iPhone
2008-08-26
iPhone Therefore iConnect
When the iPhone 3G launched, I wasn't terribly excited about the new phone. Faster? Yes. Built in GPS? Yes. Whoopee. What good was more speed and more accurate tracking without a reason to put it to use?
The more important aspect of Apple's release of the 3G iPhone was the 2.0 version of the software, which has now been updated twice. (Bug fixes are nice... and yes, there are evidently a few more kinks to be worked out.) The new rev of the software allowed for 3rd party apps to be written and then sold or given away for free via the iTunes store. So when the early adopter storm calmed down and you could get the software update and add apps to your iPhone, I was tickled pink to peruse the available apps and utilities. And games.
Yes, the fun stuff was plentiful from the get go. Etch-a-Sketch? Cute. Othello and other tried and true games? Check. Motion sickness inducing games that take advantage of the accelerometer and touch screen. They are in spades.
What were missing, however, were useful geek utilities. Oh, what's a geek to do when they can't ssh into their server and rename files while avoiding eye contact with people out in public?
Well, they may not have been there at the outset, but they're streaming in at full speed now. SSH. VNC. Telnet. FTP. Ping. Ah, now geeks everywhere can rest easy knowing that if they're within reach of a phone call, they're within range of their servers and fixing whatever problem arises. Out dancing? At dinner? Playing with the kids at the park? No problem! Pull out your iPhone and let your loved ones know you'll get right back to them, just as soon as you've restored services to your web site.
Somebody will figure out the associated quality of life issues that go along with being able to work 24/7, right? This kind of always on, always plugged in kind of connectivity does raise boundary issues that we've been dealing with for a long time now. It will exacerbate them, of course, but if you're running your own enterprise and have a flexible schedule, it's up to you to balance those issues for yourself and for your staff.
And yes, there are iPhone apps to help you out here as well. Project Management. Time keeping. Outlining. Enterprise level contact management. The pieces of the mobile office puzzle are falling into place. The nicest part of this evolution of the iPhone as a mobile platform is not that you'll be able to work on things whenever and wherever you want or need to, but that you will be able to get your work done however you need to, whenever and wherever you are.
The more important aspect of Apple's release of the 3G iPhone was the 2.0 version of the software, which has now been updated twice. (Bug fixes are nice... and yes, there are evidently a few more kinks to be worked out.) The new rev of the software allowed for 3rd party apps to be written and then sold or given away for free via the iTunes store. So when the early adopter storm calmed down and you could get the software update and add apps to your iPhone, I was tickled pink to peruse the available apps and utilities. And games.
Yes, the fun stuff was plentiful from the get go. Etch-a-Sketch? Cute. Othello and other tried and true games? Check. Motion sickness inducing games that take advantage of the accelerometer and touch screen. They are in spades.
What were missing, however, were useful geek utilities. Oh, what's a geek to do when they can't ssh into their server and rename files while avoiding eye contact with people out in public?
Well, they may not have been there at the outset, but they're streaming in at full speed now. SSH. VNC. Telnet. FTP. Ping. Ah, now geeks everywhere can rest easy knowing that if they're within reach of a phone call, they're within range of their servers and fixing whatever problem arises. Out dancing? At dinner? Playing with the kids at the park? No problem! Pull out your iPhone and let your loved ones know you'll get right back to them, just as soon as you've restored services to your web site.
Somebody will figure out the associated quality of life issues that go along with being able to work 24/7, right? This kind of always on, always plugged in kind of connectivity does raise boundary issues that we've been dealing with for a long time now. It will exacerbate them, of course, but if you're running your own enterprise and have a flexible schedule, it's up to you to balance those issues for yourself and for your staff.
And yes, there are iPhone apps to help you out here as well. Project Management. Time keeping. Outlining. Enterprise level contact management. The pieces of the mobile office puzzle are falling into place. The nicest part of this evolution of the iPhone as a mobile platform is not that you'll be able to work on things whenever and wherever you want or need to, but that you will be able to get your work done however you need to, whenever and wherever you are.
