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Compiled by mobile firm Mformation, the survey found 85% of users reporting they were frustrated by the difficulty of getting a new phone up and working.

Of the 4,000 people questioned, 95% said they would try more new services if phones were easier to set up.

Compiled by mobile firm Mformation, the survey found 85% of users reporting they were frustrated by the difficulty of getting a new phone up and working.

Of the 4,000 people questioned, 95% said they would try more new services if phones were easier to set up.

... the G1 scores with its operating system. It runs Android, the free mobile operating system from Google. It's the first mobile OS to make its debut in years and the G1 is just the first of what will be many phones that use it. With its open source base, growing developer community and dozens of cellphone manufacturers pledging to make Android phones, Android has the potential to reshape the wireless industry in significant ways. ...

... Apple's App Store changed all that. It made creating and distributing mobile applications for cellphone users easy — jumpstarting the mobile-app development market and creating clones such as the Android Market. It even forced Research in Motion to offer a BlackBerry Application Storefront. For thousands of programmers, the cellphone is the new PC.

Outlook: App stores have changed forever the way we use our phones, turning them into personalized devices filled with utilities, handy tools and copies of Tap Tap Revenge.

... the G1 scores with its operating system. It runs Android, the free mobile operating system from Google. It's the first mobile OS to make its debut in years and the G1 is just the first of what will be many phones that use it. With its open source base, growing developer community and dozens of cellphone manufacturers pledging to make Android phones, Android has the potential to reshape the wireless industry in significant ways. ...

... Apple's App Store changed all that. It made creating and distributing mobile applications for cellphone users easy — jumpstarting the mobile-app development market and creating clones such as the Android Market. It even forced Research in Motion to offer a BlackBerry Application Storefront. For thousands of programmers, the cellphone is the new PC.

Outlook: App stores have changed forever the way we use our phones, turning them into personalized devices filled with utilities, handy tools and copies of Tap Tap Revenge.

Mr. Bhidé derides the conventional view in science and technology circles as “techno-nationalism,” needlessly alarmist and based on a widely held misunderstanding of how technological innovation yields economic growth. In his view, many analysts put too much emphasis on the production of new technological ideas. Instead, he observes, the real economic payoff lies in innovations in how technologies are used.

America’s competitive advantage, Mr. Bhidé explains, resides mainly in its creative use of information technology, especially in the large and growing services sector, led by companies like Wal-Mart.

“Wal-Mart and its followers are as much a part of the technological success of America as Silicon Valley,” he said. ...

The flaw in Mr. Bhidé’s thesis is that it amounts to a “false choice,” said Robert D. Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a nonpartisan research group. Most of the economic gains from technology, Mr. Atkinson agrees, do come from its innovative use. “But that doesn’t mean that the basic research is not critical,” he said.

In fast-moving fields, Mr. Atkinson said, there are immense benefits from the knowledge produced in research projects quickly spilling over into ventures that become powerhouses in new industries. Google, which grew out of a digital library project funded by the National Science Foundation, is among a host of such examples. Where the invention is done, Mr. Atkinson notes, is often vital.

Yet, Mr. Bhidé argues, policy choices and tradeoffs have to be made, and they should be guided by a deeper understanding of how innovation, in all its forms, contributes to economic growth.

Mr. Bhidé derides the conventional view in science and technology circles as “techno-nationalism,” needlessly alarmist and based on a widely held misunderstanding of how technological innovation yields economic growth. In his view, many analysts put too much emphasis on the production of new technological ideas. Instead, he observes, the real economic payoff lies in innovations in how technologies are used.

America’s competitive advantage, Mr. Bhidé explains, resides mainly in its creative use of information technology, especially in the large and growing services sector, led by companies like Wal-Mart.

“Wal-Mart and its followers are as much a part of the technological success of America as Silicon Valley,” he said. ...

The flaw in Mr. Bhidé’s thesis is that it amounts to a “false choice,” said Robert D. Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a nonpartisan research group. Most of the economic gains from technology, Mr. Atkinson agrees, do come from its innovative use. “But that doesn’t mean that the basic research is not critical,” he said.

