I really, really hope Apple is planning on exposing maps on the web to desktop users this way. It would actually give us some real alternatives to Google Maps.

Twitter said today after announcing their new API, that developers “should not build client apps that mimic or reproduce the mainstream Twitter consumer client experience” and “any developer who creates an app must work with Twitter and as that app becomes more popular — especially if it’s a "traditional” 3rd party client — Twitter’s rules give the company more leverage over how that app will work.“

You know what that means? 3rd-party applications will have to display Twitter sanctioned ads or essentially cease to exist. Desperate cry for money by forcing revenue to flow into their own accounts? I think so. By taking away the ability to get rid of ads in 3rd-party apps, many developers won’t have motivation to invest in building them anymore.

It gets worse, too.

Developers who create apps that perform traditional 3rd party Twitter client functions (like Tweetbot) will be limited to...

It appears that Nokia and Microsoft are planning on launching a new line of Lumia devices. That’s right, devices. I’m willing to bet that Nokia announces both a new Lumia handset, featuring Windows Phone 8, and then, they announce a Windows 8 tablet.

Since Microsoft pulled the rug from under Nokia with the Surface, I suspect that they’re doing the announcement together (and it’ll be the first WinRT device) to appease some of that. However, I doubt that Nokia will announce pricing or solid dates yet, since Windows Phone 8 hasn’t even hit ‘gold’ yet and isn’t supposed to until the end of September. The SDK isn’t even out yet.

What I’m worried about is why they feel the need to make an announcement like this (before Apple) if they aren’t ready to go to market with a device. If they announce “Holiday 2012” and don’t say anything more, Apple is going to steal their thunder on September...

This morning, I enthusiastically downloaded the Windows 8 RTM (Release to Manufacturing) bits and wiped my computer to install them. It’s clear from the outset that Microsoft has been working pretty hard to resolve issues with the previous preview releases, but whilst it’s a ‘polished product’ right now, it definitely doesn’t have that complete feel that I’ve felt previously. That said, it’s come a long, long way from where it was just a few months ago.

The Good

Despite a lack of final polish, the product feels a lot more useful than before, thanks to a combination of small tweaks that have really made usability better.

Metro’s new color options and crazy-patterned wallpapers make it pop a little more, and is more visually appealing. The fact that there’s actually high-resolution icons for normal applications just feel better. The desktop improvements are incredible (Seriously, I...

If this is really true – and I hope it is – it shows how desperate Microsoft is for market share in the tablet PC land grab, and how much of the company’s future is hinging on this. It’s all or nothing, and would position them perfectly against Google and Amazon, but could leave a significant hole in Microsoft’s pocket.

It’s a sentiment that I’ve repeated over and over again on Twitter, much to the dismay of some of my Windows-cuddling followers, but it’s also one that I find hard to explain to those firmly entrenched in the ‘Windows 8 is the future’ camp.

I have a Windows 8 device. I have a iPad. I prefer the iPad. Why? Because the applications I have there are far more immersive and well-built that it just feels smoother. I’m sure it’s all down to personal preference, but I’ve finally figured out what it is that bothers me.

‘Modern UI’ applications feel like web pages.

Not only that, they feel like side scrolling web pages. Maybe it’s something that can be resolved over time, maybe it can’t, but of all the applications in the store I can’t find a single one that feels as smooth (or as native) as one does on iOS or Android.

Take Metrotwit, for example. It doesn’t really feel like an...

This game looks fantastic - a cross between Minecraft and tower defence. It appears to bring an actual interesting component to the original Minecraft game and expands on it well; and from the looks of the video the development is a fair way along!

I backed them, so should you.

In a world of Instagram, Hipstamatic and the iPhone, will anyone remember how to use a real camera in ten years? Do they actually realize how much blood, sweat and tears go into creating a beautiful photo?

The convenience and quality of the iPhone camera is arguably too good now, meaning young people don’t understand the pain of film. Do you remember losing a roll because you didn’t mount it right? I do. They will likely never experience that, meaning photos don’t have the same value.

We live in a time where giving something your attention is almost as valuable as giving them your money. Attention is sparse. In the time between this post being started and published, I have checked numerous blogs, Twitter, Facebook, replied to text messages and talked to people in the real world. Each of those things probably only took but a few seconds of my time, but because it was shared amongst so many tasks, I couldn’t spare much more than that.

James Shelley notes that “in 1971 that Herbert Simon suggested that “a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention,” and this is becoming increasingly evident in the world we currently live in. Information is consistently available at our fingertips – some of it useful, some of it useless – and we are literally consuming it without swallowing.

Instead of possessing knowledge, we task our smartphones with knowing the answer for...

An example of the ‘Modern UI’ from 1920.

How stupid does Microsoft really think everyone is? People out there might think that the naming convention doesn’t matter, but it does. It causes unnecessary confusion changing it around and making all these outrageous claims so close to going to market. Then we end up with great titles that have been run through ‘find and replace’ like this gem:

“Building a Windows 8 Modern UI-Style UI”

Maybe it’s time to fire all of Microsoft’s PR people. Lying to developers (and making them feel like you think they are stupid) isn’t the greatest way to motivate them to build great applications.