Rackspace and NASA have joined together to push OpenStack.  OpenStack is an open source project to provide cloud computing and object storage. They will be going in to competition with VMware and Microsoft for the the cloud computing platform. The Compute and Storage projects are developer preview only and currently available. They expect the initial release for storage to be in mid September and Compute a month later. According to a report from Gigaom, “What Android is to smartphone operating systems, we want OpenStack to be for the cloud” says Rackspace’s Lew Moorman.

-AS
AdamSafire

From the Openstack website…

What the software does: The goal of OpenStack is to allow any organization to create and offer cloud computing capabilities using open source software running on standard hardware. OpenStack Compute is software for automatically creating and managing large groups of virtual private servers. OpenStack Storage is software for creating redundant, scalable object storage using clusters of commodity servers to store terabytes or even petabytes of data.

I was very excited about getting in a Dodocase for my iPad. I wrote an article then about how the Dodocase was a great idea. I had to wait 6 weeks for the case to arrive. The look is exactly what  I had hoped and expected. It is a very sharp looking case and has a great feel when carried.

Unfortunately, I found it very awkward to type on when elevated in a landscape orientation. the problem is that unlike the standard Apple case the bamboo border elevates the screen to a level that just is beyond comfortable to type. If I hadn’t used the Apple case while waiting for the Dodocase it might have not been a deal breaker. The border also seems to raise the iPad up in a manner that doesn’t feel as natural as the Apple case.

Durability may be an issue with this case. Although the case seems to be made out of very good materials and workmanship. I found myself worrying about damaging the case. The folds got sharp edges on them after only a couple days of use. This might be normal but it reminded me of a book that was beginning to fray.

The Good Things

• Handmade in the USA (I wish more items were)
• The look very professional and non-intrusive
• The feel carrying the iPad felt very natural

The Bad Things

• Not as easy or natural to type on as the Apple iPad case
• The raised up feeling position of the iPad that was not comfortable
• The durability issue

In the end, I still think that Dodocase is a good value for the money. I am very pleased and impressed that it is made in the United States. I love the concept that is simple and very familiar. I found that it is not as functional as the Apple iPad case for typing and the durability issue made me conscious about the way that I folded the device while watching movies. It is good on so many great levels it is just the couple that it comes up short may determine if it works for you.

-AS
AdamSafire

-AS
AdamSafire

Consumer Reports first statement

The Bumper solves the signal-strength problem. So does a piece of duct tape, as we reported earlier, or just being careful how you hold the phone. But these options all put the onus on consumers to solve or pay for a fix. We’re still calling on Apple to provide an acceptable free solution to the iPhone 4′s signal-loss problem.

—Paul Reynolds

Consumer Reports second statement

Consumer Reports believes Apple’s offer of free cases is a good first step. However, Apple has indicated that this is not a long-term solution, it has guaranteed the offer only through September 30th, and has not extended it unequivocally to customers who bought cases from third-party vendors. We look forward to a long-term fix from Apple. As things currently stand, the iPhone 4 is still not one of our Recommended models.

-AS
AdamSafire

The NY Times reported that the source of the problems with Apple’s iPhone 4 antenna may be in fact due to the way that the software communicates with the antenna.  I never have trusted Consumer Reports after I bought their top pick for inkjet printers   -AS

One person with direct knowledge of the phone’s design said Thursday that the iPhone 4 exposed a longstanding weakness in the basic communications software inside Apple’s phones and that the reception problems were not caused by an isolated hardware flaw. Instead, the problems emerged in the complex interaction between specialized communications software and the antenna, said the person, who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter.

The person said the problems were longstanding but had been exposed by the design of the iPhone 4. All cellphones can be affected by the way a hand grips the phone, but well-designed communications software compensates for a variety of external factors and prevents calls from dropping, the person said.

Mr. Jobs did not learn about the software problem until after the iPhone 4 shipped last month, the person said.

-AS
AdamSafire

-AS
AdamSafire

On Thursday, Bloomberg News reported that Mr. Caballero had raised concerns about the antenna to Mr. Jobs. In response to the article, an Apple spokesman said, “We challenge Bloomberg BusinessWeek to produce anything beyond rumors to back this up. It’s simply not true.” A spokesman for Bloomberg News said it stands by its story.

As development on the iPhone 4 proceeded, field testing would have been limited because of Apple’s emphasis on secrecy, said people familiar with the matter.

Read the entire article here