TidBITS#937/21-Jul-08
=====================
Issue link: <http://db.tidbits.com/issue/937>
As everyone takes a breather after last week's iPhone 3G launch
coverage, we dip back into a wide variety of topics, including
Apple's public apology for messing up the MobileMe launch and a look
at how Apple's market share is increasing. Glenn Fleishman also
looks at Microsoft's backtracking on the MSN Music debacle, the new
GoBoingo application for the Mac, Nokia's buyout of the Symbian
mobile phone operating system, and how a few hundred thousand
dollars can buy you a new top-level domain. Adam looks at
Precipitate, which brings Spotlight searching to Google Docs files,
and Rick Fay evaluates hands-free options for the iPhone. In the
TidBITS Watchlist, we look at the iPod touch 1.1.5 update, the HP
Printer Driver 1.1, and three updates from Rogue Amoeba: Airfoil
3.2.1, Audio Hijack Pro 2.8.2, and Nicecast 1.9.3.
Articles
Apple Gains Larger Slice of Computer Sales
MobileMea Culpa: Apple Apologizes and Explains Tiger Situation
MSN Music Doesn't Kill Future Playability of Purchased Tracks
Go, Go, Boingo Gadget Hotspot Application!
Precipitate Shines Mac Spotlight into Google's Cloud
Vanity Spreads to Top-Level Domain Names
Hands-Free iPhone Options for the Car
Symbian Smartphone Platform Goes Free, Partly Open Source
TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 21-Jul-08
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/21-Jul-08
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Apple Gains Larger Slice of Computer Sales
-------------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9699>
Two research firms say that Apple's share of U.S. computer sales
shot up by 30 to 40 percent in the second quarter of 2008 over the
same quarter in 2007. IDC and Gartner say PC sales worldwide rose
from 62 to 71 million systems year over year, and Apple's sales
increased in every market, even as the overall price-per-computer
dropped.
<http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/18/economy-down-pc-sales-up/>
The research firms said Apple sold 38 percent (Gartner) or 32
percent (IDC) more computers compared year over year, pushing it
either into a clear third place after Dell and HP (Gartner), or tied
for third with Acer (IDC), which acquired Gateway and Packard Bell
in the intervening period. Worldwide, HP takes the top spot in
overall market share, followed by Dell, Acer, Lenovo, and Toshiba.
Given that Apple typically keeps its price points about the same,
improving features or reducing the cost of high-end add-ons - like
the MacBook Air's solid-state drive, now $500 cheaper than at its
introduction - this likely means Apple's revenue is higher than
indicated by its roughly 8 percent estimated market share in the
United States. According to Gartner, other firms are cutting prices
steeply, trading market share for revenues.
MobileMea Culpa: Apple Apologizes and Explains Tiger Situation
--------------------------------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9695>
I accept your apology, but I'm speaking only for myself. Last week,
Apple's MobileMe team sent an email to all subscribers of the
$99-per-year service, admitting that the transition from .Mac was
rocky, and that they're sorry about it. So sorry, in fact, that
they're tacking 30 days onto all current subscribers' expiration
dates. (I wrote about the botched .Mac-to-MobileMe transition in
"MobileMe Fails to Launch Well, But Finally Launches," 2008-07-12.)
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/9689>
Also, I received details from Apple on how Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger users
will be able to use MobileMe services.
**Here's $8.25 for Your Troubles** -- The extension of a MobileMe
subscription by 30 days - an $8.25 value - is a nice gesture of
goodwill, even though it hardly covers the lost time I spent coping
with sync problems. I like that Apple 'fessed up and said sorry. It
would have been more meaningful if they'd used standard English
rather than marketing-ese, but you can't have everything.
The 30-day extension is described in an extensive FAQ, the details
of which show that Apple is trying quite hard to show their
contrition. Anyone with an existing .Mac account as of 09-Jul-08 or
who signed up for a new MobileMe account before 7 PM on 15-Jul-08
qualifies, even if your account expired (they've reactivated it), is
about to expire, or you have a trial subscription. The new
expiration date won't appear in your account details for "a few
weeks," Apple writes.
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2408>
Apple also said in the letter that they have been using the term
"push" too broadly to describe MobileMe's technology. In the context
of events, contacts, and mail, push generally means that as soon as
a change is made, a given device or computer is notified to receive
the update if that device or computer is connected to a network.
