As promised. :)

Verizon Wireless & Apple Team Up to Deliver iPhone 4 on Verizon
BASKING RIDGE, New Jersey and CUPERTINO, California—January 11, 2011—Verizon Wireless and Apple® today announced that the iPhone® 4 will be available on the Verizon Wireless network beginning on Thursday, February 10. Qualified Verizon Wireless customers will be given the exclusive opportunity to pre-order iPhone 4 online on February 3, ahead of general availability.

iPhone 4 is the most innovative phone in the world, featuring Apple’s stunning Retina™ display, the highest resolution display ever built into a phone resulting in super crisp text, images and video, and FaceTime®, which makes video calling a reality. iPhone 4 on Verizon Wireless will also include new Personal Hotspot capabilities allowing customers to use iPhone 4 to connect up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices.

“We are pleased to introduce millions of wireless users to the industry leading iPhone 4 on the nation’s most reliable network,” said Lowell McAdam, president and chief operating officer of Verizon. “This is an important step for the industry as two great companies join forces to give wireless customers one of the most important technological additions to the mobile landscape this century.”

“Verizon Wireless customers have told us they can’t wait to get their hands on iPhone 4, and we think they are going to love it,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s chief operating officer. “We have enormous respect for the company Verizon has built and the loyalty they have earned from their customers.”

iPhone 4 features a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, HD video recording, Apple’s A4 chip, a 3-axis gyro and a beautiful glass and stainless steel design like no other mobile phone. iPhone 4 also comes with iOS 4, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, which includes multitasking, folders, Game Center, AirPlay® and AirPrint wireless printing.  iPhone 4 customers have access to the world’s most popular App Store℠ with more than 300,000 apps available in an incredible range of 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health and reference.

Pricing & Availability
iPhone 4 will be available on the Verizon Wireless network beginning Thursday, February 10 for a suggested retail price of $199.99 for the 16GB model and $299.99 for the 32GB model with a new two year customer agreement. iPhone 4 will be available at more than 2,000 Verizon Wireless Communications Stores nationwide, online at  www.verizonwireless.com/iphone <http://www.verizonwireless.com/iphone> , at Apple Retail Stores, at the Apple Store® (www.apple.com <http://www.apple.com> ), at Apple Authorized
Resellers, and by calling 1-800-2 JOIN IN.

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Tomorrow Apple and Verizon publicly tie the knot in New York City at 11:00 a.m. EST. Yes, the iPhone is coming to Verizon. Here’s the quickest summary of all of the credible rumors about tomorrow’s event with attribution and links.

The Wall Street Journal has been spot on with all of its Verizon iPhone articles and ran a piece two days ago with juicy details. Citing “people familiar with the matter” (translation: very reliable, trustworthy sources), WSJ broke the news that Verizon has indeed landed the iPhone and will announce it tomorrow, 1/11/11 at 11 a.m.  Note all the 1′s. Expect a world’s #1 best selling phone on the #1 carrier type of presentation. According to the WSJ piece, a Sanford Bernstein analyst predicts that Verizon could add as many as 10 million customers in the U.S. to its 93 million existing customers.

Fast Company notes that Gizmodo staffers have not been invited to cover the event, which suggests that Apple had some control over the non-transferable invitations. Remember that Gizmodo bloggers are the same folks who bought the lost iPhone 4 prototype, disassembled it and then blogged the hell out of it. FC also notes that well connected sources at AllThingsD believe Steve Jobs will be on stage with Verizon Communication’s President and COO.

Verizon has also been tweeting from Twitter for iPhone recently and presumably not on AT&T’s signal. :) This suggests to me that Verizon wanted this story to leak out ahead of the event in a planned way with leaks going to trustworthy sources like the WSJ and little scraps of evidence to back it up.

Consistent with earlier reports and common sense, the WSJ reported that the phone will indeed be a CDMA phone. This means don’t hop on eBay in the hope of scooping up a used AT&T iPhone and activating it on Verizon’s network. It won’t work.

One AT&T top officer remarked today that Verizon’s CDMA technology will produce lower data speeds than AT&T’s GSM service. Larry Solomon a mucky muck in Communications at AT&T stated: “The iPhone is built for speed, but that’s not what you get with a CDMA phone. I’m not sure iPhone users are ready for life in the slow lane.”  I’ve seen others make remarks that CDMA does not permit simultaneous voice and data traffic. I question whether this is a strong argument in favor of AT&T’s network which is heavily criticized, rightfully so, for dropped calls and weak signals in many markets.

