Flash Free

I had thought Microsoft was ready to move forward and reduce Flash support but no they bring it back. I know there are a number of sites that rely on it. I know this mostly because I don't have Flash installed and they complain when I go to them. I have not seen any cases recently where the Flash content could not be replaced by HTML5.

Why Andy Ihnatko Switched From iPhone to Android

I will be interested to see the other parts of this story. So far of the two reasons listed I am starting to think the iPhone screen is too small but I haven't found the Android keyboards to be better. My phone came with two extra keyboards neither of which I like. To date I still prefer the iOS keyboard and have had more success typing with Windows Phone and Blackberry keyboards in the short periods I have tried them. I would prefer a phone that comes with one good keyboard instead of having to try and probably buy additional keyboards to find one that works well.

Mobile Future is Not Fixed

I recently read Brad Molen's Blackberry Z10 review and I noticed there was a large assumption in the conclusions that I have seen elsewhere when discussing the competitors to the iPhone and Android. That people are happy with what they have. Mr. Molen says "iOS and Android users won't hop out of an ecosystem they're comfortable with unless there's a very clear reason to do so." He and others seem to assume that the iOS and Android users are all happy with their choice. I do not believe this is true.

I have a Android phone and I am not planning on getting another one. I believe there are a lot of people that don't think there is a much brand or ecosystem loyalty as the articles I have seen assume exists.The mobile marketplace is not a fixed thing that will never change.

Windows 8 Risk

I saw this on darigfireball and the argument would make sense if Windows RT could run current Windows applications but it can only run the new Metro apps.

If the Microsoft Surface can be used as a guide the Windows tablets with the desktop will be priced in the ultrabook range. I don't see a compelling case to get them at that price. Microsoft still has an advantage because of their enterprise infrastructure. The risk of the Windows 8 strategy is that this alone is an insufficient reason to get Windows 8 tablets.

WinNok

I think Mr. Elop has the right idea. I would love to try a Win 7 Nokia phone like the concept models on Engadget. Last year I was looking at getting a phone and considered the N8 but decided against because everything I read was very negative about the software. On the other hand it is hard to see how this will be good in the long term for Nokia. I can't see how they will differentiate themselves sufficiently from the other manufacturers.

The main thing to realize is that the mobile phone competition is going to be more and more about ecosystems. Microsoft, Google and Apple all have at least the start of a comprehensive cross tool platform that will make the switching costs an increasing barrier issue for growing market share. This is where RIM and HP are behind. More on that later.

Google and WebM

I have the Firefox 4 beta installed which supports WebM. Therefore, I thought I would go to YouTube and see how it worked. YouTube insists I install Flash. Google, if WebM is the baseline, when will YouTube support it?

At this point it looks like John Gruber is right. Flash is required to watch video.

Back To Windows

After seeing Paul Thurrott's Windows Everywhere article and John Gruber's response I have been wondering if Windows 8 will be Microsoft's version of Back to the Mac. In other words is the plan to take elements from the Windows Phone UI and add them to the Windows 8 UI. This is what could be the idea for the latest project code named Jupiter as discussed in Mary Jo Foley's article More on Microsoft 'Jupiter'.

Windows Phone 7 looks like a good start and in the same way that the Mac App Store is adding to the appeal of the Mac. A Windows App Store with Silverlight/Phone 7 like applications could energize Windows development which certainly could do with some excitement.