2007-11-05
gPhone doesn't exist, will make you cookies
"All hail the mighty gPhone, even if it doesn't actually exist. Turns out, the gPhone is a mobile development platform with an OS called Android, middleware, "key" applications and a forthcoming SDK. Funny, I thought the press had pretty much decided that the gPhone was going to be the first phone to bake you cookies. Which would have made these kids happy:
"It would give me anything I want." At first, these kids were cute. Then, really annoying and cloying. Then, they simply became a representation of all that we've been told that an unannounced bit of technology would be. And just like the kids' visions of a phone that helps animals feel better and makes peanut butter sandwiches, the journalists' pronouncements on what the gPhone would be turned out to be nothing more than wishes.
Of course, what we really need from a cell phone are the two things that Google, Palm, Apple and other mobile software makers can't give us. Speed and coverage. Which is why Apple's iPhone is the first phone that doesn't make me want to slam it against a counter more often than I use it to talk to people. When coverage or speed from AT&T's network is pathetic, I flip over to the iPod functionality and enjoy some music or a movie. It downloads mail when I have coverage and I read them when I don't. It doesn't really matter how slick Android is, nor the apps that come with it, the network is still going to be as fast as a tricycle on a highway.
Interesting that they'll have an SDK out 3-4 months ahead of Apple's SDK, while phones built on the platform won't start showing up until next June at the earliest. Will the folks that make jailbreak apps for the iPhone convert their stuff over to work on phones that don't exist? Or will they be converting their stuff over to work "properly" via Apple's SDK in February? My bet is on the latter, since they and their customers will be able to use the fruit of their labors immediately.
Still, I'm looking forward to seeing what apps Google makes available and how they deal with the limitations of low bandwidth. Will they have a suite of mobile office apps? How well will they function? And the true test that won't come until late next year - how does the work people do on the phone convert over to their desks? We'll get a glimpse on November 12th - same day as the One Laptop Per Child Give One Get One program starts.
By the way, I've heard rumors that here on the Edge, we're going to be releasing the sePhone. It'll solve all of the world's social and economic inequities through the delivery of vibrations that cause the whole world to sing Earth, Wind & Fire's Let's Groove:
And everybody gets their own horn section! Because as we all know, that is the key to lasting happiness. We're still working out the kinks though. Right now, the vibration causes people to sing instrumentals. We'll keep working on it. Just don't hold your breath.
"It would give me anything I want." At first, these kids were cute. Then, really annoying and cloying. Then, they simply became a representation of all that we've been told that an unannounced bit of technology would be. And just like the kids' visions of a phone that helps animals feel better and makes peanut butter sandwiches, the journalists' pronouncements on what the gPhone would be turned out to be nothing more than wishes.
Of course, what we really need from a cell phone are the two things that Google, Palm, Apple and other mobile software makers can't give us. Speed and coverage. Which is why Apple's iPhone is the first phone that doesn't make me want to slam it against a counter more often than I use it to talk to people. When coverage or speed from AT&T's network is pathetic, I flip over to the iPod functionality and enjoy some music or a movie. It downloads mail when I have coverage and I read them when I don't. It doesn't really matter how slick Android is, nor the apps that come with it, the network is still going to be as fast as a tricycle on a highway.
Interesting that they'll have an SDK out 3-4 months ahead of Apple's SDK, while phones built on the platform won't start showing up until next June at the earliest. Will the folks that make jailbreak apps for the iPhone convert their stuff over to work on phones that don't exist? Or will they be converting their stuff over to work "properly" via Apple's SDK in February? My bet is on the latter, since they and their customers will be able to use the fruit of their labors immediately.
Still, I'm looking forward to seeing what apps Google makes available and how they deal with the limitations of low bandwidth. Will they have a suite of mobile office apps? How well will they function? And the true test that won't come until late next year - how does the work people do on the phone convert over to their desks? We'll get a glimpse on November 12th - same day as the One Laptop Per Child Give One Get One program starts.
By the way, I've heard rumors that here on the Edge, we're going to be releasing the sePhone. It'll solve all of the world's social and economic inequities through the delivery of vibrations that cause the whole world to sing Earth, Wind & Fire's Let's Groove:
And everybody gets their own horn section! Because as we all know, that is the key to lasting happiness. We're still working out the kinks though. Right now, the vibration causes people to sing instrumentals. We'll keep working on it. Just don't hold your breath.
