I got a Motorola Droid. Initial thoughts:

Not an iPhone killer: There is no iPhone killer, only good additions to the modern smart phone atmosphere that will eventually put the iPhone it the correct place (some 10-15% market). The Droid by Motorola seems to be another positive leaning option in the marketplace. More On This

The NPR dedicated app’s newest version is now, well, working mostly.

The last release was a H-U-G-E step forward but it was very broken. It started with all of my favorites going away. From there is just got worse and worse.

Well, they fixed most of them.  And after I re-favorited everything the new version pulled my old list in (wonder if I found anything new?).

They still have a few weak spots. The 2 that still standout are:

1. Scrolling is not smooth. This is the only app that does not flick scroll smooth.
2. Location translation does not work. In other words, I am  MST and my programs are all localized from the station with no correction to “localize”. This may seem petty, but it is not. The iPhone is still essentially a *nix system and time math is inherently very easy to perform.

Not going to bitch too much.  The app still hangs if you do not want your location shared, it chugs a lot, streams are not held as good as the program 2 versions ago. But I still like it.

The addition of “On Demand” is real cool.

Lessons learned?

1. Test your app
2. Use other apps
3. Think about what you are going to do to existing users when you update
4. Include an incoming feed for “what you are doing” in the app to address the bug list(s) and anticipated release time frame
5. Have a forum / blog / something to catch your errors. I am SURE the email account they provided was En Fuego (that’s E-span-yo-la for On Fire).

Signing off – Ableton Denver site is coming..

As most any tech person using Windows will testify, Apple users can get rather annoying. The persistent claim of “Apple s don’t get viruses” is of course false.

The whole “get an Apple and you are safe” is also false.

The fact of the matter is simple – with Apple having an approximate 10% of the market your chance  (via dry statistics) is reduced by 90%. Loose numbers but the point should be made.

In an article from PC World they are beginning to discuss the possibility of mobile botnets and mobile centric viruses.

There have already been instances of “text viruses” and these are NOT on the decline.

So what about the great equalizer?

Success.

With the near unstoppable dominance of the iPhone in the mobile market the iPhone is the prime candidate for malwear.

Ever put virus protection on your phone? That is going to take a hefty chunk of your CPU once required.

Let’s compound the iPhone malwear potential by the fact that there are so many people on the Apple iPhone SDK.  With this great number you are increasing the amount of malicious people in the pool.

With the possible exception of the Andriod OS, the Apple operating system is very accessible.  Almost to accessible.

Will this haunt us? I think so.  Is Apple going to have to act? For sure.

So what can I do?

Well, nothing.  We are at the mercy of the “owner” companies.  This position of “dumb user” is compounded greatly by the (tragic) practices of the mobile providers who regulate the functions to a degree unseen in any other realm of technology.

Cross your fingers on this one, but that probably will not help.  The cross-hairs are on the iPhone.

That does not exist…

Here it goes, for the iPhone / Touch.

“Savvy Remote”

This hardware / software package allows you to control any device that receives communication from an infrared remote. More On This

The whole mobile provider “thing” is really pissing me off.  I want a new phone but I can’t get one with out:

• Paying termination fees to jump to another carrier and get a phone discount
• Paying retail prices a.k.a. burning money
• Mugging a person (not recommended)

So WTF right? More On This

June 6, 2009 :  The new Palm Pre is released.  Bust Buy is the authorized center for the Pal Pre. So there I am, about noon looking to check it out.

Well, Best Buy fails.  No unit on display to try.  Only boxed units.  Sales person was, well, weak.  No biggie.  One final questions – how much? $850 (retail – no plan)

I walked out. More On This