“iPhone OS 4.0: Apple Hits Mobile Out of the Park - BNET” plus 2 more |
- iPhone OS 4.0: Apple Hits Mobile Out of the Park - BNET
- Tama lobbies for new gaming license - Waterloo Cedar-Falls Courier
- New casino in White Hall: Battle over electronic bingo ... - Montgomery Advertiser
| iPhone OS 4.0: Apple Hits Mobile Out of the Park - BNET Posted: 08 Apr 2010 01:20 PM PDT
With iPhone OS 4.0, not only has Apple shored up its defenses against Google (GOOG) Android, but it has jumped the competition in user-ease, set the stage for an improved iPad that will kick-start the tablet category, practically guaranteed huge iPhone upgrade and new-adoption sales, and added a big new revenue stream with mobile ads. There are some potential problems, but overall, very impressive. The implementation of multitasking not only shows that Apple takes mobile operating systems seriously, but that it has gone beyond the technology to provide something that will appeal to both techie and "regular" users. Apple's technique — creating the ability to lift the app window and see a slider with all the currently running apps — is a great way to keep track of what you are doing in a more efficient way than the old PDA trick of showing a list of applications. Apple was smart in pointing out the different ways multitasking could work, as well: keep your previous place with the app exactly as you left it, even in a game, or run important tasks in the background. Remember, too, that all of this will apply to the iPad, so making it instantly more versatile. Another feature that will likely be more important for the iPad than iPhone is adding folders and the ability to group applications. Business users get more of a nod than ever before from iPhone OS 4.0, in the form of a single inbox that can handle multiple email addresses. The emails are threaded, so a single message shows how many others are associated with it. Apple has also added some enterprise features, furthering the evidence that business users will be a major market for the iPad. There will be data encryption available to enterprise programmers, mobile device management, and wireless app distribution, to make rollout easier. Gaming gets even more attention in iPhone OS 4.0 by adding social gaming features, which, from what I've seen first hand, are some of the biggest drivers in the success of gaming communities. The other major addition to iPhone OS 4.0 is mobile advertising, which will be called iAd. App developers will be able to incorporate ads so they generate income from free applications, with Apple getting 40 percent of the revenue. Yes, if you thought that the iPhone was a money printing press before, it's just become the U.S. Mint. So as not to go too far into a starry sky, I do see a couple of short-term downsides. One is that the announcement will probably slow both iPhone and iPad sales until the new OS comes out this summer, but I don't think Apple could wait any longer and let competitors create a sense of advancing ahead of it. Also, unless the company provides free upgrades for early purchasers, virtually every current owner of an iPad will get horribly ticked off. But those are issues that Apple can easily manage if it's smart. And, given the product that the company rolled out today, there's no question of that. Image: Apple Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Tama lobbies for new gaming license - Waterloo Cedar-Falls Courier Posted: 08 Apr 2010 01:28 PM PDT TAMA - The words on the big red buttons conveyed the message well enough: Organizers want another casino. "Vote Yes for Tama County," each said. The message was meant for members of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, who came through the Tama-Toledo area Wednesday on a whistle-stop tour of possible sites. Visits to Fort Dodge and Ottumwa also were on the agenda. A fourth to Lyon County is scheduled next week. Four years have passed since the initial proposal cropped up, but little movement has been evident until now. A decision on the gaming licenses will come next month. "We're very excited," said Chris Bearden, Tama's mayor. The Prairie Hills Resort facility would be east of the city on 146 acres. Aside from gaming, the $42 million project also would include an 80-room hotel, outdoor amphitheater and motor sports park. The casino also would have about 500 slot machines and 18 gaming tables. Though a lot of uncertainty exists about whether Tama County will be awarded a license, John Pavone, president of Signature Management, seemed optimistic. His group was hired to develop the proposal. "We think we've given them all the tools to pull the trigger," he said. Bearden said both communities largely favor the plan, and more than 60 people showed up Wednesday to show support. Community backing is important since other areas of the state have squabbled about how a casino might affect the area or existing gaming operations. Tama County also is aware of the revenue generated by the gambling industry. The Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa has operated its own casino for two decades, and the operation is the largest employer in Tama County. "We've had gaming in Tama County all these years," Bearden said. "We just haven't had any of the benefits." Pavone and others stress they want to work in tandem with the Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel to make the area a destination. Those backing Prairie Hills also don't want to "cannibalize" the tribe's casino. "If our job is only to take business from the Meskwaki, we will fail," Pavone said. In a letter to commissioners, however, tribal officials expressed concern another casino in the area would oversaturate the area and hurt existing facilities, including the Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo. "We believe that a casino in Tama County is not a positive investment for our neighbors," the letter read. Some in the audience Wednesday noted the Meskwaki casino already is a destination for bus trips from across the region. A partnership with Prairie Hills could build on that success, said Verlyn Strellner of Chicago, who previously lived in Toledo. "Rural Iowa needs something," he said. The odds of success aren't clear, which hasn't exactly persuaded Toledo resident Tom Gearing. He remains interested in the project, however. "I'd say flip a coin on it, 50-50," he said. The commission will decide by May 13 whether to issue additional gaming licenses. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| New casino in White Hall: Battle over electronic bingo ... - Montgomery Advertiser Posted: 08 Apr 2010 09:17 AM PDT (2 of 2) A search using the company's official street address, 8924 Spanish Ridge Ave., shows that is the same address for a company called Gaughan Gaming. Mike Gaughan, president and chief operating officer, was present at the job fair Wednesday. At that time, he referred questions to Clark. Gaughan Gaming, according to its Web site, is a company that develops casinos, mostly in smaller communities and on Indian reservations. It also offers casino management consulting. The Gaughan family has long been a leader in development of casinos and gambling in Las Vegas, and several family members are in the Nevada Gambling Hall of Fame. The company's Web site lists ongoing projects but does not include Southern Star. Southern Star plans to support a charity called White Hall Enrichment Achievement Team, according to Clark. Esther Jackson is director of the group, which she said provides educational activities to students after school and in the summer. She said the group hopes to eventually build a library in White Hall. Online records show the non-profit group has not filed a federal tax return since 2004. The group is funded by grants from public and private sources and by small fundraisers, she said. It is the contract beneficiary of the proposed casino, but had little to do with building the facility. It invested no money in the building and has no real experience running such an operation, she said. Jackson said she was unaware of how much money the group expects to receive from its ties to the casino. "We have got to make money first," she said when asked what benefits the group hoped to receive. "I have not thought that far into the future. We will just have to see what we can do as a group as that time comes." She insisted she is not bothered by the delays in opening the casino. "I am not frustrated at all," she said. "When it opens, it opens. It is going to take time, and we are patiently waiting." Clark is at least a little less patient. He wants to get the business operating so that work can start on a second phase that will bring an additional 40,000 square feet, hundreds more video games, a restaurant and probably more employees. Todd Stacy, a spokesman for Gov. Bob Riley, cautioned that a community welcoming a casino runs the risk of seeing it shut down. "Any community that is being enticed by organized gambling to get involved with a casino ought to take a good hard look at what the law is in Alabama that pertains to slot machines," he said. "It is crystal clear that slot machines are illegal in Alabama no matter what they are called." Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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