My Digital Life

Will the iPad survive Without Flash?

The answer is more than likely yes, but what I find interesting is that Steve Jobs has been unusually vocal for such a secretive person. It seems that critics are pushing his buttons. Although his responses have been well thought through from the Apple corporate perspective, I think it just gives more ammunition to the critics to answer them. CNN's Money web site had an interesting piece today "What's the bug up Apple's @$$" which describes Apple's behavior towards critics. This fits right into the published email thread between Steve Jobs and Gawker writer Ryan Tate. Are we heading into a soap opera...

During the iPhone's ascendency, Apple's response to critics was very tame and yes Steve Jobs was sick for a big part of that time, however over the last three years I have been impressed how Apple has added key features in the iPhone OS demanded by critics and users. These include Apps, cut and paste, turn by turn GPS, voice control, Bluetooth A2DP stereo streaming (although no AVRCP remote control), MS Exchange ActiveSync, and probably some others that I am forgetting. The Apps and the cut and paste were biggies. I remember Apple's saying Apps were not necessary, since they provided such a rich web browser environment. Apple came to their senses and provided a good development platform, although at the time no multitasking; now we are on the cusp of having that feature implemented. We went through the same pattern with Cut and Paste, first it was we did not need it with the new touch paradigm, then that morphed into we need our time to design correctly (they did).

My hope and point is that the same will be true for Flash. I agree that HTML 5 and H.264 are probably the future. However for a device like the iPad which is supposed to be about consuming content and Steve Jobs touting it as an all-encompassing browsing device, how can you ignore a major part of the web? On the iPhone not having flash can be irritating, but since it is not my primary browsing device I can live without it. If I were to buy an iPad I would want to use as a primary browser and not having Flash is a show stopper. This does not make sense to me, and I think Steve Jobs ego is getting in the way. I am hoping that Apple will go through its no no phase, then will accede to users demands, and go through a thoughtful design and implementation (provide Adobe with the APIs they need to be efficient) as it did with Apps, cut and paste, and multitasking.

If you want to make your voice sort of heard, you can sign a petition at Flash4iPad.com. I say sort of, but the more users and potential customers complain it will start to weigh on Apple's future plans. 500 iPad users were asked by Laura DiDio, principal analyst at ITIC about Flash. According to the CNN article I mentioned previously, "she found that customers are clamoring for Flash support, but said they would continue to buy Apple products even without it". It is a mixed message but we are talking about the initial customer pool and not the average customer who is now buying the iPhone.

Until then my common sense is telling not to purchase an iPad, even though my techy side really wants one. I feel resigned to wait until next March to see what happens with iPad 2.0.

Mobile Phone Charger Standardization; Good for the Consumer and Environment

Europe is blazing the trail trying to eliminate the dearth of incompatible chargers which eventually end up in landfills by cajoling the top 10 mobile device manufacturers (Nokia, RIM, Apple, Motorola, Sony Ericson, Samsung, etc) into adopting the Micro USB plug as the standard charger interface to smartphones. Most of today's smartphones use the Mini USB plug as the charging and data interface so why did they choose Micro USB.

• Size; because the Micro USB connector is smaller is offers manufacturers more options as devices get smaller and/or thinner.
• Durability; interesting enough the Micro USB connector can withstand 10,000 cycles of insertion and removal compared to 500 for Mini USB connector (Wikipedia). I can vouch for that having experience connector failure on multiple devices with Mini USB connectors.

Another benefit to manufacturer will be the cost savings of not having to include a charger with the device.

Some of the USB connectors from left to right; Micro B plug (Micro USB), Mini B plug (Mini USB), Type B plug, Type A receptacle, and Type A plug.

What will manufacturers with proprietary connectors like Apple's 30 pin dock connectors do? My sense is that they will provide an adapter, since like Apple most manufacturers want to keep control of accessories.