What does this mean for Android? Well, some people who were wedded to Verizon are going to opt for the iPhone over an Android. Will this be enough to significantly slow the adoption of Android? I personally doubt it. If you are considering the iPhone vs. Android, I wrote about that one long ago.

What does this mean for the Verizon network? Verizon has long said that its network has the muscle to handle iPhone traffic. Apple Insider and some other sources are reporting that Verizon will, unlike AT&T, offer unlimited data plans on Verizon, probably priced at $30/mo. This could help land those 10 million new customers that the Sanford Bernstein analyst predicts will come to Big Red. How Verizon handles this surge in data could make or break Verizon in heavy-use markets.

Expect the blogosphere to erupt tomorrow with iPhone postings.

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Admittedly, it’s been a long, long time since I last updated the Tech Bottle blog. It’s not that I’ve fallen months behind on technology.  I have been reading and interacting with tech enthusiasts but I haven’t been posting here.  A New Years resolution is to keep the blog updated on at least a semi-regular basis. Here’s what I’ve been doing and what’s caught my eye:

• I’m still a big supporter of Google Buzz. I think it is intelligently designed and well executed. I tend to read much more than I write on Buzz but I have been getting back in the swing of things. It’ll hopefully be rolled into the rumored Google Me service which apparently goes by the code name Google +1 now.
• I’m also liking Quora and Diaspora quite a bit. Quora is a Q&A forum of sorts. It’s like Yahoo! Answers, in a way, but Quora is populated with real techies and entrepreneurs.  Diaspora is the “open” alternative to Facebook.  Readers of my blog know that I’m not a big fan of Facebook. Diaspora has better privacy settings and it’s more intuitive to use than Facebook.  Quora is open to all but Diaspora is by invitation only (I think… I tried confirming but they are upgrading their servers… a much needed chore for them).
• I’m still running Ubuntu linux at home.  I am pleased to report that I haven’t had to boot Windows or virtualize Windows even once since converting to Ubuntu nearly six months ago. Oh, in Ubuntu I’ve been toying with MythTV which is pretty darn cool but difficult to set up.  I also revitalized a 333 MHz old Dell machine with 256 megs of RAM by installing Ubuntu. It’s usable but, well, not quite snappy enough for my liking.
• I’ve downloaded the Dell build of Chromium OS but I need to clean up and fix a USB stick to try it out.
• I’m eagerly awaiting the HTC Thunderbolt, which is rumored to be Verizon’s first 4G/LTE phone.Tell me this isn’t a great looking Android phone?  I have an upgrade saved up on my account.  The only thing that would keep me away from the Thunderbolt would be an encrypted bootloader that would make rooting and custom ROMing the phone impossible (or, at the very least, extremely difficult).
• Also in the mobile industry, I see RIM slipping further into irrelevance.  They announced a switch to a completely new OS built from an operating system designed for touchscreen GPS standalone devices. The new OS won’t be available for a long time (my guess, over a years… 2012) yet they’re still selling OUTDATED Blackberry OS devices like the Torch (major flop) to keep revenue going. Goldman Sachs downgraded RIM’s stock not too long ago. Oh, and RIM has a dual core tablet in the works that some are touting but others are already criticizing (mostly re: battery life).
• The CR-48 Chrome netbook looks great to me but I haven’t been able to score one. I’ve been reading about it on Buzz from those lucky few who received them.

That’s all folks.  Expect more in 2011.  Have a happy and healthy new year.

You might also enjoy:

--Google Plus Ate My Blog, Find Me There… --Google wants to kill your amateur blog… but that’s OK. --Google’s Game Plan: Google is not failing at hardware. It is succeeding at something else. --Google Plus: Stealth Mode to Instant Competitor?

Like many of you, I quickly scanned the list of Verizon’s LTE (4G) launch regions for the region in which I live. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t find the Detroit metropolitan area on the list. I reached out to Verizon for comment and an ETA and received a hopeful reply:

Detroit would be one of our launch markets, however, there is spectrum
interference with a Canadian TV station across the border.  We’re working
with the station and the appropriate regulatory bodies to resolve the issue
as soon as possible.  As soon as the spectrum is clear, we will be ready to
turn on LTE in Detroit in 2011.

That’s a much better scenario than I initially expected, especially considering Sprint skipped Detroit for the WiMax rollout. If Verizon rolls out LTE prior to the Verizon iPhone launch in early 2011, I’m expecting an LTE-equipped iPhone and Apple fanatics will dance a jig.

As an aside, this border issue reminds of of a problem I used to have with a company-issued Blackberry on T-Mobile. When I was working downtown, it would roam on Rogers, a Canadian provider, and charges would go through the roof.

