Blackberry is an email monster, no doubt about it. Intoxicating “push” delivery and back-end IT administration have made it the darling of the enterprise world. But it isn’t without problems: due to the centralized server-model RIM utilizes (where all mail is collected by RIM prior to being pushed out to end-users), there’s a single point of failure for all Blackberry users everywhere (as seen in two recent, service-wide outages) — and a single point of exploit as well (where an attack on RIM’s server could compromise the privacy and security of the entire user base).
We’re not able to liveblog the event here at Phone different, but we are able to put our two cents in — stay tuned to this blog post during the event for color commentary on what Apple announces. It won’t be up to the second, but you’ll get a little more analysis in exchange for those extra minutes.
Bonus: comment on this post and we’ll quote our faves in at the top.
T-Minus 25 minutes. When you see the “read more” link below, it’s showtime!
Thursday brings the SDK. You know, the one that needs no other identifier. The one that the entire tech-verse has been chomping at the bit for since roughly 0.001 seconds after Steve Jobs slipped the iPhone from his pocket at Macworld 2007.
But that’s all we know: SDK Event March 6th.
We don’t know whether the SDK will be ready to code that very same day, who’ll be given access to it, how they’ll test for it, what type of approval process Apple will require, how apps will be distributed, how they’ll be priced, and most importantly for the end user: whether or not “OMG teh iPhone can has WoW!!11”
Reading my news and RSS feeds on the go is important to me. Most people I know use Google Reader, and it is a fantastic desktop web application. However, I find the mobile version really lacking in features and functionality; this is where Bloglines (http://i.bloglines.com) comes in.
Bloglines really takes advantage of Apple’s HIG’s and gives a very integrated environment for your news. Keep in mind that this version of Bloglines is is still in beta…
(Ed Note – We’ve already welcomed Rene Ritchie to the fold, now we welcome Chad Garrett! Chad will be bringing us a software review each week — with any luck at all he’ll be able to move to reviews of real, honest-to-god, Apple-approved native applications very soon! Welcome Chad!)
I’m hearing from one source that its going to be late. I’m not yet hearing any reasons why, and it’s sounding like the official release date could slide by anywhere from one to three weeks. [...] However I’m also hearing that the situation is fluid, and a lot of last-minute decisions are close to being made about what precisely will or will not be disclosed next week, if anything. There are, apparently, a lot of moving parts to something this complex.
A lot of “moving parts,” eh, ya think? It would be a major bummer if the SDK is delayed, but it wouldn’t be too shocking – the sand is quickly running out of February’s hourglass. Fairly soon, though, we’re going to have some information about the SDK and I have to admit that my expectations are rising the more I think about it.
This is related (again) to Mike and my discussion in our iPhone Podcast last week. As I see it, there are four ways that the SDK announcement (whenever it comes) can shake out. Read on for some thoughts on what we might see and what I hope to see.
Two weeks later and we’re still waiting for the SDK. Mike talks about what he hopes will come, Dieter about what he fears. Plus we discuss the Tiny Code excitement (lies!) and, yes, Google again too.
The Smartphone Experts Metal Cover ($14.95) is a slick looking slice of protection for your Apple iPhone. It’s a lightweight metal cover that comes in three bright colors.
The Seidio InnoDock for the iPhone ($39.95) is a straightforward dock with a couple of non-straightforward features. It will charge your iPhone (via USB) and also features an audio-out port. The main feature, though, is that it’s able to work with your iPhone in its case – no removal required.
The Phone different Podcast is back, baby! We had a long, unplanned hiatus due to technical and spiritual difficulties. Maybe not so much with the spiritual, but you get my point.
In this episode, Mike and I talk about the Macworld experience and the new products that were announced there. We also spend a bit of time on the 1.1.3 iPhone update and some other industry news. Listen in!
