After making a ton of cases for the Apple iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, OtterBox is finally making some cases for Google Android phones.

The Android™ revolution is in full swing with HTC’s EVO™ 4G and DROID Incredible leading the way. OtterBox® now has both of these hot smartphones covered with its Commuter Series® protective cases. Rich with functions and sporting vibrant touch-screens, the EVO and the Incredible are screaming for some added protection.

While not yet announced for all of the Android based phones, this is a good start. Can’t wait until they make one for my Samsung Captivate.

Prices start at $34.95, the OtterBox cases have become the de facto manner to protect your cellphone while maintaining full functionality.

[ Links: OtterBox Communicator for HTC Droid Incredible, HTC EVO 4G ]

If you have a WebOS, Apple iPhone, BlackBerry or Google Android OS based smartphone; it’s a safe bet that you’re always on the lookout for the best application that will extend your smartphone ability. And for all of the aforementioned operating systems for the various smartphones out there, there are some good apps and some are utter crap.

Whether you’re toting an iPhone, Droid, BlackBerry, or Palm Pre, it’s the apps that make your smartphone brilliant. And the app scene is booming. The iPhone still leads the app race, with more than 225,000 apps, but developers are churning out apps for other platforms as well. Google’s Android Market now has over 60,000 apps. Palm’s App Catalog for the Pre and Pixi has risen from hundreds to more than 2,000 apps during the past several months alone. And there are thousands of apps for BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and Symbian phones.

PCMag.com has compiled a great list of 100 free apps for your smartphone broken down into: The Top 40 Free iPhone Apps; The Top 30 Free Google Android Apps; The Top 10 Free BlackBerry Apps; The Top 10 Free Palm webOS Apps; The Top 5 Free Symbian Apps; and The Top 5 Free Windows Phone Apps. What, no mention of Maemo!? Check it out now.

[ Links: PC Mag 100 Best Free Apps ]

Google Android seems to be the platform for alternate keyboards. First there’s Swype, but the recently released beta of SwiftKey seems to really speed up input via intuitive word prediction that outclasses the built-in prediction on the Android virtual keyboard.

SwiftKey brings the future of text entry to smartphones. It uses TouchType’s breakthrough Fluency™ technology to predict the next word you want to type, before you even press a key.

With SwiftKey, your next word is predicted with such incredible accuracy that a third of suggestions are right first time and usually you won’t need to press more than two letters.

SwiftKey doesn’t just predict regular words – it learns as you type and remembers how you write. As words and sentences are chosen over time, its Fluency™ engine creates a dynamic understanding of your writing style to boost the accuracy, fluency and speed of prediction.

Currently a free download… have at it!

[ Links: SwiftKey Beta, TouchType, Ltd. ]

I’d consider myself somewhat of a gamer. I own a Sony PlayStation 3, I own a Nintendo Wii, I own a PC that I built around my video card (yes, it plays Crysis… quite well thank you) and I’ve purchased games on my Apple iPhone. On the Apple iPhone, I had found myself gravitating towards OpenFeint enabled games, a gaming framework created by the folks over at Aurora Feint that shares your high scores and accomplishments with your friends that also have that game, allows for announcements that range from free games for the day to updates and challenges from friends to beat their scores. All for free.

But what I noticed that a lot of OpenFeint enabled iPhone games had the ability to support in-game purchases on these games that… well, I thought they were losing money and just giving away the game but charging minor prices for trivial, and optional stuff. Boy was I wrong. There’s a lot of money in in-game virtual goods. According to a new Magid report, about $168 million dollars worth of money. That’s huge. And it’ll only get bigger in later years.

Virtual goods purchased on smartphones are a new emerging market in the United States. Who is actually buying them and how much they’re spending, however, has not been completely understood. Today, Frank N. Magid Associates and mobile social gaming network OpenFeint are shedding some light on the subject by providing the first-ever estimate on how much Americans are currently spending on virtual goods.

According to the study, Magid Media Futures 2010 Wireless and Consumers, Americans spent $168 million on mobile virtual goods in the last year. Magid estimates that over 70 million Americans now own smartphones – that’s 23 percent of the population. With 45 percent of those smartphone owners playing mobile games and 16 percent of those spending an average of $41 per year on in-game virtual goods, the market has already exceeded $168 million.

