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Ditching the iPhone? I’ll Bet WinMo Has What You Want

Aviv — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:15:42 +0000

As of late, we have three prominent names publicly ditching the iPhone. Om Malik, from GigaOm, Michael Arrington from TechCrunch, and one person who’s inspired me for ages, macintosh developer Steven Frank from Panic, inc. here in Portland, Oregon. While I have no qualms with their decisions to ditch the iPhone, I’m having a tough time understanding what the hell they’re talking about.

The iPhone is a big deal… Period. It radically changed the entire mobile industry. Since its launch in 2007, Apple has clobbered sales records and the iPhone revenue bomb continues to explode. This single piece of technology and the services around it, including the thriving developer community, close the gap even further between human nature and technology. The vision that good technology should be indistinguishable from magic has clearly shown through with the iPhone. In fact, it’s so intuitive, so easy to use, and so powerful, that when people consider leaving the device due to whatever reason(s), they second guess themselves so much, that they ultimately settle on announcing a personal ban against Apple and AT&T. And you know as they hit that “Publish” button, they regretted it.

Why not just jailbreak the device? Does the need for one app make you ignore the years of work that have gone into this thing? Without the iPhone, you wouldn’t even have a second, comparable device to switch over to! So perhaps you’re bored with it? Perhaps the arrangement of icons on the homescreen is driving you nuts? The dropped calls, poor reception, constant ludicrous prices… Perhaps you hate AT&T with a passion! I do too! And still, NONE of these reasons are good enough to even consider ditching the iPhone.

Some of you may swear this off as just another Apple freak gushing about his toy… So if that’s the way you take this, just stop reading. But for those that can actually sit down and relate with what Apple has done time and time again, and what they’ve publicly said (time and time again), you’ll see that these public denouncements of the iPhone, and these “I’ll pay $175 to leave AT&T” are just people with personal gripes, a large audience, and a little too much time on their hands.

When Apple released the iPhone they were all singing a different tune. They were willingly hopping on the Apple train, ditching Verizon, t-mobile and everything in between to snatch up iPhones. Even though everyone knew how incredibly shitty ~~Cingular’s~~ AT&T’s service was before the iPhone was even released. Through a little bit of common sense, anyone would know that the network would only degrade as millions of content heavy devices were sold to everyone you know. And now with the App Store, Apple has said time and time again that it’s their store and they’ll do what they want with it.

The problem with these public outcries, is that maybe the tiniest sliver of people who Apple actually gives a shit about reads these articles. You think the millions of people around the world buying iPhones know who Michael Arrington is? Or Om Malik? I don’t think so. Apple doesn’t care who does and doesn’t use an iPhone. All they care about is the masses seeing Alec Baldwin hold it up in 30Rock. You think Google Voice is such a big deal that you would leave the iPhone for it? I personally know people who use Google Voice, and it’s not a walk in the park. In a nutshell, if you love Linux and searching for the proper drivers for hours, then you’ll love Google Voice! And the explanation Michael Arrington has outlined for porting your phone number, is akin to calling up an outsourced ISP and setting up managed hosting… A fucking nightmare.

There have been no good reasons as of yet to ditch the iPhone… Perhaps if you were on a call with the president, talking about Iran’s nuclear initiatives and the call dropped, that would make sense. But none of these people’s calls are so important that they can’t communicate via SMS. They’re all on twitter, they’re used to it! One app? A few dropped calls? Poor reception? To leave the single greatest technological advancement in our time since the macintosh? What it is… Is sad.

Whether you love or hate Apple or AT&T, the iPhone is absolutely hands down the best mobile device in the world. Yes, it sucks that we have to deal with bullshit surrounding our service, reception and now the app store, but as long as ANY mobile carriers are involved, it will never change.

For fucks sake, if you have such monumental issues with the thing…. jailbreak it… It’s not that hard.

Google Demoes Off-Line Mobile Web Apps with iPhone (VIDEO)

Aviv — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:56:12 +0000

New functionality being shown by Google publicly for the first time, allows mobile devices to access data that has been locally stored on the device without any network connections. A first for new-age mobile devices, and a breakthrough for developers.

iPhoneBuzz posts a video and images of the new functionality which is split into three categories. First, a web-page or web application can implement a local database which can store data directly on the device. Second, App Cache allows that same application to store its executable state directly on the device, which means that form processes being sent from a user’s “touch” can still be performed. Third, GeoLocation allows that particular application (while running in a browser) to securely access location based features while respecting privacy.