With MobileMe, Apple had already received some criticism about
labeling its desktop synchronization as push because changes lagged
for up to 15 minutes. The iPhone and me.com Web applications receive
changes immediately, or, if the iPhone is off all networks, as soon
as it resumes its access. Apple says it won't use the term "push"
for its desktop software until the software provides that actual
feature.
**In Tiger, It's Still .Mac, Same Features** -- After I wrote about
how to get updated MobileMe software under Mac OS X Leopard (you
must first go to the .Mac preference pane before the Mac OS X for
MobileMe 1.1 update will appear in Software Update), several readers
asked whether this update would eventually be available for Tiger,
too. The answer: no.
An Apple spokesperson forwarded several details to me about the
Tiger transition. First, the 10.4.11 release is required; I
discovered this earlier today when, during a power outage at my
office, I attempted to use an old iBook that still sported 10.4.10.
To use the MobileMe Web applications, you also need to download
either Safari 3 for Tiger, or use either Mozilla Firefox 2 or 3.
Tiger's last bundled release was Safari 2.
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/safari312fortiger.html>
<http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/>
All previously supported .Mac features that worked in Tiger will
continue to work with MobileMe. Unlike the within-15-minutes
synchronization noted above for Leopard, Tiger will sync only as
frequently as every hour.
Apple posted a KnowledgeBase article with information for Tiger and
Leopard users about how to set up or change email programs to work
with me.com addresses. To continue using old mac.com email
addresses, which will work indefinitely, leave settings alone. To
use a new MobileMe account or the me.com address that .Mac users
were also assigned, follow the instructions in the article.
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2296>
Apple confirmed that Tiger will continue to show .Mac throughout;
they plan no update to change the operating system's terminology to
read MobileMe.
MobileMe's launch spelled an end of Apple-coordinated
synchronization in Mac OS X 10.3 Panther, but, really, did it ever
work well enough that someone is relying on it three years after
Tiger was released? I hope not.
MSN Music Doesn't Kill Future Playability of Purchased Tracks
-------------------------------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9684>
Microsoft blinked on its way to terminating the future capability to
play music purchased from the defunct MSN Music store. On 31-Aug-08,
The company had planned to pull the plug on its authorization
servers, the back-end systems that are required for music owners to
change the set of machines on which their purchased music is allowed
to play. Computers that were already authorized to play music would
still be able to play the music, however; Microsoft wasn't planning
to use what's called "self-help" and disable existing rights and
authorizations. (See "Thank You for Not Playing: Microsoft Expires
DRMed Music," 2008-04-30.)
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/9595>
The company backpedaled a few weeks ago and said that it will keep
its authorization systems running until at least the end of 2011.
Microsoft faced a storm of media and user criticism over the move,
which was nearly the worst-case scenario for those who oppose
restrictive digital rights management. (The worst case is when all
music playing rights would expire, not just the right of transfer
and authorization.)
<http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/06/microsoft-msn-music>
It was clear to observers that Microsoft could also have faced
class-action lawsuits, given the large number of purchasers, the
lack of alternatives (excepting ripping and burning discs, degrading
the music quality), and the unilateral action.
Judges are increasingly handing down negative judgments and fines
against the music industry trade group RIAA. Microsoft had to view
the downside to its move to save most likely a few hundred thousand
dollars a year against millions in defending itself and tens of
millions if they lost a multi-year lawsuit.
Go, Go, Boingo Gadget Hotspot Application!
------------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9685>
The folks at Boingo Wireless play their own game of Katamari Damacy,
rolling up hundreds of disparate Wi-Fi hotspot networks and tens of
thousands of hotspots around the world into one flat-priced
footprint. They have now enhanced support for Mac users with a
lightweight application - GoBoingo - that's designed to make it
easier to connect to hotspots that are part of their network.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katamari_Damacy>
<http://www.boingo.com/download.html>
Before the GoBoingo client was released officially, you could sign
up for a Boingo account and at most hotspots in the company's
network enter your credentials manually. I have subscribed to Boingo
most recently since January 2008, and have used dozens of hotspots
in that more tedious method. (Typically, you have to look for a
partner link on the main gateway page for a hotspot, select Boingo,
and then enter your user name and password.)