“The market for virtual goods has already exploded in web-based games like Zynga’s Farmville, and we’re just now starting to see this trend in the mobile space,” said Steve Lin, VP Operations of Aurora Feint. “In just the last few months we’ve seen amazing interest from our game developers in building mobile social games with virtual goods. Our internal numbers reflect the study in that free-to-play models will be the dominant pricing structure in the future.”

With 55 percent of smartphone gamers interested in buying virtual goods, the market is poised for strong growth as more virtual goods-based games enter the market. The study also shed more light on who is likely to play games on smartphones. Compared to the general population, smartphone gamers skew male and are between 18 and 34 years of age.

Buying virtual goods isn’t really anything new if you’ve ever played Diablo II or Farmville. But those micro-payments – I’ve personally bought a couple of extra levels for a couple of games to extend my enjoyment of some titles for 99 cents or so – add up. And apparently, it’s a back door to increasing the enjoyment and profitability of a game. And the best part, the people are buying into that mentality and in a big way in the aforementioned age groups (18-34).

“Everybody knows free-to-play social gaming models on PC platforms have been making a killing but mobile virtual goods aren’t as well understood,” said Mike Vorhaus, President, Magid Advisors. “With almost 20 percent of smartphone gamers already making purchases, there’s a lot of room for the market to keep taking off as smartphones continue to increase in popularity.”

Magid has looked pretty deep into the explosion growth of in-game virtual goods purchases of smartphone gaming. I think it’s time I dusted off my programming skills and got serious about making a socially aware, OpenFeint enabled smartphone game that allowed for in-game purchases to get my share of that $168 million and growing market.

[ Links: OpenFeint, Aurora Feint, Magid Advisors ]

Earlier this year Skype unveiled an “exclusive” arrangement with Verizon that involved releasing a somewhat-limited version of Skype for Verizon phones which in some cases eats user minutes, seemingly defeating some benefits of Skype. It was widely speculated that as part of the arrangement, Skype slowed their development of Skype for other platforms – though now they’ve finally released a version of Skype for the Apple iPhone. Unfortunately for users, this version too seems to have some odd restrictions:

iPhone users can make free Skype-to-Skype calls for the rest of the year but after that will have to pay a small, monthly subscription fee. Perhaps even more disconcerting for Skype users, the app – at least initially – apparently does not support background push notifications, meaning users must have the app up and running to receive incoming Skype calls.

These restrictions seem to be custom-made to help AT&T avoid the erosion of SMS and voice revenues in the face of smartphones, push IM clients and mobile VoIP. Of course it remains amusing that Skype keeps striking these kinds of restrictive, closed agreements with companies like AT&T and Verizon – after spending a large chunk of the last five years complaining about closed networks.

Link to the original article…

It seems like roughly once a week now that AT&T executives inform everyone that there needs to be a change in wireless broadband pricing – and by change they really mean you’ll soon be paying more money for wireless data. Carrier executives and investors want all users paying more for data as smartphones and open networks erode VoIP and voice minute revenues, though the carrier likes to pretend the changes are necessary because current (very profitable) pricing isn’t sustainable. Speaking on the company’s earnings conference call yesterday, CFO Richard Lidner again hinted at the looming change:

…you’re dealing with a situation where when you look at your customer base, even customers that are using similar devices, there s huge disparity in the amount of data that they use and the amount of capacity they consume. And so when you look at all of those things as an industry I think it will influence how in the future the pricing models develop.

And as an industry what the industry has to do is develop models that are understandable by customers, that customers you know can understand and live with, and at the same time is fair to customers in terms of the amount of a somewhat limited resource that they’re consuming. And so that’s kind of the whole thing on data pricing and it will I suspect evolve as we go forward in the industry and it ll evolve as applications and devices continue to evolve and data traffic continues to grow.

Again, while AT&T continues to hint at the fact they’d like some kind of pure per-byte billing model (which many people would be fine with), what carriers actually wind up implementing are pricing models where all users are funneled toward higher prices. If AT&T introduced pricing that really was based on usage – the vast majority of their subscribers would wind up with lower bills, which of course they don’t want. At this point we wish AT&T would stop talking about it and introduce their dream pricing model so we can see exactly what the hell they keep hinting at (and prepare to take out that second mortgage if necessary).