If after the video, the concept still seems blurry, just imagine being able to access data from Gmail while your iPhone is in airplane mode. With the implementation of these emerging standards, a developer can build and deploy an application that spans multiple devices and platforms. Just as long as they support these W3C open-web standards.

As we’ve explained, Apple’s intentions lie at the forefront of web technology and open-standards. They have long made it apparent that Adobe’s Flash is not needed, and have continued to invest in open technologies.

Back in January, we reported some information being relayed to us from sources inside AT&T. The term “wireless network caching” was being used to explain a potential way for iPhone users, and AT&T especially to open up a better solution for MMS. Not to be confused with local caching, which stores data on a particular device, AT&T’s potential “network caching” would utilize a cellular network to store data.

Google ‘Latitude’ Coming to iPhone, Loopt Says Uh Oh

Aviv — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 21:56:05 +0000

Google has announced a new location based tracking (awareness) feature that will integrate with Google Maps being dubbed Latitude that is soon making its way to the iPhone. For now, it is being demoed on Google’s open source mobile operating system Android.

Google describes the new application as “being able to find millions of your friends on a map with the touch of a button. The video below shows just how Latitude works.

Latitude is a new feature of Google Maps for mobile, as well as an iGoogle gadget, that allows you to share your location with your friends and to see their approximate locations, if they choose to share them with you. You can use your Google account to sign in and easily invite friends to Latitude from your existing list of contacts or by entering their email addresses. Google Talk is integrated with Latitude, so you and your friends can update your status messages and profile photos on the go and see what everyone is up to. You can also call, SMS, IM, or email each other within the app. Check out the video below to see Latitude in action.

Google states that they have been hard at work to get this on as many smartphones as possible right of the bat, to maximize the amount of initial users. There are two main ways to get your hands on Latitude as it stands right now. The first is to visit google.com/latitude on your mobile browser to download the appropriate maps. Currently Android, Blackberry, Symbian S60, and Windows Mobile are supported, yet should be made available on the iPhone shortly through the Google Mobile App, and can be accessed through a simple update.

The second way to get latitude would be to go to http://google.com/latitude from your desktop browser and add Latitude to your iGoogle homepage. If you have Google Gears or use Chrome, you can opt to automatically share your location from your desktop or notebook sans the smartphone.

As MacRumors first points out, Loopt is a service which attempts to provide a very similar service as Google’s Latitude. Apple proudly let one of the representatives from Loopt come up and give a demonstration at WWDC 2008. The fact of the matter is however, that Loopt should not feel so great with something like Latitude headed for the iPhone.

Apple, Google and Microsoft Sued Over File Preview

Christina — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 01:09:22 +0000

Technology giants Apple, Google and Microsoft are all being sued over “file preview” functionality both in web browsers, and operating systems, that allows users to preview files before actually opening them.

Cygnus Systems is suing the three companies saying that they infringed on its patent (#7346850) which was filed back in 2001, but only granted to them in March of this year.

As PCWorld explains, Cygnus Systems claims that products such as Windows Vista, Internet Explorer 8, Google Chrome, Mac OS X, the Finder, iPhone and Safari all infringe on its patent. Quite a massive claim, clumping such a ubiquitous technology between all three companies shouldn’t hold over well in court.

It seems as though Cygnus Systems is just another company trying to exploit the legal system. A few quotes from the law firm representing them even further that argument. Matt McAndrews, a partner with Niro, Scavone, Haller & Niro, says the following: “They were a logical starting place for us…We’ve identified many other potentially infringing products that we’re investigating.” Sounds just like any other company hoping to cling on to legal loopholes, in the hopes of falling backwards into money. McAndrews continues to explain that Cyngus’ owner and president Gregory Swartz developed the “file previewing” technology while working on IT consulting projects. If the case gets into patents regarding the development of User Interface elements, Cyngus may as well cut their losses. Battling these tech juggernauts over “file preview” would not make any waves at all, let a lone a splash.

Cyngus Systems is looking for “a reasonable royalty” in addition to a court injunction preventing further infringement.

Google Admits to Knowingly Breaking App Store Rules

Aviv — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:11:21 +0000

Google has admitted that their Mobile Search App for iPhone is breaking some of the App Store rules. However, according to a spokesperson, the notion that Google was utilizing private API’s is simply false.

As MacBlogz previously reported, Google’s Mobile App for the iPhone appeared to be breaking some iPhone SDK rules. Research done by John Gruber and Erica Sadun led them to believe that Google was tapping into private API’s.

