Month: October 2013

Browser has been a standard tool for every personal computers and smart phones. It functions as a viewer of webpages existing in the internet. What would happen if browser take over everything in cellphone and apps are made of individual pages? This concept is realized by Mozilla, who created the Firefox browser and implemented it into a cellphone. With the advancement of the browser technology and the spread of HTML5, everything is made possible. From 2D/3D  games to movie playback, browsers can virtually replace the native applications. Moreover, browser applications can be transplanted to every platform without too much affords from developers. Firefox sees the chance, put the Firefox rendering engine side-by-side to the Linux kernel, and put this unique system into cell phones. The first release phone doesn’t seem competitive comparing to the other Android and iOS devices. This mainly attributes to sluggish experience and lack of Apps. Solving these problems is critical to its survival in the market.

sources

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/new-firefox-os-phone-from-zte-due-in-2014/

http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/03/zte-open-review/

Original Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/10/16/yes-you-can-buy-drugs-with-bitcoins-you-can-also-buy-them-with-cash/

Comment:

Last week, FBI caught the owner of the biggest online illegal drug market, Silkroad, which used Bitcoin as the only accepted currency and which has conducted more than 1 billion USD worth transactions. This news had a huge , however momentary, impact on Bitcoin market. After the news of shutdown of Silkroad released, the price of Bitcoin has plunged ,and it was traded as low as 90 USD on Bitstamp, one of the largest Bitcoin exchange. After market calmed down and realized that Bitcoin is not designed for illegal drug dealing, the price of  Bitcoin bounced back to 122 USD, which is 4 Dollars lower than the price before the crash. Despite the short panic, the shutdown of Silkroad is in long-term a good news for Bitcoin. Silkroad was once the largest Bitcoin online store. Because of that, public sometimes associate Bitcoin with illegal drugs. Shutting down will eventually help Bitcoin gain reputations. Bitcoin, as well as other cypto-currencies, are still in its infant phase, and it has so much potential to be exploited. This technology has a chance replace existing monetary system.

Sources

http://bitcoincharts.com/

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/silk-road-s-alleged-mastermind-how-the-fbi-caught-him-1.1894067

When a company can’t stay with the trend, It will fall behind. This rule is especially applicable in the fast-paced IT industry. Blackberry is of those who don’t value the shift of the trend. Due to the low sale performance of new Z10/Q10, the stock has plunged. Last week, it was bought by a Canadian insurance company.

It was not the case two years ago. They once had as much as 20% share in world cell phone market. The fall can be attributed to the mis-decision they made. When other smart phone companies start working on user-experience and app-development, and users are adopting touch screen and phones with various apps, Blackberry continued with their product lines and old strategy. Nothing new has been made. When they realized their phone is no longer meet the needs of customers, everything becomes too late and the decline of sale is inevitable. The sale of Z10/Q10 is far below the expectation. Being purchased by another company is their fate.

Sources

http://business.financialpost.com/2013/02/13/blackberry-smartphone-market-share-declined-44-in-fourth-quarter-gartner/?__lsa=5ef8-bfe7