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--HTC Thunderbolt, Verizon’s first 4G LTE Android Phone (a/k/a “My next phone!”) arrives March 17th [Confirmed]

To celebrate the upcoming release of Windows Phone 7, Microsoft held an official “funeral” for Blackberry and iPhone. While there’s something to be said for team building, this really takes the cake as the dumbest, most tasteless corporate event in history. The pictures below and videos of employees performing to Michael Jackson’s Thriller seem to say it all. Shame on Microsoft.

[via Engadget]

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Not surprisingly, Engadget’s coverage of the iPhone 4 is terrific. Try reading their iPhone 4 vs. Evo hardware comparison and the first lawful hands-on review. Runner up in coverage is Wired’s live blog of the event which revealed every little detail including this funny exchange:

10:43 [Steve Jobs:] “Well I’m sorry guys, I don’t know what’s going on.” Wi-Fi network is still hanging. “Scott, you got any suggestions?” Someone yelled “Get Verizon!”

In any event, the take aways for me are:

1. The 960 x 640 screen kicks ass even though it’s on the small side by today’s standards at 3.5″.
2. Videoconferencing will be featured prominently in advertisements, unlike the Evo advertisements.
3. Nothing truly magical happened today. It’s still the same Android (open) vs. iPhone (closed) debate as yesterday.

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Droid Scorpion? According to MobileCrunch, the rumored HTC Scorpion is heading to Verizon. This mythical beast has a 1.5 mhz processor which bests the 1.0 mhz processor in the HTC Incredible. It also ships with Foyo, Android 2.2. No pictures have surfaced yet.

While this phone will be tops in the Verizon line-up, I’m not sure it’s a real game changer if it comes out as a 3G phone. The Incredible’s processor is plenty fast and perhaps an OTA update of Froyo rolls out for the Incredible soon. I certainly hope this doesn’t become a painful wait like what happened with the Droid Eris.

The Droid Scorpion could be a real game changer if it rolls out as Verizon’s first 4G/LTE Android in 2012. This is within the realm of possibilities considering not a single picture has hit the interwebs and we’d expect that by now if the phone were to launch any time soon. Regarding 4G Androids, reports are funneling in that the Sprint 4G Evo (WiMax, not LTE) is selling like mad and new activations even brought down Sprint’s phone activation system. Apparently, Radio Shack is doing a second round of pre-orders, which could be more aptly called post-orders.

Friends and family keep asking me about whether the iPhone 4G or HD or whatever is heading to Verizon. I have two answers… no clue and don’t care. Many of the most notable tech writers who got ahold of Evos have quickly became iPhone-to-Android converts. I’ve read the first-hand accounts on Buzz from techies like Louis Gray. Unless Apple has some real tricks up its sleeve, the new features that were previewed for the iPhone OS 4.0 are hardly revolutionary. Apple is playing catch up with Android at this point.

[via Mobile Crunch]

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Engadget unearthed court records from 2008 from a class action suit where testimony was given to the effect that the 2007 exclusive agreement with AT&T contained a FIVE year term. Here are the quotes:

“The duration of the exclusive Apple-[AT&T] agreement was not ‘secret’ either. The [plaintiff] quotes a May 21, 2007 USA Today article – published over a month before the iPhone’s release – stating, “AT&T has exclusive U.S. distribution rights for five years-an eternity in the go-go cellphone world.”
…
“[T]here was widespread disclosure of [AT&T's] five-year exclusivity and no suggestion by Apple or anyone else that iPhones would become unlocked after two years… Moreover, it is sheer speculation – and illogical – that failing to disclose the five-year exclusivity term would produce monopoly power…”

So what does all this mean? Well, unless Apple has an “out” for a breach by AT&T or is willing to breach the agreement itself, Verizon will not see an iPhone until 2012.

Well, the Wall Street Journal could have some explaining to do because they ran a piece on March 29 stating:

“With Apple developing a phone with CDMA capability, its exclusive U.S. arrangement with AT&T dating to 2007 appears set to end.”

Now, are there ways to reconcile the WSJ article and the court documents from Engadget? Sure. Perhaps the CDMA variety is not intended for Verizon and will be sold overseas. Maybe “appears” is the operative word in the quote above. Perhaps Apple believes AT&T breached or Apple is prepared to breach. In any event, it seems like every few days an article runs one way or another about the Verizon iPhone. I’m not going to write more about this based on rumors but the court documents are very real. The original deal with AT&T had a five year term expiring in 2012 contrary to everything than ran in the blogosphere and in mainstream media.

