Good blurb from Brian Lam at The Wirecutter on the logic of upgrading your phone when the current one is “fine”. It’s “The One Thing That’s Always Within Arms Reach”, and has such an increasingly large effect on our lives that it’s the one thing worth shelling out to keep upgraded. I’m in complete agreement.
Should I get an iPhone 5 if I have an iPhone 4s or 4?
I am really against buying new gadgets when they’re not needed. But when it comes to smartphones, I think you should consider keeping up with the best. Here I will quote myself (am I allowed to do that; doing it anyhow):
Unlike other gadgets, I think you should get the best one you can and upgrade whenever you want. Go buck wild.
For me, that’s about every year…. Why? Because the smartphone is the gadget that can do anything, anywhere, any time. And its hard to think you won’t get a lot of utility and use out of the latest and greatest when it something you use that often. Also, a new handset is just an fraction of what you’re really paying for–your cellphone plan. The cost of a new handset is a few hundred dollars; the network, a few thousand over a few years. That’s pretty simple math.
I’d say a good rule of thumb is never pay more than two-thirds of a phone’s value in early termination or early upgrade fees.
With Apple’s eminent announcement of iOS 6 today, mobile payments will get yet another major boost. Now my barcode-scan based payment scheme won’t be restricted to only the beloved Starbucks app, but will open up to lots of other applications too. A few thoughts on Barcode Scan Payments vs NFC Payments. Certainly not fully fleshed out, but a few items that were on my mind as I watch the clock tick down to the big announcement.
Tricky tricky. In support of scanning a simple barcode to make a mobile paymentis first and foremost the reduction of need for new hardware. Virtually every retail outlet has a simple barcode scanner hooked up to the cash register, and every smartphone can display a barcode on its screen. Barcodes can be generated securely and dynamically, allowing a unique code to be generated for each transaction. The hardware is already out there, so why not use it?
Sure, NFC is a nifty contact-less radio-based technology, but the big detractor is its need for new hardware. Users must purchase new phones with new chips, and retail POS terminals must be equipped with new NFC sensors and radios. The one big advantage NFC has over Barcodes is device range. NFC chips can be built into not only mobile phones, but also into credit cards, key fobs, and all sorts of other form factors. They’re not reliant on the powerful workings of a smartphone (in RFID flavor), and so they can be rolled out into lots of different forms. With barcode payments, the phone must always be there to generate a dynamic barcode. It could be argued that static barcodes, like what’s used in my current Starbucks card app could be use, however I believe the ability to dynamically generate secure barcodes could be a sticking point.
Another big advantage that barcode-based payments has over NFC based payments is legacy device support. I already use my Starbucks Card app to display a barcode on my iPhone 4 – SO really it’s all about having software to display and manage the codes, and retailers supporting them with their existing (or slightly upgraded) hardware. Apple’s “Mobile Wallet” Passbook will come on the new iPhone5, and can also be a simple upgrade for legacy devices. Instantly, everyone has Passbook, everyone can start making payments – no annoying hardware upgrade necessary for the user.
But, device sales – is such an easy solution, such a flexible scheme, so backwards compatible really right for Apple? Aren’t they in the business of making money, and doesn’t adding a new chip to their phones and forcing users to buy new phones to get the latest functionality help sell more? Yes, absolutely. But I don’t think NFC is the right technology for make users pay for.I think there will be other enticing upgrades to the iPhone 5 that will still get users to upgrade.
Very interesting roundup of all of the uses for the new iPhones NFC Antenna. If Apple does in fact include an NFC antenna in the new iPhone, and if implimented correctly, the implications are quite exciting..
Word just leaked that the next generation of iPhones will come with a special kind of antenna, designed for something called Near-Field Communication. Here are the coolest things you’ll be able to do with it.
Nextworth has published a nifty infographic illustrating all of the novel uses for the iPad. Since the release of the “New” iPad with high res Retina Display, there are even more uses – certainly including geofencing with the iPad, as well as iPhone.
At the end of last year, startup ToutApp released an online tool that analyzes my entire gmail account and provides an interesting statistical breakdown of email trends.
A few excerpts from the report:
ToutApp also makes a nice business networking iPhone app, which simplifies the network/instant followup workflow when meeting people. A competitor to Bump? Maybe…
Starting at the beginning of this year, I’ve been trying to make a blog post every day. As I’m finding out, this is not always easy.
For each blog post on this blog, I’m trying to keep it something personal and meaningful – when i post about a news item, I’m trying to add my two cents, rather than simple re-report the news. Sure, there’s always something interesting to look at, or a quick news story to post – but I feel that’s better kept to my active Tumblr Blog “Jeffzilla Tumbles“.
