Apple Tells Congressmen it Batches, Encrypts Location Data – Web Services Web 20 and SOA from eWeek

With the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and can see why location-based data is needed. What I don’t understand is why Apple needs to know where I am when I am using my MacBook. If I am using Chrome and Google wants to know where I am using HTML5, does that info go back to Apple and if so why?

Apple offers location-based services on the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, Iphone 4, iPad WiFi/3G and on older iPhones, iPad WiFi iPod touch and Macs running Snow Leopard, and Windows or Macs running the Safari 5 Web browser, albeit to a more limited extent.

You can read the full document after the break.

apple response to markey-barton

Of course that’s just people calling AppleCare. I would like to know the number of people calling AT&T or Best Buy. Its all in the numbers you pick to report.

via – AppleInsider

The Droid X comes loaded with several nonstandard applications for Google’s Android, most of which cannot be removed. Among the phone’s so-called junkware is a Blockbuster video app and a demo for an Electronic Arts game called Need for Speed: Shift. The software from the struggling movie retail chain includes a store locator and a section to download mobile movies from Blockbuster’s catalog. This app cannot be uninstalled from the phone’s software library using any traditional means. Users can delete it from the home screen, but it lives on — permanently part of the software embedded on the device.

link: ‘Junkware’ comes standard on Verizon, T-Mobile smart phones | Technology | Los Angeles Times

Where to start. There is always a way to uninstall with Android but Mark doesn’t want to point that out so he just says the “app cannot be uninstalled from the phone’s software library using any traditional means“. Also there are apps on the iPhone that you can not uninstall using traditional means or any other way. Are those apps junkware? Later on Mark adds this…

The EA racing game, which provides limited functionality and a large button on the introduction screen urging players to buy the full version, can be removed.

Mark seems to forget that the EA game is a demo so it has, shocker, limited functionality. Just like every demo for every game ever made. Even free versions of games for the iPhone that also have a paid version have limited functionality. And EA must be a evil company for putting a button in there demo app for people to buy the full game because that never happens in iPhone apps.

RIM co-CEOs pull no punches responding to Apple’s antenna statements — Engadget

I’m betting that by Sept. 30th your going to see some sort of design change with the iPhone. Some sort of film covering the antenna or moving the gap to the bottom of the phone. That or Apple is going to need to make a shit load of bumpers.

Any time someone switches from Windows to a Mac they end up posting some top 10 app list. The problem is that most of these people are what we call power users and the apps they list don’t really help normal users get there work done. For awhile now I have been thinking about posting what would really help someone like my mom if she ever got a Mac. So if you are a power user or have been using Mac’s for awhile this might not be for you but if your not, keep reading.

The first thing to clear up is the wording. I hear people all the time say “Mac” when they mean “Apple”. So everyone knows Microsoft and the operating system (OS) they make is called Windows. The newest version of Windows is “7″. Apple is the name of the company and the operating system they make is called Mac OS X (pronounced /mæk oʊ ɛs tɛn/ mak oh es ten). Apple numbers the release of each OS and the current version is Mac OS 10.6. They also name each version of there OS after cats so to quote Wikipedia, “Releases of Mac OS X are named after big cats: for example, Mac OS X v10.6 is usually referred to by Apple and users as “Snow Leopard” 10.5 is called Leopard, 10.4 Tiger, and 10.3 Panther.

Now that we have that cleared up we can move to the correct usage of “Mac”. The term Mac is short for Macintosh, the first personal computer that Apple made. Since then they have used “Mac” in the naming of there hardware. For example, the name of there laptops are the MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air. There desktop system is called the iMac and there workstation-level tower is called the Mac Pro.

I am not going to get into the full in and outs of Mac OS X because I think that one of the fun things about getting a Mac is learning. At its core it is the same as Windows. There are still user accounts and user folders and system setting you can change. One of the first things you are going to want to know is how to install programs. In Windows you would download a .exe or .msi file, run it and click thru the menus and it would install the program. Mac OS X makes things easier, somewhat. To use Firefox as a example, you get a file called Firefox 3.6.dmg Files with the .dmg extension are like .exe files in Windows. Just double click on them and do what it says to do. Sometimes might download a file with the extension of .app. There is nothing to install here because the whatever.app file you downloaded is the program itself. If you double click on it, it would just run so what you want to do is drag the .app file into your Applications folder.

Now that you know how to install stuff, what do you install? There are a few that I wish I knew about from day one of get my MacBook but now that I know about them I can tell you. The first is by far the most used app on my Mac other then the web browser. It is called 1Password and it is a password and identity manager. Password and identity managers are not that big in the Windows world but after using it for almost two years now I will never have a Mac without it.

Any time you log into a website or signup, 1Password will ask if you want to save it so you will never have to do it again. The best feature is the Strong Password Generator that will do just as it says and make strong passwords that will be very hard to crack. 1Password will also save any software licensees for apps you buy, save your banking, credit card, and personal info so that you can add them anytime you need to with just one click. 1Password is $39.95 (there is a free to try version) right now and there is also a version for the iPhone and iPad that will sync with the version on the Mac. It is just full of awesomeness.

