Bites from the Apple: That Summer Feeling

The Summer Solstice arrives today (7:59pm EDT, 4:59 PDT), and Seattle is following along with one of the first truly sunny, summery days we've had in weeks. Thus, this week's round-up of Apple-y goodness will be slightly truncated (as it's been a bit of a slow news week anyways, as we all wait for the calendar to turn to July 11) as I get ready to take advantage of the day with my toddler.

• One of the most frustrating missing pieces to the iPhone (save for its lack of to-do synchronization) is the inability to view increasingly ubiquitous Flash files when browsing the web. Frankly, I'd be more than pleased if web designers didn't use Flash as much, as it can be distracting and unnecessary in many implementations as well as being a drain on the processor (and thusly on battery life). But I digress.

  This week, Adobe confirmed that it's "pleased" with the development of Flash for the iPhone, which Adobe hopes can get distributed through the upcoming App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch. Good news, yes? However, IntoMobile wonders if Flash (or even Flash Lite, its version for mobile phones) would even work with the iPhone's processor. And iPhone Central notes that Apple is possibly hooking up with SproutCore as an alternative (see Ars Technica for more technical details).

   

• If you're a current .Mac subscriber and are wondering what the new MobileMe will be bringing to your online doorstep, Macworld has a good overview of what the transition will bring (with an explanation on what MobileMe's "cloud" will push to your various devices, changes to iDisk, and more). Ars Technica adds that it looks like Apple is putting restrictions on browser compatibility with MobileMe--with Firefox 3 not making the grade currently.

   

• The New Scientist Technology blog discovered quite the nugget while reading through the iTunes end user license agreement (which I'm sure you all do with all of your software): you are prohibited from using iTunes to design or develop WMD.

   

• There were some complaints about the iPhone 3G's camera staying at a 2-megapixel resolution, but Ars Technica argues that it's a perfectly reasonable balance based on the limitations of the iPhone (no autofocus, no flash, and limited amount of memory).

   

• Might we see a new iPod touch by late summer? AppleInsider notes that stocks on the iPod touch are currently running low, and that analysts believe that Apple needs to do something that differentiates it from the iPhone (especially when it comes to price, as the current iteration of the 8 GB touch is about $100 more than the iPhone 3G hardware).

   

• An unexpected "feature" of the iPhone 3G: easier access to mobile porn.

  Leading porn purveyors see the iPhone as a dream come true. Its relatively ample screen size, speedy Web access and ease of use are just part of it. The device's miniaturized version of Apple's Safari software simplifies mobile access and streamlines the process of tailoring dirty sites for optimal viewing on the go.

   

• Dan Frommer at Silicon Alley Insider ponders whether the coming App Store will kill the jailbreak market. I think it will make a pretty good dent, but I agree that some functionality that Apple won't be supporting (VoIP, Gameboy emulators and, yes, mobile porn) will keep the jailbreak community going.

   

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

Comments

[punditius on June 22, 2008 at 07:38 AM]

What? I can't use iTunes to develop WMD? I can't invent a Supersonic Disembobulator with pieces of iTunes coding, and take over the world? Well, tell me this - who exactly is going to stop me? I violate your stinking user agreement! Bwahhahahahahh...

[Benjamin Wright on June 22, 2008 at 06:50 PM]

End-user license agreements (EULAs) are governed by contract law. Contract law is a two-way street. Just as game administrators can communicate to players/customers what they assert to be the legal terms, customers can communicate back. In principle, contract law does not favor either administrators or customers. I’ve been writing recently about how individuals can use contract law to assert their legal terms on other parties, such as search engines. See http://hack-igations.blogspot.com/2008/05/google-privacy-policy-terms-of-service.html What do you think? My ideas are not legal advice for any particular situation; they are just ideas for public discussion. –Ben

[cathyf on June 23, 2008 at 10:31 AM]

Porn on a 4-inch screen!!! WhooHoo!!! Can you imagine anything more erotic than watching 2-inch tall figures getting it on?