GoBoingo has no user interface as such. Once installed, it runs in
the background, and alerts you when a Boingo partner network is in
the vicinity. You then enter your login details - if you haven't
connected before - and you're informed about cost if your plan
requires a payment.
Boingo has two recurring unlimited service options: $22 per month
for about 60,000 hotspots in the United States, or $39 per month for
about 100,000 hotspots worldwide. The company requires no contract.
With a Boingo account, you can also purchase 24-hour passes to the
network for $8, and have it billed to whatever credit card is
associated with your Boingo account.
Readers with long memories will recall that Boingo had a slightly
more complicated Macintosh client a few years ago (see "Boingo for
Macintosh Launches," 2005-01-10). That software apparently continued
to work through Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, but didn't function under 10.5
Leopard.
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/7946>
Precipitate Shines Mac Spotlight into Google's Cloud
----------------------------------------------------
by Adam C. Engst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9682>
Stuart Morgan of Google has released a free Mac OS X preference pane
called Precipitate that enables Spotlight and Google Desktop to
search documents stored in your Google Docs account, along with your
Google Bookmarks.
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2008-07/Precipitate-pane.png>
<http://code.google.com/p/precipitate/>
We've been using Google Docs an increasing amount, and Precipitate
worked fine in my initial Spotlight search tests for finding
documents that exist only online. Clicking a found Google Docs
document in the Spotlight search results opened it in my default
browser, just as you'd expect. If you use either Google Docs or
Google Bookmarks and Spotlight or Google Desktop, give Precipitate a
try.
<http://www.tidbits.com/resources/2008-07/Precipitate-search.png>
Future updates of Precipitate will likely support multiple Google
accounts and some sort of automatic update functionality (so in the
meantime, you'll need to check for updates manually at the
Precipitate page). It's a 904K download and works in Mac OS X 10.5
Leopard; I haven't yet confirmed Tiger compatibility.
Vanity Spreads to Top-Level Domain Names
----------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9669>
We all know about _vanity_ domain names - www dot yourname here dot
com, org, net, info, or otherwise. The Internet authority that
oversees domain names is about to let you get a little more
top-heavy with your vanity, if you have deep enough pockets.
ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) has
voted to move forward on allowing new top-level domains (TLDs),
which form the right-most part of a domain name, like .com, .uk, or
.aero. The original TLDs included .gov, .com, and .org, and expanded
to include all two-letter country codes, such as .au for Australia
and .nu for the island nation of Niue. (If you look at
"www.tidbits.com", .com is the TLD, tidbits is the domain name
registered in the .com hierarchy, and www is the local host name
that defines a real or virtual server.)
<http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gvve1Yb-5RVLc0GTkIwFT6flYwvAD91HR4N80>
For $100,000 to $500,000, a company or an individual could apply for
a TLD. Many years ago, when I worked at Amazon.com, I saw that TLD
proposals were underway, and I suggested Amazon sponsor .book so
that an ISBN number plus .book would result in a search result on
the site. That wasn't possible then, it turned out, but would be
possible under this new regime.
Names could be turned down in a first-pass review if they were
offensive, violated trademarks, or were too similar to an existing
TLD (.con for grifters, perhaps? :-)). There's little information
now about how two companies that want the same generic TLD, like
.book, would work that out. Bidding? First-come, first-serve? Shared
delegated authority? These details are expected to be worked out
between now and about April 2009. The ICANN page on the topic is
unfortunately quite bureaucratic and technical in discussing this
issue.
<http://www.icann.org/topics/new-gtld-program.htm>
Is this change necessary? Hard to say. It can be quite difficult to
find the appropriate domain name for your business, non-profit
organization, social site, or personal domain because of the
exhaustion of generic words, and the vast growth in the use of sites
to pull in advertising dollars through Google AdSense and affiliate
program referrals. Opening up new TLDs could allow ISPs and other
organizations to build a little more wiggle room.
For instance, a soccer organization could register .soccer, and then
work with a registrar to allow both fans and teams to have domains
underneath that. The related problem, though, is that companies
controlling TLDs that have a relationship to their product might be
more ready to yank domain names that have content or engage in
behavior they disagree with. That might run counter to the rules
that ICANN requires for domain name handling.
I could also see some interesting cooperative work emerge. Say 5,000
Mac users wanted to register .fanboy - to take back the pejorative -
and were willing to pony up $20 each, if the TLD cost were $100,000.