In fast-moving fields, Mr. Atkinson said, there are immense benefits from the knowledge produced in research projects quickly spilling over into ventures that become powerhouses in new industries. Google, which grew out of a digital library project funded by the National Science Foundation, is among a host of such examples. Where the invention is done, Mr. Atkinson notes, is often vital.

Yet, Mr. Bhidé argues, policy choices and tradeoffs have to be made, and they should be guided by a deeper understanding of how innovation, in all its forms, contributes to economic growth.

... more people subscribed to broadband in a shorter time than bought mobile phones, computers, TV, the Walkman or “any of the other revolutionary advances and devices since fire first debuted”. ...

“With its burgeoning economy and huge population India will zoom up the rankings of the largest broadband countries in the world,” said Tim Johnson. “Currently at number 18 in the charts it will hit number six by the end of 2013.”

Summarising its findings and taking into account 40 of the biggest countries in the world, Point Topic estimated that the total number of broadband lines (serving both homes and businesses) will grown from 382 million at mid-2008 to a forecast of 410 million at the end of the year, to 680 million by the end of 2013.

... more people subscribed to broadband in a shorter time than bought mobile phones, computers, TV, the Walkman or “any of the other revolutionary advances and devices since fire first debuted”. ...

“With its burgeoning economy and huge population India will zoom up the rankings of the largest broadband countries in the world,” said Tim Johnson. “Currently at number 18 in the charts it will hit number six by the end of 2013.”

Summarising its findings and taking into account 40 of the biggest countries in the world, Point Topic estimated that the total number of broadband lines (serving both homes and businesses) will grown from 382 million at mid-2008 to a forecast of 410 million at the end of the year, to 680 million by the end of 2013.

When Whirlpool launched its KitchenAid Series II line of appliances in 2007, the company was taking a bigger-than-usual gamble. Whirlpool's designers didn't just imbue the Series II—a refrigerator, microwave, range, oven and dishwasher—with the kind of sleek, industrial look popularized by TV foodie shows; the appliances shared distinctive design touches like responsive black touch display panels and bow-shaped chrome handles—clear indications that each appliance was meant to be part of a set. ...

But around 2000, according to Brown, all that started to change. As marketers began to realize that competition had resulted in comparatively high quality in most every brand in a given category, it no longer made sense for one nameplate to run ads comparing itself to the "other leading brand." The new marketplace reality left only three options: compete on price, innovate faster than the competition or create experiences consumes could have with brands.

Trying to avoid price competition, companies shifted their focus to the other two. The strategic shift let designers argue that companies could benefit not only from more emphasis on product design, but from using the methodology of the designers themselves. In his HBR piece, Brown described that methodology as one that "imbues the full spectrum of innovation activities within a human-centered design ethos" and argued DT was powered by "direct observation, of what people want and need in their lives and what they like or dislike about the way particular products are made, packaged, marketed, sold and supported." ...

Focus groups have their place, but in design thinking, observation means ethnography: Noting how consumers behave in their natural retail habitats the way Margaret Mead once analyzed the tribes of Samoa. The use of ethnography as a primary tool in product development has gained widespread favor during the past decade. Ask Becky Walter, who serves as Kimberly-Clark's director of innovation, design and t

When Whirlpool launched its KitchenAid Series II line of appliances in 2007, the company was taking a bigger-than-usual gamble. Whirlpool's designers didn't just imbue the Series II—a refrigerator, microwave, range, oven and dishwasher—with the kind of sleek, industrial look popularized by TV foodie shows; the appliances shared distinctive design touches like responsive black touch display panels and bow-shaped chrome handles—clear indications that each appliance was meant to be part of a set. ...

But around 2000, according to Brown, all that started to change. As marketers began to realize that competition had resulted in comparatively high quality in most every brand in a given category, it no longer made sense for one nameplate to run ads comparing itself to the "other leading brand." The new marketplace reality left only three options: compete on price, innovate faster than the competition or create experiences consumes could have with brands.

Trying to avoid price competition, companies shifted their focus to the other two. The strategic shift let designers argue that companies could benefit not only from more emphasis on product design, but from using the methodology of the designers themselves. In his HBR piece, Brown described that methodology as one that "imbues the full spectrum of innovation activities within a human-centered design ethos" and argued DT was powered by "direct observation, of what people want and need in their lives and what they like or dislike about the way particular products are made, packaged, marketed, sold and supported." ...

