The 463: Inside Tech

Comparing Apples to Berries

(Sara Plotkin) Let’s face it, most people are either on team iPhone or team Blackberry. Users are loyal to their brand and somewhat competitive with one another. Monday’s announcement of the Blackberry PlayBook, a brand new tablet device, is the next step for RIM in keeping up with Apple’s innovation. While it’s true that many Blackberry users are proud owners of iPads, iPods, and Macbooks it will be interesting to see if they invest in the PlayBook as Blackberry builds its product line-up.

Starting with specs, the PlayBook measures smaller at 5.1” x 7.6” x .4” compared to the iPad at 9.56” x 7.47” x .5”. The PlayBook enables Adobe Flash and is equipped with dual cameras, two features the iPad was criticized for missing. RIM intends to offer a 3G and 4G version of the PlayBook in the future, while the iPad is currently available in 3G or Wi-Fi. Blackberry smart phones will be compatible with the PlayBook, syncing everything from email to calendars to Blackberry Messenger (BBM). Much of Blackberry’s recent advertising has focused on BBM, the one strong feature they still hold over the iPhone. Both tablets have audio and video playback, as well as 1Ghz processor.

The PlayBook is the most recent product from Blackberry that directly competes with an existing Apple device. The Storm, Blackberry’s iPhone rival, released to disappointing numbers and reviews in 2008. Comparing Apples to Berries the PlayBook stands to be a threat to the iPad and other tablet products when it’s released in early 2011.

PAGING JOHN THOMPSON

(Tom Galvin) Two years into President Obama’s term, and things have gotten a bit awkward for the President and the business community. Impressed by his intellect and vision, lots of would-be Republican business leaders jumped on board in 2008. Now, two years later, well, things aren’t going so well. And no industry is probably more disappointed than the tech industry, which came in with the highest expectations. After all, Obama was young, hip and relied on technology to win the election.
 
It all started well, but between federal intervention, regulation and now the issue of tax repatriation, there is a sinking feeling that the Administration just doesn’t get it. Part of that is frustration with a team of wonks and academics has left the business community with the sense that there is no one really in the White House who ever had to actually run a business (it’s a lot different than that MBA program, after all).
 
So, that gets us to John Thompson. Two years ago Thompson, the former CEO of Symantec, was up for the top job at Commerce. He didn’t get it, maybe cause he was just a little too successful at making money (God forbid!).
 
Now Obama is in the soup and he’s about to do “Take Two” on his economic team. He’d be really smart to call John Thompson back, and maybe another ex-CEO or two, and ask them to come to Washington They’ve been in the business of creating jobs, so its not just a theoretical exercise for them. And if Meg Whitman’s California race doesn’t pan out like she hopes, maybe she’d be a good person to call as well.
 
The bottom line is about the bottom line: Americans like hope, but they need jobs. And it’s time for Obama to start bringing in job experts onto his team. Calling John Thompson would be a good start.

Happy Steve Jobs Day

Sept. 16, 1985: Steve Jobs Quits Apple
Sept. 16, 1997: Steve Jobs Rejoins Apple

(Whitney Forster) - In an interesting historical coincidence, Wired's "This Day in Tech" reveals that Steve Jobs quit and rejoined Apple on the same day - Sept. 16.

On Sept. 16, 1985, Jobs resigned as chairman of the company he founded with Steve Wozniak, Apple Computer. He did this after losing a battle for control of the company with then-CEO John Sculley (who Jobs had recruited from Pepsi).

After a 12-year absence and ventures both wildly successful (Pixar) and less successful (NeXT), Jobs returned to Apple as interim CEO (or iCEO) on Sept. 16, 1997.

And the rest, as they say, is history!

Election Day Roundup!

(Whitney Forster) - It’s (primary) election day, and even though the big races in November are still months away, a few stories have the electorate buzzing.

First up, the story everyone’s talking about - drama in Delaware! Tea Party-backed Christine O’Donnell overtakes Republican Party-chosen candidate, Mike Castle, in the state’s Senate Primary.

Officially, O’Donnell received a tepid hug from Republicans. “Let there be no mistake: The National Republican Senatorial Committee – and I personally as the committee’s chairman – strongly stand by all of our Republican nominees, including Christine O’Donnell in Delaware,” said Senator John Cornyn.

But Karl Rove attacked Ms. O’Donnell, calling her unfit for office. “There’s just a lot of nutty things she’s been saying that just simply don’t add up.”

In House news, New York City’s 30-year political veteran, Charlie Rangel, cruised to victory despite facing 13 counts of violating House rules and federal laws and facing a formal House trial to decide his fate. Only in New York!

Here in the District, the Post details the reasons Mayor Adrian Fenty lost his mayoral bid to D.C. City Council Chairman Vincent Gray. The article outlines how Fenty “ignored warnings, shut out confidantes and began to listen only when the race was all but lost”. Personally, what stands out to me was the national scolding Fenty received over his handling of “Snowmageddon” 2010. 

In a final bit of election news, and as a follow-up to yesterday’s post, Meg Whitman has wrested the big spender title from Mike Bloomberg for a new record in political ad spending. 

 

Political Ad Season

(Whitney Forster) - Can you feel the fall chill in the air? One week from Labor Day and the leaves are starting to turn, which also means that the political ad season is upon us once again.

Yesterday the New York Times reported that far from running on their record, most Democrats are running away from the Democratic party altogether. It’s hard to imagine the ad meeting that went, “You know how we can beat the Republicans? Let’s pretend we’re not Democrats!” (Remember that strategy meeting on Mad Men where in order to give Richard Nixon a boost over JFK, they bought up air time in undecided states for laxative ads, making those spots unavailable to the Kennedy people? Perhaps that could be Plan B.)

In other news, what would a political ad season be without a scandal? In California, Meg Whitman is running a now infamous attack ad aimed at Jerry Brown based on an inaccurate CNN report from 1992. And to make matters more interesting, guess where the CNN reporter who made the error is now? That would be Brooks Jackson, who heads FactCheck.org, and who issued his explanation on the site’s blog.

On the bright side, all of this ad fun turns out to be good for the economy! Spending on ads is at near record levels.

What $1 Buys You: Old Media Bargain Hunting

Katie Hallen -- When news broke Sidney Harman reportedly agreed to purchase Newsweek for $1.00 from The Washington Post Company in exchange for assuming its debts, it gave me pause - what else can you purchase for a buck these days? 

Well, apparently, The Washington Times (the family of the Rev. Moon regained control of the paper for $1.00 and debt).

Let us know if you've discovered any old media (or new media) steals across the Beltway. In the meantime, we present our dollar store shopping list:

 

The Washington Times ... $1.00

Newsweek ... $1.00

One episode of Man Men ... $1.89 with Amazon season pass

One Facebook credit toward buying a game or app ... $1.00

Altoids Peppermint Mints ... $1.99

Six gigabites of storage for one month on Google ... $1.02

One used copy of William Gibson's sci-fi classic Neuromancer ... $1.00 on eBay

One packet of Ramen noodles ... $1.00

One ride on Metrobus paying in cash ... $1.70

CNN app for iPhone ... $0.99

One tattered sofa spotted for sale outside Georgetown student housing ... $1.00

Seven premium 4x6 prints at Kodak Gallery .... $1.05