So with my busy schedule and always flying around town – and around the world, I don’t always have the time sitting down at my computer to post. Also, often the inspiration for a blog post comes at random times when I’m not in front of a computer.
So naturally, I turn to mobile. With my iPhone 4 and a few choice apps, I’m now posting from anywhere there’s service – like the back of a cab right now.
Hopefully I’ll be able to keep up the daily blogging with the help of some mobile tech.
This week I got to try out the new iOS Application “IntoNow“. Into now listens to what you’re watching on TV, and by fingerprinting and scanning a massive online database of TV show audio samples, manages to figure out what exactly you’re watching. While using it, I found it to be fairly accurate and response. Great Retina Display graphics too.
A quick thought on using a mobile phone’s GPS in a novel fashion for an online retailer. Nowadays basically every mobile phone has a gps chip in it, and all smart phones can provide location data to the apps they run. Recently I was asked by a client about ideas for possibly reaching out to customers on a local level, despite the fact that the client doesn’t actually have any physical stores. Here are my initial thoughts – (more…)
Recently, a client asked me about Google Mobile Search Results, and how the algorithm works to prioritize results aimed specifically at mobile users. In general, I believe that Google favors mobile optimized sites in their mobile search results. There are a number of usability features, such as location base services, screen real estate, and touch gestures that greatly enhance the functionality of Mobile sites. Google seems to be optimizing its mobile search results to deliver sites that deliver enhanced mobile functionality to the user.
For your reference, below are a few resources regarding Google’s treatment of mobile optimized sites.
Excerpt:
“Mobility is a ranking factor for mobile search, and not optimizing a
mobile site could make it more difficult to appear in competitive
nonbranded searches where mobility is a factor. Likewise, having an
optimized mobile site could make it easier to appear for competitive
nonbranded keywords where mobility is a factor.”
“As mobile search evolves and mobile ranking factors become more
prevalent, brands that don’t optimize a mobile site today will be busy
playing catch up tomorrow, building mobile links and paying attention
to mobile ranking factors to their site. Search engines look at age of
links and age of site when it comes to ranking because such factors
are hard to manipulate. Success in mobile SEO will be difficult if
postponed until absolutely necessary.”
Every day there seems to be a new mobile video conferencing service popping up. Fring, ooVoo, Skype, Facetime, and so on. They’re each great in their own respect, and each have their own great features – FaceTime works natively on iPhone 4, ooVoo for Android has six way video chat, and Skype has a huge installed base. However, none of these services have really helped bring widespread mobile video conferencing into mass use. Sure, lots of people have capable handsets, but I don’t believe they actually use it.The problem is platform fragmentation.
Spring and Fring get a huge product placement in last week's episode of Fringe, on FOX. Click for video.
In lieu of straight up music on my headphones, this week I’ve been spacing out with the Inception iPhone App. It’s trippy re-mixes of the sounds around me, along with slow burning musical themes from the movie make merely riding the subway into an alternate reality experience.
This app is a dream machine that transforms the world around you into a dreamworld. It uses augmented sound to induce dreams through the headset of your iPhone and iPod Touch. It will change your perception of reality.
The app uses the audio sampling/processing/twisting framework of RJDJ, adding in custom Inception themes and interface. The full RJDJ app lets users load up pre-made and custom soundcapes, with projects coming in from people like Jimmy Edgar, Booka Shade, and Air.
I spent the day today at the DigiDay:Apps Mobile Application Strategy Conference. Agenda on Digiday’s site.
Below are my brief notes from a few of the talks.
App Show and Tell Part II: Presenter:Gabe Dorosz, VP & Management Supervisor, Interactive, Cramer-Krasselt
Downloading apps currently is difficult because there are too many handsets/platforms, lack of platform detection infrastructure.
Consumers don’t necessarily care whether utility is served as app, web app, etc – as long as it works.
Installable Mobile Applications
Pros – Always on – no network necessary, depth of engagement, leverage of device features and full power, trafficking in app store
Cons – Cost of development (up to 250K), platform fragmentation, time to market (approval process), distribution and maintenance channels, increased competition (currently)
Cross-Platform Apps are by far the most popular and successful aps
Top application platforms in international markets: iPhone, Android, Symbian, Web.
Google has started showing mobile application results in their mobile web search results, potentially marking the beginnings of the intersection of web search and mobile apps. This initial implementation of mobile installable application results in mobile web search result is the first step.
Mobile network infrastructure and mobile handset hardware are improving, and web standards such as HTML5 with support for interactive features are in the very beginning stages of proliferation. As these advances give rise to rich, interactive web-based mobile applications (web-apps), I think that these installable application results may soon give way, or will grow to include results for web apps.