That's certainly do-able.
The proposal will also allow the creation of TLDs that don't use
English. Domain names and TLDs currently are limited to a through z,
and 0 through 9; domain names can also include one or more hyphens.
An obscure system currently allows a kind of mapping for non-English
characters and letters, and ICANN has been working on a way to allow
a more straightforward encoding method. They started testing this in
October 2007. (See "ICANN Tests Non-Roman Characters in Domain
Names," 2007-10-12.)
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/9235>
Part of the new TLD proposal would allow countries to request their
two-letter code in characters from their native language or
languages. The final report on that proposal was presented at an
ICANN meeting. A draft report on the non-Roman character test was
released on 24-Jun-08.
<http://www.ccnso.icann.org/workinggroups/idn-time-table-19dec07.htm>
<http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-24jun08-en.htm>
The real question, of course, is how long it takes our fearless
leader here at TidBITS to put together enough pennies for .bits.
Hands-Free iPhone Options for the Car
-------------------------------------
by Rick Fay <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9697>
On 01-Jul-08, the state of California made it mandatory to use
hands-free technology for cell calls for all drivers 18 and over who
want to talk while driving. If you're under 18, the restrictions are
even more severe: drivers may not talk on a cell phone through any
means, nor may they type instant messages. This under-18 ban strikes
me as a good idea, as driving accidents are the leading cause of
death for that age group.
This move isn't limited to California, or nearby Washington, which
implemented a similar ban the same day: 20 other states and a number
of countries are looking into or planning similar restrictions on
using cell phones while you're driving, and 10 states and countries
require that cell phones be used with hands-free equipment while
driving. (In Washington state, where two TidBITS editors are
located, text messaging while driving is explicitly banned; in
California, 18-and-up drivers can be pulled over if a police officer
decides the driver is distracted and unsafe.)
<http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html>
I live over the hill from Silicon Valley and travel there frequently
via a winding two-lane highway. Commuters from both the local
university town and Silicon Valley have driven me nuts for years
with their horrible driving habits while talking on cell phones.
Scariest of all are ladies in big SUVs driving in the mall parking
lot.
Once I knew the hands-on ban was on the way, I bought and tried four
different options for hands-free iPhone use. I didn't plan on
getting four different solutions, but that's how many it took to
find one that met my needs. Prices vary from free to $129; you may
find a solution I discarded works for you.
**Apple iPhone Headset** -- The original headset that comes with an
iPhone (free with iPhone, or $29 purchased separately) is a good,
workable solution. A microphone is embedded in the wire leading to
one earbud, about 6 inches (15 cm) down the wire. This square block
also contains an integrated multi-purpose press button. When a call
comes in, squeezing the button answers the call; squeezing it again
at the end of the call hangs up. When you're driving, you don't need
to pick up the phone at all - simply pinch the microphone switch. If
a call comes in while you're listening to music or a podcast, the
audio is paused in favor of your ringtone and then the call itself.
The audio resumes automatically when you hang up.
No one I called reported any interference when I was driving the car
with the window up. Thanks to a windscreen built into the
microphone, they could also hear me over the wind noise with the
window down. I find the earbuds to be comfortable (some people do
not), and the overall wire length is sufficient to lay the iPhone on
the console or car seat.
I don't use the iPhone headset as my main solution (as you'll read
below), but because it came with the iPhone and takes up hardly any
space, I keep it in my car as a backup.
One flaw with the earbuds, however, is that you typically have both
left and right buds in at the same time, which might qualify under
the laws of some states and countries as wearing illegal headphones.
(See "Handsfree iPhone Call Leads to Ticket," 2007-09-13.)
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/9180>
**Plantronics Voyager 520 Bluetooth Headset** -- The Voyager 520 ($99)
fits over one ear and communicates with the iPhone via Bluetooth.
Performance was excellent, with good noise cancelation, and setup
(pairing with the iPhone) was simple. It even comes with a small
desktop charger.
In fact, I loved everything about this headset except for the
discomfort of the piece that sits in the ear canal. I must have a
weird ear canal layout, because wearing it even for a short drive
made me constantly conscious of the headset; there was also enough
irritation to make the inside of my ear sore. And, I must admit, I'm
bothered by people who walk around with Bluetooth headsets
permanently affixed to their ears: you try to ask someone a question
only to find they're talking to someone. Leave the headset in the
car or office.
