Everything Old is New at RIM - Wait-a-Thon

Pop quiz, hotshot:

You're the top dog in smart phones with "push" email technology so killer people have likened it to crack. But last year a new kid showed up with a glitzy multi-touch interface and media to die for, and sucked all the buzz out of your room. What do you do? What. Do. You. Do?

If you answered, out innovate them, come up with next year's "it" device, you're correct. You're also clearly (and unfortunately) not the brain-trust at RIM.

We've already talked about Apple licensing Microsoft's ActiveSync, looking to eat into RIM's Blackberry business dominance. We've even made fun of the new old-look Blackberry 9000 (yep, that's the new BB pictures above. What, you thought it was the Meizu?). But this cuts deeper into the industry.

For years Palm pushed out tepid evolutionary designs. RIM, while having copied a little Palm look-and-feel at times, has made tentative flirtations, for good or for ill, with innovation in devices like the Pearl. For the most part, however, everyone has been content to regurgitate and duplicate. Everyone but the iPhone.

When Steve Jobs pulled the iPhone from his pocket at Macworld 2007 it was unlike anything we'd seen in smart phones before, but also instantly Apple. It was a revolution.

Palm needs to do this so badly the company hinges on it.

RIM does as well. Sure, they're in great shape. They move tons of units to an enormous, addicted user base. They own the market. But they no longer lead it.

Copying Apple's design is superficial but it's a sign that RIM is following. They are going where Apple has been. They are surrendering mindshare and, in doing so, surrendering leadership of the market.

Sure, Apple competes with Apple. They cancelled the mega-popular iPod Mini only to release the super-mega-popular Nano. And they'll push themselves on smart phones all alone if they have to. But every industry needs competition.

WinMob 7 is still vaporware and is also targeting where the iPhone was. That's Microsoft's MO. Palm's Nova needed to be out 2 years ago, if not earlier. They've long ago lost the drive that made them the original innovator. That leaves RIM (and perhaps Nokia).

Hotshots, you need to do better.

Beta 1.2 is Dead! Long Live Beta 2.0!

According to Engadget, Apple is serving up (yet another?) new beta firmware, this one doing away with the (confusing?) 1.2.0 designation and lining up squarely behind Steve Jobs' announced 2.0 labeling.

Aside from some VPN, mail, and ActiveSync tweaks and re-org's, Engadget can't find much else aside from the shiny new version release, but as June gets closer, no doubt Apple's engineers will get busier!

Weekly App Review: Meebo

With Instant Messaging (IM) a ways off for the iPhone, what are your alternatives? Have no fear! Your IM saviour is here... Meebo! What is Meebo? Meebo is a free web-based IM client that connects to several clients including: Meebo, AIM, MSN, Yahoo!, GTalk, ICQ and Jabber. How does this client favor with all of the services? Read on to find out more...

iPWND - 2.0 Firmware Beta 2 Hacked (With Video)

JAR! The "Cat and Mouse Game" between the nasty pirates and the royal Cupertino navy seems to have shifted decidedly in the pirates favor, or so says Engadget:

Those crafty kids on the iPhone Dev Team have already hacked the 2.0 firmware, but now they're getting ready to release the oh-so-creatively-named PWNED tool, which takes iPhone hacking to the next level by patching the bootloader to let you load any firmware image you want -- even images not signed by Apple. That means custom patched firmware can now be loaded directly from iTunes, which simplifies the jailbreaking / unlocking process tremendously, and also means that a patched version of the 2.0 firmware is coming soon.

Video after the break!

Warning! Another Week, Another Flash Rumor!

Yup. Just when ya thought it was safe to read the interwebs again, Gizmodo (via BGR) brings word that -- you guessed it! -- Flash is coming to the iPhone!

"You heard it here first, people! The latest version of the iPhone 2.0 firmware that was just seeded to developers has a YouTube plugin for MobileSafari.app"

Well, forgive me if I go looking for my iHulk Smash Puny Rumor graphic like immediately, b'okay?

Rumor: .Mac Coming to iPhone 2.0?

No sooner did our own Chad Garette lay out the case for .Mac syncing via the iPhone, then iPhone Alley, (via TUAW), brings word that El Jobso might be doing just that:

In the just released SDK beta 2, iPhone Alley found a string within a preference bundle that reads: "Syncing with this Dot Mac account will turn off syncing for other Dot Mac accounts and delete any existing synced data." This suggests the possibility of wireless syncing for non-Exchange users.

This would be awesome additional functionality for both the iPhone and for .Mac. 2.0 really can't come fast enough.

And note to Chad: How about an article on why the iPhone really needs immediate release in Canada? Please? :)

3G Rumorpalooza Roundup!

