March 2008 Archives
According to anonymous sources, Hon Hai, one of Taiwan's largest contract electronics manufacturer, has won the bid to manufacture the next generation iPhone. There has been rampant speculation whether a 3G or a sub-$300 level iPhone will be introduced in the second half of 2008.
Some analysts are speculating that the new iPhone will be introduced in May and will help Apple reach its target goal of selling 10 million iPhones this year.
Today, Apple released the iPhone SDK beta 2. The upgrade includes the Xcode Interface Builder that will allow programmers to create interfaces for their iPhone programs.
In a nutshell, the Interface Builder will allow developers to literally "drag and drop" interface elements into their applications and just link the controls to the source code behind the scenes. More information to come as we receive it.
Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney says that Apple may already be putting the 3G iPhone into production according to his Asian contacts. Based on talks he's had with his sources, he believes that Apple has placed an order for 10 million of the new iPhone model.
Dulaney also speculates that battery life will be better because Apple will switch to OLED (organic LED) displays for the new phone and this will also make the iPhone thinner.
Whether or not this is true remains to be seen, but I have no doubt that Apple has already ramped up production to meet demand for the next generation of iPhones. And yes, I still think there will be more than one new iPhone from Apple this year.
Dulaney also speculates that battery life will be better because Apple will switch to OLED (organic LED) displays for the new phone and this will also make the iPhone thinner.
Whether or not this is true remains to be seen, but I have no doubt that Apple has already ramped up production to meet demand for the next generation of iPhones. And yes, I still think there will be more than one new iPhone from Apple this year.
Looks like Microsoft may try their hand at creating some iPhone apps, but the question is, what kind of app will they create?
According to Fortune, MS is looking at the SDK and already have ideas on what they want to do with it.
According to Fortune, MS is looking at the SDK and already have ideas on what they want to do with it.
Continue reading Microsoft to make iPhone Apps?.
CNN Money says that Singapore Telecommunications Ltd is launching the iPhone in September, but the Telco has declined any comment about whether or not a deal was struck with Apple. This is according to a local broadcaster Channel News Asia.
Continue reading Apple in China: Singapore Telecom?.
According to a report by CNN, Adobe is working to bring Flash to the iPhone.
Chief Executive Shantanu Narayen is quoted as saying:
"We believe Flash is synonymous with the Internet experience, and we are committed to bringing Flash to the iPhone. We have evaluated ( the software developer tools) and we think we can develop an iPhone Flash player ourselves."
Narayen goes on to say that he plans to distribute Flash through the iTunes Store along with the other iPhone apps.
This coincides with Sun Microsystems claiming that they will be bringing Java to the iPhone when they got their hands on the iPhone SDK a couple of weeks ago.
Exactly HOW these two companies will pull this off is beyond me. Seems like they didn't read through exactly what the SDK says developers can and CANNOT do!
The iPhone SDK terms explicitly state that "No interpreted code may be downloaded and used in an Application except for code that is interpreted and run by Apple's Published APIs and builtin interpreter(s)".
Either they have access to some API other than what is offered to common developers or they are both "blowing a lot of smoke".
Chief Executive Shantanu Narayen is quoted as saying:
"We believe Flash is synonymous with the Internet experience, and we are committed to bringing Flash to the iPhone. We have evaluated ( the software developer tools) and we think we can develop an iPhone Flash player ourselves."
Narayen goes on to say that he plans to distribute Flash through the iTunes Store along with the other iPhone apps.
This coincides with Sun Microsystems claiming that they will be bringing Java to the iPhone when they got their hands on the iPhone SDK a couple of weeks ago.
Exactly HOW these two companies will pull this off is beyond me. Seems like they didn't read through exactly what the SDK says developers can and CANNOT do!
The iPhone SDK terms explicitly state that "No interpreted code may be downloaded and used in an Application except for code that is interpreted and run by Apple's Published APIs and builtin interpreter(s)".
Either they have access to some API other than what is offered to common developers or they are both "blowing a lot of smoke".
Sorry that I haven't posted anything lately. Most of the iPhone News front has been relatively quiet, although there are rumblings from the developer community.
Daring Fireball's John Gruber has some great commentary about the iPhone SDK. Read his thoughts and rebuts here:
One App at a Time
Confusion Regarding the iPhone Developer Beta Program
The Flip Side of the Multitasking Argument
Foot Meet Bullet
16 GB iPhone Shortage?
Is there a shortage of the 16GB iPhone? Maybe. Seems like high demand for the top of the line model iPhone. I don't blame anyone for wanting the most memory possible since the SDK is out and apps will be coming soon.