<http://plantronics.com/north_america/en_US/products/mobile/bluetooth-headsets/voyager-520>
**Belkin TuneCast Auto** -- Belkin's iPhone-to-FM car radio adapter
($79.99) is a clever one-cable system. One end of the cable plugs
into the iPhone (or iPod) and the other end plugs into your car's
cigarette lighter to provide power, which also charges the iPhone.
An FM radio adapter module sits in the middle. When connected and
with your car radio tuned to the FM band, you press the button on
the adapter. It searches for a clear FM channel and then indicates
the specific channel (for example, 89.7) on a built-in LCD. Select
that channel on your car radio, and voila! Your music plays from the
iPhone, but more important for our discussion here, if a phone call
comes in, you hear the other party through that FM channel on your
radio.
<http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=404646>
But that's all it does. You still have to answer and hang up the
iPhone manually, a momentary distraction when driving unless you
also use the Apple iPhone earbuds. There's no microphone, so I used
the iPhone's built-in mic. Plus, when driving around our hilly urban
community or driving some distance along one of the major freeways
in the Bay Area, the FM station reception would change at least once
every few minutes, requiring the unit to search for a clearer FM
channel - at which time you would have to change the radio to that
channel.
Admittedly, the TuneCast Auto wasn't designed as a hands-free
telephone system, but when I could maintain a constant frequency it
served the purpose.
**Monster iCarPlay Cassette Adapter for iPod and iPhone** -- A
similarly unusual but effective approach is to play the iPhone's
audio through your car stereo without relying on the FM band. The
iCarPlay ($24.95) is a cassette adapter and cable that plugs into
the radio's cassette tape slot. (That is, if your car stereo
includes one; many newer cars no longer include a cassette deck,
although some have a stereo mini-jack input on the front.) The sound
quality was excellent, since it wasn't relying on radio reception,
even though a wire runs between the adapter and the iPhone.
<http://www.monstercable.com/productdisplay.asp?pin=4933>
To make the setup hands-free, I also bought the Monster iSoniTalk
Headphone Adapter for iPhone, a small microphone ($19.95) that plugs
into the iPhone and clips to your shirt or, in my case, a small
adhesive hook on the dashboard; the iSoniTalk sits between the
iPhone and iCarPlay. The iPhone then stays in the carrying case I
use in the console of the car. When I get in, I make one connection
to the top of the iPhone and everything is ready to go - no
settings, no fiddling, and no distractions at any time. Hearing
everything (car radio, satellite radio and iPhone music/podcasts)
through the car's speakers is fabulous and cell phone callers have
no sense of my unusual setup through the car stereo.
<http://www.monstercable.com/productdisplay.asp?pin=4571>
This combination turns out to be my favorite, and the one I use all
of the time now as it allows me to handle everything through the car
stereo. It's also the cheapest solution of the ones I tried.
**Parrot Bluetooth Car Kits** -- If you spend a lot of time in the car
and want something more sophisticated, Parrot sells a number of
Bluetooth hands-free speakerphone kits that clip onto the dashboard
or visor. I didn't try any of them, which range in price from
$129.99 to $299.99, since the iCarPlay and iSoniTalk combination
turned out to be the solution for me.
<http://www.driveblue.com/>
**Hands Off** -- With ever more localities moving toward a hands-free
requirement when talking while in motion, I anticipate we'll see
other solutions appear, and the overall cost drop.
[Rick Fay is a 22-year Mac user, writer, wireless video networking
professional, and serious evaluator of technology. He has also used
an iPhone throughout the United States and Mexico since 30-Jun-07.]
Symbian Smartphone Platform Goes Free, Partly Open Source
---------------------------------------------------------
by Glenn Fleishman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9666>
Nokia will buy out the other owners of Symbian, a firm that develops
the same-named smartphone operating system that dominates the
worldwide market for phones that double as palmtop portable
computers. Nokia will sign the software over to a new foundation,
and gradually release parts of the platform under an open-source
license. This move challenges Google's Android platform, developed
as part of a large consortium called the Open Handset Alliance, and
Apple's worldwide push for the iPhone (see "Google's View of Our
Cell Phone Future Is an Android, Not a GPhone," 2007-11-12).
