Fake Steve Here, Fake Steve There

First Google announced they are investing $10 Million in companies building applications for they mobile platform Android, then Apple announced iPhone SDK availability in very near future and they also have prepared a investment package: $100 Million! But at the end of the day, it was Ballmer who give the developers the best deal. The old “Developers, Deelopers, Developers” now becomes “Web Developers, Web Developers, Web Developers”:

The Steve Ballmer Q&A with Guy Kawasaki full video is here. I didn’t think I will ever say this, but it was … pretty interesting. Well more interesting than all Steve Jobs presentations I’ve watched. First ten minutes they talked about competitors, and the Google pops up. Ballmer says “Google, Google, Google”. You have to see this too!

Around minute 26: they talk about the MacBook Air - Ballmer trashed it

I had some problems in the past with Truemors and Guy Kawasaki, but now I haVE to admit it - he did a great job during interview. At some point he told to Steve Ballmer: “I will never invite you at Mix again”

So, if you are Google or Apple - you throw money to everyone to build for your platform. If you are Microsoft: you send Steve Ballmer to do some dancing and screaming! Another interesting trend: Microsoft is teasing developers, while Apple, Facebook and Google are working with companies building software for their platforms. Why?

Update: Seattle Times has more coverage details, as is ReadWriteWeb

After previous week announcement that Asus Eee PC will support WiMax it is clear that Intel plans to roll a massive WiMax campaign has starting to show.

Valleywag (Can Apple save WiMax?), AppleInsider (Apple hoists “There’s something in the air” Macworld banners) and ZDNnet (Apple walks on water and WiMax Mobile) are playing around the idea of Apple bringing WiMax to the masses. The whole thing is rolling around the Apple posters: “There’s something in the air”, arround the San Francisco’s Moscone Center.

I think there are two scenarios. The first, more possible and less interesting is this to be WiFi for iPod. Boring.

The second one can be huge: Mobile WiMax on MacBook Pro. Intel wins, because this is a huge backing for it’s platform, Apple wins because it will sell the first laptops with integrated WiMax chips. No one has done that until now!

There is a revolutionary scenario too: WiMax enabled iPhone.

Google has released trends for Goolge Checkout.

Here is comparison for Nokia N95 and iPhone:

You can play with it.

What to do when you get erased by Facebook? If you are Robert Scoble, here what you have to do:

1. Write a blog post.
2. Get on top of Techmeme.
3. Get your account back.
Bonus:
4. Raise important questions: Erased!

What to do if Apple “steal” your old hard disk (along all your personal data). If you are Dave Winer you can:

1. Write a blog post.
2. Got on top of Techmeme (sort of)
3. Write to Steve Jobs (Fake Steve is useless this time)
4. Get your hard disk back
Bonus #1:
You get slammed all over from iShmack zombies
Bonus #2:
You got lot’s of traffic just in time to promote your new Mac only software.

What to do if you are not Robert Scoble nor Winer? Well, you can start by writing a blog post

Google’ first steps in map crowdsourcing are here: they are enabling people to edit markers for their street address if they feel it is in wrong position. You have to have Google account to edit locations, and Google has thought about everything:

You might be worried about people monkeying with markers. Fear not, we’ve thought of that. Whenever you find a recently-moved address or business, you’ll see a “Show original” link you can click to see where the marker was originally. If it’s in the wrong place, just move it to the right one.

When I wrote about Google Phone and Earth 2.0 I meant just that:

I think the birth of this device is inevitable. There is one giant reason, and many more not so giant, but very big and important reasons.

The giant reason: GPS and local user generated data.

Imagine Google is giving everyone a phone with a GPS and a nice GPS application integrated with Google Maps. Then they ask the users nicely (they can do that) to fill the gaps in theirs maps. I bet in a year there will be zillion pieces of data gathered from Google followers. Cafeteria in Sibir? No problem, just tell us how you like your coffee. Movies in Paris, gas prices in Montreal, Real estate in Florida, tourists looking for something. This list is countless.

They have asked nicely, no? They created funny video and everything

I am wondering what does Yahoo Maps and Live Maps are doing in that direction? And what does Nokia is doing with the data it currently has - remember they bought Navteq - see Nokia Goes Local post.

Quick update:
Just found this article on how Navteq is fixing wrong map data. It seems too complicated this way.

- - -
And here is the time for my to-be-regular “every n-th post feed promotion”:
If you like what you have read, you can subscribe for my feed