Daring Fireball's John Gruber has some great commentary about the iPhone SDK. Read his thoughts and rebuts here:
One App at a Time
Confusion Regarding the iPhone Developer Beta Program
The Flip Side of the Multitasking Argument
Foot Meet Bullet
16 GB iPhone Shortage?
Is there a shortage of the 16GB iPhone? Maybe. Seems like high demand for the top of the line model iPhone. I don't blame anyone for wanting the most memory possible since the SDK is out and apps will be coming soon.
I don't think Apple will be having any problems selling 10 million iPhones this year. I'd like to know what their target is for next year!
There was an overwhelming demand for the iPhone SDK as some of you may have witnessed since Apple's developer server was broken for at least 48 hours. (I finally downloaded my copy via bit-torrent) In the last 4 days, Apple has had over 100,000 downloads of the SDK, a glowing sign of how much interest there actually is in developing for the iPhone and iPod.
"In the first four days since its launch on March 6, more than 100,000 iPhone developers have downloaded the iPhone SDK, Apple today announced. Leading developers such as AOL, Electronic Arts, Epocrates, salesforce.com and Sega have already demonstrated amazing applications using the SDK, and developer response continues to be phenomenal with more developers embracing the platform."
Can't wait to see the unloading of apps the day this goes live. It's going to be unreal.
There was an overwhelming demand for the iPhone SDK as some of you may have witnessed since Apple's developer server was broken for at least 48 hours. (I finally downloaded my copy via bit-torrent) In the last 4 days, Apple has had over 100,000 downloads of the SDK, a glowing sign of how much interest there actually is in developing for the iPhone and iPod.
"In the first four days since its launch on March 6, more than 100,000 iPhone developers have downloaded the iPhone SDK, Apple today announced. Leading developers such as AOL, Electronic Arts, Epocrates, salesforce.com and Sega have already demonstrated amazing applications using the SDK, and developer response continues to be phenomenal with more developers embracing the platform."
Can't wait to see the unloading of apps the day this goes live. It's going to be unreal.
Now you can see it with your own eyes! Go take a gander at it here.
Some notes as i'm reading the live blogs: http://live.gizmodo.com/ and arstechnica.com
- iPhone will have Exchange support using ActiveSync
- will feature push email, push contacts, Global address list, Cisco IPsec VPN, Certificates and identities, WPA2/802.1x, Enforced security policies, Device configuration
- Licensed from Microsoft
- push email, contacts, calendars have on/off sliders
- Built right into the existing Mail client on the iPhone
- There appears to be a new iTunes icon in the springboard
- From the screen shots i'm seeing, the calendar seems to have been rearranged just a bit. The Today, List, Day and Month are on the bottom of the screen now.
- iPhone will have Remote wipe of all data in case iPhone is stolen or lost.
- Time for SDK!
- Native iPhone SDK will use the same API's and Tools that the Apple engineers use. (uh huh)
- Talking about cocoa touch
- OS X's Kernel is the same in the desktop and the iPhone
- includes SQLite and Core Location and all audio/video capablities
- an enhanced version of Xcode is what will they used to develop iPhone code
- interface builder allows drag and drop iphone interface building (doh!)
- code connection right from the iPhone and see it on your Mac to debug and test performance.
- see visual CPU, memory and frame rate while working on your apps.
- iPhone Simulator: the software iPhone!
- Showing off the iphone debugger while playing a game on the iPhone.
- Sent SDK to a few companies to see what they could come up with in 2 weeks. Most had never even used a Mac for development before.
- EA shows off their version of SPORE on the iPhone!
- used accelerometer to control the motion.
- built all 18 levels and added user customization
- SalesForce.com created an app as well.
- AIM FOR THE IPHONE!
- Built AIM in just 2 weeks.
- multiple conversations going on at the same time, switch by swiping
- SEGA! shows off what looks to be like a full console game
- iPhone Apps store
- No charge fro free apps
- Developers pick price
- 70% of revenues go to the developer
- No credit card fees
- No hosting fees
- No marketing fees
- Paid monthly!
- Will limit what apps can be distributed. No porn, malicious software, etc.
- Apple iPhone 2.0 software beta released today. Shipping in late June.
- Free software upgrade
- same software will run on iPod Touch. There will be a charge for it.
- SDK will be free, available in about an hour on the website.
One more thing...
