Apple Can Turn Notification Center Into A Social Media Aggregator

Can Apple's Notification Center become a center piece where all app notifications, gaming, and social updates converge – an umbrella or sort that ultimately make it irrelevant which platform the user supports?

I can simply go to the NC and read updates, post comments, retweet, or simply lurk as some on social network users do, reading up on updates from friends and families.  All of this is done without leaving NC.

Or I can get an invitation, reminder, or meeting time from other calendars (Google) and important to my iCloud calendar with ease.  Again, without having to go into a specific app or entering my iPhone's calendar app.  

Obviously, it cannot do everything but it can probably do everything well enough and eliminate the couple of steps to go into an app, wait for it to launch, and then work through it. 

This approach would allow Apple to make iOS' Notification Center the foundation for to build on the whole experience.  And there is talk that iMessage could be coming to the Mac as well.  I certainly hope to see a Mac version of the Notification Center in future OS X updates.  Should that happen, Apple could go a step further and eventually integrate iMessage, Calendars, Weather, and a few other widgets directly to the Notification Center, dramatically simplifying the user experience.

Great News For Developers: ASP Is Up

Apple recently boasted about its 15 billion app downloads.  By any reckoning, that is an impressive number.  And $4.5 billion paid out to developers.  That's not bad considering that most of the apps downloaded were probably free.

And according to Macnn, the average selling price has rebounded to $1.44 per app and this should only increase as the level of sophistication also increase with the release of new API, functions from new OS updates like iOS 5.  This is a reversal from a year ago when prices dropped from 2009 to 2010. 

What changed?  The sheer number of apps increased and likely users found that they can do more with their iOS devices beyond just free apps. 

I guess this is time for me to hit the iOS dev books again.

Marketwatch Post Shows Wall Street And Mainstream Media Does Get Apple's Mobile Vision

There has been a mot of attacks on Wall Street from the 2008 financial meltdown to a series of idiotic reports over the years. And mainstream media is has a lot of blame to go around.

And this Marketwatch about the iPhone only served to reinforce that view. It only served to my own opinion that the media an Wall Street is failing to take responsibility for its ignorance and erosion of standards.

The post is about how the iPhone can regain it swagger. Really? The 13 month old iPhone 4 still has an impressive adoption rates and continues to outsell individual competitors needs to regain its swagger? How ridiculous!

What's more idiotic is the suggestions offered by the writer. First, he brought up Steve Jobs. WTF!?

Then it said that Apple needs a new ad campaign. I'll give him that. I happen to think it works and since this is a subjective matter, he is entitled to his own opinion.

Then it brought up suggestions that Apple improve download speed and phone functionality by forcing carriers to bend to its demands. Seriously. I wonder if the writer met with a challenge to generate clicks and found writing something about the iPhone could probably so that.

The post also mentioned the need for a better camera. Okay. How? What features? No suggestion was offered. It is as if he read all the iPhone rumors out there and simple put this point in based on the rumors that the next iPhone could sport a better resolution camera.

Then he comes to the point about the battery life. Given my issues about today's mobile devices and battery life, you would think that I would agree with him. Yes but the flippant way he bought it up made it seem as the iPhone has the worst battery life in the market, when in reality, nothing could be further from the truth.

These idiots will be the death of our society. How can someone who so wisely decided on the iPhone as his mobile device be so...sigh.


- Posted By Mobile Means

Apple's Nortel Patent Win - To Inhibit Android But Changes Nothing For Main Street Mobile Warriors

eWeek examines Apple's consortium win in the Nortel patent win that seemingly denied Google and its allies that included Intel from owning the rights to some valuable 4G technology. And certain anti-trust enforcers are looking into the exchange.

It'll be months and perhaps up to a year before we seem what the Nortel patent winners plan on doing. Exact some blood from Google's hardware partners or simple stunt Android in the market through the courts in an attempt to kill it outright. Like the post mentioned, there are dozens if not hundreds of lawsuits against Google and Android device makers all across the world. HTC is already paying Microsoft per device sold. Microsoft reported is asking for up to $15 per device from Samsung.

Trouble doesn't end there as Apple has launched a massive legal attack on HTC and Samsung. And Oracle is going after Google over Java that could potentially cost the search giant more profit than it has made from Android so far.

Still, all the major bidders had been clear to participate in the process. So it is unlikely that regulators will block the winning bid.

What does this mean for us on main Street? The average mobile user won't see much of a change in selection of devices or functionality of any of the mobile platforms because of this.

It all comes down to access and money. There are plenty of brilliant people out there on all sides who have worked this out.

The winners cannot be too overtly eager to go after Android while they will take a hard stand. Google and Android makers will have to accept the consequence that they did not do enough to win those Nortel patents.

It would be weird to see Apple padding its profit margin through proceeds from every single device sold by its competitors.


- Posted By Mobile Means

Google's Buzz Was Hot But Interests Died But G+ Isn't Buzz

According to Google insider, via Silicon Insider, Buzz had tens of millions of initial "buzz" and looked like a winner before it just fell off the cliff. Why would Google Plus be any different?

Former Googler Sam Johnston said just as much. But maybe it's my bias but G+ has some things going for it that Buzz didn't have.

First, it is not Facebook. In it's short life, Facebook has faster than anyone expected but it has continue to give the media/blogs reasons to distrust it. Privacy violations and changes on the fly has created a backlash almost every time Facebook unveiled a new feature.