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There are many “10 reasons the iPhone beats Android” and “10 reasons Android beats iPhone” but this post takes a different angle. I suggest that the iPhone is a better choice for some and Android is a better choice for others. This seems rather simple on its face but I’ll explore the reasons why this is true.

I recently left the Blackberry platform (anyone want to buy a Verizon Tour? :)). About two weeks before the release of the HTC Incredible, I picked up an iPod Touch which runs the current iPhone OS. I played with it extensively for two weeks. I liked it quite a bit, more than I expected. My experience was not soured by AT&T’s shoddy network. I also have been playing with an HTC Incredible Android phone which will be my primary phone on Verizon. I think I have enough experience with both to formulate informed opinions about iPhone vs. Android.

The iPhone platform is a closed environment which sounds like a bad thing. It isn’t necessarily. If someone came up with the best phone in the world with the best apps in the world, open or closed, it would still be the best phone. Well, the iPhone is a damn fine phone. It has a nice user inferface, a terrific web browser and a ginormous app store. What was most striking to me, however, was how well it worked right out of the box and how easy it was to use. I didn’t have to read anything. I just started poking and swiping away and I learned the ins and outs of the phone probably in under an hour. You don’t customize an iPhone except for maybe the case you use to protect it. You basically use it the way Apple intended for you to use it.

Android is an open environment which sounds like a good thing. It isn’t necessarily. If an OS sucks and app developers don’t fill the gaps in the OS, then openness fails to produce a meaningful benefit. This is not the case with Android, however. Android openness is key to its success. I’ll explain that later. However, I would argue that even the best Android phones available today when unboxed fall slightly short of the iPhone in some regards. They are not quite as easy to use. You need to put some time in and navigate a bunch of settings. Androids can be tweaked which is a good thing and a bad thing. You can make the phone behave the way you, not Apple, wants it to behave. If you’re not good with gadgets, however, the tweaking could be difficult for you. It’s actually quite similar to the “Macs are easier to use” principle. Apps for Android are fairly extensive and fill gaps in the operating system. This is where openness shines. If you don’t like the video player, replace it with another one. Same with the virtual keyboards, text message implementation and even the UI (Open Home is a home screen replacement). Androids are more configurable to your liking but it takes some time and some effort to tweak an Android phone. They’re capable of outshining the iPhone in almost every area if you devote yourself to improving the phone. Although I have only had the Droid Incredible a few days, I would say that I now prefer it, the way it is configured now, to any iPhone. But, not everyone wants a fixer-upper or a machine with too many knobs and levers.

That’s my take on the whole iPhone vs. Android scene. It’s not “10 reasons” this or that but I think it gives you the flavor of both OSs and their relative strengths and weaknesses.

If you have other thoughts, feel free to share them in the comment section below.

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Click to Zoom

…the HTC Droid Incredible. He was crowned victorious by an iPhone user in the video below.

Watch the video for the head-to-head. Browser speed, UI, etc. The one area where the iPhone appears to outshine the Incredible is the virtual keyboard. Apple’s keyboard seems just slightly easier to use and the auto-correct is better.

P.S. Anyone know if FedEx takes bribes to turn a 2nd day package into an Overnight while it is in transit?

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The unofficial count of Android apps just broke 50,000, according to AndroLib.com. The chart at the bottom is courtesy of AndroLib.com.

50,000 is quite a milestone, I suppose. However, I have a strong distaste for the app count as a direct measure of the overall user experience on any platform. Apple boasts over 185,000 apps. Probably 184,800 of those apps do not appeal to me. (I don’t need an app to disprove that my farts sound like migrating geese. There’s an app for that, I’m sure.) Of those 200 that really hit the spot, I could probably find them on both the Android and iPhone platforms.

The primary reasons I intend to go to the HTC Droid Incredible are (in order): (1) The carrier, Verizon; I still make voice calls and need a signal. Can you hear me now? (2) Better integration with other Google products that I use, especially Gmail, and the very popular turn-by-turn navigation (which is NOT coming to the iPhone anytime soon, contrary to earlier reports; kudos to PC World for reaching out to Google for comment). (3) It’s an entirely open platform and can be heavily customized. And, finally, (4) there are enough fun apps to keep me entertained and accomplish what I want on the phone. I question anyone who wants to put the 185,000 apps > 50,000 apps argument up against 1-3 above.

The good news is that Android is truly becoming competitive with the iPhone on all fronts, including apps.

