Tag Archives | Apple. iPhone

Droid Attacks iPhone

Posted by Harry McCracken on October 17, 2009 at 10:56 pm

Verizon DroidVerizon Wireless, which recently announced it was hopping on the Android smartphone OS bandwagon big time, has started whetting our appetite for its first Android phone. It’s launched a TV ad for the phone, the Droid, and a teaser site. And so far, it’s mostly promoting the phone by bashing the iPhone, with pseudo-Apple text pointing out that “iDont” have a physical keyboard, (third-party) multitasking, a five-megapixel camera, much in the way of customization options, widgets, “open development,” the ability to take photos in the dark, or a removable battery. The Droid (whose name is licensed from Mr. Lucas) presumably has all of the above.

It’s an entertainingly combative ad, and a pretty effective one given that it doesn’t even show the phone (which apparently looks like this). Of course, the fact that the Droid beats the iPhone on a number of spec- and feature-related fronts doesn’t make it a breakthrough. It’s quite common for smartphones to theoretically trump the iPhone in multiple ways, but the iPhone’s level of hardware/software/service integration and the vast quantity of available apps remain unique. No other phone is going to catch up with the iPhone’s software catalog anytime soon, so if I were an Apple competitor, I’d concentrate on trying to vaunt into the same league in terms of integration. Not that that’ll be easy. The Droid arrives next month, so we won’t have to wait long to judge it.

The other interesting question about the Droid commercial is this: Does all its cheeky iPhone-bashing signal that Verizon has no plans to sell the iPhone anytime soon? It not only mocks the phone but mocks Apple in a way that suggests that it doesn’t plan to go into business with it, despite rumors. I took the implied message of the ad as being something like this: “Yes, we know that a lot of people want a Verizon iPhone, but hold on–we’re going to have a smartphone that’s better than an iPhone.”

(Then again, I’m fascinated by this Verizon ad that says a non-Verizon BlackBerry is a paperweight–it might be an effective ad, but it seems like an odd thing to do to BlackBerry maker and Verizon partner RIM.)

Anyhow, here’s the “iDon’t” ad:

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The iPhone App Economy: What Price Quality?

Posted by Harry McCracken on October 16, 2009 at 7:10 pm

iPhone PennyGizmodo’s John Herrman has a long, smart post up about the economics of the iPhone App Store, the seemingly endless price pressure that makes most apps really cheap, and what it all means for iPhone developers and iPhone owners. (The section on GPS navigation apps is especially interesting–one of the reasons that many of them don’t read street names out loud is because it’s tough to charge enough to implement that feature.)

We’re still early enough in the history of iPhone apps (and apps for other mobile platforms, all of which will be heavily influenced by iPhone developments) that it’s impossible to know for sure how this will all play out. The happiest outcome, of course, is if iPhone owners buy apps in such massive quantities that developers can build outstanding applications and make tons of money on apps that don’t cost much. I’m optimistic about that happening. But I’ll feel better when it’s clear that prices have stabilized at a level that justifies the development of ambitious apps–and that an exceptional program such as Tweetie 2 can go for a thoroughly reasonable $2.99 without causing controversy…

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ZenNews: Global News for the iPhone

Posted by Harry McCracken on October 15, 2009 at 3:55 pm

ZenNews LogoZensify, makers of a social-network aggregator app for the iPhone, released a free new app today called ZenNews. It uses a similar interface for a whole new purpose: to help you learn what’s going on in the world as reported by a bunch of high-profile news sources.

The app pulls together stories from the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, MSNBC, USA Today, TweetMeme, BBC News, CNN, and Al Jazeera, and displays them in tag clouds that attempt to indicate the relative importance of the news items they link to, both in a general view and individual ones for each news source:

ZenNews

Continue Reading →

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It’s Flash on the iPhone (Well, Sort of)

Posted by Harry McCracken on October 5, 2009 at 1:34 pm

iphoneflashThe iPhone may be the only major smartphone in the known universe that’s unlikely to get Adobe’s Flash Player anytime soon, but there is a bit of iPhone/Flash news today. At Adobe’s MAX conference in Los Angeles, the company announced that Flash Professional CS5, the next upgrade to the Flash developer package, will be able to create native iPhone applications for distribution through the App Store.

This has nothing to do with Flash Player, and won’t let iPhone users view Flash content on the Web–it’s just a way for developers who are comfortable with Flash to build iPhone apps. It’ll presumably be useful when a company’s putting together an app in Flash for multiple devices, and wants to get it onto the iPhone without starting from scratch.

It sounds like a smart way for Adobe to jam its foot into the iPhone door even if Flash Player for the iPhone remains an iffy proposition–but if these tools are worth using, iPhone users should see no signs whatsoever that there’s anything unusual about the apps that developers build with them.