KPCB's John Doerr iFund = $100 million
- Press conference Q & A
- No VOIP over cell network
- Apple is not a monopoly. Big and small companies must sell through iTunes Store
- SIM unlocking - NOT ALLOWED what an idiot question
- Controls are in place to track all developers so no malicious apps can be created.
- No price set on iPod Touch firmware 2.0 upgrade
- WiMax iPhone? Not here to talk about hardware today.
- Parental controls for the iPhone are coming
- This will be an international roll out
- this is not an open source project
- Enterprise users will be able to distribute apps securely internally. Apple is working on it.
- iPhone Dev kit is available now! Server seems borked. http://developer.apple.com/iphone/program/
- No other way to write apps for the dock connector
- iPhone will have Exchange support using ActiveSync
- will feature push email, push contacts, Global address list, Cisco IPsec VPN, Certificates and identities, WPA2/802.1x, Enforced security policies, Device configuration
- Licensed from Microsoft
- push email, contacts, calendars have on/off sliders
- Built right into the existing Mail client on the iPhone
- There appears to be a new iTunes icon in the springboard
- From the screen shots i'm seeing, the calendar seems to have been rearranged just a bit. The Today, List, Day and Month are on the bottom of the screen now.
- iPhone will have Remote wipe of all data in case iPhone is stolen or lost.
- Time for SDK!
- Native iPhone SDK will use the same API's and Tools that the Apple engineers use. (uh huh)
- Talking about cocoa touch
- OS X's Kernel is the same in the desktop and the iPhone
- includes SQLite and Core Location and all audio/video capablities
- an enhanced version of Xcode is what will they used to develop iPhone code
- interface builder allows drag and drop iphone interface building (doh!)
- code connection right from the iPhone and see it on your Mac to debug and test performance.
- see visual CPU, memory and frame rate while working on your apps.
- iPhone Simulator: the software iPhone!
- Showing off the iphone debugger while playing a game on the iPhone.
- Sent SDK to a few companies to see what they could come up with in 2 weeks. Most had never even used a Mac for development before.
- EA shows off their version of SPORE on the iPhone!
- used accelerometer to control the motion.
- built all 18 levels and added user customization
- SalesForce.com created an app as well.
- AIM FOR THE IPHONE!
- Built AIM in just 2 weeks.
- multiple conversations going on at the same time, switch by swiping
- SEGA! shows off what looks to be like a full console game
- iPhone Apps store
- No charge fro free apps
- Developers pick price
- 70% of revenues go to the developer
- No credit card fees
- No hosting fees
- No marketing fees
- Paid monthly!
- Will limit what apps can be distributed. No porn, malicious software, etc.
- Apple iPhone 2.0 software beta released today. Shipping in late June.
- Free software upgrade
- same software will run on iPod Touch. There will be a charge for it.
- SDK will be free, available in about an hour on the website.
One more thing...
KPCB's John Doerr iFund = $100 million
- Press conference Q & A
- No VOIP over cell network
- Apple is not a monopoly. Big and small companies must sell through iTunes Store
- SIM unlocking - NOT ALLOWED what an idiot question
- Controls are in place to track all developers so no malicious apps can be created.
- No price set on iPod Touch firmware 2.0 upgrade
- WiMax iPhone? Not here to talk about hardware today.
- Parental controls for the iPhone are coming
- This will be an international roll out
- this is not an open source project
- Enterprise users will be able to distribute apps securely internally. Apple is working on it.
- iPhone Dev kit is available now! Server seems borked. http://developer.apple.com/iphone/program/
- No other way to write apps for the dock connector
On Tuesday, March 4, 2008, Apple held their annual shareholder meeting and in that meeting a few interesting point relating to the iPhone were revealed.
First of all, Steve Jobs shot down all possibilities of porting the Flash plug-in to the iPhone. He went on to say that Apple is still shooting to sell 10 million iPhones in its first year. With this news, one has to wonder what Adobe is thinking as well as many possible iPhone developers.
For myself, I've done some Flash development in the past and I still don't think it is the right platform for all devices. It is still in some ways a niche technology. Well, we'll see how this plays out as Microsoft Silverlight seems to be up and coming and Apple may be headed toward the more open source SVG. Interesting times ahead.
Again, apologies for the tardiness of this review!
JavoEdge sells some really nice iPhone accessories and was kind enough to send me one of the JavoEdge Holster/Belt Clips for the iPhone to review.
I'll be honest here, I don't normally use a holster for my iPhone but I used the product for a few weeks and I have to admit that it's a fantastic holster compared to a few others I have had in the past and are now collecting dust in a drawer somewhere in office.