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The video below shows Google’s Android OS running on an Apple iPhone. Android runs in a limited fashion but Wifi, the browser and some other features of the OS work fine. At this point, it is more of a “proof-of-concept” than a “something-you-want-to-do.” This feat, attempted unsuccessfully by many, was pulled off by an iPhone hacker named planetbeing. The dual-boot is pulled off with a program called dualiBoot (documentation and image are available for download).

This could upset the people in Cupertino who want to control the entire user experience on the hardware Apple produces. Steve Jobs recently stated at the iPhone OS 4.0 event (video demo) that one of the disadvantages of Android is its ability to access pornographic apps. He reiterated this sentiment in a recent email believed to be authentic. This criticism seems rather silly to me.  As many have pointed out, Apple’s Mobile Safari browser is quite capable of displaying pornography. Should we expect Apple to shut down the browser at some point and only permit Apple-approved, PG-13 and below apps? What about handing teenagers phones with forward-facing videoconferencing cameras on the upcoming iPhone 4G? Couldn’t this play naughty with the Apple “family values”?

[svartling on Buzz via IntoMobile via quickpwn]

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Did Gizmodo really take a bite out of Apple?  Yesterday Apple sent a letter to Gizmodo claiming ownership of the supposed iPhone 4G prototype that Gizmodo has in its possession. Gizmodo, of course, posted up a snapshot of the letter.  Is this all part of an elaborate hoax to generate buzz about the iPhone 4G? I’m not leaning one way or another without more information and that information should come soon. What information? If Apple files a lawsuit against Gizmodo, then it’s not a hoax. If Apple does not file a lawsuit, it’s a hoax. It’s that simple.

Joe Wilcox at BetaNews lays out a compelling legal case for Apple to prevail against Gizmodo. There may even be grounds for criminal charges. Section 485 of the California Penal Code provides that:

One who finds lost property under circumstances which give him knowledge of or means of inquiry as to the true owner, and who appropriates such property to his own use, or to the use of another person not entitled thereto, without first making reasonable and just efforts to find the owner and to restore the property to him, is guilty of theft.

What really crossed the line is tearing down the supposed iPhone 4G prototype. This was not necessary to determine the identity of the true owner. The phone has Apple’s ubiquitous logo imprinted on the back. It was abundantly clear to Gizmodo who owns the device. If you need any proof of this fact, consider that Gizmodo actually paid something like $5,000-$10,000 for a non-working smartphone. Further, the teardown reveals to competitors Apple’s closely guarded trade secrets.

While everyone was interested in the sneak peak (Gizmodo registered several million website hits), it’s really bullshit that Gizmodo paid-and-posted a teardown of the phone. If you were to find a car parked in your driveway, you cannot disassemble the car. It’s not your property.

Recommended Reading: the Joe Wilcox article in BetaNews.

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About 24 hours ago Engadget posted up photographs of what appeared to be an iPhone 4G. The story behind the photos was a little hokey. Apparently, the device was found by someone laying on the floor of a bar in San Jose, California in an iPhone 3GS case. In any event, debate ensued about whether the device was legit. Some posted up pictures of Chinese knockoffs of 3GSs and said they were too similar to this purported iPhone 4G for it to be an authentic prototype. Well, take your hats off to Engadget. They took a second look at a photograph they ran many weeks ago of the iPad before it was unveiled. And, of course, their picture matched the real iPad. To their surprise, in the periphery of that photograph is the iPhone 4G prototype but nobody noticed it.  Now, unless some cheap Chinese knockoff was floating around with an authentic iPad before the iPad was released, we have our first bona fide pictures of the iPhone 4G.

Head over to Engaget to enjoy the photos: http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/18/iphone-4g-proof/

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I just dug up a video on YouTube of the iPhone and iPod touch OS 4.0 beta that has leaked out onto the interwebs. All the features that have been touted are demoed in the video: multitasking, wallpapers, folders, new icons, changes to mobile safari, etc. The OS 4.0 is expected to be released this summer.

Update: Already Jailbroken.

[via YouTube]

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Apple and Adobe aren’t on good terms. First, Apple decided not to put Adobe Flash support in the iPad. Second, Apple went one step further to try to put the nail in Adobe’s coffin. At the iPhone OS 4.0 event, Steve Jobs revealed that the Terms of Service all app developers must abide by now includes a provision requiring the apps be coded originally in select languages. Well, of course, those languages do not include Adobe Flash. WTF? Nobody really knows a compelling reason for that restriction other than speculation that Apple is trying to kill off Adobe. In fact, Adobe had to warn in an SEC filing that:

To the extent new releases of operating systems or other third-party products, platforms or devices, such as the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iPhone or iPad, make it more difficult for our products to perform, and our customers are persuaded to use alternative technologies, our business could be harmed.