Even though we already covered the 3G rumor-mill several times this week, it's the grist that just keeps on... er... grist'ing.

First up, hot on the heels of Gartner and Rose, we have Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., electronic component manufacturing mega-power and long time Apple supplier, rumored to have struck gold with a 3G iPhone contract for up to 10 million units (that sure seems to be the magic number, doesn't it?) The deal may already have closed, and the next-gen Apple handset could be well on its way to production. Or not. (Commercial Times via Apple Insider)

The aforementioned Gartner has walked back from its previous rumor, now claiming all manner of uncertainty and concerns over accuracy. Yet Bank of America analyst Scott Craig and his intrepid channel investigations say we might just see the iPhone 3G in small quantities as early as May, with a larger release set for June. (Apple Insider)

And to top it all off (if only for now!), there seems to be a shortage of iPhones at New York Apple stores, with employees being none-too-chatty about when they would be replenished. Since Apple has been known to slow down distribution of older models in the face of new releases, this news, of course, has generated some OMG iPhone 3G!!11 buzz all it's own. (Huffington Post via Infinite Loop).

While the idea of Kramer and Newman(!) scouring the streets of the Big Apple in some Seinfeld-ian attempt to profiteer over the little Apple phone is certainly chuckle-inducing, what's not so funny is the sheer amount and frequency of the 3G rumors as of late. Is this a sign the El Jobso is really, truly about to take stage again with another universe-dent'er in-pocket? Or is it just that demand for both a 3G iPhone and for rumors have hit a fever-pitch?

We'll know before the FCC can leak it, no doubt. But knowing Steve Jobs, it'll only be in that last possible moment.

Oh, the drama!

This Week in Smartphone Schadenfreude, March 28th Edition, Wait-a-Thon

[Jobs help us, we're making this an official Wait-a-Thon post! Leave a comment here for you chance to win a $100 iTunes Gift Card! In the meantime, congrats to last week's winner, Dyvim!]

Not evil twin to Phone Different Week in Review, not an invasion by Fake Steve, This Week in Smart Phone Schadenfreude brings you all the feel-better news you need about the smartphone world outside Apple's current media dominator. (Who knew there was such a world? We were just as surprised! Inelegant, interface challenged, keyboardy, crashy, single-touchy place -- best not to linger...). Join us as we mock review the big news from last week at our sister sites. Everybody loves sibling rivalry!

iPhone Risk: Mexican-do and Whither Netherlands?

Apple Insider points us to two fresh rumors on iPhone launches. First up, in what could be the second North American appearance of El Jobso's revolutionary little phone:

The Mexico City newspaper El Universal alleged on Thursday that multiple dialogs with Apple support would have the iPhone launch on Mexican carrier Telcel in June, in time for Apple's planned version 2.0 firmware.

Next, a potential sixth (6th!) launch for the mighty Europe, this time in the Netherlands:

Meanwhile, Dutch Apple reseller The Innovators also posted teasers the same day for a special event to take place on March 29th at 11AM local time. The third-party store was mum on details but dropped hints that it would present on a product that had previously been unsold in the Netherlands and would make it easy to place calls.

Admittedly pretty thin, if any of these rumors come true, it would bring our score to:

Could Mexico and the Netherlands be getting their multi-touch on come June? Or are these the weakest rumors yet? What do you think?

Phone Different Week in Review 2008-03-28

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Here we go!

Apps Store, first pics?

The week started off with a glimpse of what may be the first pictures of the app store for the iPhone. Are they real? You decide!

Continue reading "Phone Different Week in Review 2008-03-28" »

| | Posted by Chad Garrett on March 28, 2008 at 10:43 AM

Tags: favorites, review, summary, weekly | (0)

Double EDGE'd: Nokia Boosts Data Speed

Nokia Siemens Networks announced that they have developed new software which double the speed of existing EDGE data networks (the type of networks that currently supply carrier-based internet connections to iPhone users worldwide).

So, 2 x slow = how less-slow exactly? 592 kbps says Nokia, who estimates availability beginning Q3 2008. Of course, 3G rumormongers will have us long past EDGE by then, so not to be outdone, Nokia also revealed plans for a next-gen nitro punch called EGPRS 2, which they hope reaches speeds of 1.2 Mbps:

“By 2015, we expect to live in a broadband-IP world with five billion people ‘always on’ and therefore Nokia Siemens Networks is committed to protecting customer investments and continue to implement leading EDGE technology. Dual Carrier software upgrade is an easy and extremely cost efficient step to bring broadband user experience to GSM/EDGE networks”, says Ari Lehtoranta, Head of Radio Access Business Unit, Nokia Siemens Networks.