Focus groups have their place, but in design thinking, observation means ethnography: Noting how consumers behave in their natural retail habitats the way Margaret Mead once analyzed the tribes of Samoa. The use of ethnography as a primary tool in product development has gained widespread favor during the past decade. Ask Becky Walter, who serves as Kimberly-Clark's director of innovation, design

Tinkerers improvise, iterate, and improve constantly.
Tinkerers use materials at hand, combining heterogeneous parts and components (e.g., raw and finished materials, handmade and industrial objects, customized and personalized consumer products) in ways that push beyond the boundaries of their original contexts. As a result, tinkered objects tend to be collages, appropriations, and montages. Tinkering is bricolage.
Tinkerers are also social animals. Their success depends in part on being able to tap into porous and ad-hoc communities. For most of what they do the manual is useless; other tinkerers are the only ones who are likely to have the information you need.
Tinkering isn't so much a specific set of technical skills: there tends to be a pretty instrumental view of knowledge. You pick up just enough knowledge about electronics, textiles, metals, programming, or paper-folding to figure out how to do what you want.

Tinkerers improvise, iterate, and improve constantly.
Tinkerers use materials at hand, combining heterogeneous parts and components (e.g., raw and finished materials, handmade and industrial objects, customized and personalized consumer products) in ways that push beyond the boundaries of their original contexts. As a result, tinkered objects tend to be collages, appropriations, and montages. Tinkering is bricolage.
Tinkerers are also social animals. Their success depends in part on being able to tap into porous and ad-hoc communities. For most of what they do the manual is useless; other tinkerers are the only ones who are likely to have the information you need.
Tinkering isn't so much a specific set of technical skills: there tends to be a pretty instrumental view of knowledge. You pick up just enough knowledge about electronics, textiles, metals, programming, or paper-folding to figure out how to do what you want.

If your business wants to have a quick success with a fun new technology — an iPhone for instance — release it first in the U.S. If the technology is more utilitarian — say a microwave oven — release it in Norway.

That’s one of the takeaways from a new study, to be published in an upcoming issue of Marketing Science, by researchers at Lehigh University and USC that tries to measure how innovative a country is by looking at how quickly its residents adopt new technologies. By this measure, Japan is the most innovative country, followed by Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, and the U.S. Other notables include the U.K. at 15, Mexico at 20, and India at 27. China was 31, last among the countries included in the survey. (The results are pretty similar to a study by the World Economic Forum that ranked countries by criteria such as Internet penetration and government investment in R&D.) ...

The study found that items classified as “fun,” such as DVD players and cell phone, gained acceptance much quicker than “work” items like washing machines. And these fun items are adopted faster just about everywhere. So while it might make sense for a business introducing something utilitarian to target specific countries, it’s possible to launch the next whiz-bang gadget globally.

If your business wants to have a quick success with a fun new technology — an iPhone for instance — release it first in the U.S. If the technology is more utilitarian — say a microwave oven — release it in Norway.

That’s one of the takeaways from a new study, to be published in an upcoming issue of Marketing Science, by researchers at Lehigh University and USC that tries to measure how innovative a country is by looking at how quickly its residents adopt new technologies. By this measure, Japan is the most innovative country, followed by Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, and the U.S. Other notables include the U.K. at 15, Mexico at 20, and India at 27. China was 31, last among the countries included in the survey. (The results are pretty similar to a study by the World Economic Forum that ranked countries by criteria such as Internet penetration and government investment in R&D.) ...

The study found that items classified as “fun,” such as DVD players and cell phone, gained acceptance much quicker than “work” items like washing machines. And these fun items are adopted faster just about everywhere. So while it might make sense for a business introducing something utilitarian to target specific countries, it’s possible to launch the next whiz-bang gadget globally.

“Sleep makes a unique contribution,” explains Mark Jung-Beeman, a psychologist at Northwestern University who studies the neural bases of insight and creative cognition.

Some sort of incubation period, in which a person leaves an idea for a while, is crucial to creativity. During the incubation period, sleep may help the brain process a problem.

