tysonjennings

I have an iPad and web apps suck on it too. What is your benchmark for good performance? I'm being serious as I'd love to be able to have a legitimate mobile outlet for high performance web applications.

"That's no different from using HTML5+JavaScript against browser specific APIs"

Sure it is if those browsers are cross-platform. I doubt the Windows 8 APIs are cross platform.

"web applications to first-class citizens alongside the native apps. Android fails at this pretty badly"

Android isn't "failing" at something that it isn't trying to do. Web apps generally suffer from low performance when trying to do anything moderately complex on a mobile device. If you must use web technology to create apps on Android, there is webView in the sdk for you. Many web apps that have tons of users like Google Maps, Pandora, etc. have native apps that are actually performant, follow UI conventions, and have access to all the APIs.

I think you might be missing the point. Android does a great job of integrating data from the cloud with the operating system. An example is the Google Music player streams your music from the cloud and integrates the player controls with Android on the lockscreen, in the widget, in the status bar etc. The demo video from Canonical shows this kind of integration with last.fm. Nobody is saying Android or Ubuntu is perfect or whatever but there are similarities to what Android does and what Canonical is doing here.

Do you really think the management at that Burger King are that stupid? Put yourself in their position. Say you get this picture. First you don't take it seriously then you look at it and recognize the employee as the lady at the BK in question did. Then you figure out who was working at the time, get a look at the lettuce containers (do they match the picture?) So on and so forth. It isn't too hard to put the whole scenario together and tell if it is real or not.

That's a pretty worthless example with nothing to compare it against. Had the developers released it on iOS or Android and had more success on Windows Phone then you would have an argument otherwise you really don't.

"The choice they made was that we need not shoehorn interfaces into desktop or touch categories."

Imposing a touch centric UI onto traditional desktops is the very definition of shoehorning.

"Why not be able to touch your laptop?"

Having a touch interface doesn't magically confer touchscreen hardware. Most laptops will not be touchscreen as this means additional cost.

"Android is the one that didn't make a choice and simply copied Apple in this regard."

Apple did not invent the grid of icons concept. At best they imitated designs that came before them and Android imitated the imitator. It made a lot of sense at the time considering the iPhone was in the middle of running away with the market compared to traditional smartphone interfaces like the Blackberry, Palm, Symbian, and Windows Mobile.

It's just like how Ballmer came out recently railing about how no stone would be left unturned competing with Apple and how MS responded to Linux in the early netbook era. For a global tech company these days you cede nothing. No matter how insignificant Bing may be compared to Google in actuality that doesn't mean Google can afford to go to sleep for a second and they won't.

"They bought their way into search via the Yahoo deal."

That has only really bore fruit in the US though. MS have less than 5 percent share of search worldwide.

"Google bought their way into search by paying firefox"

Google actually had a larger share of the search market prior to the Firefox deal.

Have you considered the possibility that Schmidt the man actually believes that Bing is competitive with Google and sees this as something to rally against? How is that lying* and spinning? I would consider an executive to be remiss to arrogantly assume that their product is better no matter what. The fact that Schmidt isn't slamming the Bing effort and is actually offering praise should be seen as a good thing. Which CEO was it that laughed at the iPhone when it was released? You seem to be consumed by hate.

*recoiledsnake originally had the word "lying" in his comment. I just noticed he edited that out.

Google Docs has both of the shortcuts you mention working correctly and many more so it is definitely possible.

Exactly right and one of the main things I missed about Ubuntu on my desktop over Android on my Xoom was Android's seamless integration of "cloud" data and the operating system. In comparison desktop OSs feel like a collection of silos. I'm very excited about the future of Ubuntu and am beginning to think that Canonical actually do "get it".

Wouldn't have happened had they not wasted 6 billion on aQuantive trying to buy their way into search. Google paddled that bottom.

"Bing may be losing money but if MS keeps it in place, it will be able to capture search if Google just happens to seriously stumble somehow."

Really? That's all they have to do, huh. Wait for Google to stumble.

"MS has an indefinite stream of nearly guaranteed money from the Windows/Office franchise."

Let me paint this picture for you: http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bs?s=msft+Balance+Sheet&annua...

Microsoft net tangible assets: 43B

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bs?s=goog+Balance+Sheet&annua...

Google net tangible assets: 49B

Google is not Netscape or Novell or anybody else that Microsoft can just execute incompetently against and "wait out". Not to mention the fact that "Bing" is just the latest rebranding of MS' search attempts going back many years so they have been waiting for Google to stumble for a while. And if you think Bing is even on the same plane of existence as Google search you are severely deluded.

