I came across this story this morning on PC World, and it stirred my own frustration with Apple. Web apps have their place and, truth be told, developers have found very clever ways to extend the genre, but I and every iPhone user on this hemisphere want the same thing – native application support!
What aggravates me further is that Apple does in fact have plans to open its platform. A friend of mine at Yahoo even informed me some time ago that they are currently working on their own native software for iPhone as we speak. So the question is…when will Steve Jobs unlock the backyard gate and let developers into his walled garden?
My suspicion is that a planned rollout is due to take place sometime in late Q4 to coincide with the release of Leopard, the next version of OSX. That day can’t come soon enough for me, but the problem is that when the moment does arrive it will be a point of embarkation, not a destination. In other words it will take developers months to study APIs and begin writing applications.
As someone who comes from an extensive Smartphone background, I relish productivity applications that form the basis of mobile computing. As it stands now, iPhone is like a high performance racing engine -it’s faster and more powerful than anything else on the road but it can’t go anywhere but on a racetrack. Every time I interact with my iPhone I feel as though I’m hitting a virtual brick wall. I keep wanting the device to do more than what it offers me. From day one I learned to accept the software limitations with an understanding that someday more applications would arrive, extending my user experience. With iPhone hype dying down, now is the time for Apple to create another spark by turning its product into a platform.
The code monkeys at AlwaysBeta are introducing a new online service, called pxPipe, that enables iPhone users to upload photos from their iPhoto to FaceBook via email.
pxPipe works exactly as claimed. Just go to their website – create an account – email photos to your unique address which are then automagically queued up in your FaceBook profile once you’ve logged in.
What could be more convenient than ordering pizza by phone? Ordering pizza by iPhone, of course. A service called Tribal Pizza puts a new spin on the tired concept of street corner Pizzerias by combining all the social network flair of Digg with the convenience of fast food, topped with web 2.0 goodness.
Here’s how it works. By visiting Tribal’s website, you design your very own Pizza creation through a web interface – any combination of toppings and layers you like. Users then vote or “Digg” your creation up or down, in a matter of speaking. If your Pizza design proves to be popular enough, Tribal will market it and pay you on a commission basis. You know, a slice of the profits, a piece of the action, share the dough.
Now, what the hell does any of this have to do with iPhone, you ask? Only that Tribal Pizza informs me that it currently has a special iPhone enabled website in the oven that will ultimately allow users to create their very own Pizza via Safari. Design your Pizza on the iPhone, order it, then eat. Hot, fresh, out of the box.
Quick, someone throw me a life jacket. I’m drowning in a sea of social networks! I’ve actually lost count of the exact number in existence, but it has to be in the hundreds by now.
Well you can add another bookmark to your overflowing list of socials. This one goes by the name Multiply, who has developed a web-based social networking application for the iPhone. One feature that differentiates Multiply from other networks is that it integrates Media-Sharing Capabilities into its service rather than act just as a web frontend for text, like so many other services – Twitter, I’m casting an eye in your direction.
Among the list of things you can do with Multiply…
View blog entries, videos, photos, reviews, events, and more from friends and friends-of-friends
Customize settings to determine who can see posted photos, videos, and blog entries
Add comments and replies to blogs, videos, photos, etc.
Invite new users to join Multiply
Visit “group” sites to see content based on common interests
Minglets is a new social network designed specifically for iPhone users to meet and mingle. Just go to app.minglets.com, select one of many different categories of topics to choose from, then chat with other iPhone users who share your common interest.
My only complaint is that a broader range of topics is desperately needed. I didn’t see a Suicide hotline for overcharged AT&T users available, and that is a must have.
Kyle Stoneman managed to successfully setup his very own Myth TV box. After dancing wildly through the living room, shouting with glee, like a nine year old boy on Christmas morning, his elation was soon dampened when he realized that controlling the box required sitting next to a computer. Lame.
So the industrious would-be hacker came up with a solution – use the iPhone as a remote. And wouldn’t you know it, the son of a b*tch did it!. He even posted a video demonstrating his creation.
You can read more about his exploits and download the script, which he is making available for free.
Enophi is a new online service designed specifically for iPhone users. This RSS feed reader allows you to track your favorite newsfeeds, sprinkled with some social web trappings as well.
The service works as advertised and is free. Just point your iPhone to enophi.com and register. Create a list of feeds, then sit back and let your fingers do the walking…or scrolling, such as it is.
Oh Apple, how ever did you think you could keep developers from breaking down iPhone’s backdoor. Hmm? Not only have developers managed to find their way inside, knocking over lamps as they stumble in the dark, but one developer created a rather illuminating piece of software. meniacal laugh
Lights Off is the first, that we know of, “unofficial” game for iPhone. The first of many perhaps. The goal of this simple puzzle game is to switch off all the little blinking lights in order to advance levels. Installing this code isn’t for the faint of heart. It involves a bit of rubber chicken swinging and poking through iPhone’s hidden file system. Full instructions are on the site.
Don’t forget to turn out the Lights! Heh heh. Get it? Lights? Turn out…with the…oh never mind.
Listen up Skype junkies! You can now use your iPhone to make Skype calls over the wireless tubular interweb…nets. A German-based company called SHAPE Services, whoever the hell that is, is offering a new service (invitation only, in beta) allowing iPhone users to connect with other users in the Skype ecosystem.
You can make calls to any Skype user at their PC, make el cheapo phone calls all over the world, or do the IM + Skype cally thing. Try it yourself and see what you think.
Those of you that use a project outliner, such as OmniGroup’s popular application, will love LooseStitch. This web-based service is a bunch of different things all rolled into one.
You can jot down ideas and collaborate with others. Create presention notes. Store writings and reports for easy access on the web. Create recipes. Take notes on the person you’re stalking. Record the number of times Windows crashes each week. And any number of tasks you can think up.
