zengasm.com

Virgin America Rocks

I played Doom, watched 30 Rock, The Office and chatted with Gwen via the in-flight chat room while we watched the miles zip by on the addictive Google Map application. The staff was friendly, the planes were super-comfortable (seats by Recaro!) and we didn’t even notice a 30-minute delay due to software upgrades because we were so busy playing. Short of flying on a private jet I can’t imagine a better experience- wait, did I mention it was $44 each way? Thank you Richard Branson, Virgin America changes everything I knew about traveling through the country. Southwest, you’re dead to me.

As for the actual trip, I’m happy to report that I really like San Francisco. It’s a blur now, but SFMoMA, the Redroom bar at the Clift hotel, our crazy cabbies, tiny pancakes, John & Vinny detailing their trip to the Googleplex, good friends and an amazing city really made it more fun that should’ve been possible in three days. We’re going back soon, if only because we’ve got a serious jones for Asia de Cuba after wetting our appetites with some Tunapica on Saturday (yes, I’m aware that we could do this in L.A… but it’s an excuse to get the hell out of town).

Check out some photos here.

Google heads up the Open Handset Alliance, phone calls to become passe

Google finally pulled back the veil on their “GPhone” project and I had to catch my breath for a second. The funny part is that the reaction around the web seems to be the knee-jerk “I don’t want ads on my phone!”

It’s not about ads. It’s not even about what you currently use (and expect) your phone to do today. It’s a completely new idea that I believe will revolutionize quite a few ways we do things (once we figure it all out).

Want to set your phone to alert you when you’ve got a friend within a mile? Done.

Want to know when a home goes on the market within a pre-selected radius of the neighborhood you love? Easy.

We basically need to wake up and realize we’re carrying portable communications devices,

not cellphones, and that most are crippled by the carriers. Making this open-source now brings in a huge menu that is really only limited by our imagination.

Will there be ads? Yes, but only the ones you want to see.

http://gizmodo.com

http://www.openhandsetalliance.com