(via Gizmodo)

iPhone SDK: Take 2

Literally every source on the interwebs is reporting that Apple has just released Beta 2 of their universe-denting SDK (Software Developers Kit). This new version now sports a working Interface Builder and an update to Xcode 3.1.

Warm up your downloads then get yourself a tasty beverage, because at 1.4GB and with $100 million on the line, even Apple's servers may take a little while getting it to you!

Patents Pondered: Apple Poised to Free Your TV?

You're out with a friend on Wednesday night and hear that, because of the "big game", the season finale of NBC's The Office will be airing later that same night instead of the next as usual.

Panic? Try to rush home? Call your mom and beg her to record it? Hope you can download it off the torrents without getting sued into oblivion?

Nope. You just whip out your trusty iPhone, touch your way through a simple, elegant interface and -- boom! -- EDGE/Wi-Fi sync a new recording schedule back to the DVR-equipped Apple TV in your living room.

When you get home, The Office is recorded and waiting to watch on the big screen. And if you're too tired to finish watching it, you can just shift the content right back to your iPhone (or MacBook Air, or any other iTunes savvy device) and watch it on your way to work the next day.

Sounds like magic, doesn't it? Not according to one of Apple's latest patent filings...

Web App Review: iCopy

When I first heard of iCopy through fellow Phone Different writer Rene Ritchie, I thought, "Wow, what a great idea, I hope it works". When I installed the software, I was immediately skeptical due to the complexity of the steps involved. So, without saying too much more, let's dive right in!

To use iCopy is simple; install the JavaScript-based bookmarklet and you are good to go. To begin you simple tap the Copy/Paste bookmark in Safari on the iPhone. After doing this you are presented with three choice: Copy, Paste and Cancel.

Rumor: More 3G from Kevin Rose

"Phone different, real posts no gimmicks"

[With apologies to Eminem and - ahem - our readers.]

Rumor's back. Back again. iPhone packed. Tell your friends.
From VP. Close to APPL. Kevin tweets. He's top lvl.
3G soon. GPS spin. Here by June. FTW!
Kevin's back. Back again. {interweb hums}

For those of you who aren't up on either your Eminem or your Twitter, the story here is Kevin Rose posted up another teaser, this time on Twitter, that he has the inside line on the 3G iPhone with the above specs. He's playing with us, right?

Right?

3G iPhone around the Corner, OLED, 10 Million of 'em Ordered?

Ken Dulaney, a Gartner analyst has divulged to the iPod Observer that Apple may have already placed an order for 10 million 3G iPhones. Mr. Dulaney is aware of this based on the rumors he his following in Asia.

Mr. Delany also goes on to speculate that the 3G iPhone will also use organic LED's allowing the device to be thinner and have a lower consumption. This comes just days off of Kevin Rose's declaration that the 3G iPhone will have a built-in forward facing camera, possibly for video chatting via an iChat like client.

Will we see a new iPhone in a "few months"? My bet is the announcement will have to be at the WWDC this June.

RIM Shot: iPhone Jeopardy Update!

We interrupt this episode of RIM, Lose or Draw? for a quick iPhone JEOPARDY update!

Last time, Blackberry "pusher", and outage-plugger extraordinaire Mike Lazaridis took "Post SDK Over-Reactions" for a thousand:

"Talk -- all I'm [hearing] is talk about [the iPhone's chances in Enterprise]. I think it's important that we put this thing in perspective." [...] "Apple's design-centric approach [will] ultimately limit its appeal by sacrificing needed enterprise functionality. I think over-focus on one blinds you to the value of the other." [...] "Apple's approach produced devices that inevitably sacrificed advanced features for aesthetics."

While it's still too early to go to the judges, a new competitor has stepped up to the podium, CNet's Matt Asay (via Daring Fireball).

What is the most expensive phone, by far, on the market?

I walked into my local AT&T Wireless store on Saturday fully expecting and prepared to get a Blackberry 8820. My Blackberry 8800 died while I was in London last week [...] Unfortunately for Research in Motion, maker of the Blackberry, the in-store price for the 8820 was the same as the iPhone. I deliberated for all of three seconds and walked out with the iPhone.

What about "lack of functionality"? Lack of the tic-tactile keyboard, man?

I thought I wouldn't be able to type on the iPhone without tactile feedback. I was wrong. I'm actually faster on the iPhone than I ever was on the Blackberry, and that's with only an hour of "training."

Still, regrets you must have a few, like SMS blasts, animations on email deletion, and the lack of Flash?

But all its good points make up for these negatives. The iPhone is an amazing device. It was inevitable that I'd find my way to it, just as it's inevitable that it will continue to take more and more market share, eventually breeding lower-end devices that will change the way we use mobile "phones." The iPhone is designed too well to be anything less than inevitable.

