OpenAppMkt: Webapp Despository

In 2007, Apple introduced to the iPhone. The original iPhone which I still use. Many people still use. The thing is at that time, there was no app store. No apps to download at all.

So meet OpenAppMkt. It's a website with depository for webapps. Honestly, why would anyone create this just now?

A new months ago when Steve Jobs and Adobe got into a spat over Flash. Flash no good, cumbersome and a lot of bugs. Also a security risk, Steve Jobs said. So Steve said, HTML 5 is better. Essentially embracing Web.

I've used webapps that are recommended from Apple's webapp site from time to time.

I'll be honest. Most of those apps are subpar. A few are quite good. And more and more, with innovations in HTML and Apple's Web framework, I can really see a lot of improvements over the next year or two. Oh, and Google is probably better at developing webapps than anyone else. So I also expect great things from Google

Anyway, keep Apple's webapp site and OpenAppMkt in your bookmark. I have a feeling a lot of us will be using webapps more and more.

Note: One of the key to webapps will be offline access and storage. iOS 6? I don't see this coming for iOS 5 just yet. Also, many of us are used to mobile versions of some websites but iPad might complicate things some what.

More at Apple and OpenAppMkt.

Apple May Not Need A Lot Of 3G Chips In The Future (4G Maybe)

Techcrunch thinks Apple should buy Infineon because Intel is about to move on the 3G chip company. The reasoning in their post is sound. However, there might be a good reason why Apple won't go there. And the answer could be staring at us the whole time all these years. The iPod Touch.

What lead me to start thinking about this is when Apple released the iPad with 3G access without the need for a contract. It was practically unheard of. So, why can't that be done for the iPod Touch. Then yesterday, the whole tech world got wind of Sprint's alleged plan to release a case for the Touch. And it's no ordinary case. It has its own battery. And it's no ordinary battery case.

It also has its own 3G or 4G wireless modem, providing WiFi access for the iPod Touch. Sprint Peel.

The main question is whether Sprint's plans has Apple's blessing and what of the standard 30% cut Apple gets any time someone wants to make accessories for the iOS devices. Let's start from the beginning.

First Post Through ScribeFire Through Safari - Possibilities for iOS Safari

This is the first post I am using through ScribeFire using the Safari Extension. This is, of course, nothing new for many bloggers or writers who have used ScribeFire through Firefox or Chrome. But for many Safari users like myself, this is new and exciting.

Two issues can really make things interesting for mobile users. Of course, many are still on Macbooks or Macbook Pros and like me, you'll be able to download one of a number of extensions currently available from Apple. However, what does that leave the iOS devices?

Yeah, I would like to be able use this on the Safari on my iPad. It's nearly identical to the OS X version. I would like to see extensions available some day. And I imagine it'll likely be sooner rather than later. Extensions for Safari is based on HTML 5, being pushed hard by Apple as an alternative to Flash, and Javascript which the iOS already supports.

Perhaps, we might see this once iOS 4 for the iPad becomes available. At the very least, we should see it on iOS 5.

The second issue is that with added HTML 5 support, it will be the Safari on iPad into more parity with the OS X version, making for a richer Web experience. I think this is where Apple will truly shine.

And I lied, there is a third issue. Extensions are nothing new to web developers, programmers, or users on the PC or Macs who uses non-Safari browsers. This the first time Apple has entered this part of the browser market. Why is that?

I am guessing that Apple has something very big in stored for the computing world. And I imagine that whatever it is, it'll have a lot to offer mobile warriors, specifically iOS users.

I don't know what it is but based on past Apple initiatives, it'll be a game-changer.

Great Mobile Combo: 27" iMac with iPhone 4 (or 3G iPad)

The newly refreshed iMac today is unlike anything on the market. We've seen tons of iMac killers come and go over the years and the iMac still reign supreme as an all-on-one computer. And why? It offers no compromises.

So this is why I think the best combo for a mobile warrior who needs power is an iMac with an iPhone or a 3G iPad for mobile needs. Let's face it. If you can afford a Macbook along with an iMac, great, but most folks I know can't.