“When you think you’re not thinking about something, you probably are,” says Dr. Jung-Beeman, who has a doctorate in experimental psychology.

Another theory is that typical approaches to problem-solving may decay or weaken during sleep, enabling the brain to switch to more innovative alternatives. A classic switching story, recounted in “A Popular History of American Invention” in 1924, involves Elias Howe’s invention of the automated sewing machine: after much frustration with his original model, which used a needle with an eye in the middle, Howe dreamed that he was being attacked by painted warriors brandishing spears with holes in the sharp end. He patented a new design based on the dream spears; by the time the patent expired in 1867, he had earned more than $2 million in royalties.

“Sleep makes a unique contribution,” explains Mark Jung-Beeman, a psychologist at Northwestern University who studies the neural bases of insight and creative cognition.

Some sort of incubation period, in which a person leaves an idea for a while, is crucial to creativity. During the incubation period, sleep may help the brain process a problem.

“When you think you’re not thinking about something, you probably are,” says Dr. Jung-Beeman, who has a doctorate in experimental psychology.

Another theory is that typical approaches to problem-solving may decay or weaken during sleep, enabling the brain to switch to more innovative alternatives. A classic switching story, recounted in “A Popular History of American Invention” in 1924, involves Elias Howe’s invention of the automated sewing machine: after much frustration with his original model, which used a needle with an eye in the middle, Howe dreamed that he was being attacked by painted warriors brandishing spears with holes in the sharp end. He patented a new design based on the dream spears; by the time the patent expired in 1867, he had earned more than $2 million in royalties.

And so (Google) are doing something about it in three important places.

1) They are building a modern browser, Chrome, that resembles an operating system as much as a browser. If you haven't read the Chrome Comic Book, you should do that. It's not that Google wants to build a better version of Internet Explorer or Firefox. They want to build a better environment for running web apps.

2) They are building a mobile operating system, Android, that is also designed for running web apps in a mobile environment. I think in time, Google's Android will be to the iPhone what Windows was to the Mac. The iPhone laid out many of the killer mobile device innovations, but its a closed device, a closed carrier relationship, and even a closed application store. Android will take all of those good ideas and put them on every device, with every carrier, and in partnership with every app developer. You'd have thought that Apple would have learned the lesson that you can't control the entire ecosystem with the Mac, but they did not.

3) Google is all about the cloud. They have developed all of their apps in what goes for the cloud these days. They've build a great cloud computing platform in App Engine. And they will certainly support other cloud computing environments that emerge. ...

And so (Google) are doing something about it in three important places.

1) They are building a modern browser, Chrome, that resembles an operating system as much as a browser. If you haven't read the Chrome Comic Book, you should do that. It's not that Google wants to build a better version of Internet Explorer or Firefox. They want to build a better environment for running web apps.

2) They are building a mobile operating system, Android, that is also designed for running web apps in a mobile environment. I think in time, Google's Android will be to the iPhone what Windows was to the Mac. The iPhone laid out many of the killer mobile device innovations, but its a closed device, a closed carrier relationship, and even a closed application store. Android will take all of those good ideas and put them on every device, with every carrier, and in partnership with every app developer. You'd have thought that Apple would have learned the lesson that you can't control the entire ecosystem with the Mac, but they did not.

3) Google is all about the cloud. They have developed all of their apps in what goes for the cloud these days. They've build a great cloud computing platform in App Engine. And they will certainly support other cloud computing environments that emerge. ...

Though the initial beta release of Chrome runs only on Microsoft's Windows operating system, Chrome is being seen as yet another sharp Google stick aimed at the Beast of Redmond's cyclopean eye - an attempt not only to displace Internet Explorer but to disintermediate Windows itself as the platform of choice for running PC software. There is, no doubt, truth to that view, but in this case I think Google is motivated by something much larger than its congenital hatred of Microsoft. It knows that its future, both as a business and as an idea (and Google's always been both), hinges on the continued rapid expansion of the usefulness of the Internet, which in turn hinges on the continued rapid expansion of the capabilities of web apps, which in turn hinges on rapid improvements in the workings of web browsers.