I have used single charger solution from iGo (laptops and mobile devices) and Gomadic (mobile devices) for a while and have been very happy to just purchase replaceable tips every time I acquire a new device with a different charging connector. The iGo is the most versatile using a power brick to charge my laptop and mobile device using AC, DC (car), or aircraft power. The Gomadic's wall charger and DC car adapters are smaller to travel with if you are only taking your mobile devices. Overtime this standardization could spell doom for these vendors, however I think we are a ways away from that…

Source: http://tech.yahoo.com/news/nm/20090629/tc_nm/us_telecom_eu_mobile

The iPod ECO System is Showing up in Different Places

We all know that iTunes is the core of the iPod ECO system, however one part of the ECO system which gets little publicity is the dock connector. Over the years Apple has tweaked the connector design and added some device/accessory identity functionality, but the basic functionality has remained the same. The device/accessory functionality alerts you that a certain accessory has not been certified by Apple and could create an issue with your device. This has not stopped companies from producing accessories that work (at the user's risk) across iPod/iPhone models and generations. As more and more dock connector compatible accessories are developed, they are starting to permeate our lives. Two key places are the automobile and the hotel room. Most newer automobiles have options for an iPod/iPhone interface which uses the dock connector. I am also finding that hotels which have recently refurbished their rooms are likely to have clock radios with dock connectors.

The iHome clock radio I found while staying at the Hershey Lodge last weekend. It was great not having to pull out my charger…

One of the key reasons I have chosen to stick with the iPod/iPhone product line is the dock connector. There is a vast array of compatible or quasi compatible accessories, it is integrated in my car and now it is starting to show up in hotels. Some airlines are looking at deploying dock connectors as well. Where else will it show up? Maybe it is time for Apple to make the dock connector public domain and for other vendors to implement it. I know that it is wishful thinking but I thought I would throw it out there…

My 3 takeaways on the Kindle DX

First here is a good video from the Wall Street Journal which shows the differences between the Kindle 2 and the DX.

Now for my takeaways:

1. $489 is a steep price, but the talk of subsidies could make the DX more palatable. Look at the cell phone model and specifically the iPhone. Although the problem will be how much of a subsidy is reasonable given a paper subscription averages about $15 a month vs. AT&T minimum plan of $70 a month. The $199 iPhone pricing skyrocketed sales; in order to meet that figure newspapers or magazines would need to subsidize $290 of the DX's price. Over a 2 year subscription that is $12 a month. This does not leave newspapers or magazines with a lot room to work with. Maybe a subsidy of $130 or $5.41 per month is more appropriate making the DX the price of a Kindle 2. I have a feeling this is the target they are shooting for. This will be an interesting experiment.
2. Will individuals be swayed by the screen size and readability factor or just purchase a Netbook for that price? I think the DX will be a dud unless it is subsidized; still with a subsidy I find it expensive compared to a Netbook and its functionality.
3. Do you really want to carry around another device? Over the years I have been trying to carry around fewer devices. When I travel I carry a small factor laptop (Fujitsu U810), an iPhone or Windows Mobile device, a Sony HDRCX12 camcorder and an iGo multicharger. I can fit it all it into a small over the shoulder bag. Do I want to add a Kindle 2, probably not…and certainly not another device the size of a Kindle DX.

An interesting tidbit from Jeff Bezzos was that books with a Kindle version derive 35% of their sales from Kindle users.

Choosing an E-Reader

Over the last couple of months I have been leaning towards purchasing an E-Reader to carry around the manuals which I use for my work as a consultant. Although most of the information I need is readily available on the web, it would be nice to have access to books as well. The big drawback to acquiring an E-Reader has been the price and since I am not avid novel reader, I have a hard time justifying the purchase. The possibility of sharing the device with my wife (she is an avid reader), makes the purchase more palatable although she checks books out of the library. The obvious choices are the Amazon Kindle or the Sony line of E-Readers.

Last weekend, I decided to do some research to see if it was possible to download content from my local library to an E-Reader. The public library does support the mobipocket and the NETLIBRARY ebook formats. The Kindle and the Sony do not support the mobipocket format directly (you have to convert), however the Sony does support NETLIBRARY. Mobipocket refers to 5 standalone E-readers sold by Bookeen, iRex, Jinke, and BeBook which directly support their format. These are not household names but it shows there is competition and the market has room for growth.

