VoIP on the iPhone

One nugget from the SDK launch that may have flown under your radar is when Steve Jobs said that Apple will allow VoIP apps on the iPhone, but only using WiFi. I am very excited about this, as I get poor cell reception in my apartment. I can instead rely on my trusty WiFi signal for phone calls at home. Imagine being able to answer calls, both VoIP and cellular, using just one device, my iPhone. This SDK is a game changer because of how it ties into the combination of superior hardware and OS of the iPhone, something that even Google's Android can't hope to offer (they don't control the hardware) or compete with in terms of overall quality and user experience.

*Update* I guess it didn't slip "under the radar." It made it to the front page of Digg.

iLounge's SDK Rumor

Via iLounge:

"The most controversial aspect of Apple’s SDK plan is its intention to formally approve or deny all SDK-based software releases for its devices. Our sources confirm that Apple will act as a gatekeeper for applications, deciding which are and are not worthy of release, and publishing only approved applications to the iTunes Store; a process that will less resemble the iTunes Store’s massive directory of podcasts than its sale of a limited variety of iPod Games."

Apple's total control over the apps means they could keep software like Skype off the iPhone. At first glance, it would seem that this would give an edge to an open platform like Google's Android, which supposedly will have no oversight. But I don't think it will. After all, Google phones will operate on major carriers like AT&T, same as the iPhone. And the only reason Apple would keep Skype off the iPhone would be to please the carriers. Will those same carriers allow indiscriminate data access to an Android phone? Seems unlikely to me. Wait until someone puts bittorrent on one of those phones.

It will be interesting to see a new battle playout between those who believe the iPhone and other smartphones are computers, and thus should follow the same "open" software rules, and those who see them as peripherals, such as gaming consoles or iPods, with specific rules for software development.

I Was Wrong: Android Is an iPhone Competitor

Andy Rubin shows off a touchscreen Google Android phone. Quake looks good on an iPhone-sized screen.




Here's the link to the corresponding BBC article.

No Multitouch for Android

Great read over at Crave about Android and java. From the article:

"[Android] supports touch-screen technology, but Horowitz declined to comment on support for multitouch, a notable iPhone ability that opens up user-interface possibilities, beyond saying multitouch support isn't in the first version of the Android SDK."

There will be no multi-touch pinching in Android, or at least, it's not built into the SDK. But it could be added later. Is multitouch really that important? Multitouch on the iPhone is used mostly for growing and shrinking the browser view, pictures, and maps. I rarely use the pinch or grow multitouch features on anything but Google maps. The biggest benefit of touchscreen technology is quick menu selection, and that only requires a single touch. The omission of multitouch from Android is probably to keep the hardware cheaper, and I wouldn't consider it a big deal. Multitouch seems like it'd be much more useful on a larger screen, for instance, on a MacBook Touch tablet.

SDK Quick Thought

Apple has a phone but won't have an SDK for a couple of months. Google doesn't have a phone but has an SDK. So really, it won't be until next summer until both are on level playing fields. What it may come down to is who attracts more and better developers. I hate to quote Steve Ballmer, but it's the developers, developers, developers.

A great core system is built by the giants like Microsoft, Apple, and Google. But the diversity--the catering to the long tail--is done by the developers.