Image Courtesy of The-Gadgeteer.com
Palm Gets Ready to Clobber the iPhone
Things are looking up for Palm. For years, the company has been struggling to keep up with other Smartphone manufactures, most notably against Apple’s iPhone. But the company is hoping to turn the tide and go back to the glory days of the Palm Pilot and Palm Treo with the upcoming release of the Palm Pre.
Whoa. Barely a week after Steve Jobs downplayed cancer rumors hounding him, he files for a leave due to “health issues.”
Jobs had said that his drastic weight loss over the past year was due to hormonal imbalance, not cancer as has been widely speculated. The news was met with cynicism especially in light of Jobs’ earlier bout with cancer around five years ago. It was, however, enough to keep investor confidence and drive Apple’s share prices up.
Jobs’ medical leave will last until June 2009.
Online retail sales drop by 3%.
The results for the holiday shopping season are out. Comscore, in its press release, said that online spending during November 1 to December 23, 2008 amounted to $25.5 billion. That’s nothing to laugh at but it is still 3% lower from the $26.3 billion recorded for the same period in 2007. Comscore notes that this is the first decline seen in online spending growth in 8 years.
Meanwhile, media reports quoting ShopperTrak RCT Corp.’s predictions relates that overall consumer retail spending in the holiday season fell by only 2.3%.
Since July 2008, Wikipedia users have seen the pleas for help on Wikipedia’s site. The people behind Wikipedia have asked its users for $6 million to continue operating the site. You’d think that $6 million from the site’s users would be an easy target to achieve, and for the earlier months it did seem like so.
Steve Jobs and Bill Gates in 2007 during the All Things Digital conference.
Call it my eccentricity.
But as far as I have rummaged around the Internet, I have yet to find an article that features Steve and Bill’s ability to score babes based on their respective merits. News reports and written articles always feature these two characters along with their gadgets. It’s all techno stuff. It’s all business. It’s all money talk.
Well, thank God for idiosyncrasy. I’m pitting these two against each other.
In one corner, we have Bill Gates. And in the other, we have Steve Jobs. Let’s put these two individuals under a limelight and strip them of their CEO / chairman titles, and try to look at them as regular, beer-guzzling guys in real-world scenario with no chauffeurs, chefs and personal assistants. Ladies, try to judge them according to their merits, and not just on their good looks.
As chairman of Microsoft Corporation and his family-owned charitable foundation, Bill Gates has a whopping net worth of about $58 billion. Currently, he is the third richest man on the planet. With that amount of money, he could certainly afford to buy a small third-world country.
Bill’s interest in computers came into being when he was still an eighth grader at Lakeside School, an exclusive preparatory school. During that time, the school’s Mothers’ Club had used the proceeds of a rummage sale to purchase an ASR-33 teletype terminal and computer for the school’s students.
Bill’s fascination for computers grew when he discovered how the computer would always execute software code perfectly. He remarked that there was something neat about computers. Thus, he wrote his first computer program, which was a tic-tac-toe game that lets users to play a game against the computer.
In 1973, Bill graduated from Lakeside School with an outstanding SAT result, scoring 1590 out of 1600. He enrolled at Harvard College, where he met his future business partner. Bill never had definite study plan. He would always dabble in computers. This appetite for computers brought out his decision to start his own computer software company. And the rest is history.
Under Bill’s leadership, Microsoft Corporation emerged as the worldwide leader in the software industry. During the 2007, the company reported over $51 billion in revenues, employing over 78,000 people in 105 countries.
Aside from Microsoft, he also has other investments. Bill served as a director of Berkshire Hathaway, as well as Cascade Investments LLC, a private investment and holding firm. He also founded a think-tank company called bgC3.
On the philanthropic side, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the family-owned charitable foundation that Bill and his wife set up, supports humanitarian efforts and initiatives towards global health and education. The foundation has pledged billions of dollars to organizations aimed at alleviating global health conditions, as well as providing learning opportunities in certain low-income communities.
From 1993 to 2007, Bill has been consistent on the Forbes list. It was even reported that Bill reached a monstrous $101 billion in 1999; hence, the media’s nomenclature on him as the “Centribillionaire.” On this note, Bill remarked, wishing he was not the richest man because of the unwanted attention that goes with it.
With 15 years of Forbes list notoriety, it’s no wonder why people turn their heads towards him. Though he may not seek the attention that he gets right now, it is undeniable that Bill is a widely acclaimed entrepreneur, philanthropist and business tactician.