By coincidence today Amazon will be announcing a larger format Kindle suitable for magazines, newspapers and textbooks and there are rumors that Sony will be announcing a wireless broadband enabled E-Reader.

It looks like I better wait a little longer before making a final decision. I will keep updating this post as I move towards a purchase…

Plenty of T-Mobile G1s to be had

I just had the opportunity to stop by a T-Mobile in Montgomery county, MD and they had plenty of G1s. They had 3 on static display, none of them working. There were a couple of customers in the store but no long lines. I think T-Mobile is making a mistake by not following Apple's live unit display. How would you know if you really liked it if you can't even play with it. The design is clearly more industrial than the iPhone or other recent HTC designs like the Diamond. The flip out hinge is quite funky but it seems very solid. The keyboard is quite large and makes the hinge design quite clever although it won't win any MOMA award. Without any play time with the software, I am unimpressed with the overall hardware design. It just does not feel as good as the iPhone. But for T-Mobile customers who want some iPhone like functionality the G1 is worth looking at. Maybe the strategy was to stave off defections like myself and given the price point of the device and associated plans they may succeed. I still do not understand why they did no include HotSpot@Home, however I see that the shipping units include MyFaves.

Can T-Mobile Become the Heroic Mobile Carrier We Need? (Newsweek article tag line)

Can T-Mobile Become the Heroic Mobile Carrier We Need? A so so article in Business Week by  Rachel Hinman. that got me thinking of the bigger picture. I think T-Mobile USA with HotSpot@Home and MyFaves has the best value plans out there. T-Mobile USA does a very good job marketing, managing their network and customer service, however they have lagged behind everyone else in providing users with advanced handsets and a 3G network.

I think they believe they are rectifying the situation with the Android based G1 and their painfully slow roll out of 3G. It will take years for them to catch up to Sprint, Verizon and even AT&T who is behind it's EVDO (Sprint & Verizon) counterparts.

On the Android G1 side, T-Mobile USA believes they have found a marketing edge by touting openness. However, I wonder what their definition of openness is?

Is it Applications: It seems pretty clear that they will allow developers to build anything they want. Does this differentiate them from Windows Mobile and the iPhone. Not really, Windows Mobile is an open platform from that standpoint and the same can be said for Jailbroken iPhones. So I don't think Android has any real advantage in this area, although Google would like you to think so. On the SDK (Software Development Kit)  front; from what I hear the APIs (Application Programming Interface) in Windows Mobile are still way ahead of the iPhone, however Apple is catching up with its almost monthly updates for developers. The Android SDK is still in its infancy and we will have to see how Google controls the enhancement process.

Is it the OS, Radio software and hardware drivers: This is the more interesting area. Will T-Mobile USA allow different Open Source versions of the OS, Radio software,  and hardware drivers? The question is whether Google, HTC or T-Mobile will provide the base source code required for developer's to create their own hardware drivers or fine tune the Radio drivers. I doubt it, it could be detrimental to their network. Look at what happened to AT&T's network when the Apple iPhone 3G Radio software was clearly creating a problem. I believe allowing developers to easily modify drivers could prove to be the innovative area that could catapult or sink Android. We will have to wait and see what the developer community does and what the carriers/Google allow.

But for now I think a lot of developers are waiting for the launch to see how well it is received by the consumer. If the G1 had HotSpot@Home and MyFaves, I would have probably been tempted to try it, but without that there is really nothing there to grab my interest...

T-Mobile G1 with Google finally officially announced

T-Mobile has finally provided details on the G1, they have published a pretty good web site which contains links to most first hand account of the device. It is being called a real competitor to the iPhone but from the press conference T-Mobile is only targeting consumers with this device. The consumer is T-Mobile's USA bread and butter. Over the years they have done an excellent job at providing great value with MyFaves and HotSpot@Home (BTW I did not see either of these features on the G1), their top selling smartphones have been the SideKick and the Blackberry curve. In contrast to T-Mobile in Europe, the USA subsidiary has not provided any advanced Windows Mobile device and unfortunately in its current form the G1 does not currently offer very much for the business user. The Android OS does provide the means for software development and distribution which could fill the gaps making the G1 a business device. However, it seems that T-Mobile and Google are waiting for third parties to fill this gap. In response to the lack of Exchange ActiveSync at the press conference the answer was that this would be a good application for third parties to implement, but will developer's flock to Android the way they did to the iPhone. From my unscientific research it does not look like it, the marketplace is still too iffy at this point. Compared to the millions of iPhones being sold, the analysts have estimated G1 sales to only be in the hundreds of thousands.