Link to the original article…

Earlier this month, AT&T launched their first Android-based smartphone the Motorola Backflip, and many were annoyed (but unsurprised) to learn of a few Ma Bell “modifications.” In addition to replacing Google with Yahoo search, the device came complete with AT&T bloatware that couldn’t be removed, and couldn’t run unsigned applications (running contrary to the whole point of the Android OS).

Now as AT&T prepares to launch the first Android-powered Dell smartphone (the Dell Aero), Phone News confirms with Dell that the Aero also won’t allow unsigned applications:

To Google’s credit, the chief developer of Android wants no part of these restrictions, and is refusing to put the “with Google” branding on Backflip or Aero. Still, legal questions loom large for device manufacturers willing to consent to these hinderances [sic]. As Android touts a gatekeeper-less universe of open application development, these changes make it questionable if users should be notified pre-purchase about said hinderances [sic].

AT&T showed off the Aero at CTIA this week but apparently wouldn’t let the press play with it for longer than a few moments, lest they notice AT&T’s special “enhancements” to the device. Of course AT&T-imposed restrictions on a platform designed to be (largely) open does nothing to stop the eventual migration to truly open mobile platforms, though it does act to undermine the AT&T brand. Of course you can now buy a Nexus One from Google for 9 (but not unsubsidized through AT&T), though that effectively creates a system where real application freedom becomes a luxury option.

Link to the original article… ]]> http://www.removethelabels.com/2010/03/29/att-locks-down-android-tight/feed/ 1 http://www.removethelabels.com/2010/02/15/adobe-announces-mobile-adobe-air-applications/ http://www.removethelabels.com/2010/02/15/adobe-announces-mobile-adobe-air-applications/#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2010 11:57:14 +0000 William http://www.removethelabels.com/?p=26603

Adobe has announced that Adobe AIR, synonymous with desktop application development and applications like Twitterriffic [ site here ] or Skimmer [ site here ] will be bringing their ability to run on almost any OS – currently Mac OS X, Linux and Windows are now supported – and coming to the mobile smartphone market. Many popular applications are already deployed via the Adobe AIR runtime, an Adobe Flash based runtime that runs on most desktop OS machines already. So this is a very good thing for developers and customers alike.

Twenty-four of the largest phone operators have banded together to challenge the dominance of mobile app stores, such as that operated by Apple. The Wholesale Applications Community, as it is known, aims to make it easier for developers to build and sell apps “irrespective of device or technology”.

As well as the 24 network operators, the work is also supported by hardware manufacturers such as LG Electronics, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, as well as industry body the GSM association.

On top of the ability of the upcoming Adobe Flash CS5 to publish applications to the Apple iPhone; this sounds like a great time to be a developer of if you’ve already fallen in love with some Adobe AIR apps already.

Over at Adobe TV, there’s a video of Adobe AIR running on Android already up – [ view here ]

[ Links: Adobe, Mobile Firms Unite to Offer Apps, AIR Coming to Android/Mobile Devices ]

Guess what’s good for Verizon is also good for AT&T too. It all started with Verizon’s “There’s a map for that” which led to AT&T suing over the ads and Verizon’s statements about their network. Then AT&T fired back by hiring Owen Luke Wilson and aired a bunch of quirky ads that showed that AT&T’s 3G network has the ability to use data and voice at the same time. The back and forth between the two has now extended to their forthcoming voice plans:

AT&T today announced new unlimited plans across all devices – including its industry-leading lineup of smartphones – to provide more value and choice for customers who want to talk, text and surf on the nation’s fastest 3G network.

The new plans, which will be available beginning Monday, Jan. 18, can be ordered at AT&T’s 2,200 company-owned retail stores and kiosks, through convenient online service at www.att.com, or at one of the thousands of authorized AT&T retail locations.

