With Virtual Personal Assistant, Apple Will Surpass Google And Bing

At D8, Steve Jobs was asked about competition with Google. Steve Jobs said Google went to mobile to compete with Apple. And that Apple will not go into the search business to go after Google.

While that is technically correct with search as we know it, I believe Apple's recent purchase of Siri represents a direction which no search engines will be able to follow. Apple will be going one step (many steps as a matter of fact) beyond search and into virtual personal assistant (VPA).

With a VPA, it will reside on your mobile device and basically do things for you that no calendar or search engine along can do. I never had a chance to play with the Siri app but with a sophisticated AI system, it will help the user provide a richer mobile experience and, over time, it gets better with use as it learns the user's habits and needs.

And should you ask your VPA to do a few searches, well then, it'll just have to search. Maybe it'll involve Apple creating its own search engine or pass that off to Bing or Google. However it's done, the VPA can do more than just search.

Here is a video demo of the app in action before it was bought by Apple:


KEYNOTE: The Game Changer: Siri, a Virtual Personal Assistant from Semantic Universe on Vimeo.

I am sure we'll hear more about this from Apple pretty soon. Yes, I am very very excited about the prospect of an AI keep my live in order. Too bad, it doesn't vaccum...

More at Macrumors.

Why No Wireless Sync For iDevices Yet

I think there could be a number of reasons why Apple has yet to offer a viable solution for wireless syncing of the iPhone, Ipod Touch, or the iPad. My guess is as good as the next guy but I'm gonna say mine's better - because, well, they're my guesses.

The most talked about reason for no wireless sync is bandwidth. ATT isn't going to be able to support millions of iDevices trying to sync their movies, music, and mail. The network would be killed. However, there's WiFi you say. I agree.

Which brings me to my next point. WiFi ought to work just fine. I agree but even with gigabytes of data, it can take a while. And it would mean battery life expended. Why use up battery life when you can connect your iDevice to your PC or Mac that also charges your iDevice at the same time?

So, that could be why but I'm not so sure. Here's the reason why I think Apple is partially keeping wireless sync from taking place. iTunes store.

When you plug in your iDevice into the USB port, iTunes starts up. And it starts up to the iTunes store where you see the music, movie, and TV selections that are prominently promoted. There could be a good chance you'll see something you like and end up buying it.

I think that might have something to do with the lack of wireless sync in the beginning. Getting users to buy more content would definitely help Apple acquire more content since providers would be able to sell more.

If I am syncing wirelessly, I am not going to see what's on the iTunes store front.

I wager that if wireless sync happens, bandwidth, battery life, and the ability to promote content would all have to happen.

Netflix: Getting App Right For iPhone Very Important

I think thousands of iPhone users who also subscribe to Netlifx are eagerly waiting for Netflix to release an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

As the article from 9-To-5-Mac showed, it will not be so easy. The iPad version was ported to work on the iPhone. Furthermore, you will need a jail-broken iPhone to use it. Given the result, you probably wouldn't want to just yet. At the very least, not with this version.

The iPhoned Netflix app took 25% of the battery life after 15 minutes of viewing, took a lot time to process, and it crashed quite often.

It can inferred perhaps that is why there is no ABC video app for the iPhone either. It will take some work to make it happen. So for conspiracy theorists, sorry to say that Apple is not keeping such apps from us.

I would rather have Netflix, Disney, and others take their time to optimize their apps for the non-iPad devices. And I don't think we will have to wait long with the timing of the next updated iPhone release and iPhone 4 availability.

I can't say with any certainty but I think given the possibility of the new A4 chip (currently used in the iPad), with its processing power and graphics core as well as the unmatched efficiency, powering the next crop of iDevices, apps like Netflix should wok just fine.

We shall have to see. I am curious how the app will work on the 3G and 3GS models. Slingplayer works well enough even on older 2G iPhones, so I think it might be a matter of optimizing the next generation of video-streaming apps for this purpose.

We are less than two weeks from Steve Jobs' keynote at WWDC. We'll know soon enough.

9 To 5 Mac

-- Post From My iPad

Skype Now Makes Calls Over 3G for iPad And iPhone

Skype just released an update allowing the iDevices running the iPhone OS to make calls overe 3G.

I just tried it with the iPad over WiFi and 3G. I also tried with the iPhone over WiFi.

For the time, I think I am happy with this ability. The quality was par but if you move around with the iPad, the quality degrades for so reason.

I hope Skype will make some adjustments for the 3G calls. I know a lot of people who are counting on Apple and Skype to pry them from the clutches of the wireless providers.