To Google, the browser has become a weak link in the cloud system - the needle's eye through which the outputs of the company's massive data centers usually have to pass to reach the user - and as a result the browser has to be rethought, revamped, retooled, modernized. Google can't wait for Microsoft or Apple or the Mozilla Foundation to make the changes (the first has mixed feelings about promoting cloud apps, the second is more interested in hardware than in clouds, and the third, despite regular infusions of Google bucks, lacks resources), so Google is jump-starting the process with Chrome.

Although I'm sure Google would be thrilled if Chrome grabbed a sizable chunk of market share, winning a "browser war" is not its real goal. Its real goal, embedded in Chrome's open-source code, is to upgrade the capabilities of all browsers so that they can better support (and eventually disappear behind) the applications. The browser may be the medium, but the applications are the message.

Though the initial beta release of Chrome runs only on Microsoft's Windows operating system, Chrome is being seen as yet another sharp Google stick aimed at the Beast of Redmond's cyclopean eye - an attempt not only to displace Internet Explorer but to disintermediate Windows itself as the platform of choice for running PC software. There is, no doubt, truth to that view, but in this case I think Google is motivated by something much larger than its congenital hatred of Microsoft. It knows that its future, both as a business and as an idea (and Google's always been both), hinges on the continued rapid expansion of the usefulness of the Internet, which in turn hinges on the continued rapid expansion of the capabilities of web apps, which in turn hinges on rapid improvements in the workings of web browsers.

To Google, the browser has become a weak link in the cloud system - the needle's eye through which the outputs of the company's massive data centers usually have to pass to reach the user - and as a result the browser has to be rethought, revamped, retooled, modernized. Google can't wait for Microsoft or Apple or the Mozilla Foundation to make the changes (the first has mixed feelings about promoting cloud apps, the second is more interested in hardware than in clouds, and the third, despite regular infusions of Google bucks, lacks resources), so Google is jump-starting the process with Chrome.

Although I'm sure Google would be thrilled if Chrome grabbed a sizable chunk of market share, winning a "browser war" is not its real goal. Its real goal, embedded in Chrome's open-source code, is to upgrade the capabilities of all browsers so that they can better support (and eventually disappear behind) the applications. The browser may be the medium, but the applications are the message.

Imagine what would happen if Wal-Mart invested in town squares and parks -- instead of just in featureless warehouses draining what little vitality remains in already bleak exurbs. ...

Consider Google's recent release of Chrome, its own open-source browser - and how Chrome is going to help Google discover how to redefine advantage.

There's much debate about Chrome. Is it a platform, an OS of the future? Yes - but not one that yields orthodox advantage - because anyone can copy it. Is it just raw technology, that will make the web faster, safer, richer? Certainly - but technology itself is quickly commoditized. ...

Chrome is a shared resource that ensures the sustainable growth of a larger ecosystem. There are two key words in that sentence. The first is shared. Google is investing in a shared resource because it has the potential to expand the pie dramatically for all, and so Google stands to benefit more than by hoarding it. The second is sustainable growth: through Chrome, Google ensures the ecosystem stays a level playing field, amplifying incentives for innovation, quality, and productivity.

Chrome lets Google play a market creation game. The game Chrome lets Google play isn't about winning market share. It's not about dominance "over" Microsoft. Rather, Google is using Chrome to alter the basis of competition entirely.

Imagine what would happen if Wal-Mart invested in town squares and parks -- instead of just in featureless warehouses draining what little vitality remains in already bleak exurbs. ...

Consider Google's recent release of Chrome, its own open-source browser - and how Chrome is going to help Google discover how to redefine advantage.

There's much debate about Chrome. Is it a platform, an OS of the future? Yes - but not one that yields orthodox advantage - because anyone can copy it. Is it just raw technology, that will make the web faster, safer, richer? Certainly - but technology itself is quickly commoditized. ...

Chrome is a shared resource that ensures the sustainable growth of a larger ecosystem. There are two key words in that sentence. The first is shared. Google is investing in a shared resource because it has the potential to expand the pie dramatically for all, and so Google stands to benefit more than by hoarding it. The second is sustainable growth: through Chrome, Google ensures the ecosystem stays a level playing field, amplifying incentives for innovation, quality, and productivity.

