iFund for iPhone: everything mobile apps March 6, 2008
Posted by jessverr in Uncategorized.Tags: Blackberry, ifund, iphone, kleiner perkins, mobile apps
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Apple has just released their beta version of a Software Development Kit (SDK) and announced a partnership with Kleiner Perkins to fund early iPhone applications. It’s hard to underestimate the impact of this announcement. All of my previous posts (and the about section of the blog) allude to a coming revolution or explosion in the mobile space and this announcement is an absolute catalyst for this coming change. And to accelerate development, Kleiner has partnered with Apple to fund early applications with a new $100 million iFund. The NYTimes reported a few days ago that two other venture capital firms, Venrock and Accel, are also making a hard play into the mobile space having partnered with AT&T and a content provider in Hollywood to develop innovative ways to disseminate content on mobile devices.
The huge advantage that Apple has here, as my friend pointed out today over lunch, is that they control everything: the hardware and operating system of the iPhone, the coding language apps need to be written in, and the dissemination channels (apps will be downloaded from the iTunes store). This advantage (in addition to the iFund and other sources of cash) will hopefully allow awesome apps to quickly materialize– for the iPhone, that is. Blackberrys, with their corporate appeal, are of course behind on the innovation curve and will have to open up their platform and push for app development in the near future in order to keep up.
Google Rules March 5, 2008
Posted by jessverr in all for function, just for fun.Tags: android, apps, chat, google maps, google mobile, google talk
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My two MOST used mobile apps are without a doubt Google Maps and Google Talk. Both are extremely easy to navigate with great user interfaces.
Google Maps of course gives directions and allows you to view maps of various locations. BUT the new version ALSO approximates your location (w/o GPS) by triangulating your cell phone signal from the cell phone towers. It’s awesome. You can download the app here.
And Google Talk is probably the single most used application I have on my phone. I chat more often than I text message and the app has a great user interface. Download it here.
And Google’s OpenHandset Alliance and Android platform promise more awesome apps in the coming months. Google rules, enough said…
Stitchr: Audio Newsfeeds for iPhones March 4, 2008
Posted by jessverr in all for function.Tags: audio, iphone, mobile, newsfeeds, stitchr
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The premise of this blog is built upon the fact that the mobile space is going to be flooded with various applications in the coming months and years. Stitchr, an angel-funded San Francisco based start-up, has created a customizable audio feed app that will undoubtedly ride a favorable wave of adoption as handsets continually open up to 3rd party developers.
Stitchr’s product allows a host of web content– news, blogs, and other dynamic written content– to be turned into an audio feed, “stitched” together and accessed on iPhones and computers. It is the audio complement to a newsfeed and ideal for morning commuters who want to listen to all of their news instead of reading it. The available audio content is limited right now but includes Election 08, Business and Finance, and Silicon Valley Professional channels, each converting news stories and content from internet sites into audio format. A brief tune into the Silicon Valley Professional channel for example can bring you up to speed on the recent TechCrunch, Mashable, and VentureBeat articles. An app for other smartphones in addition to iPhones would be ideal as many business professionals still swear by their blackberrys and value their morning WSJ, NYTimes, etc feeds. As mobile phones become more open to supporting third party apps, Stitchr is an obvious one to add with clear utility. The business model, like most free apps or services, is advertising supported. Much like listening to the radio, advertisements will be “stitched” inbetween content. And for those that can’t stand ads, how about a premium service available on a fee basis without the ads?
Apple Opens Up to Hacks February 27, 2008
Posted by jessverr in Uncategorized.Tags: apple, iphone apps, mobile
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The NYTimes is just reporting that Apple is releasing software information to allow 3rd party programmers to created apps for the iPhone. This will undoubtedly usher in an awesome array of apps (that I will follow) and further prompt other hardware devices to do the same. Wooohoo.
iSkoot: Skype for Mobile February 25, 2008
Posted by jessverr in all for function.Tags: Blackberry, iSkoot, Loopt, mobile apps, Skype
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The mobile space is going to explode in the next 6 to 18 months. Between Google’s Android and spectrum bid along with new generations of smart phones a la the iPhone, it’s only a matter of time until our cellular devices become true mobile computers. And that means mobile apps are positioned to ride this wave of innovation, much like web 2.0 apps are piggybacking social network platforms. iSkoot, a company currently led Mark Jacobstein, provides a free app to put your Skype window and contacts on your mobile phone. Skyping your contacts still runs up minutes on your phone bill, but the real value of the app is in international calls which would be billed as local minutes. The user interface is slick and easy to navigate, but the utility is directly tied to your number of (international) contacts on Skype. iSkoot’s management team has impressive experience in the consumer web and mobile space, most notably Mark Jacobstein’s former leadership at Loopt and Digital Chocolate. The product can be downloaded from their website and is compatible with BlackBerry, Treo, Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, and Samsung Devices.
