Disqus - Latest Comments for mikenayyar

Re: Bob Iger takes the gloves off for Disney’s streaming debut

mikenayyar — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 15:46:49 -0000

Swap out Amazon for Apple in your list of obvious leaders in the media wars.

Amazon has as deep of a war chest as Apple, a deep customer base (via Prime subscriptions) and has already exercised their muscles in creating top tier prestige content, across both films and television.

Apple may have a commitment, but they’re a distant fourth in the current landscape. Not saying this can’t change, but Apple doesn’t have the same leverage that Amazon currently exercises.

Re: Study confirms that Twitter is full of assholes

mikenayyar — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 16:28:30 -0000

Shit, I could have told you this.

Re: Can You Tell the Difference Between Arial and Helvetica?

mikenayyar — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:26:17 -0000

19/20. The MATTEL threw me off as well. I will readily admit that I cheated a bit - after seeing the comparison from the image in the post, I was able to key in on the "a" glyph and figure out which was Helvetica pretty easily.

Re: Samsung will sue Apple over LTE iPhone

mikenayyar — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 11:33:40 -0000

Wouldn't Apple have LTE protection from their cross licensing agreement with Nokia, as well the Nortel patents?

Re: Engadget Giveaway: win one of four Nexus 7 tablets, courtesy of NVIDIA!

mikenayyar — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 11:16:11 -0000

Sign me up.

Re: Engadget Giveaway: win an 11-inch MacBook Air pre-loaded with Parallels!

mikenayyar — Mon, 21 May 2012 11:06:41 -0000

Sign me up!

Re: Engadget's Holiday Blues-buster 2011: win a Verizon Galaxy Nexus, courtesy of Appitalism!

mikenayyar — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:25:44 -0000

I want to try Android. This would be a sweet, sweet way. Let me have it, Engadget!

Re: Fantastical 1.1 Giveaway

mikenayyar — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 10:10:55 -0000

I would like this very much...

https://twitter.com/#!/mike...

Re: iPhone 4S giveaway!

mikenayyar — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:18:55 -0000

Cause I love Apple, I don't want to drop so much cash for an unlocked one, and my iPhone is in pretty bad shape...

Re: iPhone 4S vs. iPhone 4 vs. Samsung Galaxy S II: by the numbers

mikenayyar — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:08:02 -0000

Will the iPhone 4S be available unlocked? Perhaps a row to add to this...

Re: Windows Phone 7 is the Best Windows I've Ever Tried

mikenayyar — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 19:59:12 -0000

Louis, your sentiments of Windows Phone 7 have perfectly synced with my own. Windows Phone 7 is intuitive, clean, beautiful, and most importantly, UNIQUE. There is something distinct about it which makes people take notice. There is no chance of confusing a Window Phone device with an iPhone or Android device (think: the white Samsung Galaxy S phones, which people can easily mistake for an iPhone 3G). Considering the money Microsoft has been, and will continue to, throw at developers, the apps will come, especially considering the Xbox Live factor. Xbox has been the number one reason I have considered buying a Windows Phone device, to have my avatar and games come with me in my pocket. It finally seems like Microsoft understands and is harnessing the power of their ecosystem.

Ecosystems and platforms have been what Apple and Google have played on to succeeding in the mobile space, and it appears that Microsoft (and HP, through WebOS) have taken notice and are acting on this. I for one can't wait to see what comes in the next few months, in terms of software and hardware. I think the killer device for me will be either an iPhone style device (3.5" - 3.8" touchscreen, slate) or a portrait QWERTY device with a touchscreen (more BlackBerry, not the Dell Venue Pro).

It's a hell of a time to be into the mobile space right now.

Re: http://excalipoor.tumblr.com/post/3024828351

mikenayyar — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 22:58:23 -0000

Ain't nothing like college girls man.

/stillNotTooOldForThisToBeCreepy
//maybeALittleBit

Re: T-Mobile Wastes No Time Taking A Shot At iPhone On Verizon (And AT&T)

mikenayyar — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 18:17:29 -0000

Not related to anything: does anyone else think the T-Mobile girl is really cute?

/I can't help it
/She's cute

Re: Verizon iPhone giveaway!

mikenayyar — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 21:22:42 -0000

I've been on AT&T for 3 painful, painful years. Help me out here. I just want to be able to call my parents without massive, massive suffering.