Good answer! But is RIM too far ahead? Can the iPhone catch up? Or is it too close to call? What do you think?

In ur SDK: Microsoft TellMe About iPhone?

Hot on the heals of the Microsoft MacBU (makers of Office 2008 for Mac) talking iPhone SDK, comes word (via Fortune) that Microsoft's recently acquired TellMe division, which specializes in voice recognition, is also eyeing Apple's little market grabber:

“If the SDK supports [voice recording and location-based information],” [general manager Mike] McCue told Fortune in February, “we’re absolutely going to get a version out there as soon as we can, get TellMe out there on the iPhone.”

Of course, limits placed on the iPhone SDK may well make this impossible without the mythical "special dispensation" from Apple. We do know Bill Gates loves him some "natural interfaces", though, and who knows how long it will be until VistaMob 7 or Surface ship, so is this like back in the early days when Microsoft got all GUI on Mac Excel? Or is Microsoft really all just about the software profits, man? What do you think?

Being Played? Flash, Music, and Manipulation - Wait-a-Thon

Rumor gets reported there will be Flash on the iPhone. Rumor gets smashed. Rumor gets reported there will be unlimited music on the iPhone. Rumor gets smashed. Rinse and repeat.

What's going on? Why aren't we getting these stories straight?

Turns out maybe these stories weren't meant to be gotten. Turns out maybe these stories were meant to get us.

There was a time when media really was the fourth estate, when it reported the news. In something akin to the scientific method, media observed what was going on in the grand experiment that is society, looked for pattern and flaw, then contextualized it, gave it form and flavor, and broadcast it by mule and truck and cable and fiber to those who wanted or needed to know.

Now media is entertainment and is competing with itself and other forms of entertainment for your attention and your dollar. One of the ways to compete is to get mysterious "un-named sources" to give you the highly prized "sensational headline". And instead of digging for these sources and convincing them to come forward, the anonymous sources now trip and push past each other to get to the reporters first. Why? Because controlling the story is important. Information is power and spin is leverage.

Okay, soap-box, what does this have to do with the iPhone? Two interesting and very similar blog posts emerged recently shedding new light on both the Flash and unlimited music stories that have been all over the web lately. Let's take a look:

Microsoft's Mac Business Unit to Develop for iPhone?

Chalk another developer up for the iPhone App Watch: Microsoft. Microsoft has a small team called the MacBU that develops the very successful Office Suite for the Mac -- an office suite that until the recent version was widely thought to be more advanced than even its Windows counterpart and in some ways a "test bed" for features that would eventually make it into the Windows version of Office.

It may surprise some to hear that Microsoft is looking at the iPhone for development, but it ought not. I mean, they just all got buddy buddy with full ActiveSync Exchange support, so a little thing like utilizing the SDK for a Mini-Office app ain't no thang.

“It’s really important for us to understand what we can bring to the iPhone,” Tom Gibbons, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Specialized Devices and Applications Group, told Fortune on Monday. “To the extent that Mac Office customers have functionality that they need in that environment, we’re actually in the process of trying to understand that now.” - FORTUNE [via MacRumors]

Review: Belkin Clear Acrylic Case for iPhone

There are several choices for an iPhone case at the Phone Different Store. One that caught my eye was the Belkin Clear Acrylic Case ($14.95) due to its unique "kickstand". I was very excited to see this type of case become available for the iPhone. It is perfect for setting on a tray table or on any table for that matter. But the real question is how does it hold up as a case?

Read on for the full review after the break...

Rumor: 3G Coming with iChat, DIGG it?

Digg and Pownce founder and web 2.0 darling Kevin Rose, during the latest Diggnation podcast, made the following prognostications about the eventual 3G iPhone (via Apple Insider):

[Kevin Rose] claims that a 3G version of the iPhone hardware due in a few months will employ two digital cameras situated back-to-back -- one on the front side of the unit behind the transparent touch-screen, and a second one on the back of the handset as it exists today.

Rose also conjectures that this may be why Apple has limited background processes in the current SDK: to prevent competition to their upcoming iChat Touch application.

iChat Touch, according to Rose, will allow full-on video conferencing via high-speed HSDPA between 3G iPhone users and desktop iChat users alike.

As to how reliable Rose's predictions may be, Apple Insider reminds us:

In the week's leading up to last year's iPhone introduction, the Digg founder cited sources in saying Apple would introduce the handset with a slide-out keyboard, two separate battery compartments, and make it available for both CDMA and GSM networks -- all of which turned out to be false.

So, um... er... yeah -- we'll take this with a shovel full of salt for now.

