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Handheld and Mobile World

Could Apple Do This? Would they?

August 13, 2009 by Ellen

appstore12I’d been thinking about how much Apple is able to do – when they want to – with iPhone App distribution, because of how they set it up.

And I’d been thinking about how much I’d like – both as a user and a developer – trial versions of iPhone apps. But I know what a can of worms is opened by giving developers the ability make and unlock trials.

And then I thought – could Apple handle trials themselves, completely, by making all apps in the iTunes App Store free for the first few days, and then processing the payments if the apps were still installed after that?

The answer, of course, is that I don’t know. I have no idea if this would work or even be possible. I’m sure there are a ton of issues and implications to be thought through. It may be technically impossible, financially unfeasible, or just a lot more trouble than simply letting developers handle trials on their own.

But I can’t help thinking how cool it would be if Apple pulled it off.

It’s clear that no one else could do this with their app stores – no one else has that kind of control. Or – let’s face it – the guts. And it seems to me that it would be very much Apple’s style: here’s a better way to do something, we can do it, let’s do it. And if it turns the existing software distribution model upside-down, that’s just a bonus.

Any thoughts? I can’t tell if this is a good idea, a terrible idea, or something in-between. And it’s probably just wishful thinking on my part. But it would – in my opinion – be a huge benefit to both iPhone developers and users.

(Here’s the short URL for this article, if you want to share it. We’re working on the better “share it” thing; apparently it’s incompatible with something else we do.)

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Filed Under: General, Handheld and Mobile World, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

Windows Marketplace News

July 21, 2009 by Marc

Microsoft released another Windows Marketplace update a few days ago, and I’m excited to share that we were part of the announcment! As you can see from the article, we are working closely with Microsoft as they get ready for launch. I thought I’d take a second to share an insider’s perspective.

Read on for my two cents on the Marketplace! [Read more…] about Windows Marketplace News

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Filed Under: Handheld and Mobile World, Software in General, Windows Mobile

Microsoft SYNC

April 29, 2009 by Marc

Ford Sync(TM) LogoI just bought a new car yesterday and it came with Microsoft SYNC. SYNC, which apparently comes standard on pretty much every Ford vehicle these days, syncs your mobile device to your car and provides full voice control over that device. Besides the fact that it’s pretty sweet, there are a few other reasons I wanted to blog about it.

Microsoft Rocks

I know, it isn’t a phrase people say very often but frankly, they should. Microsoft takes a lot of bashing from a lot of fronts, but the reality is that they are successful not due to luck, stupid consumers, or momentum – rather, they continue to succeed because they actually do quite a lot of stuff really well.

Take SYNC –  I got in the car, it detected my iPhone, and within about a minute it was up, running, and had integrated by entire contact list. In addition, it gave me full voice control over the device. Every time I get in the car now, it automatically Syncs up and is ready to roll – no extra steps.

Same with the “dumbphone” my wife carries. Boom. Synched. Running. Done. What is more, the voice recognition is almost flawless (mumbling out a command while drinking a cup of coffee won’t work, however – I can attest to that).

All in all it’s a fantastic piece of software and I think it’s a good indicator of what the future holds for Microsoft Mobile products.

A Sign of the Times (And of Good Things to Come)

This is the even bigger thing to me.

Ashtrays are no longer standard on Ford vehicles.

SYNC is.

If this isn’t a clear indicator of how completely we’ve integrated phones into our lives, I don’t know what is. And with the success of the iPhone (and WinMo 6.5/7 I hope!), I believe that the “phones” in that phrase are going to very quickly become “SmartPhones.” For a mobile software developer, that’s a beautiful thing to hear.

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Filed Under: Handheld and Mobile World

Windows Marketplace, here we come!

March 31, 2009 by Marc

windows-mobile-logoAs of today, I can officially tell you that our software works great on Windows Mobile 6.5 AND that you’ll find our products in the new Windows Mobile Marketplace. We’ve been working with Microsoft on this for a while, and as of today the news is official. In addition, we’re working on a number of updates to our core Windows Mobile products (eWallet, ListPro, and NewsBreak) that will take advantage of some of the cool new features 6.5 offers.

In addition, we’re working on many of your requests that came out of the last Advisory Board Assignment! Thanks again to EVERYONE who participated. That feedback is invaluable to us!

UPDATE: I grabbed some cool screenshots from the promotional video Microsoft released. Turns out our applications are in the video a number of times! Check them out after the jump!

[Read more…] about Windows Marketplace, here we come!

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Filed Under: Handheld and Mobile World

MacWorld Bound!

December 16, 2008 by Marc

MacWorld is just a couple weeks away and both Ellen and I are planning to attend. If you’re going to MacWorld, or live in the area, let us know, or just look for us in the main hall. We’ll be wearing our Ilium Software apparel so we should be easy to spot!

We’re even bringing some presents, so if you catch us before our bag is empty, we might have something cool for you! The Expo runs January 5th to 9th and we’ll be around for the whole thing. See you there!

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Filed Under: Handheld and Mobile World, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

Blogs, mobile devices, and….talking cats???

December 16, 2008 by Marc

Yep, you read the title right. After the BlackBerry eWallet release and all the technical problems we had last week, I wasn’t up to posting anything too deep today, so I figured this was a good time to mention a couple of fun things. This first post is really a bit of self-promotion, but it actually does have a mobile device slant to it.

As some of you might know, I live a secret life. In the dark of night, when the office is closed and my family is asleep, I sneak down to my basement and become…a writer! That’s right, I’m secretly a writer. I’ve published a number of short stories and with luck I just might have a novel out within the next year or two (depending on approvals and publishing schedules.)

My latest work is a story about a newsstand cat who makes the horrifying discovery that people don’t need newspapers and magazines to get their news anymore. It’s all due to a frightening invention called – the internet! Besides talking cats, the story features blogs, iPhones, and a cameo by Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine.

The story is in an anthology from DAW called Catopolis, and you can find it up at your local brick-and-mortar store. Of course you can also grab it from Amazon (here). Amazon also has a Kindle version, and it’s out for various other eBook readers as well.

And if you want to see the other stuff I’ve done, check out my site!

Enough self-promotion! 🙂 Back to your regularly scheduled blog!

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Filed Under: Handheld and Mobile World, Off Topic

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