Oct 28

Google vs Apple – Cell phone war continues

By Stefano Buliani News, Technology, Thoughts No Comments »

Ever since Schmidt resigned from Apple’s board we all knew that a feud between the two companies was about to start.

Google had just launched Android, a Mobile OS. I’m sure we are all too aware of this.
Android wasn’t, and still isn’t a serious competitor for Apple’s iPhone. Google’s OS still has a long way to go to reach the “slickness” of the iPhone OS. Furthermore Google doesn’t have control over the hardware running its OS. Which means that the brilliancy of the OS can be completely overshadowed by the absurdity of the hardware. Honestly, some of the Android phones look like they have been designed by some boffin called Jenkins who was given complete freedom by their boss, Who should have instead said “No Jenkins you imbecile that’s not a phone. It’s crap. Do it again.”

I’m getting side-tracked. Let’s get back to the point.

Today Google announced Google Map Navigation for Android; and somehow I doubt it will make it to the iPhone. My guess is that Google is repaying Apple in kind for the whole Google Voice debacle. This is a serious blow and Apple will have some work to do to catch up with this.

More importantly Google Maps Navigation runs entirely off the net.
I have an iPhone with the Navigon app. It’s great but on my slim 8GB iPhone 25% of the storage is used for Navigon maps. With mobile internet connectivity becoming ever more ubiquitous this is definitely the way to go.

All I can hope for is that the rumor that came out a while ago about Google developing its own mobile phone is true. Then I might seriously consider giving up my iPhone.

UPDATE: AppleInsider reports that Google is in fact planning to port Google Maps Navigation to iPhone. If Apple approves the application, that is. Just PR or are they actually working on it?

“Apple is a close partner,” a Google spokesperson told AppleInsider Wednesday. “Millions of users experience Google Maps on the iPhone. We will continue to work with Apple to bring innovation, including Latitude and Navigation, to users but you’ll have to speak to Apple about availability.”

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Nov 20

More unlocked iPhones for Europe

By Stefano Buliani News, Technology, Thoughts 3 Comments »

It seems that the EU really has something against American companies trying to lock their customers with exclusive contracts.
Apple, very much like Microsoft, has received a serious blow when Vodafone obtained a court order that requires rival T-Mobile Germany to sell Apple’s iPhone handset to Germans without a service plan.

Coverage of the matter by Dow Jones differs somewhat from the local German press by implying that the temporary injunction restricts any and all iPhone sales in Germany, rather than just those that would be sold with a contract. But due to the agreement between T-Mobile and Apple that iPhone only be sold with a service plan, it’s likely that both scenarios would produce the same result temporarily.

No doubt both Apple and T-Mobile will fight back. However, if the court order is confirmed and ratified, I don’t expect the potential legal battle to go anywhere.

I am not convinced by either approach. Love the idea of having even more unlocked iPhones around, and with the new rail tracks I can go from London to Paris in a little over 2 hours and pick up my phone there. On the other hand I don’t think Apple’s deal with T-Mobile has anything to do with anti-trust and unfair competition.
Obviously assuming that Apple was actually fair when deciding who to work with and was impartial when judging both carriers’ proposals.

All in all it sounds like Vodafone really didn’t like loosing the battle over the iPhone and instead of working to fight back with better services and contracts is just playing the primary school kid card.

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Nov 19

Apple tracking its customers

By Stefano Buliani News, Technology No Comments »

Uneasy silence reports that hidden inside the weather and stocks applications on the iPhone there’s some code to send your phone IMEI number and other details to a special Apple URL.

Any attempts to modify the URL to exclude the IMEI information will not allow you to retrieve any information in the “Stocks” and “Weather” apps. It is still unknown if any other applications leak information to Apple HQ.

Here’s what Apple’s privacy disclaimer says on the matter:

When you interact with Apple, we may collect personal information relevant to the situation, such as your name, mailing address, phone number, email address, and contact preferences; your credit card information and information about the Apple products you own, such as their serial numbers and date of purchase; and information relating to a support or service issue.

Please folks at Apple, the whole locked thing was bad enough, and now this.
I’m still a big Apple fan and, although I don’t own one yet, have been toying with the idea of buying an iPhone for a while… iPod Touch it is then. And wireless turned off.

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Nov 18

Is the iPhone already turning un-cool?

By Stefano Buliani News, Technology, Thoughts 3 Comments »

SiliconValley.com is reporting that AT&T is currently considering joining Google and its mobile-phone software alliance.

The phone company is “analyzing the situation” and may use Google’s software for phones, Ralph de la Vega, chief executive officer of the wireless unit, said in an interview Friday

It is a peculiar move for a telecoms giant who bent over backwards to accommodate Apple and its iPhone. Could it be that AT&T already feels its time to start distancing itself from the super-hyped product and let it join the ranks of the other unimportant devices?

Given the wide variety of services and the stellar number of customers AT&T has this is may very well be considered a natural move in the attempt of pushing future products. Nonetheless I’m sure the move will give some PR-related grief to AT&T, especially considering the VIP-ish marketing campaign they put up for Apple’s gizmo.

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