<http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jyW4sR1zdLoZb2u-COOWIrMIRTlwD91GHF001>
<http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/>
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/9291>
**Nokia Builds a Unified Platform** -- Nokia plans to form the
non-profit Symbian Foundation in 2009 that will include some of the
other current minority owners - notably Sony Ericsson and Samsung -
and add massive telcos like Japan's NTT DoCoMo, worldwide carrier
Vodafone (in Europe, India, Australia, and New Zealand), and AT&T in
America. They'll also pick up handset makers LG and Motorola and
chipmaker Texas Instruments (TI). LG, Motorola, NTT DoCoMo, Samsung,
and TI are also members of the Open Handset Alliance, and the three
carriers offer and will offer competing smartphone platforms. AT&T
and Vodafone sell the iPhone 3G.
<http://www.symbianfoundation.org/>
<http://www.symbian.com/about/overview/ownership/ownership.html>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vodafone_market_share>
<http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/oha_members.html>
As part of Nokia's acquisition, a few other smartphone platforms and
variants will be folded into the main Symbian arm, reducing overlap
as well as choices, and ostensibly providing a more robust system by
choosing superior components from each to build into Symbian. This
includes Nokia's internal S60 platform, DoCoMo's MOAP, and UIQ,
owned by Sony Ericsson and Motorola.
A fully revised platform incorporating elements from S60, MOAP, and
UIQ won't ship until 2010, but components will start being released
in 2009, and all future platform development for Symbian and S60
will be forward compatible. One such component slated for 2009 is
the S60WebKit, an already open-sourced component of the S60 platform
that itself relies on the same underlying open-source components in
WebKit used by Apple for its Safari browser and anything in Mac OS X
that renders Web pages and widgets in other programs. WebKit is not
identical to Safari: it acts as the foundation for JavaScript
interpretation and rendering.
<http://opensource.nokia.com/projects/S60browser/>
<http://webkit.org/>
**Symbian Everywhere Except U.S.** -- While we don't know much about
Symbian in the United States, that's an aberration, in part due to
Nokia's lack of interest in creating CDMA phones for Verizon and
Sprint back when CDMA ruled the roost before T-Mobile, Cingular, and
AT&T Wireless built a complementary robust national GSM market.
(Cingular and AT&T Wireless merged and then were folded into the new
AT&T.)
The Symbian platform powered 67 percent of smartphones sold
worldwide in 2007, according to research firm Canalys. In contrast,
Windows Mobile hit 13 percent and Research in Motion's BlackBerry OS
10 percent. In the fourth quarter of 2007, Apple showed up with 7
percent of worldwide sales by platform, while Symbian dropped to 65
percent, Windows Mobile dipped very slightly to 12 percent, and RIM
increased a tad to 11 percent. Linux filled in the remaining 5
percent.
<http://www.canalys.com/pr/2008/r2008021.htm>
In the United States, the BlackBerry OS dominates with 42 percent of
sales last quarter, Apple has 27 percent, and Microsoft 21 percent.
In the Asian-Pacific region, Symbian owns 85 percent of new
smartphone sales, and it has 80 percent in the combined markets of
Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
**Conserving Costs, and Reducing Fees** -- Nokia says all members of
the new Symbian Foundation will receive royalty-free licenses to use
the system. In contrast, Nokia paid $250 million to Symbian for
licenses in 2007, even though they were the 48-percent minority
owner. The $410 million buyout seems to make perfect sense for all
the partners, and it's a way to compete more effectively against
upstarts by reducing reasons _not_ to use Symbian. (Symbian is
privately held, and releases limited financial data, the most recent
being in 2006. While the company booked a large profit in a variety
of categories, it's unclear how much was rebated to shareholders,
and it's also apparent that Nokia will continue to need to fund the
foundation along with its new partners.)
<http://www.symbian.com/about/financial/financial.html>
The Google-backed Android platform has no royalty or license fees.
The alliance behind it has started by releasing application
components under an open-source license, and plans "over time" to
release "more of the code that makes up Android" as open source. The
first Android-based phones are expected to be offered on T-Mobile's
network in late 2008.
<http://code.google.com/android/kb/licensingandoss.html>
Apple, Microsoft, and RIM have software developer kits for
developing software on their platforms, but don't have open-source
policies for their operating systems. (Apple has to release certain
improvements they make to open-source and other code that they
modify and distribute as part of the iPhone's OS, but they aren't
required to release the entire platform, just as with Mac OS X.)
