Wha’ Happen’d? New look and focus at RobToole.com

So some of you might have noticed that there’s been a little housekeeping going on here. Truth be told updating the blog has been on my mind since last Spring and I’m only now getting around to it. It was just time for an update as things we’re looking a little dated and the world has changed since March of 2006 when I started this. Here’s the rundown of changes:

Upgraded to PHP 5 with GoDaddy. Backed up my database, crossed my fingers, hit the upgrade button. We’re still here so it worked.

Upgraded to WordPress 2.3.1. Again crossed my fingers, it worked.

Changed the look and feel to a customized version of Bob’s Green Love theme. Thanks Bob!

Added Google AdSense. I know, I know, very devious but it’s merely an experiment. An experiment to make me RICH! Just kidding.

Added my SWX to PHP powered Flash banner that loads my most recent Flickr photo courtesy of Aral Balkan. Thanks Aral!

And last, I created my own custom Twitter badge which reads my most recent tweet from the automatically generated RSS feed. Thanks me!

And that about does it. I’ll continue to focus on mobile tech, business technology, and other geekdom, with a rant here or there about the futility of pursuing an MBA with two kids, a full-time job, and playing bass in a band.

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Paranoid Android

Google has released their SDK for Android and have thrown down the mobile gauntlet with the Android Developer Challenge, which will provide $10 million in awards great mobile apps built on the Android platform. This whole alliance business has a very Star Wars feel to me and obviously is a major step in Google’s effort to be in a part of your life as much as possible by infiltrating your phone.

It’s clear that Google is trying to get a headstart in creating in-roads and partnerships with carriers before rivals like Yahoo do so. They already have partnered with Sprint/Nextel in this “open” project and have their expectations set high in terms of how this will change the mobile space. However when you consider how long it’s taken a mature mobile OS like Symbian to develop, they would seem like they have a long way to go.

As for me, yes I’m interested in seeing where this will go, but I’m guessing this will need a killer device to really make it take-off. While Apple released a closed, sexy device intergrated with an existing marketplace they created with the iPod, Android is starting with just an open software approach with out the big selling point of “the device”. I really still think that consumers look at phones the way they look at cars. All cars drive, but the design and features go a long way in how you differentiate and choose what you buy. The iPhone is very much the Ferrari of phones and appealing to a certain tech-savy audience. On the other hand there are people who just need a practical Hynndai to simply make a call.

Anyway I’ll hear what Google has to say at Mobile Monday’s seminar tonight at Mobile Internet World and let you all know what I find out.