Despite rumours to the contrary, iPhone users won’t be able to get use a 4G network at any point in the next 14 months. This flies in the face of earlier reports that Apple would be aligning with Verizon to enable Apple to utilise the 4G network. "At some point our business interests are going to align," Verizon Communications Inc. President Lowell McAdam said, referring to Apple. "I fully expect it, but I don't have anything to say [yet]."
Apple was found guilty last Friday of three counts of patent infringement and may have to pay a whopping $625.5 million if its emergency motion Sunday seeking a stay of the Texas verdict doesn’t work. It’s got a problem with a couple of the patents as well as with the way the practically record damages were calculated calling $208.5 million per claim “triple dipping.” The court has asked both sides for arguments. Apple’s Mac OS X, iPod and iPhone widgetry like Spotlight, its way of searching a Mac hard drive, Time Machine, its backup/archiving scheme, and Cover Flow, its way of flipping through content like a stack of cards, supposedly trespass on patents held by Texas-based Mirror Worlds LLC, a company founded by Yale professor David Gelernter, the guy who was crippled opening one of the Unabomber’s letter bombs years ago.
We have had a few months to get to grips with iOS4's release on iPhone. I am sure you are like me and could not live now without this release, with its UI features of folders and task switching as well as Apple's implementation of Multi-tasking. What I am also sure about is that, if you are and iPad user, also like me, you will believe the iOS4 release for the iPad is long overdue.
Competition-tossed Research In Motion could unveil its BlackPad answer to the iPad next week at a developers’ conference in San Francisco according to the Wall Street Journal. The paper describes the thing the way others have: a seven-inch touch screen with one or two cameras and Bluetooth and broadband connections, but adds that it will only connect to cellular networks through a BlackBerry.
I have heard rumors and folks suggesting a mini-iPad may be on the horizon. I'm wondering if this has been brought on by the fact that there have been some smaller tablet-type devices appearing on the market? Let me first use my iOS crystal ball to look into the future of the iPad... It was obvious to me from the start that omission of a camera on the first generation iPad was something that would be corrected in later versions. Now with the iPhone 4 introducing FaceTime, I believe that it will be a certainty that the Second generation iPad will have both cameras, front and rear facing. I also believe more connectivity will also become available,through software and BlueTooth/WiFi.
Apple said it would start selling iPads in China long about now through its retail stores and authorized resellers. Best Buy is also expanding iPad sales to all its 1,093 stores along with Kindles. UBS is projecting Apple will sell 28 million iPads next year conservatively speaking. It sees only a limited threat from the competitive pile-on.
VMware’s response to this week’s arrival of Parallels’ rival Desktop 6 for virtualizing Windows on a Mac was to cut the dickens out of its own pricing and offer to migrate Parallel users to VMware Fusion 3 for a mere $9.99, at least until the novelty of the new Parallels’ kit wears off and everybody who’s going to upgrade to 6 for $49.99 does. You know VMware’s really worried because it’s offering to upgrade users of its own older Fusion 1 and 2 software to Fusion 3 for the same $9.99, sacrificing 30 bucks a throw. It claims the myriad new features in Desktop 6 are already in Fusion.
Let’s imagine that Microsoft made a statement that if a Web page was not developed in .Net, Internet Explorer won’t display it? This would make vendors of all other Web browsers very happy, because herds of developers who don’t plan to switch to .Net would start developing for Firefox and Safari. Well, maybe some developers would sucked it up and learned .Net, but this wouldn’t become a trend – most likely the market share of Firefox, Safari and other browsers would start increasing.
This was not obvious for Steve Jobs when earlier this year he announced that iTunes wouldn’t be playing mp3 files that were not created in GarageBand. Oops, sorry, he said that Apple store wouldn’t accept applications that were not created in C-like language or JavaScript.
Six months later, Apple realized that this was announcement was plain stupid and admitted that it was made while smoking pot. Was the decision to ban Flash Player has been also made under the influence? Lame arguments about technical issues of Flash Player may sound reasonable for housewives and farmers from Alabama. “Have you heard that Flash Player can crash your computer? I’m telling you! It was on TV!”
Adobe’s software has issues, so does Apple’s, and so does anyone else’s. The real reason of this conflict is that both companies are trying to present their software as THE ultimate platform for slave-developers that would help them make money. Both companies don’t give a damn about sticking to open standards – they care about making money, and I don’t see Adobe as a company that’s being bullied by Apple.
On mobile devices Apple doesn’t won’t any other platform but iOS. Have you noticed that Apple didn’t let hugely popular Java platform on their devices either? The reason is the same – developers can use any platform as long as it’s iOS. But why Oracle doesn’t make a stink about it? Is it because they’re larger than Adobe? Not at all. The difference is that after Sun Microsystems has neglected Java ME for mobile devices and didn’t deliver on JavaFX, Oracle has no platform to offer. If Oracle had just a little shot there they wouldn’t keep it quiet.