As of today, if you go to Google.com on your iPhone or Android-powered device and search for an app, we’ll show special links and content at the top of the search results. You can tap these links to go directly to the app’s Android Market or iPhone App Store page. You can also get a quick look at some of the app’s basic details including the price, rating, and publisher. These results will appear when your search pertains to a mobile application and relevant, well-rated apps are found.
Update 2010-06-07, 13:56EDT – In his WWDC Keynote Speech, Steve Jobs just gave a nod to the viability of HTML5-based web apps, stating “”Next, I’d like to talk about the App Store. Before I do that, I want to make something clear. We support two platforms: HTML5 — it’s a completely open, uncontrolled platform. And we fully support it.” Screenshot of HTML5 app Steve Jobs quote from Engadget’s live keynote coverage
Is Apple’s reluctance to include flash on iPhone or iPad actually a veiled play to change the entire face of code and web standards on the internet, and beyond? Or are they just hoping to sell more apps? I think that Apple’s strategy here goes both ways – and hopefully, both outcomes will change both Apple and the internet in general for the better.
A Flash-less iPad helps sell applications. One of the reasons flash is such a great technology, and so hotly desired on the iPad and iPhone is for its rich media and interactivity potential. Flash allows developers to make websites function almost exactly like a native iApp would, but have it hosted off site on a third party website, rather than directly on the device. Enabling this channel for app delivery would be great for the developers and brands looking to rapidly launch interactive, media rich apps.
By allowing these flash apps to proliferate, Apple would be removing the incentive to work with them and publish apps through their App store, thereby limiting the potential for apple to turn a profit. Wired recently announced that they would be releasing an iPad Wired Magazine app that allows readers to leaf through the pages of the magazine, much like they’re reading an actual paper copy.
A flash-less iPad pushes forward HTML5. By restricting the usage of flash on the iPad and iPhone, Apple is forcing developers to either develop iApps through the App Store, OR, and more importantly, embrace alternative interactive web technologies to accomplish what they would have been able to with flash or a native app.
Although on the surface this may seem like a more complicated, less ideal solution for web-hosted-app development, it’s actually a blessing in disguise. HTML5 is a highly accessible web standard, which can be scaled gracefully across multiple devices, and has been designed with the future in mind. I think that a future of web apps built on HTML5, and surrounding technologies, instead of solely on Flash, will ultimately be more viable, and will allow mobile devices, the interactive web, and internet technology in general to scale quickly and easily into the future.
Immediate effects of Apples Flash-free, HTML5 vision of the future is evident in BrightCove’s recent HTML5 announcement that their video platform will still be HTML5 compatible, and will be able to play video on the iPhone and iPad. This is a great win for Apple, HTML5, and for Brightcove for embracing the new standard so readily.
Sites such as Vimeo and YouTube have already started experimenting with HTML5 video players, and heavy hitters like Google are experimenting with HTML5 web apps – namely Google Voice.
I don’t think HTML5 will kill flash completely, but adoption of the new standard, alongside flash, will open up many possibilities for the future.
Lately there have been a couple new websites and services which allow users to “roll their own” iPhone and mobile applications. Sites like ShoutEm, AppMakr and iSites all take your content feed, and re-present it in a custom designed iPhone, Android, or general mobile app.
Most roll-your-own app makers charge a small fee, and import an RSS feed into a custom branded, multi platform application. Additionally, some apps are even allowing users to custom create social networks, complete with location awareness.
This is a great indicator of the important that mobile apps have gained. IN terms of branded applications (opposed to utility apps, games, etc) now, not only do large companies have apps, but smaller business, including even individual bloggers can have their own. Especially since location based services like Foursquare have gotten so popular lately, custom apps that can latch onto these existing networks could be destined to engage their niche, target audience.
Interesting custom mobile app sites I’ve found include:
SocialLight = “The simple way to connect with people through space and place.”
WordPress 1.0 for iPhone and iPod Touch was just released on iTunes. So far, it seems to be working well. I’m composing this post on my 8gb iPod touch. The installed app had no problem interfacing with the XML-rpc of my wordpress 2.6 blog backend. Additionally, it gives me full access to all of my old blog posts… A nice touch.
For version 2.0, I would love to see integrated, optional GPS location posting, comment moderation, and link creation – with URL copy/paste from Safari!
Why make software for an increasingly dwindling market – the 1st generation (EDGE) iPhone. Instinctiv is a new company that’s making iPhone software that purports to predict what you want to listen to based on a number of factors, and the smartly shuffles your songs accordingly. But it only shuffles your own songs. Only the music you have on your phone at that moment. No network listening.