Still, the idea iChat Touch with video is exciting and functionality I'd love to see on the second generation iPhone. What do you think?

More bandwidth for AT&T, what does this mean for Apple?

Information Week has posted an article discussing how the spectrum action is going. You remember, the wireless 700MHz spectrum action that is freed up from analog TV? Anyway, Verizon has won the largest segment of the bandwidth spending $9.6 billion to do so. Guess who's number 2? You guessed it kids, AT&T. AT&T spent $6.6 billion for their share. What does this mean? Well for starters the FCC says that the bandwidth being auctioned off must be kept open and usable on any network; no more of this lock-down on a carrier mumbo-jumbo. Then there is Google coming with Android later this year...

So what impact does this have on the iPhone? Will Apple sell an iPhone on a segment of the open bandwidth? Could the 3G iPhone run only on AT&T's 3G network and the EDGE iPhones run on the "open" spectrum?

Dot Mac Services to iPhone? Wait-a-Thon!

Do you use Apple’s .Mac Services? I do. I like the synchronization between my Macs; it really makes life easy. With the iPhone, I really get a lot of benefit. I can add a website, Calendar appointments, Address Book entry, etc on my iPhone and it gets synced across multiple machines.

So why can’t I access my iDisk on my iPhone? I realize actually creating documents might be a stretch, but at least an adherence to Apple’s own Human Interface Guidelines for iDisk on the iPhone via Safari should not be too hard. But why stop there. Why not an optimized view of my web-based .Mac Mail? Or Address Book?

I think it would be an awesome value for .Mac subscribers to get an optimized array of Apple’s services to the iPhone. They could start with their own Web App Gallery. What do you think? Would a tighter integration of Apple’s services with the iPhone make it that much more desirable?

This Week in Smartphone Schadenfreude, March 24th Edition

Not evil twin to Phone Different Week in Review, not an invasion by Fake Steve, this Week in Schadenfreude brings you all the feel-better news you need about the smartphone world outside Apple's current media dominator. (Who knew there was such a world? We were just as surprised! Inelegant, interface challenged, keyboardy, crashy, single-touchy place -- best not to linger...). Join us as we mock review the big news from last week at our sister sites. Everybody loves sibling rivalry!

RIM/Blackberry Likes Outages So Much They Start Scheduling Them!

CrackBerry.com brings word that RIM once again gave some tough-love to Blackberry addicts in the form of a NOC outage on March 22 from 2AM to 6AM EDT. Sorry, no email for the after-after party, Lin-Lo! But it's not just the Hollywood scandalrati who'll suffer. 2AM EDT translates into late night on the west coast, early morning in Europe, and midday in Asia. Giving a nation of Jet Lee's the DTs? We'd start running now, Lazaridis!

WinMob Treo 800 Delayed Until... Er... Hello?... Little Help?

According to WMExperts.com, the two long suffering mobile platforms that suffer longer together, Windows Mobile and Treos, will not see the new high-end model drop until sometime later this year. Why? Who knows, but we can offer some hypotheticals:

1. This baby will be rocking the new OS, which is still running just a tiny bit behind schedule as Microsoft wants to make sure users enjoy VistaMob every bit as much as its big desktop brother.
2. It was shown at a Gatesnote, and as such is contractually forbidden to hit the market for at least another year. (Hi, Surface!)
3. Bono now owns the place and spent enough time in Cupertino to inject himself into every little feature discussion. "Jaysus, needs more red now, dunnit?"

And in No Other News

Yeah, sorry, nobody much covers other smart phones in these parts. Nokia probably did something in Scandinavia but we can't read Norfinwedish so who knows? It's not like they're being sued by a thousand year old lady or are -- yet again -- beating, stomping, hammering, pummeling, and slapping around the dead horse that is N-Gage, right?

Tool Time: Internationalize Your Webs and Cap Your Screens!

The iPhone OS, like its big Mac brother, has a lot of little tools, preferences, and settings, some explicitly surfaced, others hidden away. The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) brings us one of each this week!

First up, by way of RipDev's molecular decomposition of the code (either that or a well-placed source...) is a way to enable screen capture on your jailbroken iPhone:

After setting the preference in /var/mobile/Library/Preferences/com.apple.springboard.plist, just restart Springboard and use the following super-secret key combination: Hold down the Home key and toggle the mute switch. Your screen flashes white, a screen shot appears on your camera roll. [...] If you'd rather not edit your property lists directly, add http://repository.ripdev.com as an Installer repository and install Apple Screenshot Enabler. Warning: trying to remove the mod via Installer.app caused my phone to reboot. It just would not uninstall properly.

