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      AT&T CEO remains realistic about the iPad

      March 4, 2010 /
      The iPad sparked a lot of unrealistic expectations. There were talks of revolutionary reading experiences and the saving grace of the publishing industry. AT&T isn’t drinking the kool-aid, which actually gives the company a tiny measure of respect in my eyes. When asked about Apple’s tablet, CEO Randall Stephenson said he sees it as a “Wi-Fi driven product,” which is why AT&T won’t be offering any wireless contracts for the device.

      “My expectation is that there’s not going to be a lot of people out there looking for another subscription,” said Stephenson. I couldn’t agree more. The last thing I want to worry about for the iPad is paying another $15 or $25 every month for a service I’ll rarely use. Hell, most early iPad adopters are likely going to be iPhone owners. What good would that contract do for them?

      AT&T has enough trouble providing quality service to its iPhone users. Let’s get the company focused on that before we worry too much about tablet contracts, shall we?

      Source: Reuters

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      Apple, Computers, Mobile

      Blockbuster brings back late fees

      March 3, 2010 /
      Remember that crazy ad push Blockbuster made in 2005. No more late fees! There were huge blue-and-yellow signs everywhere proclaiming the company’s latest attempt at competing with Netflix. Well, Blockbuster is rescinding that deal and bringing you back to late fee hell. Things are pretty ugly, too. A dollar a day ugly, up to a 10-day maximum. That’s pretty brutal, especially when rentals cost so much to begin with.

      Obviously the company needs money, but this seems more like a reminder to sign up for Netflix than a “let’s save Blockbuster” move. The reasoning behind the throwback to days of yore is that customers who keep movies longer keep them away from other customers, forcing Blockbuster to purchase more copies to keep up with customer demand. To be honest, you have to wonder just how much demand is out there. When Netflix is delivering movies to my doorstep and provides streaming service across a couple different platforms, paying to keep movies an extra day or two seems downright stupid.

      Source: Slashfilm

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      News, Video

      Android Marketplace has superstar apps too

      March 2, 2010 /

      Car Locator on Android.You don’t have to be an iPhone developer to make a bunch of money from mobile applications. Take Edward Kim’s Car Locator. The free version of the app has been downloaded 70,000 times, while nearly 7,000 have picked up the paid version. Total revenue? How bout $13,000 a month.

      Sure, it’s not the millions you’ve heard about in the App Store, but Kim has just one among a couple hundred “top” applications that are likely grossing at least as much as his if not more. The app had always done well, but it really took off when it was added to the featured list on the Android Marketplace. “it was netting an average of about $80 – $100/day,” Kim wrote on his blog, “until it became a featured app on the Marketplace. Since then, sales have been phenomenal, netting an average of $435/day, with a one day record of $772 on Valentine’s Day.”

      Almost $800 for something that probably didn’t take all that long to code? Why do I write again?

      Source: Eddie Kim

      Apps, Mobile

      Apple sues HTC

      March 2, 2010 /

      Apple vs. HTC.It seems like Apple is filing hundreds of patents a day, so it’s not really much of a surprise that the company throws out an infringement suit from time to time. Today, it’s HTC. Apple filed a suit against HTC claiming infringement of “20 Apple patents related to the iPhone’s user interface, underlying architecture and hardware.”

      The suit seems more appropriately targeted at Android, though HTC is marginally involved with things like Sense UI and obviously the hardware. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that the real issue is with Google’s OS, and maybe some multi-touch stuff here and there. Whatever the case, old Stevie isn’t happy. A press release quoted him with the following: “We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”

      If the lawsuit succeeds it will likely end in HTC being forced to license patents from Apple for its devices. The only other recourse would be placing a halt on the import and sale of HTC devices, which seems pretty unlikely.

      Source: Apple

      Apple, iPhone, News

      Apple adds another arbitrary reason for rejection to the list

      March 2, 2010 /

      Jersey Shore cast.If you want to show your Jersey Shore pride, you’re going to have a little trouble turning your iPhone into a Duck Phone. Nick Bonatsakis at Atlantia Software developed an app that would do it but he got rejected. The reason? Something Apple calls “minimal user functionality.”

      Now I could be wrong, but I seem to remember the App Store as a place crowded with fart apps and other useless crap. So Duck Phone only makes your phone quack like a duck. Would people download it? Of course they would. Try telling that to the App Review Team. Here’s their note:

      “Dear Atlantia Software LLC,

      We’ve reviewed your application DuckPhone and we have determined that this application contains minimal user functionality and will not be appropriate for the App Store.

      If you would like to share it with friends and family, we recommend you review the Ad Hoc method on the Distribution tab of the iPhone Developer Portal for details on distributing this application among a small group of people of your choosing or if you believe that you can add additional user functionality to DuckPhone we encourage you to do so and resubmit it for review.

      Sincerely,

      iPhone App Review Team”

      Ouch. Fart app developers beware. You just might get pulled.

      Source: CrunchGear

      Apple, Apps, iPhone

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