A few days ago, I ran the Jerusalem Marathon. As I lined up at the start line, I looked around and noticed the wide variety of runners around me; some were kitted out in compression socks and CamelBaks, and an interpid few wore nothing more than racing singlets and 2-inch split shorts in 52-degree weather. … Continue reading Assorted Thoughts on AirPods
VentureBeat has the story today of Facebook’s new partnership with Dutch airline KLM to integrate boarding passes, flight information, and customer service into Messenger. As I’ve written before, Facebook Messenger has completely embraced the platform approach and integrated everything from mobile payments to Uber booking to customer service, all in one app. And it’s compelling to see … Continue reading We Have Met the Future, and It Is Messaging
Samsung’s newest flagship phone, the Galaxy S7, has received generally favorable reviews. One caveat seems to be that, like many other phones, the Galaxy comes preloaded with a frustrating number of preinstalled apps. The New York Times has an article succinctly titled “Samsung’s Smartphones Aren’t the Problem (Just Prune the Bad Apps).” In this piece, the Brian X. … Continue reading Preinstalled Apps
The Next Web reports that running app Runkeeper was purchased by sneaker firm Asics. Runkeeper CEO Jason Jacobs wrote: When we look ahead, it seems clear that the fitness brands of the future will not just make physical products, but will be embedded in the consumer journey in ways that will help keep people motivated and … Continue reading Of Sneakers and Software
Walt Mossberg wrote a column in Re/Code last week, highlighting what I’ve often felt: The iPhone is the best phone on the market (and its desktop hardware often among the best), but Apple’s own apps are pretty subpar. He cites iTunes for desktop, as well as Mail, Photos, and iCloud more broadly. Mossberg writes: I hold … Continue reading Dented Apples
It seems that everyone – news outlets, sportscasters, poets, comedians and companies – is podcasting. How many people are profiting is another question, but, as The Economist pointed out this week, podcasting is in the midst of yet another renaissance: It is hard to identify the moment when podcasting took off, because it keeps having them. In … Continue reading Everybody’s Podcastin’
Under Armour recently premiered a new fitness package called HealthBox, as part of a new chapter in the company’s Connected Health initiative. The package – whose gadgets are manufactured by smartphone maker HTC – includes a wi-if connected scale, sneakers (one shoe contains a little tracking pod), a heart rate chest strap, and a wristband activity … Continue reading Connected Health
Within the past few days, two large car manufacturers have announced significant investments into companies that may, if successful, reduce actual car ownership. General Motors has invested in ridesharing startup Lyft, and Audi has put money into premium car rental service Silvercar. GM announced that it was putting $500 million into Lyft, valuing the company at $5.5 … Continue reading Looking Down the Road
Carmakers have announced the list of 2016 models that will feature dashboard displays that are compatible with iPhones. Given how much I use my iPhone for navigation, music and podcasts in the car, I feel as though CarPlay may well factor into my decision the next time I’m in the market for a new set of … Continue reading CarPlay in ’16
I’ve held shares of Ford for a little while, and so I’m naturally inclined to perk up a bit when I see them mentioned in a headline. In this case, the article in question is a piece in the Wall Street Journal, which talks about how the car company is investing heavily in autonomous vehicles … Continue reading Automotive Updates
Silicon Spatula 