Rather than take the Apple assaults lying down, Adobe has fired back, albeit in an unofficial way. Lee Brimelow just posted to the Flash Blog:

Speaking purely for myself, I would look to make it clear what is going through my mind at the moment. Go screw yourself Apple.

As I wrote before, Apple is concerned with its App Store revenues. Flash is capable of replacing some apps through the browser, thus bypassing the Apple gatekeeper status and taxing authority.

Google backs open platforms like Android and recently opted to include Flash Player in all Google Chrome installations. Flash Player will now automatically update through the Chrome updater. Also, Google welcomes the addition of Flash on the Google Nexus One phone. In case the Apple loyalists want to see what they’re missing, below is a video of a Google Nexus One running a Flash-enabled browser. Coming soon to Android:

[via IntoMobile via BusinessWeek]

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There is no doubt that the market for mobile apps is on fire. ABI Research is predicting enormous growth in app downloads in 2010 followed by modest growth through 2013 and then the trend will move downward. See the figure below:

As the graphic shows, ABI Research believes Apple will continue to be the dominant player in the app arena. They predict Android will follow in second place with over 800 million app downloads in 2010.

When I look at the graphic and read their report, I question whether they have all of this right. I’d question just about anyone who tells me they can predict where technology will be in 2015. While iPhone and Android are almost certain to dominate for awhile, Palm may not exist much longer and ABI predicts substantial app downloads on Palm through 2015. Further, Blackberry OS app development is still in the dark ages and may never break out to the high numbers they are predicting. Furthermore, ABI predicts the following:

Revenues from mobile app sales, however, are expected to decline by 2012, as competition has led to downward pressure on application prices; and a greater proportion of “must-have” applications will begin to have free or advertising-supported substitutes. In addition, many handset makers such as Nokia, and Motorola with its Android handsets, have started to bundle applications that allow users to connect to popular social networks, instant messaging, and GPS services.

While that’s all reasonable, the report says nothing about a potential shift from an app-centric mobile world to a browser-based HTML5 or Flash handheld world. I suppose they’ve left room to re-forecast between now and 2015.

P.S. Fellas, “Series” was dropped from the name of Windows Phone 7 last week.

[via IntoMobile]

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The Apple “lock-down” on the iPad is bad for consumers. The closed App Store that Apple rules with an iron fist is not the future model of computing that I would like to see.

I’ve been reading a lot about the iPad, primarily because that’s all there is to read in the tech world at the moment. In particular, I just read Jesus Diaz of Gizmodo’s post on MSNBC entitled, “ Apple’s iPad is the future. This is why.” It’s a worthy read but the headline suggests that the iPad will conquer the competitors. I hope not. This is why.

Apple products are undoubtedly inventions. When I think of revolutionary inventions, the automobile comes to mind and some analogies are apropos. Think back to the days of Henry Ford. In 1909 he remarked about Ford’s latest invention, the Model T, “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.” This is exactly what Apple is telling us by bolting the iPad to the App Store. Apple also goes one step further and prohibits you from repainting your car. You can only run Apple approved apps, pay commissions to Apple for their app blessings and customize the system within the framework Apple allows. The childhood game of “Mother May I” comes to mind. HackerNews ran a headline that read, “The iPad is a LEGO set that can only be assembled into what’s drawn on the box.”

Would you purchase a computer that could only run software that the hardware manufacturer approves? This is where I believe Apple is heading. The distinction between a tablet and a computer will be blurred as we add peripheral keyboards to tablets. Will the next MacBook support the installation of software?

Android tablets have more appeal to me because they will not be locked-down. You want a red car? You can have a red car. You can customize your system to your heart’s content but there’s a catch. Apple has been on a patent frenzy lately and Apple v. HTC shows that it may attempt to enforce some of them. Will Android tablets have pinch-zoom in the aftermath of Apple v. HTC? Imagine if Henry Ford patented the car stereo. If you wanted one, you’d be forced to drive a black Model T. Toss in patents on floormats, leather seats and virtually anything else slightly innovative. This is Apple’s playbook. They want to control your experience. Some people are willing to make accept the bargain, pay the so-called Apple “tax” mark-up prices and let Apple control their computing experience.

