By Staff Writer – Boonsri Dickinson (@boonspoon)

When I was at the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley last month, I felt like a dinosaur standing next to the chunky computers on display. Ironically, I had my laptop strapped around my shoulder with my iPhone tucked away in the front pocket.

Apparently, all I’ll ever need is my cell phone.

Get this latest technology prediction. Desktop computers will be extinct in 3 years. With cloud computing, everything can be done on your cell phone.

The major push for the mobile era is aided by developers who are  designing apps for the phone ahead of a desktop version (if one at all).

The Huffington Post reports:

John Herlihy, European Director of Google’s online sales, told audiences at the Digital Landscapes conference in Dublin that he believes desktops are going the way of the dinosaurs.

‘In three years time, desktops will be irrelevant. In Japan, most research is done today on smart phones, not PCs,’ Herlihy told a ‘baffled‘ crowd.

‘Mobile makes the world’s information universally accessible,’ Herlihy explained, according to SiliconRepublic.

Also, CEO Eric Schmidtm recently said, the future of mobile is also the future of banking. We will use our mobile information to find things around us, enhanced by the use of voice, augmented reality, and location-based apps. According to The SiliconRepublic.com:

“Applications are coming that are sharing intensive. The generation of app developer before cloud computing thought about making local copies on servers. Now it is all about sharing and replication. This means we are building powerful, interlinked systems. Over time each of these waves – computing, telecoms and the need for servers – intersect at a particular point. It was the mainframe, then the PC. I’m pleased to say that everything will be in the context of powerful mobile phones.

“The mobile phone is the meeting point. An app that does not leverage the power of the cloud is not going to wow anybody and will be too narrow.”

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So long desktop computers, you’re history is a post from: TechStartups.com

By Staff Writer – Boonsri Dickinson (@boonspoon)

Do Asians really laugh at our iPhone fetish or the lack of cell phone features we have? After I wrote “10 Cool Asian Cell Phones You Can’t Have – Yet” for Technewsdaily.com, Asian cell phones seemed so futuristic compared to my iPhone.

The cells phones are your personal butler and will cater to your needs. Cell phone providers actually investigate dropped calls to make the service better. The mobile devices can read barcodes or send owned money to a friend with just their phone number. You can watch TV on the phone. And it can tell you if you’ve had a heart attack. Or it can turn on the heat in your apartment as soon as you get off the subway, so it’s nice and cozy by the time you get back.

And a 15-year-old cell phone user wrote a bestseller on her phone! Japan sets the cell phone trend for the rest of Asia and eventually the whole world — cell phone cameras debuted there. But just because their phones have more functions, it does not mean their phones are better.

Just a heads up for this cupid-filled weekend: Try not to let your cell phone get in the way of love.

Image: flickr/ pinksugarichigo

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Ohhhhh! Asian Cell Phones Have a Lot of Features! is a post from: TechStartups.com

It’s only Monday morning and we already have something we can officially file in the ‘oops’ category for the biggest online retailer in the world, Amazon.com. According to recent reports, they are in a bit of trouble in Japan when it comes to some unpaid back taxes and the Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau is aiming to do something about it…to the tune of $119 Million dollars. Yikes.

Apparently this huge tax fine was levied against Amazon’s “affiliated unit” called Amazon.com International Sales, and the taxes they are claiming to be owed go all the way back to times between 2003 and 2005. Apparently these allegations were first filed back in 2007, but they are really getting serious now, and according to TechCrunch, here’s the beef:

“The way Amazon operated so far is that every time Japanese customers buy something from Amazon’s Japanese website, they legally make contracts of purchase with Amazon offices in the US. The problem for the Japanese taxation bureau: These sales were booked and taxed in the US, even though Amazon operates two companies in Japan, Amazon Japan and Amazon Japan Logistics.”

The bad thing is, this isn’t the first time Amazon has been in trouble for tax issues. This was also uncovered:

“We are under examination, or may be subject to examination, in the following major jurisdictions for the years specified: Kentucky for 2004 through 2008, France for 2005 through 2008, Germany for 2003 through 2008, Luxembourg for 2003 through 2008, and the United Kingdom for 2003 through 2008…In addition, in 2007, Japanese tax authorities assessed income tax, including penalties and interest, of approximately $119 million against one of our U.S. subsidiaries for the years 2003 through 2005. We believe that these claims are without merit and are disputing the assessment. Further proceedings on the assessment will be stayed during negotiations between U.S. and Japanese authorities over the double taxation issues the assessment raises, and we have provided bank guarantees to suspend enforcement of the assessment. We also may be subject to income tax examination by Japanese tax authorities for 2006 through 2008.”

Stay tuned to this one, it could get messy.

Amazon Ordered To Pay Almost $120 Million In Back Taxes in Japan is a post from: TechStartups.com