Re: http://excalipoor.tumblr.com/post/2656072966

mikenayyar — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 15:45:31 -0000

Good old scams!

Re: Resolutions for the New Year

mikenayyar — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 22:01:33 -0000

These lists are irrelevant, they don't involve me.

Re: The Quora Phenomenon - Peaking on Value & Authenticity

mikenayyar — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 19:01:26 -0000

When ever a jump in users occurs, there is naturally resentment and derision from the existing user base (I think back to my days on listservs, BBS, etc). I don't see anything about this which is unique or different in Quora from anything else. My concerns had less to do with this, though, then with the second issue you brought up, about the self-policing tactics within Quora. As the user base increases, the quality of questions and answers will more then likely vanish. If Quora can maintain measured growth, there is a chance for it to scale the quality control methods appropriately.

Re: The Quora Phenomenon - Peaking on Value & Authenticity

mikenayyar — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 14:35:25 -0000

The best thing Quora probably has going for it is a self-fulfilling prophecy of serious, thoughtful questions which encourages higher quality answers, which encourages better questions, etc. Quora sustains itself by counting on the community growing slowly and regulating itself through quality. The worst thing that could happen to Quora at this point would be for a mass influx of users to dilute the quality of conversations taking place.

Quora does have several nifty mechanisms which you pointed out (ability to compose long form answers, upvoting quality answers, etc), but in my mind, the single most helpful and useful function of Quora is the ability to search through past questions (it's amazing how many people will ask a question the exact same way) and the semantical organization of questions. There are overall buckets for placing a question, but for more niche areas, the ability to pose a question as something related to "creativity," "web technologies," and "fashion" are tremendously helpful in contextualizing a question for everyone involved. Seeing what your friends are following and what they find interesting captures what is rather mundane (in terms of the Facebook world) and transforms it into something wholly more powerful and relevant (I care about what my friends find interesting, and when they uncover a gem, I want to know about it).

Quora has potential to grow into something truly unique and exciting. I just hope it doesn't grow too quickly for its own good.

Re: Just got an iPhone? The best apps, accessories, and tips

mikenayyar — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 20:46:23 -0000

I recommend iPhone cases by Hard Graft, an Austrian company. I just got the phone fold wallet/case, and it's a thing of beauty.

Re: The iPhone Fanboys Can't Handle the Truth On Android

mikenayyar — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 21:36:56 -0000

"You cannot purchase iPhone in most markets"

What? Can you provide data? I was under the impression that the iPhone was available in a ton of markets (Japan, China, Europe, India) and was going to more markets all the time.

As to the Win 7 vs Mac arguement...on a pure OS to OS comparison, this is more true then ever before - Win 7 is vastly more stable then Windows past, and does the best job of matching up against Mac OS X then any before it. In terms of stability, security, etc, Mac OS X is still a winner (if only by virtue that it holds 10% of the market). In terms of hardware quality, though, it's difficult to match any Apple product. Yes, you can get a Windows 7 notebook for half the price of a MacBook, but spec out a Windows 7 notebook comparably to a MacBook Pro, for instance - aluminum casing, LED backlit screen, RAM, processor, etc etc - and you'll find that the argument falls apart quickly.

I have a MacBook Pro. I paid the same for it as I did for my Windows laptop 6 years before. The Windows laptop showed its wear and tear quickly. My MacBook still runs like a dream, and is a stylish, beautiful beast. You can pay 2.5 times less for a Windows 7 notebook - you just get what you pay for.

Re: The iPhone Fanboys Can't Handle the Truth On Android

mikenayyar — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 21:31:13 -0000

Keeping dreaming the impossible dream there. Truly, it's glorious. :-)

Re: The iPhone Fanboys Can't Handle the Truth On Android

mikenayyar — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 21:28:09 -0000

RE: Android innovating quickly...this has lead the one of the biggest pitfalls of the Android ecosystem, OS fragmentation. Google and device manufacturers have done a decent job of finally bringing their devices up to speed with 2.2, but earlier this year you would be all over the map trying to get the latest version of Android onto your handset: some were 1.5, 1.6, others were 2.0 and wouldn't be upgraded, etc. Google has worked to remedy this by agreeing to lengthen their release cycles, and settled on a new OS increment about twice a year going forward. This puts Apple only slightly behind with their major revision every year, but those revisions are usually pretty significant (apps in year 1, copy paste year 2, multitasking year 3).