Chrome lets Google play a market creation game. The game Chrome lets Google play isn't about winning market share. It's not about dominance "over" Microsoft. Rather, Google is using Chrome to alter the basis of competition entirely.

Teleplans rapport er fokusert på hvordan subsideringen påvirker konkurransesituasjonen i sluttbrukermarkedet, mens Copenhagen Economics har sett på hvordan subsideringen kan gi innovasjonseffekter hos mobiloperatørene. Ett eksempel som trekkes frem, er at nye teknologier som 3G kan få en raskere utbredelse som en følge av subsidering.

Med utgangspunkt i de to rapportene, bruker Teletilsynet den nye iPhone som et eksempel. Den er ikke omtalt i rapportene, men den er relevant fordi det er en telefon som subsideres i bytte mot abonnementsbinding og det er en mobil som forventes å løfte bruken av blant annet mobil datasurfing.

Tall som Netcom har fått fra Apple om iPhone-bruk i USA, viser at iPhone-brukere laster opp og ned 10 ganger så mye data over mobilen som en gjennomsnittlig bruker.

Teleplans rapport er fokusert på hvordan subsideringen påvirker konkurransesituasjonen i sluttbrukermarkedet, mens Copenhagen Economics har sett på hvordan subsideringen kan gi innovasjonseffekter hos mobiloperatørene. Ett eksempel som trekkes frem, er at nye teknologier som 3G kan få en raskere utbredelse som en følge av subsidering.

Med utgangspunkt i de to rapportene, bruker Teletilsynet den nye iPhone som et eksempel. Den er ikke omtalt i rapportene, men den er relevant fordi det er en telefon som subsideres i bytte mot abonnementsbinding og det er en mobil som forventes å løfte bruken av blant annet mobil datasurfing.

Tall som Netcom har fått fra Apple om iPhone-bruk i USA, viser at iPhone-brukere laster opp og ned 10 ganger så mye data over mobilen som en gjennomsnittlig bruker.

It was summer, 1958. Cerf was 15 and a passionate student of the cello. While working at System Development Corporation in Santa Monica, he had been introduced to a new instrument—a tube-based computer that was part of the US Distant Early Warning system against Soviet bombers. "I was just completely mesmerized by the fact that you could actually do stuff like that," he recalls.

Realizing he couldn't put in the time required to master both instruments, Cerf reluctantly put the cello aside. Thus began a lifelong love affair with the computer and, ultimately, the Internet. ...

People misunderstand the evolution of the Internet. In fact, it isn't even half evolved. Its basic design is as it was 35 years ago. But what has happened is that the roads have gotten faster, which means that you can do things on the highway that you couldn't do [before], like deliver something overnight. It's the difference between driving across the country in a car on the interstate highway system or in a Conestoga wagon.

So applications have evolved because the system has evolved to allow them to happen.

What will the new applications look like?
I'm expecting to see literally billions of devices going on the Internet, things that heretofore have not been part of the Internet class—like automobiles, household appliances, office equipment. You'll find heating and ventilation units, refrigerators, all these other things.

It was summer, 1958. Cerf was 15 and a passionate student of the cello. While working at System Development Corporation in Santa Monica, he had been introduced to a new instrument—a tube-based computer that was part of the US Distant Early Warning system against Soviet bombers. "I was just completely mesmerized by the fact that you could actually do stuff like that," he recalls.

Realizing he couldn't put in the time required to master both instruments, Cerf reluctantly put the cello aside. Thus began a lifelong love affair with the computer and, ultimately, the Internet. ...

People misunderstand the evolution of the Internet. In fact, it isn't even half evolved. Its basic design is as it was 35 years ago. But what has happened is that the roads have gotten faster, which means that you can do things on the highway that you couldn't do [before], like deliver something overnight. It's the difference between driving across the country in a car on the interstate highway system or in a Conestoga wagon.

So applications have evolved because the system has evolved to allow them to happen.

What will the new applications look like?
I'm expecting to see literally billions of devices going on the Internet, things that heretofore have not been part of the Internet class—like automobiles, household appliances, office equipment. You'll find heating and ventilation units, refrigerators, all these other things.