LaunchBar

The next app that I find that I can not live without is called LaunchBar. It is what called a productivity application. You make a keyboard shortcut to bring up the app and then start typing the name of the whatever you are tring to find. Say that you want to launch iMovie and it is not in your dock. Hit the keyboard shortcut (in my case I have it set as Command+Spacebar), then start typing, i+m+o. With each letter you type the list will get shorter till you get to the file or app your looking for. If you just type i+m and iMovie is 2nd or 3rd one down, just arrow down to it and hit enter. The next time you want to launch iMovie and type i+m it will remember and be the first one in the list. If you would like to know more you should really check out this podcast by Mac Power Users. They do a really good job of covering what Launchbar can do.

There are three productivity applications that you should know about. Of these three apps, LaunchBar is in the middle when it come to everything that you can do with it and it is the only one that you have to pay for ($35.00 at the time of this post). The next is Google’s own Desktop. It is the least powerful but it is also free.

Quicksliver

The third is called Quicksilver. Someone once said that Quicksilver can destroy nations and launch the Space Shuttle. It is by far the most powerful productivity app but the learning curve for the really powerful features can be steep. But there is good and bad side to using Quicksilver. The bad is that the devloper, Nicholas Jitkoff, stopped working on it and went to work for Google to make Google Desktop. The good is that before he left for Google he open source the code and the Mac community has picked it up. Its also good that it is free. So if you want to get deep into Quicksliver you better set some time to check out the follow links but first you can get the latest version from here.

Howard Melman’s wonderful user guide for Quicksilver (PDF file)

Lifehacker’s post having to do with Quicksliver

A Beginner’s Guide to Quicksliver

A great list from Merlin Mann of 43 Folders

Just as a side note, there is another productivity app that you might want to try and it is called Alfred. I just saw a post about it but have never used it but it is free and in beta.

Today is the day that Apple released it’s new “magical and revolutionary product” the iPad. A 9.7 inch Multi-Touch tablet or as some call it a really big iPod Touch. People have been waiting in lines for a few days to be the first to pay what will be the highest price point for this new product. I will not be one of the few million that will get a iPad, at least not this version.

The problems I have with the iPad are many. First is that it is a new untested product and there are already some things that people are finding out that make you say What the Hell? Another is, like all Apple products, the first version always cost the most. Remember the first gen. iPhones? Also there is going to be a iPad with a camera and it will for sure have a bigger hard drive. So why spend the money now when I can wait a year and get a much better, much more tested product for close to the same cost as today?

But my biggest problem with the iPad, and it seems to be the direction that Apple is heading, is the eco-system that you have to buy into. With the iPhone I was willing to do just that because there was nothing as good. It was so far better then any phone out at the time I didn’t mind Apple having full control over anything that you could put on it. I don’t fell that same way about the iPad because it is a niche product and it doesn’t fill any gap in my life. My MacBook does everything that I need it to do and I don’t have to wait for Apple to approve some app and get it into iTunes to do some work. As it is now you are paying for a product and then told what you can and can’t do with it.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Apple products. I have more then enough stuff with a Apple logo on it and I do because they are very well made and easy to use. But when Apple starts telling me what I can and can’t do with the product I just paid for, I have a big problem with that. It is a very strange world we live in when Microsoft is a more open company than Apple.

Apple’s iPad videos on YouTube.

While reading TUAW I saw that iTunes 9.0.3 was out so like everyone else I tried to update. Strange thing is that while iTunes says its out, Software Update says I have nothing to update. Funny.

I have never really had a problem with AT&T as far as service go’s. Never had a drop call and the data speed has been good. So when I got a email and a text that said I had no data plan with my iPhone, needless to say I was somewhat confused. I have only had my iPhone 3G for over a year now and had the first gen iPhone before that and as most of you know, you can not walk out of the AT&T store with a iPhone that doesn’t have a data plan.

So here is the story. I called to see what was going on and was told what the email already said. My iPhone had no data plan and that it would now be added at $10 more a month. I asked how is it that I have been getting email and using apps for the past year and have no data plan? Seems it came down to when I got the 3G at the store. The guy that was setting everything up somehow didn’t put in my account that I was upgrading my phone. What I was told is that with the first gen iPhone the data plan was $20 a month and unlimited text was another $20. With the 3G data is $30 a month. I checked my last statement and it showed I was paying the $20/$20.

There are two problems with AT&T not knowing what phone I was on when they should. The first is the lady I talk to today said that it could of been when I got the 3G that the sim card was used from first gen and that is why I was still only paying $20 for data. This is not true because at the store, when the guy was setting up my phone, I ask if I could use the same sim card and he said I couldn’t and I watched him take the sim out of the 3G and enter something into his computer. The second is that for as long as I can remember when I log into AT&T’s site to pay my bill it shows a picture of the 3G and says I have a 3G. So one way or another they should know what phone I am using.