Does Oracle care about developers? Not really. Otherwise they wouldn’t sue Google over Java that was supposedly open sourced. They want Google to use Java on Android, but for a fee.
So what us, poor developers should do? What’s THE platform for development? What the next programming language to learn? If you are a professional developer working for money, stay away from development for mobile devices regardless if it’s iOS or Android. There is no money there – people want either free or $.99 applications. If you’re an enthusiast software developer who’s ready to work for food, just pick a programming language you like – Objective-C, ActionScript, Java, or anything else that has an if-statement and have fun. Just don’t take very seriously what big shots from California are trying to sell you.
Apple’s unyielding and highly vocal opposition to Adobe Flash moderated Thursday morning when all of a sudden it opened up its vaunted App Store to iPad and iPhone programs written using other people’s widgetry. Although it wrapped the surprise announcement up in “we’re listening to developers” ribbons, its real reason for changing parts of its iOS Developer Program license is more likely the reportedly parallel investigations of its business practices in the mobile software market by the Federal Trade Commission and the European Commission.
Social media is about people accessing information anywhere and anytime and it's a fast evolving market. Apple have now announced they are jumping on the social media wagon, no surprise when we measure the success it has had for those companies who are utilizing the benefits of a well formed social marketing campaign. The announcement at yesterdays Apple event saw the CEO Steve Jobs unveil ‘Ping' a social media application which would allow users to follow their favourite artists and friends, something which Spotify have been offering since is revolutionary rise as a music provider and sites such as LastFM and Myspace already allow its users to access. iTunes already has over 160 million users and as the new ping will be an add on it will already find itself playing with the big boys.
Stonesoft, an innovative provider of integrated network security and business continuity solutions, today announced the extended availability of the StoneGate MobileID authentication software token for five additional platforms: Apple Mac OS, iPod, iPhone, iPad and Google Android. Included in the StoneGate SSL VPN solution, the StoneGate MobileID is a free client application that generates one-time passwords for secure authentication to corporate applications. The more common cloud computing becomes in corporate business and virtualised datacenters, the stronger is the need for secure access to corporate applications in the cloud. Cloud computing environments need to be accessible and available to people at all times. However, this also represents a serious challenge to security management. With single sign-on capabilities, organisations can maintain optimal security management and ensure strong authentication.
WorkLight has made available native iOS support for backend enterprise connectivity and secure authentication, allowing developers and IT professionals to easily integrate new iPhone, iPad and iPod apps with enterprise systems. This latest addition to the WorkLight Mobile Platform also provides the ability to connect existing native applications with enterprise infrastructure. With this new capability, WorkLight uniquely offers support for downloadable smartphone applications which can be developed using either native or web-based technologies and tools. This affords developers maximum flexibility and significant efficiency with no limits on what and how they build and also reduces training requirements.
Having used the iPad for three months and on extensive travel, I thought it might be appropriate to provide some thoughts on how it works as a travel device. Device design – There is something about the design that just works. The device has an excellent form factor that I find easy to use in a multitude of scenarios including reclined, sitting at a table, on a jet plane, or lying in bed. Battery life is probably one of the most impressive aspects of the device. It is a true workhorse lasting a full day of heavy use. As I write this review, I’m on the second leg of a 16 hour plane trip: I’ve checked my mail, played games, watched a two hour video and listened to hours of audio content. My battery currently has 67% capacity left. One of the most frustrating things as a traveler is finding access to power. With the iPad, I don’t feel like I am constantly looking for my next power outlet. The applications are comparable to what we’ve come to expect on the iOS platform.
Mark Papermaster, the head of iPhone hardware engineering, has left Apple apparently because somebody had to take the fall for the recent Antennagate fiasco. Friends of Papermaster, who used to be IBM’s top Power chip jockey, say he got sick of all the finger-pointing and blame shifting going on among Apple’s hardware staff and asked for an exit package.
In the run-up to the next Cloud Expo, 7th Cloud Expo (November 1-4, 2010) at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Silicon Valley, it's time to give my earlier list a complete overhaul. Here, accordingly, is an expanded list of the most active players in the Cloud Ecosystem.
Apple says it still can’t deliver any white iPhone 4s because they “continue to be more challenging to manufacture than we originally expected, and as a result they will not be available until later this year.” A week ago Steve Jobs said they would be out at the end of the month. Apparently they’ve picked up a yellow tinge. Anyway, as of June 30, the iPhone 4 will be shipping in another 17 countries: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Holland, Norway, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. It started in the U.S., UK, France, Germany and Japan.
