links for 2010-06-04: iPhone to Android switch; Open standard, but only in Safari; AT&T Data Pricing

• So You Want to Switch to Android…One Man’s iPhone to Nexus One Migration - Stephen makes the switch and shares his thoughts.
  
• Only Apple can do open standards, apparently - This is laughable.  Yes, HTML5 is fairly new and so it is still being fully implemented in browsers, but Chrome and Firefox have been near or at the lead in those implementations so demonstrating and open standard but requiring Safari kind of defeats the purpose.
  
• AT&T's data plan pricing: Bringing confusion back to the game - It may be confusing, but I check my usage and it was actually quite low due to being on WiFi most of the time.  But I haven't been traveling much so it may be artificially low.
  

links for 2010-06-01: Apple pulled previously approved apps; Primer on "HTML5"

• It's Groundhog (Software) day again as Apple rejects already-approved app - This is what is really frustrating, an app that was approved being pulled with no recourse or direction on what to change.  "The problem lies, absolutely, in the shifting goalposts of Apple's rules on what it is going to allow on its platform."
  
• A HTML Primer for the Overwhelmed - Not sure what exactly HTML5 is (and isn't)?  This is a good read and introduces the "HTML5 Family".

links for 2010-05-12: Apple update for iPad WiFi woes; Flash not a CPU hog?; Microsoft responds regarding HTML5/H.264; Rich Green CTO at Nokia; Oracle Office; Adaptive PaaS

• Apple Plans Software Update For iPad WiFi Woes - Adjust your screen brightness to solve WiFi issues?
  
• Top Flash Misperceptions : Flash is a CPU Hog - Hopefully the performance issues on Mac are addresed with the API access, but a related issue (to me at least) is that Flash is now used in places it isn't needed so its performance compared to HTML5 is accurate at times.
  
• Microsoft responds to questions about stance on HTML5/H.264 - Not that this will end the debate, but interesting to see Microsoft respond as I don't expect Steve Jobs to issue a followup to his remarks.  Read Ed Bott's analysis.
• Rich Green Nokia's new CTO - I was wondering where he might end up.
• Oracle Office on sale - A lot cheaper than Microsoft Office for sure, but now a perpetual license not a subscription like it was under Sun.
• Adaptive PaaS - Interesting thought on what PaaS needs to do to gain momentum.

links for 2010-05-03: Apple/Adobe debate brings in Microsoft; More on HP/Palm; iPhone envy erased by Droid Incredible; iPad reaches 1M sold

• IE9 HTML5 Video Will Be H264 Only - Microsoft supporting H264 (they are part of MPEG LA so that's natural) but don't seem to be quite as opposed to Flash as Apple.
  
• Mobile is the New Desktop: The HP/Palm Q&A - Stephen's take on the acquisition.  Also see Cote's and James' to complete the RedMonk trifecta.
  
• HP: Is it spreading itself too thin in the IT wars? - They do cover a lot of different areas now.  Too much?
  
• Top 10 ways the Droid Incredible killed my iPhone envy - The author has given up waiting for the iPhone on Verizon and it appears for good reason.
  
• Apple sells 1M iPads in 28 days - But there is still ample demand for the iPad it would seem.

HTML5 in Action; Plugin-free video and browser geolocation

I mentioned HTML5 in my links entry from yesterday and reading about what is coming is great, but seeing some of it in action is even better.  So I've created a few examples of a couple new features that I describe below.

The first is the ability to have video in web-pages without requiring any plug-ins.  This is done with the new <video> element, an example of which can be viewed below or here which happens to show Galen Rupp going sub-4:00 earlier this year.  But take a look at the source of that page and see how simple it is:

<video src="RuppMile.ogv" controls/>

Isn't that easier than relying on plugins and or much more complicated HTML that has to download and use Flash?

Now, a few caveats are that (to my knowledge) this only works in Firefox 3.5 and Safari 4 and the video has to be in Ogg Theora, Ogg Vorbis, or WAV format.  The Ogg media formats are not patent encumbered like other formats are so look for their growth and adoption to increase.  Learn more about it here.

The second is the use of some geolocation APIs that are not part of HTML5.  This can open a whole host of possibilities for applications to take advantage of location and deliver innovative applications for consumers.  I've created a simple example that uses the information provided to create a Google map centered on your location.  Try it here.

The source for this is a little more complicated due to the Javascript and use of Google's APIs but it boils down to the following:

navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition(showPosition);

function showPosition(position) {
var latLong = position.coords.latitude + ',' + position.coords.longitude;
document.getElementById('latLong').value = latLong;
loadPage();
}

The first line of code registers a method to be called when the location is known and when that method is called it can retrieve the coordinates and do with it what it wants.  In my case I load the map.

Again, this requires Firefox 3.5 where it uses a service to get your location from your IP address which is somewhat accurate, or you can use Safari on your iPhone which tends to be much more accurate with its cell tower triangulation and GPS capabilities.

Grab Firefox 3.5 and start giving HTML5 a try!

Galen Rupp video requiring no Flash, Silverlight, or other plugin!