“When you’re competing against companies that have so much more, the only answer is to do less,” Jason and David told me. “Do less than your competitors to beat them. Instead of one-upping other companies, one-down them. Instead of out-doing other products, under-do them.”

I get it, I responded: Less is more, right? Jason and David shook their heads. “No, less is less—because more is not better! Everyone tries to do too much: solve too many problems, build products with too many features. Our goal is to do less, to build half a product rather than a half-assed product. So we say ‘no’ to almost everything. If you include every decent idea that comes along, you'll just wind up with a half-assed version of your product. What you really want to do is build half a product that kicks ass.”

“When you’re competing against companies that have so much more, the only answer is to do less,” Jason and David told me. “Do less than your competitors to beat them. Instead of one-upping other companies, one-down them. Instead of out-doing other products, under-do them.”

I get it, I responded: Less is more, right? Jason and David shook their heads. “No, less is less—because more is not better! Everyone tries to do too much: solve too many problems, build products with too many features. Our goal is to do less, to build half a product rather than a half-assed product. So we say ‘no’ to almost everything. If you include every decent idea that comes along, you'll just wind up with a half-assed version of your product. What you really want to do is build half a product that kicks ass.”

The fact that young people are more adapt at using the latest technologies has less to do with expertise, experience or access, but more with their “non-dramatic” relation with these technologies, as evidenced by the way they deal with small failures and technological problems. ...

“You cannot be connected if you are afraid of failures and of DIY-ing. Once upon a time, one had to learn. Now one has to experiment. Usage is no longer something that comes at the end of a training - it is the training.” ...

“In fact, for adults the mobile is a hyper-personal device, an intimate black box with data that absolutely need to be protected. For teenagers on the other hand, the mobile is often as little confidential and intimate as their blogs. They are instead identity and exhibition spaces of oneself, with “museum galleries” of photos, ringtones, videos, and music to share with a community of peers: archiving makes only sense if it can be shared.”

Gripic sees teenager usage of the mobile no longer as “emblematic of an individualistic society”, but rather as “a reflection of collective and collaborative behaviours”.

The fact that young people are more adapt at using the latest technologies has less to do with expertise, experience or access, but more with their “non-dramatic” relation with these technologies, as evidenced by the way they deal with small failures and technological problems. ...

“You cannot be connected if you are afraid of failures and of DIY-ing. Once upon a time, one had to learn. Now one has to experiment. Usage is no longer something that comes at the end of a training - it is the training.” ...

“In fact, for adults the mobile is a hyper-personal device, an intimate black box with data that absolutely need to be protected. For teenagers on the other hand, the mobile is often as little confidential and intimate as their blogs. They are instead identity and exhibition spaces of oneself, with “museum galleries” of photos, ringtones, videos, and music to share with a community of peers: archiving makes only sense if it can be shared.”

Gripic sees teenager usage of the mobile no longer as “emblematic of an individualistic society”, but rather as “a reflection of collective and collaborative behaviours”.

... Their argument for limiting bandwidth and data transfers based on price sounds like a good idea, especially as a way to get bargain hunters to buy. In the long run, however, tiered broadband is a terrible idea that will bring the innovation inspired by flat-rate broadband to a screeching halt.

Flat-rate broadband – however cheap or expensive (depending on your point of view) it might be – inspired the formation of Skype, YouTube, Facebook, Apple’s iTunes and MySpace, amongst others. It allowed us to freely experiment, to embrace both the applications and the ideas they represented, such as VoIP, online video, digital downloads and social networking.

The emergence of these applications has, in turn, spurred demand for broadband in the U.S., much like the illegal version of Napster jump-started the demand for cable and DSL broadband in the late 1990s. And they’ve helped lift the number of broadband subscriptions to U.S. cable and DSL companies to 69 million by the end of 2007, subscriptions that have brought in enough cash to pay for the cable companies’ foray into voice and to help with their digital transition.

... Their argument for limiting bandwidth and data transfers based on price sounds like a good idea, especially as a way to get bargain hunters to buy. In the long run, however, tiered broadband is a terrible idea that will bring the innovation inspired by flat-rate broadband to a screeching halt.