• Feature Phone customers may choose unlimited talk for $69.99. Family Talk customers (prices assume two lines) may choose unlimited talk for $119.99 per month. Texting plans remain unchanged at $20 for unlimited plans for individuals and $30 for Family Talk plans.
• Quick Messaging Device customers may choose unlimited talk and text for $89.99 per month. Quick Messaging Device customers with Family Talk plans may choose unlimited talk and text for $149.99 per month (for two lines). These prices include a required minimum of $20 per month for individual plans and $30 per month for Family Talk plans in texting and/or Web browsing plans for new and upgrading customers.
• All smartphone customers, including iPhone customers, may now buy unlimited voice and data for $99.99. For smartphone customers with Family Talk plans (prices assume 2 smartphones), unlimited voice and data is now available for $179.99. Texting plans remain unchanged at $20 for unlimited plans for individuals, $30 for Family Talk Plans.

Competition is good. Lower prices for voice and data is better. But if only they can fix the amount of dropped phone calls… that will be the best. Does make you wonder if voice is no longer the crowd draw and now data has become paramount. And yes… this does cover the Apple iPhone.

[ Links: Yahoo, AT&T ]

In a move that is equal parts “about time” and “how in the heck will they do it”, VMware has announced that they are working on mobile OS virtualization for the smartphones that are always growing in processing power and capabilities.

VMware has flagged smartphones as the next platform in the evolution of virtualization, but at least one major competitor, Microsoft, says that it sees no demand for the technology.

Speaking to Computerworld, Srinivas Krishnamurti, VMware’s head of mobile phone virtualisation said the company’s vision for virtualization on smartphones went beyond the basic dual-boot prototypes currently in development to one that ran both a private and work operating system and profile at the same time.

“We don’t think dual booting will be good enough – we’ll allow you to run both profiles at the same time and be able to switch between them by clicking a button,” he said. “You’ll be able to get and make calls in either profile – work or home – as they will both be live at any given point in time.”

Even though the example(s) show Microsoft WinMo and Android, if down the road it means that I can run Maemo 5/6 on the Nokia N900 and run an instance of Mobile OS X – the OS that’s on the iPhone – or Google Android or even Microsoft WinMo… I’ve found a project that would allow me to use different browsers, connectivity, or features that aren’t always on my phone of choice. Can’t wait to see what happens with this. No announcement on availability.

[ Links: Computer World Australia, VMware ]

mSpot already offers the ability to find song lyrics and download ringtones of popular music; they’ve now added the ability to view movie rentals through their website for $4.99 for each movie with no application needed. Point your browser to http://m.mspot.com and go from there with no application download necessary.

mSpot’s Mobile Movies are available on over 30 different cell phone models, including the iPhone, smartphones and some high-end feature phones, and across all major carriers. In the coming months, the service will be available on over a hundred different phone models.

“The launch of Mobile Movies makes mSpot the first company to give movie lovers what they want, when they want it,” said mSpot CEO Daren Tsui, whose favorite movies include “Mission Impossible” and “Airplane!” “Whether you’re lounging on the beach, taking the train, or just relaxing at home, we’re making movies instantly accessible to consumers everywhere.”

mSpot has inked partnerships with major studios, including Paramount Studios and Universal Studios Home Entertainment, giving mSpot customers direct access to the movies they love the most. Soon, mSpot expects to announce additional studio partnerships, giving its fans access to thousands of movies across over a hundred different mobile phones.

And before you ask, yes it does support the iPhone too. Thanks to Margaret for the tip!

[ mSpot ]

Originally released for the Apple iPhone; FlyCast has released their FlyCast Mobile Network application for the BlackBerry smartphone platform.

FlyCast today announced at the BlackBerry® Developer Conference, where the company is a finalist in the BlackBerry Developer Challenge, that on November 1st, its mobile broadcast network will be ready for the BlackBerry® Curve, BlackBerry® Bold™ and BlackBerry® Storm™ smartphones from Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) . FlyCast’s mobile broadcast network is one of the first of its kind to be available for BlackBerry smartphones. It will be available as a free download from the FlyCast mobile website (mobile.flycast.fm) beginning November 1st.

The FlyCast network is the first specifically designed application to deliver radio, video and podcasts over mobile broadband and Wi-Fi networks to mobile devices. As a compelling free alternative to satellite radio, the FlyCast network has experienced explosive growth in users and content since its launch in January 2008.

Find out more and (future) download from FlyCast Mobile’s website.