From Electronista:

Microsoft revealed the pressure it feels from the iPad today as it has posted an open call on Facebook for a study of iPad owners. The Windows developer’s User Research team hopes to have two-hour focus groups at its campus between July 16 and July 21 asking owners how they use the Apple tablet. It didn’t provide any particular clues as to the direction of the research.

While I was home visiting my parents a few weeks ago, my father unearthed another gem from his archives – the manual from my grandmother’s 1963 Ford Fairlane.
There was a brief moment back when my grandmother still drove, that I got to ride in this vehicle. I still remember the red vinyl seats that my legs would stick to when I was in shorts.
When she moved out of Queens and in with us in New Jersey I asked my father if we could put the Fairlane in our driveway. He said no because unfortunately the engine had seized. It was beyond repair.

Google: Taking off with ITA

Today, almost half of all airline tickets are sold online. But for many people, finding the right flight at the best price is a frustrating experience; pricing and availability change constantly, and even a simple two city itinerary involves literally thousands of different options. We’d like to make that search much easier, which is why I’m pleased to announce that today we have signed an agreement to acquire ITA, a Boston-based software company specializing in organizing airline data, including flight times, availability and prices.

It’s getting scary how hungry Google is for information. It seems there’s never an industry they it doesn’t make sense to be in for Google. Search, news, email, maps, office applications, blogs, video, web browsers and most recently, their own competitor to Facebook. Check out their product page.
When you get as big as Google is getting, staying true to the don’t be evil mantra is impossible.

MacNN: Nokia exec “obsessed” with retaking lead from Apple, Google

Nokia’s new Mobile Solutions head Anssi Vanjoki today launched a renewed effort to improve Nokia’s standing in smartphones. He acknowledged that the company had lost its technical lead but said he was “obsessed” with getting the company back to the top spot.

I’d recommend he become obsessed with designing a great product, not “getting back on top”. If he does that, he might find his company in a better position in the market.
There’s room in the market for more than iPhones and Androids. I’d love to see Nokia get their mobile act together, but I’m not confident they can.

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