Next, for our international readers who may want to use their own TLD (top level domain such as .ca, .uk, .de, etc.) rather than the standard .com, here's a way to internationalize your Safari Touch keyboard:

In settings, choose General > Keyboards and enable some of those international keyboards. Next go to Safari and start to enter a new URL. Tap the globe to switch the active keyboard from US English to some other nationality. [...] Finally, tap and hold the .com button. After a second, a regionalized version of .com appears just to the left of the default.

Hit the links for more and If anyone gives them a try, let us know how they work (or don't) for you!

UPDATED! OMG Appz Store Leaked?!1

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) is running some screen shots of what may well be our first glimpse of the iPhone's App Store.

Pretty much what you'd expect if you combined the Wi-Fi Music Store with apps, the shots came TUAW's way via a tipster. Seems said tipster claims that, after repeatedly stabbing away at the App Store button (does that mean he was running the SDK beta??) and failing to connect, lo and behold he got through.

UPDATE: iPhone l33t hax0r Erica Sadun went poking around the storeBag.xml from Apple's public iTunes server and found the following:

There appears to be a new service, labeled "p2-panda" [note: p2 might stand for "purple", the iPhone code name] that offers access to the same functionality that Cory reported on last night. Specifically, the panda calls include StoreFront listings, Genres, Top Fifty listings, and Updates. If nothing else, this independently confirms functionality seen from those screen shots.

Be sure to check out her complete post for more geeky goodness!

Gaming: iPhone vs. Nintendo DS and Sony PSP

We've covered gaming here a few times already. Now Roughly Drafted Magazine's Daniel Eran Dilger chimes in with another of his highly detailed (and highly partisan) articles, this one looking at Apple's iPhone and how it compares to, and seems poised to disrupt, the established portable gaming platforms:

The most obvious competition the iPhone faces is the leading Nintendo DS and the distant runner up, Sony’s PlayStation Portable. Incidentally, both gaming units appeared on the market in late 2004; the iPhone benefits from being nearly three years younger, and therefore based on considerably more modern technology. However, gaming isn’t an easy market to break into.

Dilger covers whether or not a convergence device like the iPhone can even compete against dedicated gaming handhelds. He runs down the current console market and Apple's thus far discreet approach to gaming on iPods.

From unit pricing to hardware specs, Dilger makes his case that while the iPhone is expensive, its also a generation ahead in terms of performance, and despite the price, offers features above and beyond gaming.

Potential smart phone rivals, including Micrsoft's XNA and Nokia's N-Gage 2.0 are also discussed.

What's Dilger's conclusion?

As Apple migrates its 150 million iPod installed base toward the iPod Touch and iPhone, the company will pair a large user base with enthusiastic development efforts. Users will get the gaming environment as a free addition to the phone, media player, and web browser they purchased. Conversely, that also means that lesser phones with plodding web browser capabilities and simplistic media playback–as well as dedicated games consoles that really only play games–will have a hard time competing against the new platform. That should make for an interesting 2008.

Personally, I've considered a PSP in the past but could never justify the (then very high) cost for something I wouldn't use all that often. But I have my phone with me all the time, and if I could get games as innovative as the DS (or Wii!) and as high quality as the PSP on my iPhone, it would be a no brainer. And maybe Apple's counting on that as a way to "trojan horse" its way into gaming.

On a very deep level, using the accelerometer to fly an X-Wing into the Death Star is something I think the iPhone was forged to do. (You listening, Lucas?)

Multitask-Masters: Hock vs. Alfke vs. Gruber

Here we go with another hand of high-stakes SDK multitasking three-blogger stud. Commenters (as always) wild.

Craig Hockenberry, developer of Twitterrific for Icon Factory, opens with two reasons why he understands the current Apple-enforced no multitasking policy, power:

The heart of the problem are the radios. Both the EDGE and Wi-Fi transceivers have significant power requirements. Whenever that hardware is on, your battery life is going to suck. My 5 minute refresh kept the hardware on and used up a lot of precious power.

And presentation:

You now have five independent sources for notifications. How do you let the user know which one is which? One might say, “make the sound different.” Another might say, “make something flash in the status bar.” Someone else might say, “make the phone vibrate.” Or even, “put up an alert box.” A truly sick individual might say, “Do all four.”

Jens Alfke, who developed iChat for Apple before going indie due to creative differences over the importance of social software, sees power:

[... H]ow much less power does it take to leave the EDGE radio passively listening for packets, as opposed to sending them? [... M]y prior cellphone, the T-Mobile Sidekick, had excellent AIM support, as well as push email, from day one, so it clearly is possible. The Sidekick’s battery life was decent, with maybe 3/4 the standby time of my iPhone.

