September 7 2010
Nokia bets on new smartphones for recovery - Reuters →
Will this week’s keynote by Nokia’s Kallasvuo demonstrate that Nokia can turn around their dismal performance in smartphones and their truly excreble UX? Is Symbian 3 going to be cool, or more crap?
July 23 2010
Rescuing Nokia? A former exec has a radical plan →
Sounds like Juhani Risku has a screenplay for a plot to take over Nokia, perhaps where he was supposed to play the ‘co-pilot’ that would save the day, and push out all the executives who wouldn’t listen. No doubt Nokia needs to be shaken up, though.
July 9 2007
Last.fm Partners With Sony: Should Have Been Apple
Recent announcement of Last.fm partnering with Sony:
[from Last.fm Partners With Sony: WebProNews]
Online social music network, Last.fm has partnered with Sony BMG Music Entertainment.
As part of the partnership Sony BMG will offer its catalogue of recordings to the 20 million users of Last.fm’s radio streaming service. Users will be able to find new artists from the Sony catalogue using Last.fm’s recommendation system.
I had suggested in past posts, prior to CBS’ purchase of Last.fm, that Apple should acquire the product and build into a socialized version of iTunes (which is still desperately needed, btw).
Looks like Last.fm is destined for a strange collection of deals, rather than a strategic role in a contender to the iTunes/iPod/iPhone triumvirate. Although I am not sure who can mount a credible attack on that. Even Microsoft hasn’t got a chance. Nokia?
Well, its moot, since Last.fm is part of CBS. It has to make it or break it based on its own merits, and maybe some better economics for users acquiring music, not on some integration with other major software partners.
David Hornik on iPhone Leads To New Laptops
I haven’t sat still long enough to queue up for an iPhone (maybe next week), but David Hornik (the wisest of VCs), has been fooling with one for a bit. His prediction:
[from I Want Everything to be Like the iPhone]
[…] if I were a betting man, I would bet that the next two significant product releases that Apple comes out with are 1) a touch screen iPod with the same gesture controls as the iPhone, and 2) a touch screen laptop that allows the same sort of browsing, etc. And I will be one of the first to buy the laptop. The iPhone experience is so good. And will absolutely translate to a bigger screen.
I am so spoiled with the Nokia n95 camera that I think I will have to drag the n95 around with me once I have an iPhone, because the feedback on the iPhone camera is bad. But I crave the rest of the experience, particularly a better integrated experience with music on the phone. I have tried the n95’s music capabilities — which are impressive, especially the stereo speakers — but the problems with copy-protection on iTunes music are so pervasive that iPhone (or iPod) looks like the only solution.