Flat-rate broadband – however cheap or expensive (depending on your point of view) it might be – inspired the formation of Skype, YouTube, Facebook, Apple’s iTunes and MySpace, amongst others. It allowed us to freely experiment, to embrace both the applications and the ideas they represented, such as VoIP, online video, digital downloads and social networking.

The emergence of these applications has, in turn, spurred demand for broadband in the U.S., much like the illegal version of Napster jump-started the demand for cable and DSL broadband in the late 1990s. And they’ve helped lift the number of broadband subscriptions to U.S. cable and DSL companies to 69 million by the end of 2007, subscriptions that have brought in enough cash to pay for the cable companies’ foray into voice and to help with their digital transition.

Dr. Fredric J. Baur was so proud of having designed the container for Pringles potato crisps that he asked his family to bury him in one.

His children honored his request. Part of his remains was buried in a Pringles can - along with a regular urn containing the rest - in his grave at Arlington Memorial Gardens in Springfield Township.

Dr. Fredric J. Baur was so proud of having designed the container for Pringles potato crisps that he asked his family to bury him in one.

His children honored his request. Part of his remains was buried in a Pringles can - along with a regular urn containing the rest - in his grave at Arlington Memorial Gardens in Springfield Township.

"In 2010 the DVD market will really notice online and really notice a decline. Five years I would take as the time when very few DVDs are being sold," he said, pointing to the emergence of "intelligent homes" with servers carrying digital files of music and films to pipe into various rooms.

"Over time, DVDs will just become one of those things that were lovely and in a couple of years' time you'll be able to download a Blu-ray two-hour film in probably 10 or 15 minutes. This is very much the dawn of that age in the same way it was with music downloads a few years back."

"In 2010 the DVD market will really notice online and really notice a decline. Five years I would take as the time when very few DVDs are being sold," he said, pointing to the emergence of "intelligent homes" with servers carrying digital files of music and films to pipe into various rooms.

"Over time, DVDs will just become one of those things that were lovely and in a couple of years' time you'll be able to download a Blu-ray two-hour film in probably 10 or 15 minutes. This is very much the dawn of that age in the same way it was with music downloads a few years back."

The research, sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, studied U.S. engineering and technology companies founded between 1995 and 2005. It found that the median and average age at which U.S.-born entrepreneurs founded their technology and engineering companies was 39. There were twice as many entrepreneurs older than fifty than those who were younger than twenty-five, and 1 percent of U.S.-born founders of tech companies were teenagers.

The research, sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, studied U.S. engineering and technology companies founded between 1995 and 2005. It found that the median and average age at which U.S.-born entrepreneurs founded their technology and engineering companies was 39. There were twice as many entrepreneurs older than fifty than those who were younger than twenty-five, and 1 percent of U.S.-born founders of tech companies were teenagers.

The truth is, negative, pessimistic people can be good for the workplace. That's according to Jing Zhou, a Rice University associate professor who studied the effects of good and bad moods on the workplace.

She found that experiencing both positive and negative moods is best for worker quality and creativity. This may seem to go against preconceived notions about the impact of negative moods on performance, but philosophers have long stressed the importance of balancing nature's darker and lighter yin and yang forces. Both, Dr. Zhou's work suggests, are necessary for optimal productivity.

Good moods enhance expansive thinking, which can be especially useful when brainstorming strategies and future plans, she said. But bad moods demonstrate a healthy discontent with the status quo and a need to fix it -- qualities that also are useful for creative problem-solving.

The truth is, negative, pessimistic people can be good for the workplace. That's according to Jing Zhou, a Rice University associate professor who studied the effects of good and bad moods on the workplace.

She found that experiencing both positive and negative moods is best for worker quality and creativity. This may seem to go against preconceived notions about the impact of negative moods on performance, but philosophers have long stressed the importance of balancing nature's darker and lighter yin and yang forces. Both, Dr. Zhou's work suggests, are necessary for optimal productivity.

Good moods enhance expansive thinking, which can be especially useful when brainstorming strategies and future plans, she said. But bad moods demonstrate a healthy discontent with the status quo and a need to fix it -- qualities that also are useful for creative problem-solving.