I can see how this would appeal to iPod Touch and 1st generation (slow EDGE) owners, but, since the 1st Gen iPhone is no longer on sale, that group is starting to dwindle. On the new iPhone 3g, with speedy fast 3G network connectivity, is Instinctiv really necessary? (Or, does it have a viable future?) Why not just listen to real, genuine Pandora radio, if that’s the experience you’re going for? Although it’s not out yet, I’m almost positive a real, native Pandora radio application will be released for the new iPhone 3G, which will (or, should…) use not only the iPhone’s wifi connection, but the 3G cell data connection as well.
Better yet – ever shared with a friend a Pandora station you’ve made? Cool to be able to listen to the same batch of songs, no? How about allowing iPhones running the Pandora radio application to synchronize their stations, so two iPhone listeners can listen to a synchronized Pandora station? Why not push this feature to the standard browser based web player too? It might get dicey for the music licensing, but would be cool nonetheless.
The possibilities for the more open, developer-friendly iPhone 2.0 software just keep getting better, especially on the speedier iPhone 3G. TechCrunch reports that Qik just announced that they are coming out with an iPhone application, to allow users to stream live video direct from their iPhone. Pretty cool feature, and that will also mean that the iPhone will now be able to capture and record video, since Qik records your video streams.
They’re not the only ones doing live streaming, and I hope sites like Ustream.tv and Mogulus.com get on the bandwagon for over-the-air streaming too. Especially considering Mogulus’ capabilities for real-time mixing of multiple video sources, it could make an intensely robust control studio for remixing and re-broadcasting multiple live remote video streams. Live-mixing/streaming the next Tumblr Rock Band jam from multiple roaming cell-connected audio/video sources? Sure.
**Update – Max Haot, of Mogulus, just informed me via comments that Mogulus is actually already integrated with Qik, so users can do live mixes of multiple remote video streams – awesome!
How about “Geo-tweeting”? Automatically posting geo-tagged updates to Twitter via iPhone 3G‘s GPS chip, cell data coverage and wifi coverage? Maybe a Google Maps geotweet maps mashup?
Needless to say, I’m very excited about the new iPhone 3g, and can’t wait to get my hands on one and try out the GPS, high speed data, and new applications. Regarding iPhone 3G’s features – I’m dissapointed that there is still no native picture messaging, iChat AV integration or video capture. However, I’m hopeful that 3rd party software developers will be able to fill this gap – an all network IM client that could get on AIM, Yahoo, MSN, Jabber, GMAIL, IRC, Skype, Facebook and Myspace instant messenger networks (who sometimes share the same protocols…) would be fantastic.
Would it be possible to get super accurate gps reading via multiple gps readings? Use iPhone 3G’s internal GPS and Bluetooth connection to connect to a secondary, external GPS, maybe even one with WAAS land-based location accuracy augmentation? That, coupled with data network access could make for some nifty scientific, surveying, research and field applications…
Finally, the obvious application for a phone paired with gps paired with camera – automatic photo geotagging and upload. Flickr already supports geotagging and uploading via email (as well as third party apps). I’m almost certain this will be coming out of the gates soon after iPhone 3G launch, and almost certain I’ll be using it immediately!
I just read over onGizmodo, by way of Macrumors that the AT&T/Starbucks wifi access deal is starting up offering free Wifi internet access to iPhone customers. Sounds great to me – IF I actually had an iPhone. I do, however, have a Macbook Pro, with the latest version of Safari, Apple’s speedy fast web browser.
Can I get leverage the iPhone deal to get free wifi on my Macbook Pro?
One little known feature of Safari is the “Develop” menu bar. You can use this option to change the User Agent Safari presents. I think that by changing the User Agent of Safari to “Mobile Safari 1.1.3 – iPhone”, I could trick the Starbucks router into giving me free wifi. What do you think?
To enable the “Develop” menu, go into Safari’s preferences, then advanced, then check the box next to “show Develop in menu bar”. Then, when you go back to using safari, you’ll see a Develop menu in the menu bar. Open that menu, and under the “User Agent”, select “Mobile Safari 1.1.3 – iPhone”.
I haven’t directly tested this yet, but it would be great if it actually worked! Anyone had a go at this yet?
**Update Update**….
The timestamp doesnt lie. I reported it first. Just saw over on Engadget and and Macrumors Forums they are also reporting the same hack for starbucks wifi access with safari by switching the user agent. Did they get it from me? Who knows.. but look at the timestamps.. I put it up first! Wheee…
I just read over on