Second, one can argue that Google isn't a model guardian of user privacy, Google is currently facing a series of government fines and antitrust probes. G+ is still in beta but it is probably not too keen on giving users pause with any new feature that it is attempting to exploit user information on the scale Facebook does.

One of the reason Buzz died so quickly was the vast bad press Google generates when it was unveiled that Buzz forced everyone to share everything with just about everyone and anyone.

Third, G+ is a newer implementation that, after a short time to get used to the UI, is easier to use than Facebook. Circles is a feature that Facebook just cannot match at this time. The stream feature allows a blend if Twitter and updates feel to it.

It is too early to tell. However, I can see why there is so much optimism. Ultimately, Google has to tread lightly and continue to build on the positive buzz and momentum.

So far, G+ isn't Facebook. That alone may be enough.


- Posted By Mobile Means

Mobile Journals - Best Options?

Recently, one of my friends came to me and asked about blogging. He wanted to create an online journal more than blogging for public or a limited viewing. It was a way to sort his thought.

I gave him the option of that most others would offer. Wordpress, Tumblr, Blogspot, and even social networks.

All of the above blogs give the user a range options to limit who can see the updates, blogs, or short messages.

With Google Plus (G+) and the ease with which one can create circles, I think my friend can do just that easily.

Are there any other options that are available for use in this manner?

I think we will probably see a better G+ blogging option in future updates. There is already a very strong tech following among its users and I have also noticed people defining new ways to use it.

This isn't to say that Facebook won't offer more versatile option in the future or over blogs offering more integrated social options. But I did realize that creating a private journal as opposed to blogging is a very underserved service.

Personally, I use apps on my mobile devices that are Berber shares online or exportable to the cloud. I supposed I am old school that way.

Next iPhone: Features That Compel Upgrades

It's no secret that the next iPhone is coming in months.  Since we did not get a new iPhone back at the WWDC in June, we did get a preview of iOS 5.  And where is there a new iOS version, there has always been a new iPhone.

That much is certain.  What is not certain at this time is what features will be included in the new iPhone and whether they are enough to compel upgrades and cause defections from other mobile camps.  What would feature or features will you need to compel you to trade in your old trusted mobile friend that has been a constant company for the last year or more.

• NFC - this is probably a very good feature to have - and it should future proof the next iPhone.  However, future is the future and Apple has not said if they will be offering a broad plan to make mobile payment available to iPhone users.  NFC obviously isn't just for mobile payment.  A Mac with NFC can allow users to use their iPhones as logins or to exchange files.  And if you think NFC terminals are going to be rare, PCs, specifically Macs with NFC, are going to be even more rare.  Nice feature to have to will no compel me to upgrade.
• 4" Screen - hmmm...this is a hard one.  The 3.5" screen that currently sits atop my iPhone 4 and iPod touch are very nice.  The retina display is simply awesome and unmatched in the industry.  The likely step up next is going to be 720p.  Maybe.  even at 4" with the same resolution as the 3.5", such a new screen on the next iPhone would still be consider one of the best screens on the market - besting anything available on Android devices.  But as far as PPI goes with the same resolution as the 3.5" at 960 x 640, it would be a step down.  Naturally, something closer to 720p would make sense.  
• A5 chip - over the weekend, I processed some video on using the iPhone version of the iMovie and e-mailed them to my relatives and friends.  The A4 ship inside the current iPhone is plenty fast but, boy, could I have used the A5.  Watching the progress bar advance felt slower and slower with each e-mail sent.  We only limited to 1 minute of video per e-mail so 30 minutes of video equals 30 e-mails.  And the cutting and adjusting and then processing it clip for e-mailing got tired really fast.  The A5 could have potentially move that progress bar twice as fast and let me go quicker to the next video.  A compelling reason to upgrade.
• Battery Life - I find the iPhone 4 battery life to be very good.  But I want more.  You really can't get enough battery life if you're a true mobile warrior.  I've heard reviews of the iPhone 4, a whole host of other Android devices, and a few others like Blackberries and WP7 devices.  And for those reviews that said they can get through the day without charging, I think they need to be more honest.  Most of the time, they mentioned the battery life they tested is under "moderate" use.  You cannot say that anymore.  Just as mobile uses and habits have changed since the iPhone was first introduced in 2007, testing of these mobile devices have to reflect that how mobile warriors use their devices today.  I've been going through the day with on the lighter side of moderate use.  But I think most users are on the heavier side of mobile use these days.  If the next iPhone can me through heavier than moderate use, it is definitely a major plus.  I like to see if the next iPhone can have similar battery life as the iPad.  It's probably too much to ask but anything close to that would really have me lining up the day before the debut.
• Form factor - I came from an iPod touch for most of the year.  Boy, is that device light.  The iPhone 4 is no brick but for such a thin mobile device, it can feel deceptively heavier.  You get used to it.  Lighter would be nice but I wouldn't want to go there if it sacrifices power or battery life.  It's likely Apple will doing everything it can, short of being the laws of physics to get the next iPhone even lighter and thinner.  I've seem some of the mock-ups for the iPhone.  There are a couple that I am partial too.  I don't see form factor as anyone's deciding factor whether to upgrade to the next iPhone or pay the full price for it.  It would really depend on how much thinner and lighter the next iPhone is over the iPhone 4.  If I can feel the difference in weight between iPhone 4 and the next version, yeah, I might be interested.

Those are currently the five main features that I can think of that might give current iPhone users, particular those who are not on the iPhone 4, and those who bought something else because the iPhone was not on any other network other than ATT.  

How about you? What would new iPhone feature would give reason to upgrade?