The "open" mantra being touted by Google could be a free for all and could lead to very different user experiences by device and by carrier thus diluting the Android brand name. Developers are also concerned that each carrier could have its own app store which could be a real headache when dealing with applications suited for the international marketplace. Even though there are still issues to be ironed out with the Apple app store, the advantage of having a single marketplace for users and developers is a major plus.

There seems to have a ground swell of protests against the 1GB cap (the AT&T cap is 5GB) then reducing throughput language in the contract which T-Mobile has relented on yesterday. I find this topic quite interesting since most of my data usage comes from WIFI and currently my iPhone 3G usage is about 100MB per billing cycle. I agree with the protests,  however on the other side of the coin I don't want individuals hogging bandwidth to my detrement. Tethering will also not be allowed, it is clear that the voice market is saturated and the carriers look at data for revenue growth. They want you to pay extra for tethering because data usage on a PC is far greater, but at an average of $60 per month, I find this to be somewhat predatory.

T-Mobile appears to be willing to SIM unlock the devices after 90 days for account in good standing. AT&T should take a lesson, although they have no incentive to so...

At this point, given the very small T-Mobile 3G foot print (I don't even see Washington, DC in the current list) this phone is no threat to Apple, but from an overall marketplace I see the G1 as good competition which will hopefully help keep Apple on its toes and may force some loosening by the control freaks in Cupertino. Yes, I do believe that control gives Apple an edge in providing a uniform user experience, the issue is how much control.

In the end the G1 looks like a pretty good consumer device with excellent technology compared to a Sidekick or Blackberry and even the iPhone. We will have to see how the marketplace reacts since technology alone won't guaranty that it is a hit. As I mentioned before it is about the eco system and on that front, even if they are far from perfect, Apple wins.

iPhone 3G - Battery life and charging; some useful accessories

The Apple iPhone 2.1 update has helped the battery life of my iPhone 3G, however I still need a quick charge in the afternoon to make it into the late evening. I found this great little accessory which will help out during those times where a quick charge using a wall outlet, car charger, or USB port is not feasible. Gomadic sells a battery backup which allows you to charge the iPhone 3G or any other mobile device they have a compatible exchangeable power tip. The unit works with 4 AA batteries which is much better than a rechargable backup solution since AA batteries tend to keep their charge longer when not used..

The Gomadic battery backup. I wrote a review of the Gomadic power accessories back in 2006 and I am still using them today. They also now have a dual charger which allows you to charge two mobile devices at once.

With the iPhone 3G and the Touch, Apple decided to abandoned the 12 volt DC Firewire charging in favor of the 5 volt USB charging. The unfortunate result for owners of older accessories is that they may not charge the iPhone 3G or Touch. Some innovative Swedes have come up with a solution. A little dock connector adapter which converts the Firewire 12 volt leads to the USB 5 volt leads. I reported on earlier but it is now available and shipping.

The Ridax Charge converter.

Review: Celio Corporation REDFLY Mobile Companion

The advent of integrated thumb keyboards on Windows Mobile devices has meant the demise of compatible portable Bluetooth keyboards. The current class of devices are almost full-fledged computing platforms, however the size of the screen and keyboards limits their full potential. The Celio Corporation identified this need and created the REDFLY Mobile Companion - a combination full QWERTY keyboard and 8" LCD screen. This accessory looks more like an Ultra Mobile Personal Companion (UMPC) than an accessory for a Windows Mobile device. Let's see how well it performs its job as a Mobile Companion to our beloved Windows Mobile devices. Read and view my review on pocketnow.com!

Overall Rating:


The Good

Great rendering with most applications

Small and lightweight

Excellent battery life

The Bad

Videos come out blotchy and unwatchable

No speaker or microphone

Expensive