Signal 2 Noise

(micro) posts on our digital life...
 

Play Books more closed than iBook?

This morning I installed Google Play Books on my Android device. It 's quite obvious that Google is trying to create its own ecosystem that will be a viable alternative to Apple, so Google Books takes its place alongside Play Music, the Store, etc...

From my first impression, I'd say that I like the graphics, the rendering of the books is excellent - even on small screen (like my Xperia Ray) -  and the possibility to read a book everywhere using the browser (unlike Apple iBooks) is appreciable. Moreover, synchronization between devices is an added value.

Among the things that I do not like, I have to mention that there is no possibility to highlight text on your mobile device (or at least I'm not finding it!), and (most annoying) it seems to me that you can't upload your books, to be added to the library.

It 's the thing that leaves me more puzzled, because even Apple iBooks allows you to load books in ePub format (with no or Social DRM) in order to be addet to your library. I find this is a very a useful thing, and I am disappointed that you can not do it in Play Books (if there is, let me know, please!).

Definitively, it seems to me that you can only add books from Google Play Store.

Is Google getting more "closed" than Apple?

Filed under  //   Apple   Play Books   ebook   epub   google   iBook   
Posted May 8, 2012 by Marco Castellani 
 

A brief history of social networking

Social networking has a rather short history, but it appear indeed quite intriguing. A good picture by "Online Schools" summarize the main facts of this interesting adventure. As a matter of fact, I was not aware, till now, of the fact that the rate of twitting at the end of 2010 was so high....

 

The History of Social Networking

 


Via: Online Schools

Filed under  //   Twitter   facebook   history   networking   social  
Posted January 25, 2011 by Marco Castellani 
 

KDE November Updates

Media_httpkdeorgannou_fsdge
via kde.org

Yesterday the KDE team announced the release of a series of updates concerning the Plasma Desktop and Netbook workspaces, KDE Applications and KDE Platforms. In my humble opinion, this excellent desktop environment, notwithstanding its greatness, do suffer a lot for the minor attenction that Canonical - which maintain Ubuntu, the most diffused linux distribution - deserve to it, in respect to Gnome (i.e., Kubuntu is clearly not as much developed as Ubuntu). Even if, also Gnome team is somewhat angry with Ubuntu, given the programmed switch to Unity Desktop....

Filed under  //   KDE   Ubuntu   Unity   announcements   gnome   linux  
Posted November 4, 2010 by Marco Castellani 
 

Apple Discontinuing Java Installation Packages for Mac OS X?

Apple's developer documentation for its Java updates for Mac OS X released yesterday reveals that the company appears to be ceasing future distribution of its custom-ported Java packages.
via macrumors.com

For sure, Java deprecation is by no means something similar to Adobe Flash affair. It's importance - not only on web - but on modern computing, can't be overestimated. This uncertainty in such a critical issue is not good at all.

I work on the java code of ESA-Gaia upcoming mission. Many people scattered all around Europe, and many of us use a Mac. Let's hope we will not obliged to change OS soon...

Filed under  //   ESA   Flash   Gaia   java  
Posted October 23, 2010 by Marco Castellani 
 

Steve Jobs on Android's Fragmentation

Apple's CEO says that Android is fragmented and that the open vs. closed dilemma is not important as long as Apple's proprietary mobile operating system manages to provide a better user experience.
via googlesystem.blogspot.com

My point on this: Steve Jobs may be right; i.e., the iOS ecosystem is certainly less fragmented and more homogeneous. I have an iPod and I do appreciate it. That's right.

But what he forgot to tell you, is the price you pay for this self-consistance: namely, the reduced possibility of choice. You have a lot of different choices for Android, from budget to high priced devices (for me, I'm quite fine with a rather inexpensive HTC WildFire).

Conversely, not too many choices are left to you, if you want an iOS device: an iPhone. What else?

Filed under  //   Steve Jobs   Android   iOS   mobile  
Posted October 23, 2010 by Marco Castellani 
 

Apple iLife for Mac

"The bottom line: iLife '11 is a welcome, and long-overdue update to Apple's suite of digital media applications. This year's version adds a handful of advanced features to iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand without making them more difficult to use."

Nice review of the new version of iLife; anyway, I have already ordered my copy yesterday (today I received an email from Apple to let me aware my order was shipped.. very fast!)

Filed under  //   iLife   macos   software  
Posted October 22, 2010 by Marco Castellani 
 

Testing browsers on Mac OS X

Schermata_2010-10-22_a_13

From a quick and (admittedly) naive comparison between Firefox 3.6.11, Chrome 7.0.517.41 and Opera 11.00 alpha (all loading the same page), it seems clear that Firefox is still the most hungry of memory...

...anyway I'm too addicted to its extensions, to get rid of it! ;-)


Filed under  //   Firefox   Opera   browser   chrome   comparison   macos   memory  
Posted October 22, 2010 by Marco Castellani 
 

Ubuntu One Buzz

Schermata

Well it seems that Ubuntu One is moving its first step into the social web; you can easily obtain a link for the song you're listening to. At variance with Apple's Ping, in Ubuntu One you can propagate this link to the (social) web, via all the services you've already set up in your microblogging client Gwibber. Far better than to have all inside iTunes only!

Oh, and as a nice surplus, you find your messages on Ubuntu One front page too. As an example, you can find on that web page a few of my recent played songs (user @mcastel)
;-)


Filed under  //   Buzz   Ping   Ubuntu   linux   music   social   web2.0  
Posted October 21, 2010 by Marco Castellani 
 

Mark Shuttleworth talks Project Harmony, Unity, Windicators and more

I do love the kubuntu community, and spend what some would consider an unreasonable amount on doing certain things twice but there is no philanthropic benefit to having TWO free desktops out there, that won’t help more folks embrace free software neither is there much commercial benefit in having two free desktops.
via omgubuntu.co.uk

Great interview with Mark Shuttleworth, spanning a great range of related topics (from Kubuntu to Canonical and business models, not disregarding interesting motivational considerations... "Anyway, what matters to me is that our users are delighted")

Filed under  //   Shuttleworth   Ubuntu   interview   linux  
Posted October 20, 2010 by Marco Castellani 
 

Apple.com reveals iLife upgrade, reaffirms MacBook Air refresh ..

A little bit of URL manipulation has revealed separate forums for a new iMovie '11, iPhoto '11, and GarageBand '11, all three of which are core components of the iLife suite, leading us to go ahead and presume that Steve Jobs will be discussing an iLife '11 later today.
via engadget.com

Yes, the fact that Apple follow a "closed" business model gave us this environment, in which "fans" are forced to run after deep investigations in order to understand what's going to happen next. I understand that it's a part of Apple strategy, as a whole (and I am an Apple customers too).

Anyway I can't help but notice the difference with the Ubuntu roadmap.. in which you're not forced to run after unconfirmed rumors, but you find all under the Sun...

Filed under  //   Apple   Ubuntu   rumors  
Posted October 20, 2010 by Marco Castellani