One clear way they found Google was violating the SDK was with the use of the iPhone’s proximity sensor. Aside from manipulating the sensor to turn on and off when near your face (as is permitted in the SDK), nothing else is allowed. However, Google is activating the proximity sensor for other commands, such as speaking into the application, as well as delivering an audible prompt to your search terms. The only way this is possible, according to Gruber, is with the use of private API’s that Apple has not offered in the iPhone SDK.

However, Google has publicly explained that they are in fact not tapping into any sort of private API’s or development frameworks. As one could assume, Google wouldn’t risk the entire solidarity of their application by tapping into a private API, developing under unethical methods and attempting to “pull a fast one” on iPhone users.

“A Google spokesman confirmed Tuesday that Google Mobile uses undocumented APIs (application programming interfaces) in order to use the iPhone’s proximity sensor to prompt a verbal search. iPhone developers were only supposed to use the APIs that Apple published in its SDK when they create their applications under the terms of that agreement,” Tom Krazit explains for Cnet. “Google has denied, however, a more serious charge that it was linking to private or dynamic frameworks in the Google Mobile application.”.

If Apple chooses to enforce the rules of the iPhone SDK, then Google could definitely be forced to rewrite the application. Or at least alter the way the app utilizes the proximity sensor.

Google Unveils SearchWiki, Customizable Search Results

Aviv — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:20:05 +0000

Google has introduced a major interface change to their search results interface called SearchWiki. The search giant has implemented functionality that allows users to vote their search results up and down, as well as comment on each result.

The ultimate conceptual goal here is for search results to become increasingly dynamic and personalized. “We have been testing bits and pieces of SearchWiki for some time through live experiments, and we incorporated much of our learnings into this release,” Google explains. However, their is definitely a chance that SearchWiki could backfire (though unlikely).

While Google has unveiled the new feature to most users, the added functionality can be negatively shocking when dealing with such a critical part of people’s routine internet “workflows.” Perhaps a business owner can negatively comment on his competitor’s company (and search listing) resulting in lost sales and potential lawsuits. Also, many believe the far cries begging Google to increase people’s privacy options are not being heard or addressed with SearchWiki. As Google explains, “The changes you make only affect your own searches.” However, simply click on the “See all notes for this SearchWiki” link and you’ll be able to see what the rest of the community has to say about a particular search result.

Today we’re launching SearchWiki, a way for you to customize search by re-ranking, deleting, adding, and commenting on search results. With just a single click you can move the results you like to the top or add a new site. You can also write notes attached to a particular site and remove results that you don’t feel belong. These modifications will be shown to you every time you do the same search in the future. SearchWiki is available to signed-in Google users. We store your changes in your Google Account. If you are wondering if you are signed in, you can always check by noting if your username appears in the upper right-hand side of the page.

Even though the addition brings an incredibly dynamic environment to search, some might say that it’s perhaps too sensitive of an area for such a drastic change. Google claims the new functionality has been unveiled for all users, but some people are reporting that they haven’t seen anything thus far.

Google’s lead engineer, Amay, demonstrates a few ways to use SearchWiki.

Google’s iPhone App Is Cheating, Breaks App Store Rules

Aviv — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:42:12 +0000

Google’s Mobile App for the iPhone is breaking some App Store rules. By tapping into private API’s the application is utilizing technology that should be off limits to developers using the iPhone SDK.

According to research done by John Gruber (Daring Fireball) and Erica Sadun (Ars Technica), the Google Mobile App that has recently been embraced with open arms, is using technology and tapping into API’s that officially break Apple’s iPhone SDK rules, that most other developers have to live by.

One clear way they found Google was violating the SDK was with the use of the iPhone’s proximity sensor. Aside from manipulating the sensor to turn on and off when near your face (as is permitted in the SDK), nothing else is allowed. However, Google is activating the proximity sensor for other commands, such as speaking into the application, as well as delivering an audible prompt to your search terms. The only way this is possible, according to Gruber, is with the use of private API’s that Apple has not offered in the iPhone SDK.

So, (a) Google Mobile is using a private API, and (b) to my knowledge, there is no way to duplicate the behavior of Google Mobile’s “just lift the phone to your ear to trigger the voice prompt” feature using only the public APIs in the iPhone SDK. Needless to say, using private APIs violates the iPhone SDK Guidelines. A developer that plays by the rules cannot do what Google is doing, Gruber explains.

If this were any other company or development group, there is a fair chance Apple would have never approved the application to begin with. Although it seemed like Google’s app was initially being treated like all the others, the use unpublished API’s and private frameworks proves otherwise.