-- Post From My iPad

Apple Can Allow Multiple App Stores

Do I want just about any app on the iPhone or my iPad? Well, sure. Maybe not any app but I would not mind the freedom should the desire arises. No, I'm not talking about porn. But...for those who do, I think I have a solution for Apple.

Two separate and distinct app stores. And I am not speaking of sanctioning Cydia or any of the jail-broken options. Even I would not go there unless I absolutely have to. And Cydia is sitting on my homepage even now.

So, what is this guy talking about, you ask? Simple. One app store will exist just as it is now. On top of that, there will be a second app store with everything else. For the sake of this post, let's called the current store as we know it as iTunes App Store or iAS. The second store will be called freedom App Store or fAS.

iAS will simply operate in ways as we have come to know it. Approval processes and all. Essentially, trusted but restricted.

Then there is fAS. Here, any app that isn't going to get Apple's approval or has been rejected can go here. Apple will continue to take 30% of all revenue in this store. After all, Apple is still providing a place for these apps to be uploaded by developers and downloaded by adventurous users. Apple can even ask for greater than 30% to dissuade some apps from even the fAS. Let's say 50%.

Why a higher percentage? Security. Spam. All that bad things that's bound to sneak into the fAd.

This would go a long way in appeasing critics and users.

And the responsibility of what gets installed on the iDevices will fall on the user as it is now. Apple will stipulate it as such. And since parents are users, it falls to them to police what their kids see or install.

Of course, this new app store will not be installed as a default app. It will be the user, after agreeing to all the risks and taking full responsibility for his or her action, to install the fAS

This still might not be enough for some critics but you can satisfy bloggers, tech pundits, and journalists who today, are increasingly relying on clicks to hear their bread. However, it will dispel the argument that Apple isn't open.

This will be a great boom for developers. They will receive specially badgets from Apple that is recognizable by users as special Apple approved App Store partners. Think of it as a sort of a better business bureau thing.

Of course, at the end of the day, such a scheme or one similar might be nice to have but totally unnecessary. The criticisms are quite loud. They need to be. But users, by the millions, doing care that they can't have Flash or Google Voice in their iPhones or iPads so much.

-- Post From My iPad

Firefox Home: Firefox But Only Like Safari

We're not likely going to see Firefox on the iDevices though it does seem more likely after the entry of Opera into the app store. However, I wouldn't quite count on it. I think it was done at a time when there is a lot of attention and negative press directed (in some ways, I think rightfully) at Apple's App Store policies.

Fear not. Mozilla will represent. Firefox Home. Mozilla is putting the final finishings on the app that allows the user to sync history and bookmarks across the various platforms supported by Firefox.

However, don't look for the familiar feel of Firefox on the Mac or the PC. As a matter of fact, it won't be the Gecko engine at all. Perhaps, Mozilla might be able to make the appearance look like Firefox but, in order not to run afoul of Apple's approval process, it will be based on Webkit, the underlying browser engine that powers Safari on the iDevices, OS X and Windows, as well as Chrome from Google.

Is this a smart move by Mozilla? I think Mozilla should have approached Apple about bringing Firefox in a manner that would be acceptable to Apple. Things change and perhaps one day, Apple will be more open at some point.

For now, we eager await Firefox Home. Essentially, it will be another browser app that offers Firefox users the ability to use their iDevices in sync with Firefox on OS X or the PC.

I don't anticipate Firefox Home to encounter any difficulties navigating through the approval minefield. Perhaps, the come has come for Google to see if they can get Chrome onto the iDevices. I would love to see the Chrome store in my iPad.

More at Macrumors.


-- Post From My iPad

Follow Me As I Try To Learn To Write An App

With anywhere from $6 to $9 billion in app revenue by 2014, depending on who you choose to believe, I think here's a small piece of action for me right?

I think so. Even it's a couple of bucks, there are a couple people will just buy any app just to test it out. Maybe I'll give it out for free and then collect revenues from the ads.

I am pretty sure I'll give the iPhone market a try first given how much Steve Jobs has hyped iAd if I plan on going about the free app route.

Plus, Apple just announced today a new program for indie authors to submit books to the iBooks store.

As a matter of fact, I just just mention this in a post at On Apple.

I will be tweeting and updating my progress. I hope you will also consider giving writing apps a try as well. Whether it'll be for the iPhone, Android, or another platform, there is certainly plenty of opportunity for a create soul to make some extra money.


-- Post From My iPad