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Square kills the need for NFC with virtual "tabs" and Card Case {TUAW.com}
May 23rd 2011 3:36PM I think the headline should read "Square WANTS TO kill the need for NFC with..."
This is a far cry from actually being competitive with NFC. The idea of NFC is to be able to tap your phone to a reader and then have it give you (in a standardized interface for security) the cost on your phone so you can authorize it ideally with additional security (PIN, gesture, face, whatever based).
NFC, if implemented properly, will add much greater security to in-person transactions. Criminals would not be able to skim payment data since your phone would generate a secure authorized payment key for each individual transaction that could never be used again.
What Square is proposing is essentially the opposite of the promise of NFC and will remove security from transactions that we currently have with plastic cards. If you already have a Square tab/card setup with a vendor then you have only passive security and would be notified of any potential fraudulent transaction after it occurs rather than having active security with NFC and being able to authorize or deny a transaction before it hits.
That said, I don't think any of that is the biggest flaw in their proposal. The absolute biggest flaw is this only works for places you go to frequently, making it useless and an additional burden for the 25% of transactions where you may only go to a given vendor once for something particular. How do you specify if you want a business to have a tab open or not - or even be able to predict whether you will return and if it's worth your time.
Plus, how many times do the clerks at coffee shops or wherever mess up your name when you tell them? I don't like the idea of having to spell out my name to a cashier every time I make a purchase.
What do you want to see in the next Final Cut Studio? {TUAW.com}
Apr 7th 2011 1:36PM Project sharing functionally similar to Avid Unity but faster and with less odd cross-project/user settings bugs. If they only add one new feature, this should be it. Otherwise Final Cut will remain the "almost-but-not-quite" competitor to Avid for professional editorial departments.
Chevy Volt dealer markup pushes buyer to reserve Nissan Leaf {Autoblog Green}
Mar 3rd 2011 1:09PM My folks ordered their Volt (for MSRP) the same week I ordered my LEAF in October 2010. Their Volt was supposed to be in their hands last week, but due to a logistical mix-up is currently in Utah on it's way to Southern California and should be here early next week. My LEAF, which I had originally reserved on April 20th, 2010, is supposed to be delivered in the "month of May 2011". I would not be in the least bit surprised to see that slip to June. Keep in mind also that there was no advance reservation system for the Volt. The advance reservation for the LEAF was one of the big selling points Nissan had in terms of the purchasing experience of the car.
GM is doing a better job than Nissan at putting cars into peoples hands for a reasonable price. If you're willing to wait, you can very easily get a Volt for MSRP as long as you order it. Nissan's production delays (or rather, prioritization delays due to the Japanese market) may end up costing them the sale as the details of the Ford Focus Electric will likely be out before I purchase the LEAF, and should those details be attractive I'll just wait for the Ford. You should not have to wait well over a hear from the time of reservation for a car that Nissan touts as being the first mass-market electric vehicle. I think Tesla could probably produce and deliver cars faster than Nissan, at this point.
Report: Mitsubishi official says Evo franchise is dead {Autoblog}
Mar 2nd 2011 1:03PM I'm all for electric vehicles, I'm a card carrying member of plug-in america with a "dump the pump" license plate surround on the back of my Prius, but I think this is a colossally silly idea. Why can't EVs/hybrids coexist with cool and fun sports cars? Why can't they co-mingle (like the idea of the hybrid Evo)? No other automaker is killing off their sporty cars because they want to make EVs. GM didn't discontinue Camaro or Corvette production to make the Volt.
Of course, this may speak more to Mitsubishi's financial situation in that they cannot afford to keep both programs running and have opted for the path that is seeing large growth now and in the future. From a business perspective, that makes sense I suppose - but cars aren't all business, there's emotion involved too.
I don't really think this report is serious though, I just have a hard time believing Mitsubishi would kill off one of the most recognizable products in the company's history.
New Apple patent features video editing innovation and simplification {TUAW.com}
Nov 3rd 2010 3:55PM Hey cool! They've invented Avid's Digital Cut tool! I'm sure plenty of other systems have been able to do this for years too, even FCP.
The significance of this, however, is that Apple now has the patent for something we've been able to do forever yet for some reason hasn't ever been patented. I just took a look at the actual patent itself and it describes almost exactly how most digital tape interface systems (particularly Avid Digital Cut) work.
I wonder when they're going to ring up Avid et al and ask for a royalties cheque?
2011 Chevrolet Volt to be priced at $41,000, $350/month lease for 36 months {Autoblog Green}
Jul 27th 2010 4:40PM I'd like to point out that a 2010 Toyota Prius V with Advanced Technology Package MSRPs for $34,010. The Prius doesn't have nearly as many advanced features nor does it have a plug. If you compare the Volt to the Prius, the Volt is a bargain.
Those two mystery Tesla prototypes for Toyota? Bloomberg says RAV4 and Lexus RX {Autoblog}
Jul 12th 2010 6:47PM True, part of that tech is used in the Prius. Which further begs the question - why do they need Tesla to do it for them when they've advanced the Prius so far. Don't get me wrong, I'm a Tesla fan and I own stock in them so it's good for Tesla - but I also own a Prius and it just seems like this is something Toyota should have been able to pull off themselves. I guess Tesla must have some very clever tricks up their sleeve.
Those two mystery Tesla prototypes for Toyota? Bloomberg says RAV4 and Lexus RX {Autoblog}
Jul 12th 2010 6:35PM Yeesh. Toyota has lost their mind. Or at least they've lost their engineering minds. They made one of the best production EVs of all time, and it was an electric RAV4 no less. Now they need to outsource the very thing they did in house 15 years ago?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_RAV4_EV
Is the iPhone 4 having proximity sensor troubles? {Engadget}
Jun 29th 2010 1:04PM I've been having this problem from day one on the iPhone 4. Never had an issue on my iPhone 3G which I've had for two years or on friends' 2G/3GS iPhones. My iPhone 4 will go on speakerphone, end calls, and try to add people to a call who are in my favourites list. Some people suggested "Reset All Settings" from the General > Reset menu and I think it helped but it doesn't seem to have fixed it completely as I'm still getting wacky speakerphone enable/disables.
Say what? Plug-in Prius can't charge additional battery packs on the fly {Autoblog Green}
May 13th 2010 8:42PM I have a 2007 Prius and I do run in to situations where I have filled the battery via regen and start throwing away the extra braking energy. I live in the greater LA area so I do encounter some long hilly roads. One hill on the commute to a former job would fill up the battery about 1/3 of the way down.
It seems just plain dumb that Toyota would not let you regen the entire battery capacity of the vehicle. How hard could it be? It's one of those "duh" things that makes me wonder how Toyota will be able to compete in the new world of plug ins.
