Reference: Quality

A Generation Lost in the Bazaar

One of Brooks’s many excellent points is that quality happens only if somebody has the responsibility for it, and that “somebody” can be no more than one single person — with an exception for a dynamic duo.

Another Reason For Me To Say: T-Mobile + Xiaomi

Whoa, @Xiaomi just became the biggest smartphone manufacturer you’ve never heard of! #congrats http://t.co/2ZSIGmDxMZ

— John Legere (@JohnLegere) December 29, 2014

Writer Frederic Van Rensselaer Dey

Frederic Van Rensselaer Dey

Who wrote a thousand “Nick Carter” detective stories, aggregating more than fifty million words. The first was written in 1890; and during a period of years he averaged one complete book of about 33,000 words each week. In addition to his “Nick Carter” stories he has written others under the signatures Ross Beekman, Dirk Van Doren, Varick Vanardy, and also under his true name, Frederic Van Rensselaer Dey.

Mr. Dey was born in 1865, in New York City. He now lives in Nyack, on the Hudson. His article, beginning on the opposite page, is a human document of extraordinary interest.

I decided to put the complete post at my other place which awaits my purchase of a tablet so I can continue it: iPeople.

Perspective

You could not give away a 5.5 inch tablet but a 5.5 inch iPhone costs $800. Seems a lot to pay for a metered voice app.

— Horace Dediu (@asymco) December 29, 2014

And here earlier was this:

Remember when the Dell Streak was so big they had to call it a tablet? Good times! pic.twitter.com/XUvigvvy4v

— Steve T-S (@stroughtonsmith) October 7, 2014

The Heaving Masses Of The English

This is Oxford Circus. It's mental. I'm on the king seat of #6 bus and well, I feel elevated. #goinghome pic.twitter.com/zbGN4IHWzo

— Liz de Jager (@LizUK) December 29, 2014

Xiaomi: Moar Money, Moar Bubble!

Updated, after the break

Chinese tech firm Xiaomi is now worth more than Uber

Xiaomi, the Chinese electronics company, raised $1.1bn (£0.7bn) in its latest round of funding, taking its total valuation to $45bn and making it one of the world’s most valuable privately-owned technology companies.

Bin Lin, the co-founder and president of Xiaomi, published the update in a Facebook post, calling it “an affirmation of Xiaomi’s stellar results” over the last four years that “heralds in a new phase for the company”.

Mr Lin said the company’s investors include All-Stars Investment, DST, GIC, Hopu Fund and Yunfeng Capital, among others.

The Beijing-based tech firm is the world’s fourth-largest smartphone maker, behind Samsung and Apple, after it was nudged off its brief stint in third place when Lenovo acquired Motorola Mobility from Google in October.
Xiaomi is now worth more than some of its more established, publicly-listed Asian tech rivals. Its $45bn valuation is roughly three times higher than Lenovo’s $14.5bn.

I didn’t know it was now “worth” more than Lenovo. I have this to say about that: Bubble insanity!

Nokia N1 Reservation Page Active

Updated after the break

It’s at ZOL [Google Translate].

There are rumors the price will be 1,499 yuan (about US$240). That would be 200 yuan more than a 16GB Xiaomi MiPad, its closest competitor in terms of quality.

Will the Nokia brand name trump the lack of microSD card slot and lack of HDMI-out?