Let's not get into the Magic Trackpad yet. That's story for another post on how I think it can be improved. But the iPad and iPhone can double as a great trackpad with a number of 3rd party apps in the iTunes store.

The one main compromise is that while on the road, mobile computing is entirely restricted to the iPhone or iPad. For 95% of what you'll need to do, Apple's iOS devices including the iPod Touch is provides everything you need.

The only issue is whether you'll need cellular Internet or not. I mentioned a 3G iPad but if you're not going to need it, the WiFi-only iPad would serve your purpose as it does mine. Just about everywhere I go these days, there are free WiFi services. Plus, as an ATT DSL subscriber, I am entitled to use ATT's growing WiFi coverage wherever I go.

And if you don't need 3G services, then perhaps even an iPod Touch would serve your mobile needs.

Next post, I'll discuss an even greater mobile combo.

We May Soon Be Able to Unlock iOS Devices Legally

Seriously did not see this coming. The Library of Congress has ruled that jailbreaking and unlocking is legal.

So all those hacking and unlocking that voids warranties, right? Those days could be numbered.

So this still developing and we’ll find out more about this. There are a lot of questions. For instance, if the FTC didn’t have the power to make this happen, how the heck does the Library of Congress have this much power?

Also, did the wireless providers and platforms anticipate this at all?

But wait. More than that, circumventing DMCA efforts to curtail consumer freedom seems to be the key here. There are six classes of works specified. I’m going to paraphrase because it’s the government and they’ve got a lot of lawyers. And through law school, they lost the ability to speak like normal human beings.

• Lawfully acquired movies like those on DVD
• Mobile apps
• Software on computers
• Specifically mentioned computer games
• Computer programs protected by dongles – like what?
• eBooks – literary works

Keep in mind again that we’re talking about legally acquired media and software. As the day goes on, we’ll tweet and discuss this. Huge huge news!

More at Boy Genius Report.

Stubborn Chinese Telcos Losing Out On iPhone

Apple negotiated with Chinese wireless providers and only China Unicom came away with the prize. But because of the crippled version of the iPhone (no WiFi), CU hasn't managed to sell all that many iPhones. And they're God awful expensive compared to the iPhones being sold on the black market.

Most of the Chinese who have an iPhone opt for unofficial version because they are unlocked (if from Hong Kong) and they all have WiFi. And yet, Apple has not been allowed to sell a version of the iPhone for China that can compete with those on the black market. For Apple, they're fine regardless of who buys the iPhone. But the Chinese wireless providers with subscribers numbering in the hundreds of millions are losing out

Why is that? With so much money to be made, why are the Chinese so stubborn?

The iPad went on sale in Hong Kong yesterday and sold out within an hour. SF Gate has a post about dealers who are quite content with any delay in official Apple product releases because they can sell imports at a much higher markup.

Whether it's iPhones and iPads, these black market sellers are taking hundreds of millions from official revenues. But it's likely to change once Apple is allowed to introduce an iPhone that is not crippled and the iPad will make it to China supply constraints are no longer an issue.

Then there is China Telecom's stubbornness. There just no way Apple will cede control of the App Store to anyone else. The soon anyone realizes, like Verizon did just this week, the better for their wireless customers. This week, VW stated Apple changed how they see the market in relation to the App Store. And Verizon has publicly stated that they're interested on the iPhone. Perhaps one day, VW customers will have a choice of the iPhone.

So what's next for Chinese customers who want an official iPhone? China Unicom is the likely candidate for the iPhone 4 and are negotiating to carry the iPad. What we don't know is if it will be subsidized with 3G plans. Furthermore, the other mobile providers will have to be more open to Apple's iOS-iTunes ecosystem and Steve Jobs' mobile vision.

So long as they're willing to respect that, Apple should have no problem doing business with them.

iPad: Two Things Needed For School And Business

The iPad is being pushed for the education market. Personally, I think things would have gone much better for me at school if I had the iPad waaaay back then. But there are two things I think would help the iPad really take off for school.

Printing and Microsoft Office.