Links for Wednesday December 30th, 2009
All iWant for Christmas...: An article from BusinessWeek about the success of the iPod Touch this holiday season. I found this quote to resonate:
"This year, iPod touch sales may be getting an extra boost from the travails of AT&T, the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the U.S. Because of Ma Bell's network problems, including frequent dropped calls and spotty Net access in cities such as New York and San Francisco, many consumers are opting to carry a new iPod touch along with their old cell phone rather than rely on an iPhone. "I just couldn't put my trust in AT&T," says Scott Gingold, the owner of a market research firm based in New York City. Instead, Gingold carries a BlackBerry that he uses for email and making calls, while he relies on the iPod touch for running apps and going online."
I've been thinking about doing something like this myself.
Rumors have ex-Qualcomm chief heading up Verizon: If this brings about a change in attitude at Verizon, that could make it easier for the iPhone to get onto a second network that can compete with AT&T.
Why Is There A Bing Icon On My BlackBerry?: This seems like scummy behavior from Verizon.
L.A. Gangs Seek Profit in Peace: Interesting:
"Gangs that were once bloody rivals now are cooperating to wring profits from the sale of illegal drugs and weapons, law-enforcement officials and gang experts say. In some cases, gangs that investigators believed to be sworn enemies share neighborhoods and strike business deals. The collaboration even crosses racial lines, remarkable in a gang world where racial divisions are sharp and clashes are often racially motivated."
It seems that as law enforcement has gotten better at dealing with gangs, they have evolved by banding together, and running their operations more like a business.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car vs. Zipcar: Nice rundown from Marco Arment. The punchline:
"Enterprise is so expensive and miserable that I think I might start limiting my trips to 3 days just so I can use Zipcar instead. I wish Zipcar would extend the limit to 4-5 days, but I understand why they don’t."
The Speculative Prehistory of the iPhone: Great piece by Harry McCracken, looking at the rumors that circulated on the run up to the launch of the original iPhone in early 2007. Aside from being an interesting read, it's great to keep this in mind with all of the rumors about an Apple tablet that are circulating. I don't get the idea of a larger screen iPod Touch — so I think that if Apple does to a tablet, it'll be something that nobody is expecting.