The patent system has its merits and without it companies wouldn’t innovate, so the argument goes. Perhaps the life of patents should be shortened, especially in light of the speed with which technology advances and the profits that companies can reap in such a short period of time. Recovering R&D expense happens over a shorter horizon than it did in the past. Instead, we have a patent system that helped propel a company that was once on the verge of extinction to the third largest U.S. company by market capitalization. Back to the point…

Is the “Apple-makes-decisions-for-you iPad” a product you really want? I’ll go with an Android tablet or just stick to my netbook that runs two linux variants and Windows 7.

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Approaching 1.2 million views on YouTube, AppleGirl peforms Lady Gaga’s Poker Face using four iPhones. Impressive.

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Click to Enlarge

It seems like there are almost as many news stories about the iPad as the number of them sold. Clearly, Apple has the first mover advantage as they did with the iPhone and many of their other products. However, many alternative tablets are in development, including Neofonie’s WePad. Despite the knock-off name, this is no inferior counterfeit-like device. The WePad has incredible specs and runs on Google’s Android OS. Check out the side-by-side comparison below which show the WePad specs followed by parenthesis with the iPad specs.

Display: 11.6″ 1,366 x 768 (9.7″ 1,024 x 768)

Processor: 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450 Pineview-M (1.0 GHz Apple A4)

Memory: 16 GB / 32 GB plus up to 32 GB on SD Card (16 GB / 32 GB / 64GB)

Webcam: 1.3 MP (None)

Peripheral Connections: 2 USB, Universal Cardreader, SIM Card Slot, Multi-Pin (Adapter for Camera and Cardreader)

Adobe Flash / Adobe Air Support: Yes (No)

Battery Life: 6 hours (10 hours)

Software: Completely open to all Android apps/widgets and ebook formats (Apple App Store and select ebook formats)

Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wireless N, 3G [optional] (Bluetooth, Wireless N, 3G [optional])

GPS: Yes (Yes)

Dimensions: 288 x 190 x 13 mm (242.8 x 189.7 x 13.4 mm)

Weight: 800 gm (680 gm)

Additional Hardware: Light Sensor, Motion Sensor, Stereo, Microphone (Light Sensor, Motion Sensor, Stereo, Microphone)

Unfortunately, pricing is not available but should be soon. If priced right (which is virtually certain to be below Apple’s pricing) and properly marketed, the Neofonie WePad tablet might give Apple a serious run for its money.

[via MobileWack.com]

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AppAdvice.com broke the news early this morning that MuscleNerd, a member of the Dev-Team, jailbroke his iPad. Like jailbreaks for other Apple hardware, this allows unsigned apps to run on the device. Accordingly, apps from sources other than the official App Store can be installed once an iPad is jailbroken.

The jailbreak relies upon a bug in MobileSafari in iPhone firmware 3.1.3. and the exploit is called “Spirit.” Detailed step-by-step instructions are not yet available for others to use the exploit but they’re expected soon, along with an automated jailbreak application.

Now that the iPad can be cracked wide open by owners, the device may have even more mass appeal. Below is a video of the jailbroken iPad by MuscleNerd:

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…the Apple iPhone is the big winner, again. On a 1,000 point scale, the iPhone scored 810 points followed by Blackberry with 741 points and HTC with 727 points. In the dumbphone category, LG took first place with 729 points followed by Sanyo and Samsung. Some of the conclusions in the report are interesting:

• Touchscreen smartphone owners and considerably more satisfied with their handsets (smartphones and dumbphones alike) than owners of handsets with other input mechanisms (physical keys and keyboards).
• 17% of touchscreen smartphone owners frequently stream videos on their device.
• Apps are very popular among smartphone users. (Duh!)

Although Apple was the shoo-in to top the survey, HTC had a very strong showing in customer satisfaction. This bodes well for the Taiwanese device manufacturer that was relatively unknown amongst non-geeks prior to the announcement of Google’s Nexus One. The HTC brand will significantly strengthen in the coming months. While Blackberry had a very strong showing, the trends towards touchscreen devices and an app-centric experience suggests to me that Blackberry will struggle to perform well in next year’s survey.

[via J.D. Powers & Associates]

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iPhone 3GS vs. Android 2.1 (now on Droid too)

Anyone looking to buy a terrific smartphone today is faced with the dilemma of choosing between the iPhone 3GS and an Android 2.1 device. ZDNet and PocketNow.com recently ran dueling posts on this topic with ZDNet offering five reasons why the iPhone is superior and PocketNow.com countering with five reasons why Android 2.1 is superior. Below is a synopsis with some commentary along the way.

