unaware of the other. RIM seems to be changing that, allowing the tablet to double as a large, external display for the phone. Which is cool. It reminds me of the Palm Foleo, although the PlayBook looks like it actually makes sense, since it’s an actual stand-alone product.
‘Iterate, Iterate, Iterate’
That’s some great design advice from Chris Clark, designer at of iOS apps at Black Pixel, in an interview with Lukas Mathis.
The iPad Life
Ben Brooks has started what he is calling the “iPad Life” series, which looks at how people are using their tablets day-to-day. I just love stuff like this. I am excited (and flattered) that my interview was chosen kick off the series. I assure you, there were far better choices than me to start such a series.
Thanks, Ben!