And raises on presence:

I don’t buy this at all. In fact, I think it’s paternalistic. Yes, user interface design has to consider unintended consequences of users’ own actions, but this is a situation where the consequences are entirely obvious to the user: the more notifications you turn on, the more distractions you’ll get. The remedy is just as obvious: if you end up with too many distractions, you turn some of them down or off by using the exact same steps you used to turn them on in the first place.

(Be sure to hit up the original posts linked to above and read the comments for several bonus rounds of back-and-forth between the two and with others.)

John Gruber of Daring Fireball brings the hand to an end, calling:

I believe the number one reason why the iPhone OS doesn’t allow background processes is RAM. Battery life, CPU sharing, bandwidth — all of these are factors, too, but I think RAM is foremost. The iPhone only has just 128 MB of RAM and no swap space. A good chunk of that 128 MB goes to the OS itself and the built-in apps that do run in the background — Phone, Safari, and iPod. There really just isn’t much left over. If Apple were to just allow background processing now, what would happen is that background processes would often wind up getting killed by the OS at some point when the frontmost app needs more memory. From the user’s perspective, it would seem as though background apps inevitably mysteriously fail and stop running. You can argue that you’d rather have that than no third-party background apps at all, but it’s clearly a reasonable trade-off for Apple in terms of consistency and obviousness in the user experience.

Is Hockenberry right? Alfke? Personally I'm not betting against Gruber on this one. The iPhone is the first smart phone (can we call it that yet?) I've ever owned that didn't crash almost daily when making or receiving calls, and being a smart PHONE, that's the functionality I -- and it appears Apple -- is most concerned with. As things progress, Apple can always add functionality. It's far more difficult (and nightmarish from a PR standpoint -- right AirDrive Time Machine?) to take it away when it falls apart later.

Come June, when Apple lays all their cards on the table, we might just have a better idea. Until then, what do you think?

iPhone Risk: Sights Set on Singapore?

Apple COO Tim Cook said we'd see the iPhone in Asia by the end of 2008, and see it we did in China and Hong Kong! Er... oops, he meant officially, didn't he? Well, then, Ars Technica (via Thompson) reports that SingTel might just make Singapore the first Asian nation to introduce Poppa Jobs' pocket universe-dent'er:

The information comes from "industry sources," and indicates that the iPhone will appear in Singapore in September. The sources don't have any information on whether or not a package deal that includes Australia and Thailand has been reached, and I wouldn't be surprised to see news or rumors concerning those countries start popping up. SingTel and Apple aren't talking just yet (not that we expected them to).

Singapore allegedly boasts over 10,000 unlocked iPhones already, but if they go legit that'll bring our official score to:

Rumors (via Apple Insider) suggest Apple may even be willing to drop its revenue sharing model in exchange for the up-front carrier subsidies more common to the industry.

What gives? No Visual Voicemail in Ireland. No unlimited data in Austria. And now no revenue sharing in Singapore? Is Apple getting beaten down by the very carrier domination they seemed so poised to uproot? Or is Apple's business model really, as Tim Cook suggested, flexible as an 8 year old gymnast when it comes to getting the iPhone in countries?

Maybe when the Canadian model finally debuts with no Visual Voicemail, a heft 1MB of data, and Rogers' branded WAP browser in lieu of Safari, all for the low-low price of $199 a month for 100 min., we'll have our answer!

Signed Certificates: Approved by Apple in California

Roughly Drafted Magazine's Daniel Eran Dilger along with Jason Smith have written up an article detailing how signing certificates work, and what they mean for would-be iPhone developers.

Last May, I asked Steve Jobs for a public comment to clarify Apple’s plans for third party software for the iPhone. He assured me that Apple did indeed recognize a market for software outside of the web platform outlined for the iPhone, but was “wrestling” with how to balance openness with security.

They cover the brief history of App signing, how it works (like a drivers license that can be suspended for illegal activity), and the benefits and drawbacks for that type of system (restricted access vs. secure environment).

The simple threat of revocation would likely be enough to prevent legitimate developers from allowing fly-by-night spammers and identity thieves to use their assigned certificates to sign and distribute malicious software. Apple can also vet software as it is submitted, and rapidly respond to user complaints by terminating the distribution and revoking the run rights of signed software. With such a system in place, there’s no need for iPhone anti-virus software. Our children will never know why Symantec and Norton ever existed.

(For a differing opinion, see Rogue Amoeba: Will App-solute Power Corrupt?)

RIM/Blackberry and Nokia's signing models are discussed, with fees ranging from $100 per App to $780 for full-feature access, to $1295 packages. Dilger and Smith also compare the relative costs of developing for console games ($10,000+ after being slashed nearly in half) compared to the $0, $99, $299 iPhone tiers.