What I was told was that they just did some sort of audit and that is how this got started so I am sure I am not the only person getting the “You don’t have a data plan and we need more money” email. I did ask if I could end my contact without paying the early termination fee since they were changing the price. Didn’t work.

I love the iPhone and use it every day. But I am over it. For the past few years there was nothing that was anywhere near as good but lately that’s starting to change. I love Apple products and most of my data is with Google. So now I am being torn in two. And as much as I love Apple, I hate the box your in when you get anything they make. So the Nexus One is looking very good to me. Just have to wait and see if Verizon messes it up when they get it. Lets hope not.

UPDATE (1-14-2010) – I got a email from AT&T that linked me to a PDF file outlining the changes in my account. The funny thing was the name of the PDF file. In case you don’t remember, Cingular got the iPhone. AT&T got it after they took over Cingular. Seems everyone forgets that. Something tells me that Apple would of been better with Cingular.

So the iPhone 3.0 update came out last week and I have been looking forward to it since it was first announced months ago. That was till the WWDC keynote where Apple said MMS was going to work on day one from about every one but AT&T. That put AT&T down there with Sprint in my book but lets look at the other stuff that the 3.0 update brings to the iPhone.

Cut, Copy & Paste – This is by far the most long awaited feature. There is not really much to say other than it does what it says. But I would say that this should of been in from the start or at least in the 2.0 update.

Landscape Keyboard – Again this is something that should of been in phone from the start but since it wasn’t and the iPhone is my first smart phone I had no idea what I was missing. I can say now that I love landscape keyboard and if I every get something other than a iPhone its going to have it.

Spotlight Search – For me, I have no real use for this since I don’t have a lot of notes and I don’t get a ton of email. But for people using the iPhone for work or people that get a lot of email, Spotlight Search must be a god send. Plus being able to search in apps is great.

Voice Memos – Once again something that I have very little or no use for. Its a new app that does just what it says, recored voice memos. You can then send them in a email or MMS (unless your on AT&T of course).

Internet Tethering – This lets you use your iPhone as a modem for your computer. Once again this doesn’t work if your on AT&T but when it does there a strong chance that if you want to use Internet Tethering it going to cost you extra.

Find My iPhone and Remote Wipe – This only works if you have a MobileMe account (I do) but I think this is the best part of the 3.0 update. When you log in to MobileMe you go your account page and you can see on a Google map where your phone is. Then you can send a message to the phone and the phone will display it and make a sound for two minutes straight. If you get no reply to your message you can then wipe the phone clean from MobileMe.

There are a lot of people that don’t like MobileMe for one reason or another. I have had no problems with it and find it very useful for keeping my contacts and calendar synced between my iPhone and my MacBook. I was starting to think about using Google to keep everything synced because its free but with Find My iPhone and Remote Wipe in MobileMe now I am not moving anything.

All the stuff above works on the iPhone 3G. Apple launched a new iPhone called the 3G S (the S means speed). This new phone has a better camera and can record video, the 3G cannot. But not only will the 3G S record video you can also trim your video on the phone. You can then send that video to YouTube, MobileMe, send it a email or send it in a MMS (unless your on AT&T).

The 3G S also has something that should of been in from the start and that is Voice Control. It works just like you think it should but being a Apple product they took it a little further and added Voice Control to the iPod part of the iPhone.

One of the new apps in the 3G S that I would love to have is the built-in digital compass. This would be very handy to have while driving because with the 3G phone the map is pointing north at all times. On the 3G S with the built-in digital compass the map will rotate depending on the direction that you are heading. Very handy.

So I have mix felling about the 3.0 update. Most of it should of been in the phone from the start but at the same time I am glad there here now. Other then the MMS crap AT&T is pulling. Then there is the new 3G S iPhone. There is enough added to the phone that makes me wants to get one plus it faster. But that also means a new 2 year contact and $200 and I am not sure I want to stay with AT&T that long.

So what do you think of the 3.0 update? Did you get the new 3G S iPhone?

Since I have been using my iPhone I have only paid for about 4 apps. I think this has more to do with paying for something with out being able to try it first. Its like buying a house without stepping inside at all. Even with most apps just costing $.99 I still find it hard to just give my money away blindly. But for some reason I did that for the app TimeLapse (iTunes link). It does just what it says and takes pictures so you can make a time lapse movie.

There are all the options you should need to make a time lapse movies. You can pick the number of pictures to take from 1 to 9999. You can have it take the pictures as fast as it can (during my test it was about one every 8 to 10 seconds) and set the size of the photos from large to small.

Once you have your photos you can import them into iPhoto and use iMovie to make your time lapse movie such as the one below. Now this is a pretty simple app but it does just what it says and for $.99 its not bad. But if you are going to use this be sure to turn your sound off or your going to hear the camera sound over and over.