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Augmented reality showing us stuff that’s not there

Soon we won’t know the difference When augmented reality (AR) was first introduced isn’t clear. (Damn, that’s such a great pun.) But seriously folks, the idea of AR is pretty old, and can be traced ...

Everyone is a fortune teller

Want a prediction? Just touch the web. The future is clear as day to me so I've decided that in 2013, I will just stay home. I know that mobile is going to be big, ...

The value of the AIB market

Too bad about that PC dying and all that—I guess it just outlived its usefulness or maybe lost its sex appeal, or maybe—the emperor isn’t wearing any clothes. But with the PC being dead and ...

Sources, soothsayers, and sibyls

As long as you say “sources say” or “as heard,” you can say almost anything. My favorite recent one was Apple dumping Intel. Sources say that because Apple is dumping Intel, Paul O, was told ...

A new modality surfaces–But more pixels are needed

Using a tablet for serious productivity tasks like writing a report, creating a slide set, or working on a dense spreadsheet can’t be done comfortably or efficiently on a less than a 13-inch screen and ...

Multitasking, seeing more, and distraction–Or is it?

As some of you know, I am fond of saying the more you can see, the more you can do. It’s not only Peddie’s 2nd law, it’s true. Likewise, I’ve ranted more than once about ...

Whatya got? And how many?

If you are a regular sufferer of this page, then you’ve heard me rant on (and on) about the misconception that tablets and phones are killing off PCs. My position has been, and is, that ...

What can’t your personal companion do—for you? It depends on your age and budget

When your personal companion has almost every sensor imaginable and always-connected capability, what it can do is only limited by your imagination and the imaginations of the applications developers. A scenario recently suggested by ARM ...

Lifer–The game companies want us in chains

Developing a good AAA first or third-person game is expensive, takes a long time, and is tricky as hell to get right. You’ve got to have great (not just good) art; a really good, compelling ...

The arrival of the ASD–One size doesn’t fit all—never did, never will

I have a 13-inch common screwdriver, and an 11-inch, an 8-inch, a 6-inch, and a 4-inch Phillips. I can’t use the 13-inch for jobs the 4-inch can do, nor can the 6-inch handle jobs designed ...

On being connected … and dependent

{image_1} You think it’s hot in the central U.S. and along the East Coast—that’s nothing compared to the surface of the Sun. A powerful sunstorm—associated with the second biggest solar flare of the current 11-year ...

New rules: There are no rules

Time was, Intel made chips, Microsoft made operating systems and other software products, and HP and Dell made computers and other associated products. Time was … Those times and the jolly relationships they spawned are ...