Steve Jobs, on the other hand, is the chairman and CEO of Apple, Inc., in addition to his duties as member of Walt Disney Company’s board of directors. Though his net worth is just a tenth of Bill’s at around $5 billion, Steve was named the most powerful person in business by Fortune Magazine in November 2007.
His acclaims also include his induction to the California Hall of Fame on December 5, 2007. The event, which was held at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts, was attended by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his First Lady Maria Shriver.
Aside from Apple, Steve was also involved in another computer company. He established NeXT Computer at the same time he ran Apple. Unfortunately, the former ran aground due to minimal sales at only 50,000 units. Only a few could afford NeXT computers; thus, they were shelved off as cost-prohibitive.
Despite its steep price, some people bought NeXT computers for its technical strength in its software system. The company, subsequently, shifted to software development with the release of NeXTSTEP / Intel.
Steve also headed the famous animation company, Pixar. Back in 1986, Steve bought The Graphic Group, which was later renamed Pixar, from George Lucas, who needed the money to finance his divorce.
The company started out as a high-end graphics hardware developer. But due to unprofitable conditions in selling Pixar Image Computer, Steve entered into a contract with Disney to produce a series of computer-animated films.
Under Steve’s headship, Pixar produced a handful of astounding box-office hit films, such as A Bug’s Life, Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles. However, Pixar was sold to Walt Disney Company back in 2006 for $7 billion in stocks. This deal made Steve the largest individual shareholder in Walt Disney Company, holding approximately 7% of the company’s stock.
On humble beginnings, Steve’s interest in computers became manifest when he frequently attended after-school lectures at the Hewlett-Packard Company in California. He also worked as a technician at a video games manufacturer. And to think, he took that job because he was intent of saving money for a spiritual retreat to India, not knowing that would be one of the initial steps that moulded him into a giant in the computer software industry.
Having the eye of an artist, Steve has always emphasized the aesthetic value of his products. Always adamant on visual aspect, he would persist even on the minute details. It’s no wonder why people adhere and appreciate the beauty of his creations, like the Macintosh and the iPod.
A perfect visualization of for phrase, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs has always been pushing the envelope. They have been the two most credited individuals that revolutionized the development of mass-market personal computers.
Significantly individualistic in their own right, Bill and Steve are both mirror reflections of each other and a parallel balance to the immense talent and knowledge each one has as they make up the opposite sides of a single equation, with one balancing out the other.
Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are the perfect synthesis and amalgamation of prescience and omniscience of what technology is and is about to be in the near future.
So, who can score more chicks: Bill Gates or Steve Jobs? Please cast your vote by posting your comments below.
Many of us have developed such a love for gadgets that we simply can’t leave home without it. Get your toothpaste and toothbrush out of your bag to make way for these:
1. iPhone 3Gs.
The iPhone is just about the most kickass phone on the planet right now. What’s more, it’s really more than just a phone, it’s jam-packed with more apps than I care to fiddle around with, it organizes my schedules, it allows me to get work done on the road. It provides full Web browsing at a much faster pace than my old Nokia phone. And not to mention SatNav, it goes with its impressive GPS capability. What else could a man ask for?
2. THE Digicam.
With the iPhone’s 2 megapixel camera, the pictures are just not going to be what one hopes it to be. So a Panasonic Lumix comes in handy. I like my photos to be very crisp, the colors have to be just in real life. Lumix uses Leica lens, and I think that speaks for itself. Still, this camera produces great quality pictures even at high zoom ranges. It’s great when you’re on the road trying to snap at something moving too.
3. The Other Digicam.
Probably one of the best tech gadgets to have is the Kodak Easyshare Z612. This super refined digicam is impressive with a ton of features that you just don’t get from other point and click cameras. It’s actually a sub-SLR but I don’t get to use it much often. The menus are kind of tricky and so it functions like an instamatic for me.
4. PSP.
This is great for those times you’re stuck in traffic, or waiting for a date. Sure, there are not much games coming out of the PS3 recently, but most PSP fans are happy with the games that they already have. My friend who’s an avid (rabid?) gamer recommends Nintendo’s DS Lite, but I just can’t see myself forking over that much money for another portable console just to while my time away.
