Provisionally Untitled

Tweetie 2.1 is live. Includes the new retweet format, geotagging and more. You know what to do.

Fraser Speirs back in 2007:

So there’s love and there’s business. And now there’s a new business in town: the business of making iPhone apps. Slightly lost in the brouhaha surrounding the SDK announcement was the fact that Apple has also, in effect, announced an iPod SDK due to the fact that the iPod touch runs OS X.

I’ll repeat that, in case you’re still not getting it: the most popular portable music device in the world, the one everyone has, the default choice, the cultural icon, the device which Apple sells millions of each quarter, the device which has previously been closed off to all but Capcom PopCap, EA and Nike now has an SDK.

Granted, not every iPod sold is an iPod touch and the installed base of OS X capable devices is still less than two million worldwide. I’m willing to speculate, though, that the OS X platform is the future of every iPod with a screen. They renamed the traditional iPod “classic” and the word “classic” has connotations in the Apple lexicon. You know what I’m talking about here. […]

The only scenario I hope I don’t see, except as a special offer, is the last one. [iPhone version bundled for free with the desktop app.] Possibly the worst business decision we could make as Mac developers is to devalue iPhone applications to the same level as Dashboard widgets.

Via the awesome devs behind Cultured Code in 2008, when they dived into Things touch.

Fraser warned about it two years ago, and Gruber called it last week, how will it turn out next year?

Greg Kumparak:

Beginning about a week before [Droid’s] launch (largely due to Verizon’s incredibly intense marketing campaign) I began getting calls and tweets from friends and colleagues asking about the Droid. They always had two questions: the first would be something like “What do you think of the Droid?”, followed by “Would you recommend it over the iPhone?” Same questions, each.. and.. every.. time.

I’ve been using the Droid as my primary phone for a few days now, and I think I’m finally ready to answer them.

The bottom line is, both handsets could be considered contenders, so it’s up to the consumer to choose among a wide array of features offered by both. But don’t take my word for it, read the review if you have the time, I believe it’s straightforward and fair, however I’m still waiting for Andy Ihnatko’s take on the Droid.

If you do read it, you’ll be as happy as I am to know this could only mean that Android has caught up, Motorola’s making a come-back and Verizon made a smart move. Those are three statements I never thought I’d write about this year.

marco:

So it comes down to your needs. For me, my phone is a personal computer most of the time, and it’s occasionally used to make or receive phone calls. Most data is downloaded over WiFi, with occasional small transfers over the cellular network. Network flakiness hurts me less than device flakiness. For me, therefore, the device is much more important than the network, because I’m using the device much more than I’m using the network.

This is why my iPod touch is good enough. Actual phone calls are as modern as the term “smartphone” and I can’t lag behind software-wise. An iPhone in Costa Rica equals constant jail-breaking and unlocking, something I decided I wouldn’t waste my time on some time ago. Most people I know don’t get that it’s about the software platform not the hardware. Stay relevant, not fashionable.

Huge consumer win.

marco:

From Apple, via a developer mass-mail:

Now you can use In App Purchase in your free apps to sell content, subscriptions, and digital services.

You can also simplify your development by creating a single version of your app that uses In App Purchase to unlock additional functionality, eliminating the need to create Lite versions of your app. Using In App Purchase in your app can also help combat some of the problems of software piracy by allowing you to verify In App Purchases.

This could be a big deal if it’s adopted by developers in meaningful volume.

Got Reeder today, tipped by UI guru @bwalkin. I’m comparing it to Byline, which has stuck with me since the App Store debuted. I consider Reeder its first worthy contender (NetNewsWire didn’t cut it).

I really like the subtle interface, its transitions and icons. It’s swift and doesn’t cache images which most of the time is trivial. So far it’s a keeper.

Tweetie 2, King of the Hill.

billyd:

• Wanted: A minimal notes application for the Mac that manages multiple notes and stores them as individual text files, allowing seamless integration with Finder and Spotlight.
• Solution: Notational Velocity (via Minimal Mac)

• Wanted: A simple notes application for the iPhone that loads quickly, has search, and requires as little fuss as possible.
• Solution: Simplenote (via Gruber)

• Wanted: A way to sync the two over the internet.
• Solution: SimplenoteSync (via Simplenote Extras)

Worked pretty well, still testing though. So far so good, just be careful with the terminal. Thanks billyd.

Atebits (aka Loren Brichter), I believe is blurring the Mac/iPhone line. The kind of integration promised between Tweetie 2 on both platforms and the amount of design and software engineering gone into this project is what I expect from an ADA winner. I am really looking forward to the whole experience, and hope that once again, it sets the bar higher not only for iPhone development, but its integration with other platforms.