Every Mobile App & Services Must Have Twitter (And Facebook)

The rage these days are about Foursquare and My Town.  There's also word that Facebook is taking a serious look at acquiring Loopt.  But what about Twitter?

Twitter now has up to 50 million tweets a day and it doesn't seem to be slowing but a number of companies are coming at it from a variety of different directions.  Location-based services.  Twitter-like services.  Integrated gaming boards like those we see on the iPhone.

There are things that Twitter can do to solidify it's position in the cloud and on mobile devices.  On Apple, I stated that I'm interested in seeing Apple integrate into the next version of its iLife suite likes to Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks.

Twitter can insure its viability by making it easier for apps to integrate twitter services into their applications or services.  As a matter of fact, just about anyone can do this.  Facebook quickly comes to mind.

But Twitter's limited messages allow people to quickly share messages to families, coworkers, and followers from within their apps without having to switch back and forth between applications or services.

While I was using iCal to update my day's activities, it would have been easier to be able to tweet from within the application to my followers on Twitter as I make updates.

There are already examples of this.  There are tons of applications that allow users to upload their pictures to a whole host of online photo album services.  Some applications even allow users to upload their video to the Internet directly from within their desktop.

It's time for Twitter to change the game.  It'll give them a head start and really make things much much more interesting for its competitors and better for users.

Also, it appears that Twitter is set to launch a few more "nifty" services that we users are going to like a lot.

Adobe Or Amazon Should Buy Palm

I went to give platelets today at a local cancer care institute. I went to a Starbucks to have breakfast and replenish myself. I was heartened to see the first ever Palm Pre in a Starbucks. Usually there are a mix of iPhones and Blackberries.

This week, Palm pre-announced some bad news. It looks like revenue will come in way below Wall Street estimates. Way way below. So what happened? What next?

What happened was that a lot less folks are buying WebOS devices than everyone expected despite it's high profile launch last year and great reviews.

Executives at Palm said they know what to do next. No one is talking about taking offers of a buyout but that could well be just what Palm needs.

Before anyone just on me, hear me out. I like Palm and I still use my Zire 72. I love it. One of my best investment.

However, Palm simply doesn't have the deep pocket as it's competitors. It has yet to build out an ecosystem of apps and media contents.

The usual suspects of buyers are not surprising. Dell and HP. Once in a while, I will hear about Nokia taking interest in this.

But I've got two more names. Adobe or Amazon. Adobe is in a battle with other mobile platforms trying to take its Flash into the mobile market with limited success if any. And soon, I am sure Silverlight will make its way to the Windows Mobile devices.

By buying Palm, which Adobe does have the financila muscle to do, I do see a strong mobile force capable of challenging Apple and Google. And with thousands of developers already familiar with Flash, Adobe can add an option for developers to create and expose to users to a lot of rich apps and media.

For Amazon, Kindle Touh isn't likely to catch fire against the iPad. However, Amazon does have a vast media market. It can leverage it to expand a slate of WebOS-enabled Kindle devices.

Not even Google can make such a claim as to having a complete ecosystem with apps, music, audiobooks, ebooks, and video.

I will get into these individual companies on their own in later posts but I think most mobile warriors and Palm fans would love to see the kind of exciting things Adobe and Amazon can do with WebOS.

More at Barron's

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Google's "Free" Strategy In the Mobile Market Means It Makes More Money

I fully expect smartphones to trickle down to the point where it is possible to for carriers to give them out for free.

It'll start with Android phones from a whole host of manufacturers and brands trying to compete for the same consumer, effectively cutting margin in order to get as much of their own devices into our hands.

That is exactly what's happening now in the Android segment of the mobile market.  More importantly, this could be exactly what Google is looking for.  And I'm betting that they foresee thing years ago when they planned the moves with Android, and later in the year, with Chrome OS.

After all, Google is giving away Android and Chrome OS.  The tough part for Google is already over.  Android is gaining a wider mindshare and acceptance.  And riding the Android wave will be Chrome OS.  Once that happens, though there's no guarantee of success, Google implements addtional cloud-based services that keep mobile users hooked.

The more time you and I are on Google's network, the more ads they make.  The more searches we make, that means more money for Google.  It's an incredible strategy.  No one has managed to give something away for free and make money.

ISP and the early startups of the Internet bubble all tried and failed.  So what is making Google's strategy a success where others have failed? It's a complicated matter.

The Android devices aren't free.  They are free or sold to us at a reduced price because of the subsidies provided by wireless providers in order to lock us into lucrative multi-year contracts.

