Commentary
Why Ignore Some Mobile Platforms?
My question is, why would you ignore an obvious, growing sector of the mobile market? Yes, I understand that right now, Apple has the store that has on numerous occasions made people millions for simple applications. However, that doesn’t mean that the Android Marketplace or Windows Phone 7 Marketplace will not make you any money.
Android and the Fragmentation FUD
With the recent announcement of the new iPhone 4, there’s been a lot of talk about how it compares to the latest run of Android devices (HTC EVO, HTC Droid Incredible, and Nexus One). However anytime someone brings up the Android elephant in the iPhone room, there’s talk similar to “oh well Android is fragmented” or “all those apps won’t work on your phone” and other similar phrases. I want to spend some time today discussing this issue as I see it.
Google vs Apple: Innovation
I think that long term (in other words, not in the immediate future but probably 7-10 years from now), Google will have replaced Apple as the most innovative tech company. I realize that I’m saying this as Apple’s own developer conference (WWDC) is weeks away, but Google really brought their A game over the last few days. Even with the demo failures they showed that they are interested in moving things forward and changing the way we think about technology. Their dedication to being open, using open standards, and creating new open products is proof in the pudding. Apple may have it’s fanboys, but I’ll stick with Google.
WebM Video & Free Video Codecs
An open web where developers don’t have to potentially pay royalties is a good thing. Keeping things open and free when it comes to ensuring that everyone has the same thing on the web is important when you’re developing web applications. Knowing that everyone is going to have the same components, the same codecs, and the same fonts make the web a constant experience regardless of browser choice.
Google Collects Data On PUBLIC Wifi Networks
In a blog post late last week, Google admitted to collecting data sent across unprotected public wireless networks while collecting photos for their Street View feature on Google Maps. Naturally, this has caused a nice uproar from privacy advocates. Many have been asking for Google’s proverbial head on a platter for this outrageous injustice. Only problem is, their fingers are pointed at the wrong party.
H.264 vs. Theora (Software Patents)
The H.264 video codec requires a license to use, the same way the Mp3 codec requires a license to use. While the Theora and Vorbis codecs do not require such licenses, companies like Apple don’t like to use them because they have their hands in other codecs (H.264 or AAC in Apple’s case).