Apple and RIM find themselves in the same camp now, as hardware
makers that also control a platform, compared with Android, Windows
Mobile, and Symbian, which are platforms that can be licensed by any
qualifying handset maker. Neither Apple nor RIM has any conceivable
motivation to license their platforms.
This could put pressure on Microsoft to change the terms and nature
of Windows Mobile royalties and licensing - it charges $14 per phone
today - although it's hard to see what that gains them, as Windows
Mobile phones are designed for tight enterprise integration. With
many of those integration features now in the iPhone, along with
RIM's U.S. market share, the Redmond giant may need to shake up its
plans.
**One Master, One Recipe** -- Nokia has shifted the sands somewhat.
While I'm reminded of Fake Steve Jobs's classic post last year on
the Open Handset Alliance, it seems like this move reduces the
number of cooks involved in Symbian, turning a company with many
masters into a foundation with a single purpose.
<http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/2007/11/its-not-phone-its-alliance.html>
TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 21-Jul-08
---------------------------------------------------------
by TidBITS Staff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9694>
* HP Printer Driver 1.1 from Apple "includes the latest drivers for
printers you have used on your system." Unfortunately, it's unclear
from that description if it merely includes drivers for new HP
printers, or if drivers for existing HP printers have been improved.
(Free, 405.1 MB)
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/hpprinterdriver11.html>
* iPod touch 1.1.5 from Apple applies unspecified improvements to the
iPod touch, most likely security and performance fixes found in the
iPod touch 2.0 software released last week. If you've decided not to
spend the $9.95 to upgrade to version 2.0 - or more likely you're
waiting for Apple to shake out any bugs from this first dot-zero
release - the 1.1.5 update sounds like a good bet. As with other
iPod touch updates, this one is available only through iTunes:
connect your iPod touch, select it in the Devices list, then click
the Check for Update button. (Free, 165 MB)
<http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/>
* Airfoil 3.2.1, Nicecast 1.9.3, and Audio Hijack Pro 2.8.2 from Rogue
Amoeba now all include the Instant Hijack 2.1 update for grabbing
sound from any active application; this update fully supports 64-bit
systems, the company says. Airfoil 3.2.1 has other minor bug fixes,
while Nicecast 1.9.3 and Audio Hijack Pro 2.8.2 update the LAME
encoder for producing MP3 files. Audio Hijack Pro also improves the
MegaMix mode that Rogue Amoeba developed to record sound from Skype
conversations.
<http://www.rogueamoeba.com/airfoil/mac/>
<http://www.rogueamoeba.com/nicecast/>
<http://www.rogueamoeba.com/audiohijackpro/>
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/21-Jul-08
------------------------------------
by Jeff Carlson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9700>
**Thesaurus in Dashboard?** One easily overlooked feature of Dashboard
is that you can drag multiple instances of a widget onto the screen.
(4 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2092>
**MobileMe and Tiger** -- Apple's support for MobileMe is spotty under
Mac OS X 10.4. If you're having trouble syncing, try the suggestions
in this thread. (8 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2093>
**iPhone Email Failure** -- After upgrading to the iPhone 2.0
software, several people encounter problems receiving email. (8
messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2094>
**MobileMea Culpa: Apple Apologizes, Extends, Revises; More on Tiger**
-- Readers discuss the security aspects of MobileMe. (2 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2095>
**MacBook with poor AirPort connection** -- MacBooks typically get
better wireless reception than MacBook Pros, but one woman's
experience suggests otherwise. What else could be going on? (1
message)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2096>
**Duplicate messages in Mail.app** -- What could be the cause of
duplicate messages when the network connection is unreliable? (1
message)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2097>
**Hands Off iPhone Talking in my Car** -- Is an iPhone's headset
illegal to use as a hands-free option? (12 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2098>
**Using a GSM cell phone as a modem** -- The iPhone connects to the
Internet, so why can't it bridge a connection to one's laptop?
Readers discuss other options. (3 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2099>
**iPhone 3G: On the Line in Seattle** -- High interest and iPhone
shortages are resulting in long lines at Apple Stores and AT&T
stores to get the latest iPhone 3G. (5 messages)
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/TidBITS/Talk/2100>
$$
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