But what of Chrome OS?  Not all netbooks or tablets installed with Chrome OS will be subsidized.  And this also includes the coming flood of Android tablets that will be on the market soon.  I'm betting that Google has this worked out.  Part of the solution will be white spaces networks that Google is supporting.

Also, Google can reduce cost of providing cloud services through other means than scale.  It recently applied and was granted permission to be an energy trader.  I'm betting that figure big into Google strategy.  And speaking of energy, Google is also a backer of many green energy initiatives.  Think down the road for a second.  Free energy from the elements, sun and wind.  If Google is able to reduce its electrical bill, that will only add to its bottomline.

Futhermore, Google is also moving into markets dominated by others.  Music, video, and ebooks quickly come to mind.

If you're willing to see a future with Google's services permeating nearly every aspect of your online life, things are looking bright.  Today, the EU is looking at Google's dominant position.  Apparently, some aren't comfortable with.

More About Android price drops at On Android.

Will iPad Have Unannounced Features?

I'm happy with the iPad as it is.  I think i can do a lot of mobile computing with just what Steve and Co. showed me on January 27th.

But there was one major disappointment:  No frontal camera for video conferencing.

Still, as some of the more technical-inclined mobile warriors dig into the SDK, they find things both surprising and disturbing for potential first generation adopters.

More at On Apple.  Short story, I don't think Apple will including any surprise last minute hardware enhancements for the iPad.

Lots Of People Still Talking and Driving

I do talking on my phone at times when I drive.  When I'm waiting at a red light.  When I'm trying to find places to park.  When I'm on the freeway.  But never with one hand on the wheel and another with the phone propped up against my ear.

I'm either on a BT speaker or with a earpiece.  Most of the time, I ignore my phone when it rings.

But I still see a lot of folks do that.  And the other day, my friend and I nearly became statistics.

In fact, the driver didn't even bother to slow down while making a left.  I don't think she was even aware that we were nearly a third of the way across the street.

Anyway, I just have to rant a bit.  Even within my own family and circle of friends, there are those who can't help but yap on the phone right the moment it rings.  Nor can they wait the 10 minutes or so it takes for them to get to where they're going on their car and then make the call once they're not operating a vehicle.

Advice For Google: Port Buzz But Don't Make It Creepy

I think Google can revitalize Buzz but it needs to make it work for Android. I think it's one of those things that Google can really make work given that Android is a mobile OS.

However, given the uproar at launch, Buzz can really do a relaunch. However, it's hard to tell just how many people actually use it as it was intended. Personally, I've stopped using it. I didn't have a need for it. I've got Facebook and Twitter already and those are the two main ones.

Here's what I think Google should go for Buzz. Allow people to update their status, thoughts, what-have-you on Buzz but also allow them to be directly ported to any of the major social networks. I've always been a fan of apps that allow you to go to one place to get all the things you need done.

Take Meebo. It's got its own chat system but you can log on through its app on the Web, an Android smartphone, or the iPhone other instant message providers. Yahoo, ICQ, AIM, MSN, and even Facebook.

See, Google? Meebo has its own chats and made itself the gateway through which other IM services can also be used. Google should do the same with a Buzz app for the Android and other mobile platforms.

So long as Google isn't stupid about it, I can see a Buzz app as I've described it take off. Heck, I'll download and use it on my G1. And just maybe, I'll even use the Buzz features as well.

MacGyver App - Is There An App For That?

If you don't know who MacGyver is, keep moving. Just kidding. You must know who MacGyver is! Okay, I'm going to assume you know who he is. If now, here's a wiki link for that.

A few days ago, I read about an app that that allows other people to know that you're choking.  I didn't know that at first.  I thought it was an app that shows you what to do when someone else is choking.  As a matter of fact, I've got an app called "PocketCPR".  It provides step by step instruction on performing CPR.

But I'm looking for more than just a one trick app.  I'm looking for a MacGyver app.  See, MacGyver has the ability find a solution to a difficult situation with just things lying around.  Now, I don't play on infiltrating a Russian prison to break out a political prisoner.  However, knowing that peeing on the stop by a jellyfish is something that's good to know.

And if I'm ever stranded in the middle of nowhere, knowing how to start a fire with a couple of twigs could go a long way between survival and freezing to death.

I'm looking for an app that provides rudimentary survival skills, first aid instructions, and other common sense ideas.  I can see many mobile users buy and download these life-how-to apps, wouldn't you?

Maybe the actor who played MacGyver, Richard Dean Anderson, should get into the app business.