Who's Winning Today – Apple, Facebook or Google?
By Becky Lang
Apple
MAJOR WIN: The Flash vs. HTML5 battle seems to be coming to a close today, now that Adobe has released a beta version of Wallaby, software that converts Flash to HTML5. Grab it here.
BIZARRO APPLE: A new app called Situationist was just released that allows people to write down “situations” they desire as they go out and about, complimented with pictures. Basically, you can tell strangers what to come up and do to you. I like to think of it as the Grindr for (so they say) non-sexual scenarios. You could use it to organize a quiet flash mob or any other number of weird out-and-about pranks. I think it’s gonna be big.
APP LOVE: In the category of apps that are just plain neat, not bizarre or creepy, comes the 50 Greatest Photos of National Geographic app for iPad, which tells the stories of the scenarios in which the photos were taken. Looks worth $5 to me. Get it here.
BIG $$$$: Apple’s going to make so much money when the iPad 2 is released Friday. Are you getting one?
APPLE + MOVIES: Tech nerds this week finally asked the question, why do film trailers premiere on Apple all the time? Turns out that Apple made contracts with production houses long ago to demonstrate the quality of Quicktime, and the relationship has been so good that the premiering just never stopped. Aww.
Points (1-5):
TECH CRED: 2
COOLNESS: 4
KARMA: 3
OVERALL DOMINATION: 3
TOTAL: 12
ANDROID FTW: Android is now the most profitable platform for game developers, and … dun dun da dun … is now the #1 Smartphone OS in the country. Apple is still taking names in the app sector though.
SHORT ATTENTION SPANS: Instant preview is now mobile.
BROWSE BETTER: Google Chrome 10 is out now, no longer in Beta version. Hear it makes JavaScript 66% better, whatever that means. Get it here.
46664: Google is helping Nelson Mandela by donating $1.25 million to the Nelson Mandela Center of Memory. Karma points x 1,000.
TECH CRED: 4
COOLNESS: 3
KARMA: 4
OVERALL DOMINATION: 4
TOTAL: 15
Facebook:
3 STARS!!: Facebook is getting Angry Birds in May. Now my boyfriend will have yet another platform on which he insists on having 3 stars on every level.
FACEBOOK IN THE MOVIES … OR VICE VERSA: Starting Tuesday, Facebookers who are fans of “Dark Knight” by Christopher Nolan will be able to rent the film right on Facebook. Next, Facebook will figure out how to feed me popcorn, maybe?
ZUCKERPOOCH: The kind of press Mark Zuckerberg and girlfriend Priscilla Chan’s dog is getting is usually only reserved for the President’s puppy. This shows how big of royalty M.Z. has become in America. He’s like our Queen!
BE GONE, NASTY NAMELESS BROS: Facebook commenting has caused a significant decrease in nasty web comments by making people more accountable for what they say. Reading the news online just got less depressing.
TECH CRED: 2
COOLNESS: 4
KARMA: 3
OVERALL DOMINATION: 2
TOTAL: 11
The grand winner is Google! Congrats, you get the prize of feeling smug for the next 24 hours.