5. The Music Player.
Sorry Apple lovers, but while I’m bowled over by the iPhone, I pretty much hate the iPod. I find Creative’s Zen X-Fi better in a lot of aspects. For one, it has excellent sound quality, much better the iPod if I may say so. And that’s all that matters with music players, isn’t it? Zen also comes with a lot of other add-ons that makes it a more logical buy. It has a good FM radio and a nice screen. It came with great headphones. And it has Wi-Fi, but it’s thoroughly limited.
Now, what’s in your bag?
Image Courtesy of Betanews.com
1. 4G.
Short for fourth generation, it is currently being developed as a platform for broadband and mobiles. It will make voice, data and streaming media faster than what we are currently experiencing now.
2. The Android Platform.
Developed by the Open Handset Alliance Project, and most notably being pimped by Google, the Android Platform is used on mobile devices and includes everything that smartphones and other devices need, from operating systems, to applications and middleware.
When I was younger, I spent my entire fortune (read: what’s left of my allowance) on game cartridges for the Nintendo Family Computer. Back then, it was your ticket to gaining popularity at school. Fulfillment back then was to finish all eight worlds of Mario Brothers in one sitting, even without employing the 100 lives cheat. Achievement (and wealth) was about having to go home and spend an hour alphabetizing your growing stack of game cartridges.
Since then, a lot of consoles have been launched and a lot of console makers have entered and exited the market. It would be worth mentioning that games and game consoles have evolved from a simple dot matrix black and white display with cute electronically produce sounds to uber realistic graphics, highly customized motion controls, all of which plays to the cool soundtracks. And it is not just about games only either, today’s consoles allows for other forms of entertainment like watching movies and creating a cyber life.
To date, the family computer is not the biggest selling console in the world. PlayStation 2 is, Game Boy is a close second. The top five best-selling consoles are owned by approximately more than half a billion users.
Currently, however, console dominance is a toss up among Wii, Xbox and PS3. More than two decades later, I still find myself playing a Nintendo: Wii. Wii has been heading the console pack, leaving both Xbox and PS3 behind. I think it’s partly because of its low price and its focus on games that are fit for the whole family. Don’t get me wrong, I still like gore and adult-related games, but sometimes I find myself wanting to be cutesy, playing a puzzle game every so often, or something that does not require too much thinking or something that spells relaxing entertainment. I own a PS2 and the original Xbox, but both are mostly gathering dust.
Maybe that’s just me. I really don’t classify myself as a hardcore gamer, but I like my games to be just that… games. Wii refuses to compete with both PS and Xbox in terms of added functionality, and instead focused on developing added value for games. If you ever see me in my living room waving and flailing my arms like silly, then I’m probably using the Wii remote. I really don’t need to watch movies using my Xbox, I have my DVD player and HD TV for that.
You just don’t get that much focus from both PS2 and Xbox.
Motorola Renew (recyclable phone)
Going Green, it seems, is the latest thing to do right now for people and businesses. You always hear about it in the news, in politics, in products. You have heard of the dire warnings of neglecting the Earth and about global warming. And so, you’ve heard of Earth-hugging packaging, or cars that are very fuel efficient, among many other efforts to “Save Mother Earth.”
In technology, going green has traditionally been associated with less fuel consumption in cars, lower electricity usage, or those that facilitate cleaner ways of using available resources. It also connotes to more environment-friendly processes, like technology that removes ink from paper for the latter to be recycled, technology that harnesses electricity, and fuel from sources other than oil and gas.
It’s difficult to imagine how gadgets could “go green,” but Nokia did go green with its 3110 model, which used recycled materials for its casing. Now, Motorola has gone green with its latest W233 Renew. The phone’s casing is made of recycled water bottles. When the phone zonks out after a few years of use, you can also drop it into any recycling bin since it is 100% recyclable. Motorola also said that the carbon footprint of Renew is considerably lesser than its other phones and its competitors’ phones.
Renew also comes in green packaging: less packaging material is used, and everything is made of recycled paper. Its manual uses soy-based ink. Aside from being environment-friendly, the phone is slick as well. Only half an inch thick, the phone is less than 4.5 inches long and 2 inches wide, with expandable memory, music player, and a talk time of up to nine hours.
Motorola has also taken it further by investing in reforestation and renewable energy sources.
Will it sell? I think it offers a great sound bite. Motorola equals environment-friendly. And the move rides on the popularity of going green. But come on. The fact that it’s made of recycled water bottles does not translate to being a good mobile phone. Phone buyers are on the look-out for features, functionality, and ease of use. Renew, on the other hand, offers us a basic phone with a VGA camera.