http://ampersanddot.com/blog ampersanddotdotcom. A Boston based Social Media Consultant's view on trends in web (1 and 2.0), gadgetry, startups, and general technology. Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:57:27 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Over the last three years I've delivered a few hundred blog posts (is "one" considered "a few") covering all things techy. I've had my share of fun poking holes at social web statistics, pointed out flaws in modern device design, and made my share of resolutions. Although I didn't publicly ... http://ampersanddot.com/blog/general-thoughts/ive-digitall-moved/ Today Apple announced a "Magical!" device - the iPad. I was doing my best to avoid talking about this, mainly because so much has been said already, but I have just too much to say to hold off. First and foremost, I'm going to assume you know what the iPad is ... http://ampersanddot.com/blog/gadgets/20-questions-for-the-apple-ipad/ A year back I wrote a post about my 2009 Tech Resolutions. Well what's the point of resolutions if I'm not accountable for them? So today I want to look back and see how well I did. Then, assuming I don't get too depressed from my '09 performance, I'll make ... http://ampersanddot.com/blog/general-thoughts/follow-up-on-my-2009-resolutions-and-a-few-for-2010/ A few months ago a colleague of mine at Forrester published a report claiming that "The Smartphone is Dead" (clients only). The argument, with which I fully agree, is that as even the dumbest of phones gains "smart" features and functions, the concept of a dichotomous world of "smart" and ... http://ampersanddot.com/blog/gadgets/now-this-is-a-feature-phone/ Starting in the late '90s, HTC has been a driving force of some of the coolest mobile devices on the market. But because HTC rebranded phones for other companies, until recently, you likely wouldn't have known where the devices came from. Now, after more than a decade behind the scenes ... http://ampersanddot.com/blog/gadgets/consumers-finally-meet-htc/ If you've been watching any primetime TV recently (or walked through Times Square) you may have noticed ads for something called "Droid". Here's its main TV spot: At first you're thinking - oh, white screen, poppy jingle, must be another iPhone ad! - but then you start paying attention and realize ... http://ampersanddot.com/blog/gadgets/winning-with-non-apple-hype/ YouTube announced this week that it's launching a real-time search engine for video comments. Or, as I'm calling it, the worst idea of the week (and, as that post points out, this is Balloon Boy week... so that's really saying something). YouTube is likely looking for a way to keep up ... http://ampersanddot.com/blog/web-20/searching-for-trolls-in-real-time/ Today, October 6th, is a huge day in history: Microsoft released Windows Mobile 6.5 to the masses. But you already knew that, right? No. Of course you didn't. And that's what today's post is about... Loyal readers know well that I'm a Windows Mobile user - and I have been for ... http://ampersanddot.com/blog/gadgets/windows-mobile-65s-big-launch/ Android, the Google-developed/Linux-based mobile OS, debuted last fall as yet-another platform in the ever fragmenting war over smartphones. Going up against Apple, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Symbian, and now Palm's WebOS - Android was positioned last year as an "open source" operating system that could run on almost any hardware. Unlike Apple, ... http://ampersanddot.com/blog/gadgets/android-takes-a-delayed-step-into-the-spotlight/ We've all seen the commercials: white background, hipster jingle, soothing voice, and a hand swiping through an iPhone application explaining how whatever your wildest dreams might be, there's an app for that. As Apple claims: there are "Apps for Everything". Before I get to the rant section of today's post, I ... http://ampersanddot.com/blog/gadgets/theres-an-app-for-that/