NetShare Unlikely to Return to U.S. App Store – Mac Rumors.
You’ll be hard pressed to find a bigger Apple advocate than me. I know they’re out there, but they don’t get out much. So, when I dog Apple, you can bet I feel strongly about it.
In a conversation with Teresa Boardman, a Realtor® from St Paul, Minnesota, she stated very strongly, “unless the iPhone will let me access the internet via my computer, like my phone does, I’m never going to switch.” I know this is anecdotal, but when she said it my brain said, “She’s right. The iPhone should enable this.” At the time, only days after the iPhone launch, I figured someone would write an app and that would be that. And someone did.
Apparently that is not that. Apple and AT&T continue to march toward taking more and more control over the applications and services that are allowed on the iPhone. Some of that control is certainly necessary to prevent malware and other “bad stuff” from happening. But preventing truly beneficial apps from making their way onto the iPhone, while allowing dozens of ridiculous “tip calculators” to thrive, is further indication that Apple still doesn’t want to understand the needs of the business user.
It’s not like they couldn’t make money from it. I, for example, would gladly pay a bit more on the data plan to not have to have tote around the wireless card for my laptop. I can’t be alone.
My bet is that this controlling trend will continue. And that should further the Jailbreaking movement. But with iPhone production ramped to 800,000 units per week, the number of users who will opt out as a result of these shortcomings won’t even amount to a speed bump in their sales chart.
This makes no sense to me. But hey, what do I know, I think having a Flash plugin for Safari on the iPhone is a good idea too. Clearly I’m wrong.
This is true of 
But I’ve said from the beginning that the fact it does not support an Adobe Flash plug-in is a bad decision. And it was clearly a conscious decision by
Hey, Google Voice, Forget Apple And Just Give Me A Better Mobile Experience.
Techie big deals like Michael Arrington are throwing temper tantrums and giving up their iPhones over Apple’s decision to NOT allow the Google Voice app into the iTunes App Store. My initial reaction was along the same lines, though a bit more calm.
I’ve changed my thoughts on a Google Voice app for the iPhone.
Thanks to Jason Berman, I was alerted to the GV Mobile app for my jailbroken iPhone. It was available via Cydia, so of course I gave it a whirl. I liked it. But I realized something.
I’ve had an icon on my homescreen to take me to http://www.google.com/voice from day one of the Google Voice launch. (see illustration below) It works. I can search my address book, place calls, listen to messages, etc. In short, I can do anything I really need to do, right there on my little ol’ iPhone.
What struck me about the GV Mobile app was that the main reason it felt better than going to a mobile version of their website, aside from being able to dial and access my phones address book, was the UI. That’t it. It was pretty and the buttons were bigger and easier to use, but it didn’t give me the ability to do a whole lot more than I couldn’t already do.
So, Google, I have a suggestion for you. Just bypass the iTunes App Store. When you sense I’m coming from an iPhone, why don’t you simply give me a better, more iPhone-friendly version of your site. You did a great job on the iPhone layout for Google Calendar recently. That made me happy. Just do the same thing for Voice and I’ll be happy again. I’m sure others will be too.
I’m not sure how Michael Arrington will react though.
Tags: apple, google voice, iphone, michael arrington, techcrunch
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