Likewise, the development environments for Java, Android, Palm, Symbian, and WinMob, all of which cater to a wide range of hardware, are compared to the iPhone's (familiar to existing Mac developers) single-device focus.

Lastly, Dilger and Smith wrap up with the 70/30 App Store cut debate, pointing out Danger's 50% cut, Handango's 40%, and Nokia's 40%-50%.

(For more views on this, check out Devs on Apps: Charge Us More, Users Less and First, Free, Finest: The Three Pillars of App Success?)

While Microsoft, Symbian, RIM, and others scramble to offer their own software stores that can match iTunes, it will all be too little, too late. Apple has the cohesive platform grabbing the most attention, the most familiar and modern developer tools, and the most most trusted consumer software store. By offering developers guaranteed sales and sustainable profits at a low cost of entry, no smartphone vendor is going to be able to match the sophistication of apps that sprout up around the iPhone.

Are Dilger and Smith giving a fair assessment of the iPhone's position in the current market? Or is this just more rampant Mac'tivism at work? Personally, I think the distribution terms are better than most I've experienced, but I'm waiting to see how the approval process goes before making any final opinions. What do you think?

Phone Different Week in Review, March 21, 2008

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Here we go!

Adobe Flash for iPhone

Would Adobe just make it for our beloved already? We started off the week with Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen hopes Apple's newly released SDK will help Adobe deliver that middle ground, with or without Jobs' blessing. The world was ecstatic, could this really be?

… Well, not so fast, a few days later there was a, um, clarification.

Can’t we all just get along, join hands, sing Kumbaya and make Flash happen?

More of our best stuff after the break!

Business Week Smash Puny Music Rumor!

Business Week apparently read the Financial Times' story on Apple Considering All-You-Can-Eat Music Subscriptions, cleared its throat, and allowed itself to retort:

[N]o such talks are under way, according to people familiar with Apple's plans. An Apple spokesperson declined to comment. Insiders at major music labels were similarly dismissive. One person familiar with the matter said the idea of subscription plan has been "kicked around" for about a year, but said there have been "no meaningful discussions" on the subject.

Of course, Apple was also never planning a phone or a tablet or a video iPod either...

(via iPhoneAlley)

First, Free, Finest: The Three Pillars of App Success?

Be first to market, give it away for free, or be the finest in the space. Steven Frank, co-founder of award-winning Mac development house, Panic, says any one of these properties is a key to iPhone app success. Any two of these?

If you are first AND best, you'll be doing quite well for a very long time, as long as you stay the best. If you're the best and free, it's going to be very hard to compete with you -- although those two lines don't intersect just every day.

Frank also gets into his thoughts on Apple as gate-keeper vs. cr@p filter, and had this to say on the subject of the App Store's 70/30 revenue split:

Whenever one of our apps hits the Mac Software page of Apple's site, we get a tidal wave of traffic. Forget VersionTracker or MacUpdate, you want to be on the Mac OS X Software page. Assuming this extends to the iPhone app store, I say you re-think Apple's 30% cut as your marketing budget, and suddenly everything makes a bit more sense. They aren't just taking your money and giving you nothing back -- they're putting your apps directly in front of EVERY SINGLE person who can possibly use your product. If you can't see the value of that, then I don't know what else to tell you.

An interesting read from an acclaimed developer, my only question is what are Frank (and Panic) cooking up with the SDK?? Transmit FTP? Coda Web Dev? CandyBar customization? Something completely new but just as shockingly good? What do you think?

Review: Seidio Inno Case for iPhone

The Seidio Inno Case for the iPhone ($32.95) is a very subtle case that manages to increase the functionality of the phone and enhance the user experience. The design is simple and understated and comes in colors such as blue, black, and burgundy. The case adds some flair but little to no bulk to your iPhone.

Read on for the full review!

Adobe Smash Puny Flash Rumor!

Will Flash come to the iPhone? Won't it? Will it? Won't it?

GearLive said yes. Adobe said maybe. El Jobso said too slow, too lite -- where's my middle?!. El Narayenso (er... Adobe's CEO) said SD-OK! And... now Adobe clarifies that ambiguous yes with another maybe. Kinda:

"[T]o bring the full capabilities of Flash to the iPhone web-browsing experience we do need to work with Apple beyond and above what is available through the SDK and the current license around it. We think Flash availability on the iPhone benefits Apple and Adobe’s millions of joint customers, so we want to work with Apple to bring these capabilities to the device."

Hooked on the iPhone's first reality soap yet? Us neither, but we'll keep on it until those wacky techs finally hook up for good or call it quits forever.