First off, most iPhone holsters I have tried are made of hard, rigid plastic... you know, the kind of plastic you don't want touching your iPhone because it'll most likely scratch it! I already have one scratch on the back of my iPhone and I didn't want any others. When the JavoEdge holster first came in, I was almost ready to hand it off to Ryan to review because I thought it was made of the same hard plastic as the others, but upon opening the plastic bag, I discovered that the JavoEdge was made of what seems like 3 different types of material in one unit.
The bottom of the holster is soft and almost supple like rubber, but not sticky or as soft as rubber. It's hard to describe it... it's almost like a semi-soft plastic that retains it's shape but flexible and soft. The top clip that holds the iPhone into the holster is made with yet another material that feels solid yet flexible as well. The backing and the clip are solid, hard plastic and gives you confidence that this unit will stand up to constant use. The clip also swivels which is exactly what I need since I am usually sitting at my desk while carrying the iPhone.
Using the clip for a few weeks was a joy! The iPhone could be placed into the holster face forward or face down. Other clips allow one way or another, not the JavoEdge. During that time, I only had my crystal clear film over the front glass of the iPhone and used the holster exclusively. My iPhone still looks great!
Overall, a fantastic investment if you are a business person or someone who likes to have the iPhone in a holster instead of your pocket. This is the first holster I have no reservations of using because it won't harm the finish of my iPhone.
You can purchase the JavoEdge iPhone Holster/Belt clip direct from JavoEdge!
JavoEdge sells some really nice iPhone accessories and was kind enough to send me one of the JavoEdge Holster/Belt Clips for the iPhone to review.
I'll be honest here, I don't normally use a holster for my iPhone but I used the product for a few weeks and I have to admit that it's a fantastic holster compared to a few others I have had in the past and are now collecting dust in a drawer somewhere in office.
First off, most iPhone holsters I have tried are made of hard, rigid plastic... you know, the kind of plastic you don't want touching your iPhone because it'll most likely scratch it! I already have one scratch on the back of my iPhone and I didn't want any others. When the JavoEdge holster first came in, I was almost ready to hand it off to Ryan to review because I thought it was made of the same hard plastic as the others, but upon opening the plastic bag, I discovered that the JavoEdge was made of what seems like 3 different types of material in one unit.
The bottom of the holster is soft and almost supple like rubber, but not sticky or as soft as rubber. It's hard to describe it... it's almost like a semi-soft plastic that retains it's shape but flexible and soft. The top clip that holds the iPhone into the holster is made with yet another material that feels solid yet flexible as well. The backing and the clip are solid, hard plastic and gives you confidence that this unit will stand up to constant use. The clip also swivels which is exactly what I need since I am usually sitting at my desk while carrying the iPhone.Using the clip for a few weeks was a joy! The iPhone could be placed into the holster face forward or face down. Other clips allow one way or another, not the JavoEdge. During that time, I only had my crystal clear film over the front glass of the iPhone and used the holster exclusively. My iPhone still looks great!Overall, a fantastic investment if you are a business person or someone who likes to have the iPhone in a holster instead of your pocket. This is the first holster I have no reservations of using because it won't harm the finish of my iPhone.
You can purchase the JavoEdge iPhone Holster/Belt clip direct from JavoEdge!
First of all, I have to apologize for the delay in doing this review! I've been searching for the perfect 3.5mm headphone jack converter for a while now. In my search for the perfect adapter I've purchased a Belkin and a Griffin adapter, but those were quite large and felt more like a dongle than an adapter. I was wondering why they couldn't just make it smaller?
WirelessGround has answered my question by introducing their right angled iPhone 3.5mm Stereo Head Jack convertor! The angled plug allows you to connect the adapter to your iPhone and not have a dongle like contraption protruding out of it like the others, which to me was a great improvement! Still not as small as I'd like though.
In addition to the compact design, the Wirelessground adapter seems to be gold plated and that will eventually be better for connectivity and will prevent corrosion in the future. Also notice that the WirelessGround version has three rings on it's tip so you can use headphones with that have controls on them to interact with the iPhone when using the adapter.
Testing out the adapter was easy and it worked just like an adapter should: without any hassle. Overall a great adapter that will be replacing the Belkin and the Griffin! Below are some photos of the adapter in action as well as some comparison photos.
You can purchase the WirelessGround iPhone 3.5mm Stereo Head Jack converter directly from WirelessGround!
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