It warms my heart to see a thriving groupthink osmotically reproduce and grow.

"Where are your studies that show that black children that grow up in actual middle class homes in non-impoverished communities do substantially worse than their white counter parts? By your position they should be as illiterate as those in deep poverty.

This is a key point. You are completely dismissing environmental factors.

You're just a racist"

I'm going to stop quoting right there because you are mistaken. Only in your own absurd caricature of me that you've created do I completely discount environmental factors. Of course children of any race, all things being equal, will statistically thrive better in a stable environment. That doesn't discount hereditary factors though which are also very important. There are lots of rigorous scientific studies that support the existence of hereditary intelligence and that it is typically lower in blacks. I realize there is a certain amount of "controversy" among psychometrists in the area of white vs black intellect but a great deal of it is political and manufactured. People like you that scream "racist blah blah" are the ones that stunt science and progress but go on and make me out to be your boogeyman and twist my words how you want so that you don't have to consider what I'm saying. Whatever makes you feel better, buddy.

"What utter racist drivel is this?"

Yes, I'm expecting some real intelligent debate outta this one.

"In a later comment you get upset by someone equating your position with thinking intelligence with economic status but you are clearly making such a claim here."

I see just like the other guy reading comprehension isn't your strong point.

"do you know how Haiti become populated with all those people? Are familiar with this idea called the slave trade?"

Slavery and colonialism ended in Haiti a long time ago but lets keep making excuses. Have you considered the possibility that using historical happenings as a crutch might be part of the reason real progress isn't being made in Haiti? What if the Asians who suffered on the railroads in 19th century US made the same types of excuses? What about Indians that suffered under British rule? Kurds in Iraq? And on and on.

I'm sorry, I'm done with debating you idiots for one day. This has become a time sink into collective delusion and willful ignorance. Buh bye.

I never said they didn't execute. Nice strawman though.

You disagree with my statements now you're my own personal stalker? Resorting to some kind of mob mentality group think to rally support when rhetorical skills fail you is...weak. I can't help but notice that at least at this moment this is your only comment on this story so you don't even care about the subject at hand you just wanted to get a jibe in against me. You don't need a "killfile", you need help.

"You asserted that black people are of lower intelligence than other groups"

I didn't "assert" anything. I pointed out that statistically speaking blacks are intellectually inferior. Sans statistics, yes, that would be an assertion but the statistics exist and are voluminous. Do your own research though as I'm not your professor.

"clearly are racist"

I'm not sure where you got that from. Maybe my use of the word "inferior". I'm sorry that word has a negative connotation as I meant it as prosaically as possible. Of course, when you can't argue marginalize, right?

At the risk of sounding like a hypocrite I've had more intelligent discussion with my 2 year old nephew.

"Of course, you could just flame him as others are doing. Might be better to just downvote and ignore (as many are as well)."

Yep, in the absence of actual argument just marginalize. I'm sure you feel much better now.

"Nah, I just think you're a douchebag and felt like being snarky."

I see you're an arrogant prick in addition to the mental midgetry. Don't forget to keep those defenses up in the future. Don't argue intelligently. Seek to marginalize your opponent. That'll make you feel better. :)

This is a web forum not a dissertation. Do your own research.

You think you're being clever by mocking me? Just for the record the people that believe themselves the most clever are the ones least qualified to make the judgement.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

I don't care if Apple directly aped the LG Prada or not but do not come in here thinking you can fool people into believing that Apple just innovated the modern smartphone out of thin air. It didn't happen. The fact that similar looking phones to the iPhone hit the market first should give you a clue to that.

"One photo is not a demo."

So, now we are just degenerating to ye olde "No True Scotsman" defense. Face it, dude. Apple imitated and you fell for it. You've been told now crawl away with some dignity.

So you think the LG Prada was designed and produced in a weekend?

Why lie, man? Just to "prove" some point? The iPhone was first demoed by Steve Jobs in January of 2007, the LG Prada was demoed in December of 2006.

So your argument is that Samsung is imitating an imitator. Excuse me while I don't care.

"New studies are increasingly showing that it is much, much, more influenced by environment."

Let me translate: we have a socially responsible conclusion now let's design a study that produces it.

"This isn't reddit, so nobody can downvote you."

When you get karma over 150, you will see a little arrow pointing down next to each comment.

"You know what you said was offensive, but you probably don't know that what you said is completely, absolutely scientifically inaccurate."

Have fun deluding yourself.

"I could answer this with data, but instead I'll be anecdotal."

Of course you'll be anecdotal. I would expect no less.

"My best friend"

Bored already.