Surprisingly enough, Google appears to use both dynamic linking and calling unpublished APIs…As you’ll see with unpublished APIs, using private APIs can mean that your code may break without notice as Apple updates its libraries. Worse, should your application be found to be using said libraries, it can be kicked out of the App Store without recourse; you will not be able to update that application and resubmit it…If linking to private frameworks is unacceptable, unpublished APIs play the role of a minor jaywalking, Sadun explains.

It’s not shocking that this application got approved. Apple can do whatever it pleases with the App Store. As we’ve harshly seen in the past, the App Store is not very consistent with what makes the cut or not. It’s important to remember that this application was developed for users and to enhance the search experience for users. The application is free for download and has been a joy to use, so it’s difficult to say whether Google is doing anything Apple will find “against the rules.” As we’ve mentioned in the past, until Apple releases a clear set of App Store Development Guidelines (which could be the best holiday gift this year), the App Store will remain inconsistent, and prove to be a gamble in getting applications approved.

Confirmed: Google Unveils Gmail Themes to Select Users [U]

Aviv — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:18:46 +0000

Back in May we reported about a rumor floating around that Google was bringing themes to Gmail. As it turns out, that rumor gained traction today as some Gmail users saw a “themes” tab pop under settings.

In May the expected date for the Gmail themes to be unveiled was June 5th. As with most Google products, themes have been in testing and have lately been popping up for lucky Gmail users. So while the initial date was incorrect, the feature has most likely been in development and selectively released to batches of users.

Image via TechCrunch

Some of the themes include New Blue, Cold Shower, Cherry Blossom, Night Shade, Beach and Bus Stop. Still no word on being able to upload your own CSS file à la Mailplane, but that might be in the works as well.

Read – Gmail Blog

Thanx to MacBlogz reader Jeff Q. for the tip

First Look: Google’s Voice Search App for iPhone, Impressive Results

Aviv — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 03:42:34 +0000

Google has an update to their native iPhone application that integrates voice recognition. With the new app, iPhone users can speak and ask questions directly into the device before Google returns back a set of search results.

The user interface is polished and very refined. iPhone owners will love the interaction while performing a search.

Our first impressions, the app responds surprisingly well, and Google’s voice interpretation efforts are clearly being showcased. The application allows you to speak into your device, and then converts the sound into a digital file which is sent to Google’s servers. The servers will then try and analyze the information to determine the best search results to display. Unlike many applications aimed at achieving the same functionality prior to this one, (not surprisingly) none have worked as well as Google’s.

Search results are displayed quickly and are very easy to navigate. This is why we love Google.

After some initial trouble communicating with Apple in getting the update pushed through to the App Store, it has finally been made available. You can download the app here.

If you are familiar with, or have used either “Say Where!” (link) or “Say Who” (link), you’ll know that voice recognition on the iPhone has been nowhere near ready for public consumption. In order for user input to change so dramatically, and for a mass amount of people to adopt it, the inevitable lag in parsing the audio content would need to be greatly reduced. Google’s attempt at voice interpretation is a major step in the right direction. The application delivers search results fast, and with relative ease. Major phrases are understood, and even less common words and phrases are interpreted well. Overall our initial reaction to the application is great.

Interestingly, Apple has recently been rumored to be working on some visual enhancements to search results as we know them today. Specifically, speculation has led us to believe that Apple will be utilizing Google’s back-end search abilities, and enhancing the way data and search results are presented.

Google’s Voice Recognition Search App Now Expected on Monday

Dave — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:57:27 +0000

The highly anticipated Google voice recognition search application that was set to push last Friday, will now likely be made available through the App Store on Monday.

Google’s voice recognition search application allows users to speak into the device, converting the sound into a digital file that is sent to Google’s servers where the information is analyzed for the best search display. Simply put, you can speak and ask questions directly into your iPhone and receive the appropriate search results. The application was expected to hit the App Store on Friday, and was met with heavy anticipation.

According to a TechCrunch source, Google had been under the impression that all things were a go last Friday as they had promoted a big push for its launch. Unfortunately, it was on Friday that they had gotten wind of the fact that Apple was not ready for the push, despite having been submitted earlier in the week with Friday as the target launch day. The source has noted that there was minimal direct contact between the two parties during the app’s review, where only the updates that were given had been through the standard iPhone developer tool that simply read, “in review.”

Above is Google’s video explaining what the new Google Mobile App can do.

While it is still unclear why Apple had delayed the application’s launch, the fault does appear to lie in their court. The interesting part of this whole situation is that Google had chosen to unveil the application on the iPhone platform, instead of on their own Android platform, which may have driven more sales of Android powered devices. Deciding to support the popularity of the iPhone and its massive user base should have been received with a little more attention from Apple to reciprocate the action.