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Unwantedware from Apple

Posted by Harry McCracken on September 28, 2009 at 3:03 am

Over at ZDNet, Ed Bott writes about discovering that Apple’s “Software Update” utility recommended he install a piece of software that wasn’t an update, for a product (the iPhone) which he doesn’t own:

So why do I have Apple Software Update running in the first place? Because, when I installed Boot Camp, Apple recommended it to me. Indeed, if there’s an important update to the Apple-provided software I actually chose to install – the Boot Camp services and assorted drivers for Apple’s hardware – I would like to know about it. But there is no scenario under which any of these programs could be considered updates to software I installed, and Apple never asked my permission to offer additional software to me.

I’m willing to accept the possibility that sloppiness rather than sneakiness is at fault here–unlike Apple’s earlier overzealous distribution of Safari to iTunes users, I can’t imagine what benefit the company is deriving from getting a geeky iPhone update onto the machines of folks who don’t own iPhones. But the end result sounds like it’s the same: It’s way too easy to end up with Apple software you don’t want.

If Apple intends to use Apple Software Update as a distribution channel for all-new software, it would behoove it to give the app a new name. And even then, it should be darn careful about pre-selecting checkboxes during the install routine.

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Google Sync Now Pushes Gmail to iPhones (and Windows Mobile)

Posted by Harry McCracken on September 22, 2009 at 10:33 am

Back in February, Google launched iPhone and Windows Mobile versions of Google Sync, a service that let you sync contacts and calendar items from Google’s services to your phone. It didn’t, however sync Gmail–which would have been especially nice for iPhone users since Apple’s Gmail support doesn’t push Gmail to the phone as soon as it arrives, but rather checks for mail on a schedule you set.

Today, Google announced that Google Sync now pushes Gmail as well as contacts and appointments, using the iPhone’s Microsoft Exchange support to do the job. Here’s the company’s little explanation in comics form (looks like Scott McCloud wasn’t available this time):

Google Sync

My instinct is to be skeptical of anything that pushes data to the iPhone, since doing so has historically been a really good way to suck your battery dry before the day is done. (Especially if it involves as much data as a busy Gmail account does.) But I’ve been happily using Google Sync’s contact-and-calendar features, so I’ll give the new Gmail feature a try. If you check it out, let us know what you think.

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Google’s Google Voice FCC Letter: Uncensored!

Posted by Harry McCracken on September 18, 2009 at 11:02 am

Last month, Apple, AT&T, and Google all responded to the FCC’s request for information on the circumstances regarding Apple’s failure to approve some Google applications for release on the iPhone App Store. The letters became public, and helped to explain what was going on. Except that Google chose to redact its answer to a really important question in the version of the letter released for general consumption:

Google Redacted

Several people filed Freedom of Information Act requests to see the unexpurgated letter, and rather than fight the requests, Google has decided to accept publication of the full letter. Here’s the section we didn’t see before:

Google letter to FCC

On one level, there’s nothing surprising here: In Apple’s own letter to the FCC, it said it hadn’t approved Google Voice largely because it “altered(d)” and “replace(d)” placed Apple’s own phone-related features with ones designed by Google. (Alter and replace probably aren’t the right words here: Google Voice would be an additional way to make calls on the iPhone, and Apple’s features would remain unchanged. But you get the idea.)

But here’s one bombshell: Apple’s letter denied that the company had rejected Google Voice and said that it was still “studying” and “ponder(ing)” the app. Google’s letter, however, says that Apple told it that Google Voice had been rejected, period. The real-world difference is pretty much moot, since an application that enters a permanent limbo of being studied and pondered is no more useful to the world than one that’s been rejected. But it still seems to be a fundamental disagreement on a matter of fact: Apple says it didn’t reject the app, and Google says it did.

Also interesting: Google says the matter went all the way up to Phil Schiller. That would remove the possibility that Google Voice ran into trouble because of hasty and/or inconsistent decision-making by lower-level employees involved in the App Store. Apple knew what it was doing.

Just how directly was Google CEO’s exodus from the Apple board tied to this disagreement? Your guess is as good as mine, but if Schmidt were still on the board today it would be particularly strange given the Rashomon-like situation that’s developed.

As I’ve said before, I want a phone that lets me replace standard functionality with new and useful alternatives. Apple says that doing so may confuse iPhone owners, but I have a hunch that most of them are smart enough to deal with it–and hey, if they’re baffled, they can always delete the app in question.

I continue to think that Apple will eventually come to the conclusion that a more open-minded approach to iPhone app approval is in its own best interest. I just hope it decides that sooner rather than later, and without further nudging by the FCC.

Accepting and releasing Google Voice in the form Google originally submitted it wouldn’t address the larger issues here, but it would be an awfully good start…

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