Five Things iPhones Do Better offered by ZDNet

1. Both phones can copy and paste, although, apparently, the iPhone does it better. I think this is a none issue and most users rarely, if ever, use the feature. In those rare instances where a user wants to copy and paste, both phones can achieve the end result. I became skeptical of the rest of the ZDNet claims after reading this “advantage” as numero uno on their list.
2. Touchscreen quality. Objective tests have shown the iPhone to have a more responsive and more precise touchscreen than the Nexus One. Whether this impacts the user experience in a meaningful way is a question worth considering. The author also believes that text appears crisper on the iPhone. While this could be true (I’ve never seen the two side by side), the Nexus One has a larger screen and when text is scaled, I suspect that the Nexus One would outshine the iPhone in readability.
3. The music app user interface is better on the iPhone. This is definitely the case when comparing the native apps (and should have been listed as numero uno) but keep in mind that Android Market has a wide variety of third party music apps that have been promoted for having good UIs, including some with 3D navigation.
4. Google Voice’s threading of SMS. Apparently they don’t thread the same way as they do on the iPhone. The PocketNow post states that the author has never experienced any SMS threading “problem” with Google Voice. Oddly, I was wondering, “WTH?” Google Voice barely even exists on the iPhone because Apple won’t allow it into the App Store. Advantage Android?
5. App Store. Android is making up ground here, as the author notes, but the App Store has some ridiculous number of apps with a bunch of digits in it. It does seem like many developers are going for App Store cash first before heading to the Android Market. I think as more Android devices hit the market the playing field will become more level but Apple clearly has the upperhand on app development right now.

Five Things Android Does Better offered by PocketNow.com

1. You don’t need iTunes “bloatware” to activate Android. True but are computers really grinding to a halt because of iTunes? Also, iTunes has a good UI and some people actually like it.
2. “App Freedom” is an advantage because Android phones, other than those on AT&T, can install apps without Apple or anyone else as a gatekeeper. Openness means nobody censors the apps you can install. What will be particularly telling on this front is whether Apple approves the Opera Mini browser for iPhone which beats the heck out of the native browser in speed. This is one example of how a closed ecosystem can diminish the user experience.
3. Alternatives to built-in apps exist for Android. This is a score for Android because, among other reasons, the stock Android keyboard isn’t so hot. The Apple counterargument is “we perfected the built-in apps”; however, see above regarding Opera Mini browser.
4. Carrier options exist for Android phones. This was a really big deal and probably the single-most reason why I didn’t go iPhone/AT&T. However, the next generation iPhone will also be offered on other, more reliable carriers than AT&T.
5. Google Voice is a big score for Android. See #4 above in prior list. If you want to make cheap international calls, free calls within the U.S. and Canada and send SMS for free, then this matters.

My own calculus comes down to apps on the iPhone vs. “openness” and Google Voice on Android. I’m mid-contract with Verizon and can adopt the wait-and-see approach. Hell, I’m still stuck with a Blackberry Tour. I’ll can give you a minimum of 10 reasons why both the iPhone and Android are superior to the Tour.

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According to iPhone Footprint, Google’s Nexus One outsold the iPhone worldwide by 16% in February 2010.* This gap is likely to widen very soon when the CDMA version compatible with Verizon Wireless is released.

I see a number of reasons why the Nexus One is globally popular. Google is known as one of the world’s best brands. The Nexus One has industry-leading hardware, including a 3.7″ AMOLED touchscreen. The phone is reasonably priced off-contract, which is very important to non-U.S. markets where the subscription/subsidy mobile model does not exist.

Android is on a tear lately and now accounts for almost as much smartphone traffic as the iPhone.  See below:

I believe that the chart above represents the single biggest reason iPhone exclusivity in the U.S. will end this year. Apple needs market share, plain and simple.

Will the next-generation iPhone close the gap that is likely to develop or is this a case of “openness” winning?

*Update: The iPhone Footprint report does not cite any sources for the proposition that the Nexus One outsold the iPhone by 16% in February. This is unconfirmed. Thank you to my Google Buzz followers for their noteworthy correction.

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The Wall Street Journal is reporting that a CDMA iPhone is heading to Verizon later this year, according to its sources. There is a ton of spin being put on the story but I recommend getting the news straight from the WSJ. (link below)

This is obviously bad news for AT&T which has gained many subscribers due to iPhone exclusivity. It’s great news for Verizon and other carriers who were losing customers to AT&T. In the end, consumers should win out as cellular service and product offerings become decoupled.

This leak comes at an awkward time for Verizon which is expected to launch two solid Android devices in the coming weeks, the Nexus One and the HTC Incredible. I doubt we’ll see a bunch of “iDon’t” advertisements.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304370304575152242601774892.html

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