the tablet war is heating up

[Felon]

Windows over the cloud could be what us tablet owners will get. Check out the "Onlive Desktop" app. Looks like a window screen. Lets you run Word, Excel, Powerpoint and more.

The primary audience for cloud-based computing is the enterprise sector. Desktop virtualization is a big deal these days. Stands to put a lot of IT folks out of work.

 

[Banshee16]

FWIW, that's how I'd define 95%* of software patent litigation.


* being generous

I agree. These lawsuits are getting ridiculous.

What worries me is that this trend appears to be starting to infect the medical field. I read that there are some cases now where companies are trying to patent medical findings.....such that other companies couldn't make medicines that use biological systems discovered in studies that they patent.

This isn't about patenting medication....more like the equivalent of saying "well, we've patented the research that shows that cholesterol contributes to heart disease, so nobody but us can make drugs that lower cholesterol without violating our patent."

Which is just a terrible, evil idea.

Banshee

 

[Banshee16]

The primary audience for cloud-based computing is the enterprise sector. Desktop virtualization is a big deal these days. Stands to put a lot of IT folks out of work.

Enterprise sector....in the U.S.

Cloud based computing causes problems for us in Canada. Given that most cloud services I'm aware of are based on software hosted on servers in the U.S., they're subject to the Patriot Act. But the Patriot Act potentially puts Canadian companies who use those cloud services (to host client data) in violation of PIPEDA, our own privacy regulations.

This interconnected, global community just gets more and more complex...

Banshee

 

[Banshee16]

On a side note, Asus has just confirmed via twitter that they have the EEE Transformer Pad's ICS update waiting in a hold pattern for Google's permission before it can be sent out.

Probably a good idea. They had problems with a percentage of users having something go wrong with the update on the Transformer Prime.

I use my tablet all the time at work, and the last thing I want is a bricked unit.

I've heard, however, that those who've received the update on the Xoom have been very happy with it so far. Supposedly ICS runs much smoother than Honeycomb.

Banshee

 

[Felon]

Enterprise sector....in the U.S.

Cloud based computing causes problems for us in Canada.

Well, cloud-based computing also sucks some eggs here in the U.S. But sales weasels know what buttons to push. Tell administration that it will save them a fortune, and people will assign techs to do proofs-of-concept. Of course, these are the very techs who may stand to be laid off if the project actually comes to fruition, so they're quick to point out that it actually costs a fortune to rip off your infrastructure and drop a bunch of dummy terminals with SSD drives.

 

[Fast Learner]

What worries me is that this trend appears to be starting to infect the medical field. I read that there are some cases now where companies are trying to patent medical findings.....such that other companies couldn't make medicines that use biological systems discovered in studies that they patent.

Indeed, and patents are even being granted on gene sequences, as well has knowing what the sequence means, how to detect it, and how to alter it.

I can at least understand the arguments for the latter three: you did the work figuring out what a particular sequence does, figured out how to detect it, and figured out how to change it, so having some protected time to make money off of your work is at least fathomable.

But the sequence itself? Insane. Other scientists can't even research other ways to find it, etc. It's akin to the first guy who saw a horse getting protection that prevents other people from even talking about horses, much less doing anything with other horses they see.

 

[Banshee16]

Indeed, and patents are even being granted on gene sequences, as well has knowing what the sequence means, how to detect it, and how to alter it.

I can at least understand the arguments for the latter three: you did the work figuring out what a particular sequence does, figured out how to detect it, and figured out how to change it, so having some protected time to make money off of your work is at least fathomable.

But the sequence itself? Insane. Other scientists can't even research other ways to find it, etc. It's akin to the first guy who saw a horse getting protection that prevents other people from even talking about horses, much less doing anything with other horses they see.

I'm not against a company getting compensated for developing a medication.

On the simplest level, I don't feel any company should have the right to patent the finding that lowering cholesterol reduces heart disease.

I *do* feel a company has the right to patent a medication they create that lowers cholesterol.

There's a difference. It is a really dangerous road to go down, to allow the patent laws to be applied in this way.

Banshee

 

[IronWolf]

I can at least understand the arguments for the latter three: you did the work figuring out what a particular sequence does, figured out how to detect it, and figured out how to change it, so having some protected time to make money off of your work is at least fathomable.

Unfortunately this means only those with money can get certain genetic testing done. This often isn't covered by insurance or is excluded by companies explicitly which leaves the patient to have to pay the entire bill for the test. A bill that is far from affordable. And even more fortunate, it is sometimes the basis for what treatment to recommend.

So while companies have an interest to protect their R&D expenses, it is coming at a cost to people's health.

 

[Banshee16]

Unfortunately this means only those with money can get certain genetic testing done. This often isn't covered by insurance or is excluded by companies explicitly which leaves the patient to have to pay the entire bill for the test. A bill that is far from affordable. And even more fortunate, it is sometimes the basis for what treatment to recommend.

So while companies have an interest to protect their R&D expenses, it is coming at a cost to people's health.

It's a tough issue. At the end of the day, doctors etc. are supposed to help people.....and their ability to do so should not be limited because some company somewhere was granted a patent for some kind of biochemical mechanism. At that point, you're hurting a patient, or preventing them from getting assistance, in the interest of generating profit.

IMO, that's just not right.

This chain of discussion isn't really relevant to tablets, however, so I'd hate to see the discussion get closed down.

Banshee

 

[Relique du Madde]

Just updated to Xoom ICS

I love the new boot up animation.
- I'm not sure about the new clock... the "tron" enspired one was ok.
- I like the new icons ALOT.... especially the click glow
- OMG the transitions are fast.
- Android apps also seem to respond quicker.
- App and widget menus.. are so much better. I like how they are now re like transparent cards that are shuffled.
- I wish I was able to keep my old stock wallpapers.... I love that little android listening to music. :< bad google!

Dislikes:
- What no face unlock?!?! I'm not going to use it but I at least want to play around with it (to see if it can lock using my garden gnome)
- I wish there were app groups in the app menu like in gingerbread. Those came in handy...