Recently I had the opportunity to address two groups of Corporate Developers that are targeting iPhone and iPad as a deployment platform for their Enterprise. During the seminars both myself and a few other Sybase colleagues covered such subjects as Management and Security of iOS devices through our integration with Apple's new MDM (Mobile Device Management) protocol along with unwiring enterprise data from heterogeneous back ends to primarily iOS devices, though others are also possible. This last point is achievable through the use of a Mobile Enterprise Application Platform (MEAP), of which Sybase has the market leader in SUP or the Sybase Unwired Platform.
On behalf of RTL interactive, Netbiscuits, a software platform for the development, operation and monetization of mobile Web sites and apps, has developed an iPhone app for RTL Television, Germany’s most successful private television station. Netbiscuits developed the app in the form of a hybrid application: a combination of Web site and app that employs the latest HTML5 technologies as well as the native functions of the iPhone. The new RTL iPhone app is now available for download from Apples German App Store and can be used for free for a period of 30 days. After this period, a service fee of 1.59 € per month is charged. With regard to content, the new iPhone app utilizes RTL’s mobile portfolio with all of its various functions and offers, such as video clips and live content, in order to enable RTL program highlights to be viewed in an impressive and dynamic manner on mobile devices. In addition to numerous additional services, such as a program planner with a reminder function, a video search feature or viewer review functions, the application also provides access to the entire world of RTL television that is available via the mobile Web site http://mobil.rtl.de, including news, entertainment and program information. Local weather information and numerous subscribable sports, entertainment and news channels round off the impressive range of offers.
Apple posted its best quarter ever Tuesday Antennagate notwithstanding. Revenues were $15.7 billion, up 61% year-over-year, a billion dollars ahead of expectations, and 52% from international sales. Earnings were up 78% to $3.25 billion, or $3.51 a share versus expectations of $3.12.
The Sybase Blogs App is ready for iPhone and iPad.... its Free on the Apple App Store. Sybase Blogs Application allows you to keep in touch with all news from Sybase, the industry leader in delivering mobile solutions. With Sybase Blogs Application, you can read technical blog posts from all official Sybase Bloggers; add any blog post you like to your Bookmarks; share any blog post to anyone via e-mail; and watch all Sybase News videos directly in your iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad.
Amid the antennagate kafuffle, an unrepentant Apple is supposed to start selling iPads in nine more countries on Friday, namely, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Holland, Mexico, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore. The company said “many more countries” would follow. The device is already sold in the major European markets, Canada and Japan. Wall Street thinks it’s sold 3.3 million of the things so far, which should tickle its third-quarter numbers due out Tuesday.
There’s a second-generation iPad in the works according to DigiTimes that would add 5.6- and 7-inch OLED screens as well as repeat the current 9.7-inch screen. The smaller screens are supposed to be for e-book readers while the 9.7 is more for multimedia. However, OLED supplies are supposed to be tight and unlikely change much by Q4 when the widgets are reportedly supposed to appear. The first iPad was announced in January and took a while to wend its way out to the street.
Silicon Valley Insider thinks it’s identified the companies that tried to buy Palm and didn’t. Remember Companies A through D that Palm talked about in the merger proxy filed with the SEC? Well, the blog thinks Company A, which offered $600 million cash, was Apple. It was Apple’s second time through (Steve tried to buy Palm years ago) and it was mostly interested in Palm’s patent stockpile but reportedly seemed willing to fund operations. It thinks Company B was Lenovo. It put stock on the table but said it needed time to close the deal. Palm didn’t have time.
Apple’s resident antenna expert Ruben Caballero warned CEO Steve Jobs last year that using a bezel antenna in the iPhone 4 could create reception problems and dropped calls, according to an unattributed story put out by Bloomberg. Another source told the wire service that an iPhone carrier said the same thing but Apple decided to go with the design rather than one of the alternatives it had in hand because it yielded a lighter, thinner and perforce sexier widget. Sexy widgets sell as the iPhone 4 proves. Apple released its alleged software fix for the problem on Thursday ahead of its scheduled press conference on Friday. It’s an operating system update called iOS 4.0.1 and contains a jimmied “formula to determine how many bars of signal strength to display.” InformationWeek says it makes the three lowest signal bars bigger but doesn’t fix the problem and calls it “flat-out visual trickery.”
If you look at Gartner prediction then the question is not “if” but “when”. In October, 2009, they had predicted that Android as a mobile platform will be at the No. 2 slot after Symbian. There are several other indications this is indeed going to happen. This chart is from a presentation Mobile Devices -The iPhone Is Not The Only Game In Town by Carolina Milanesi Here are some of the other trends that points in the same direction.