This coming year, expect to see hefty improvements with Siri integration.

As Apple has proved, apps are what win the game, and while Android is doing just fine in that respect, to get the prettiest apps, the biggest "wow" apps (Word Lens, etc), the GAMES (I highly emphasize this one), the place to go is still iOS, for now.

Re: The iPhone Fanboys Can't Handle the Truth On Android

mikenayyar — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 00:40:26 -0000

As you noted in your reply to Scoble, Louis, this is a multifaceted and complicated debate to wade into. There are aspects where the iOS experience trumps that of Android (pretty, "wow!" apps, stability, quality hardware) and others where Android easily outpaces Apple (variety of hardware, openness of platform, functionality). That being said, I think there are a couple of undeniable facts which should be acknowledged:

1) Android prior to the iPhone was a semi-BlackBerry clone. After the iPhone was revealed, Android evolved into something more similar to that platform (Granted, the paradigms for iPhone are hardly new, but there is a striking difference before and after).

2) The openness of Android allows for wild deviations in the quality of hardware and can dilute the ability of the consumer to understand what Android stands for as a platform. In the minds of many US consumers, Android == Droid, the brand/devices put forth by Verizon. When my friends and relatives ask me about phones, they ask about the iPhone and "those Droid phones," even when discussing phones on other carriers.

3) Google has taken advantage of being the developers of Android as a platform by deeply integrating their (admittedly awesome) services into every nook and cranny of the OS. Apple, not having the same catalog of services, must rely on third parties to enhance the quality of their platform (see: Google putting Google Voice onto iOS, Siri as an app, World Lens as an app).

Now, all of this being said, deciding whether Android or iOS is right for you is purely matter of preference. As you have noted, developers have been, and will continue to flock to Android, which will inevitably increase the quality of their applications. And as Scoble rightly pointed out, iOS developers are still pushing strong pushing out fantastic applications at breakneck paces.

As it stands, I see no clear winner in this race as yet, but plenty of promise from both sides. Apple has promising opportunities pushing iOS further as a platform for tablets and phones (with things like Siri, etc) in order to maintain their market share. And my biggest complaint against Android (design, ease of use in the UI, etc) is being addressed, especially given the arrival of Matias Duarte from Palm this year.

Things are getting further complicated with the introduction of Window Phone 7, which I believe distinctly separates itself from Android and iOS totally. It blends pretty (an Apple/iOS concept) with multiple devices (a distinct strength of Android). The space is getting a glut of competition, and that ultimately is good for consumers.

As for me, personally, I will be sticking by my iPhone 4, because I've heavily invested into the platform, and the hardware of the device, in my mind anyway, is superior to any Android offering currently on the market - the plastic route the Droid Incredible takes simply doesn't match the elegant design aesthetic of my iPhone 4 (yes, these things DO matter to me, because I am a crazy person). Also, I just got an awesome iPhone wallet, which I'm pretty certainly wouldn't be able to hold an HTC Evo.

The point of this comment was, "Everyone's wrong, everyone's right, let's all be happy, form a fanboy chain from coast the coast!"

Edit: Quick summation is this - iOS = great app platform, strong dev support; Android = excellent integrated services, open platform, will eventually have a large user base

Re: Diagnosis: Film–Weekend of Dec. 17

mikenayyar — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 12:52:04 -0000

After Tron, these movies fall off so hard it's painful.

Re: LeWeb ’10 Nears. Want To Go? Tell Us Why, We’re Giving Away Two Tickets

mikenayyar — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 00:31:08 -0000

Why do I want to go? Because I've been looking to get into the web/entrepneurial scene for a while, and getting a couple of free tickets would be awesome, if only to expose me to some conferences. Not to mention that a) I've never been to Paris before, b) the people at the event are likely all people who I follow on a regular basis, c) I haven't had a meaningful trip outside the country in 4 years, d) I have a penchant for making lists and e) I never win any contest ever. It would be nice to break the streak.

Did I mention I'm a HUUUUUUGGGEEEEEE MG Siegler fan? It's true!