AI, Mobile, and Eveything Around the Cloud

It's rare to see Apple and Google working together in any meaningful way like they used to. Well, the combination of Apple's Facetime for the iOS devices and VOIP calling integration into Gmail/Gtalk, though accidental, means we can start the countdown clock to the demise of landlines, telecoms, and wireless providers. Facetime for the iPhone and iPod Touch has the likelihood to transform communication and Internet calling just makes expensive wireless plans unnecessary once it becomes available on Android. Of course, the telecoms and wireless providers can transform and innovate. But I'm not optimistic. Personally, I'm okay with them being dump pipes. More on how Apple and Google are working, again not necessarily together, to end the era of draconian telecoms at Greenjava .

GPush is an incredible app.  No, I've not yet had a chance to use it yet and I don't know if I want to just yet.  It's probably because it isn't more than a notification app for Gmail. I want more.  Early, I had wondered whether push notification can be enabled somehow through Safari.  Well, that's a question for iPhone 4.0 or later.  The reason I asked about that is because Google is working on getting Google Voice to work through Safari after ATT, maybe Apple, rejected it and pulled out 3rd party apps that supported Google Voice. Google Voice alerts you via Gmail when you get a voice mail.  However, it doesn't do that for SMS yet.  I'm guess it's at the request of wireless providers looking to protect their lucrative stream of revenue. Now, maybe there is a workaround.  GPush is a good example and I'm hoping other means may be possible in the future (Growler, please do something).  According to the GPush developer, it provides notific...

Now, that Apple is likely to engage in full-blown war with Google and it's mobile weapons, Android, Chrome OS, and its excellent collection of webapps, I began to think about Latitude's rejection. Early, I examined the possible reasons for Apple rejecting Google's Voice app and Google's encroachment into the OS market.  At Onxo  (must read), I speculated that it is possible Apple has VOIP and ereading functions for the iPhone platform. Now, focusing on Latitude, I wonder if Apple is set to challenge Google Maps and other mapping selections from the likes of Yahoo and Microsoft. We had all assumed that ATT is the culprit behind GV's rejection.  But suppose it's not.  Suppose, however unlikely, it's all Apple's doing.  Latitude is just so unlikely that Apple will reject something so trivial that may not really have a huge following. So, if Apple rejected Voice because it has its own iChat alternative waiting in the wing, could Apple rejected Latitu...

More and more, I believe Apple's dealings with apps that enable iPhone users to use Google Voice has some things to do with ATT but also something to do with some bad blood created by the threat Android is increasingly becoming to the iPhone and Chome OS' challenge to the status quo in the OS market. Caught in the middle are developers. Macworld posted an article about just this matter.  Kevin Duerr in his blog vented his anger over how Apple had treated his app first by pulling it from the app store, then refusing to offer him an explanation for the action, and creating a refund nightmare for him. And he's right.  The refund was not due to a flaw in the app but Apple's unexplainable reason for pulling it from the app store.  And some users do want their money back since Duerr will no longer be able to provide support and updates. The app, VoiceCentral had gone on sale in April and it was only when apps for the Blackberries and Android phones became available di...