iphone
iPhone 3G- A decent upgrade
Thursday, December 25th, 2008 | Reviews | Comments Off
I had to buy a new iPhone last month- somebody stole my original one. Luckily it had a passcode, and nobody made any calls on it.
I did want to wait to upgrade for a couple of reasons- I wanted 32GB of space for all of my music and a few movies, I wanted a processor upgrade (like the new iPod Touch apparently has), and I wanted any other new, unexpected feature Apple would add on.
Nonetheless, I did need new a new iPhone. I like it. It feels good- lighter actually. Reception is definitely better. And the call quality is noticeably better as well- my fiance says I am much clearer now, even when driving. I like being able to use the internet and receive a call at the same time. I’ve missed calls because of that with the old one. The flush headphone jack rocks. I love being able to plug in any head phones and using them without a extra adapter. And of course with 3G I don’t get the “brrp, brrp, brrp” on speakers like I used to.
I don’t like the screen as much- its too yellow. The original had a much nicer white balance to it- which brought out the colors better. My home button also feels soft and mushy. It doesn’t have that nice click to it (it also doesn’t activate all the time either- maybe that’s related). I hate that all my old docks don’t work any more- at least not without some dremeling.
Overall I am happy with it. Still has some thing I don’t like, but its not a bad upgrade at all.
Finally: Volitans Software is now an iPhone Developer
Sunday, November 9th, 2008 | Company News | Comments Off
I had meant to keep the blog updated with my progress, but with the Phillies post season run and World Series victory (I’m still on a high from it!) as well as being busy with the fiance, its been hard. I do post to my twitter apple4ever pretty often, so that is a way to keep up with what the company and I am doing.
But I finally got into the iPhone Developer program. With all the teeth nashing about it, I thought it was going to be harder than it was. It just took longer than it should. After the initial application online, I had to fax a copy of proof of my business, send them my corporate number (which they never called which surprised me), and then agree to terms before actually purchasing the program. Though I still am waiting for the email with instructions on how to activate my environment and phone. I’ll have to see how hard that actually is.
I do have some interesting iPhone application ideas, which I am anxious to develop. However, I am a month behind on releasing 2.0, which is still in development- though it is coming along nicely. I also have a contract application I am working on as well. I figure as soon as 2.0 goes live, I can concentrate on the first iPhone application. I was worried my idea would be taken, and it was. But I think I can do it better and more according to my needs.
That’s all for now, and I have another blog post coming on the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros that came out. I finally had a chance to see and use one, so I want to post my experiences and whether my fears were justified.
Mr. Jobs- TEAR DOWN THIS WALL (part 1)
Wednesday, October 1st, 2008 | Opinion | Comments Off
And so he listened. The NDA is dead- finally. It was holding back developers and users alike. Apple received bad press because of it. Innovation was stifled due to it. And I don’t believe for a second that the NDA could protect any kind of IP. But you have to give Apple credit- they listened. Many people were angry and ready to jump ship. I know I was. This stops that- for now.
But it does not prevent it from occurring in the future. Apple still has a ways to go with the iPhone platform. The next biggest thing to kill the closed App Store. It is fine to have an App Store, but not the App Store. I can understand that users what to be sure applications to crash or kill their phone; that they would like some vetting of the applications. An App Store is perfect for that.
Nonetheless, keeping out all applications is harmful to the platform. There are many applications that Apple would not approve that could be useful. And on top of that, the process for submitting applications is horrible. A developer can work for months- months better spent on other task- only to have the applications rejected for some vague reason. That also stifles innovation. Developers will not risk writing the great applications, the game changing ones, for that reason.
The next step is to change the application approval process. Developers should submit an idea proposal: “Our application will do <idea>. This is how it will work: <operation>.” Apple then gives preliminary approval to the idea. The developer writes the application and then submits that to Apple. Apple then can ONLY reject for bugs or features that obviously deviate from the submitted idea. That is how it should be handled.
Still, this is a good day. Apple listened (however long it may have taken them). That is a good thing. That shows they do care, and they do follow the news. It shows that developers and users can change problems with Apple- even if its only the big ones. They should be applauded for this. Granted it is not the first time we have seen them do it, but it shouldn’t be celebrated any less because of that.
Thank you Apple, and thank you Steve.
iPhone Dev Program: Step 2
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 | Company News | Comments Off
I’m on Step 2. I finally received an email to fax my information on my business to Apple to confirm my application to the iPhone Developer Program. I applied online about 3 weeks ago. I hate the lack of information Apple gives on your status. Why can’t they develop a nice little form that shows checkboxes. Applied: Check. Fax business form: Email sent, waiting for reply. And so forth.
The lack of transparency about the whole process is a big problem. And not only for applying to the program, but for submitting an application as well. They need the same type of form I suggested above for submitting an application. Application received: Check. Bug scan: Check. UI: Check. Application type: OK. And so forth.
People can deal with waiting as long as they know where they stand. Having no way to find out causes a lot of needless consternation- and bad will on the side of Apple.