Funded Development for Touch Devices

• First Venture Capital Funded iPhone Apps: Whrrl, iControl – Mac Rumors

  tags: iPhone, iPod touch, iPhone SDK, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, venture capitalism, investments, software development, Touch devices, Apple, location-based, proximity, home-automation

  • Been waiting for more info about the Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers VCing of software development for Apple’s Touch devices (through the so-called “iPhone SDK”). Their decision to throw so much money in the Touch devices pot sounded like a rather radical move, especially in this climate. But it was possibly a move to wake up a whole industry. Unsurprisingly, the first two products are associated with well-known “Next Big Thing” concepts: location-based recommendations and home automation. – post by enkerli

It’s quite possible that these two projects are more radically innovative than they sound at first blush but they do relate to well-known concepts. I personally have high hopes for location-based services but I wish these services were taken in new directions.

Advertisement

I Want It All: The Ultimate Handheld Device?

In a way, this is a short version of a couple of posts I’ve been planning. RERO‘s better than keeping drafts.

So, what do I want in the ultimate handheld device? Basically, everything. More specifically, I’ve been thinking about the advantages of merging technologies.

At first, I was mostly thinking about “wireless” in general. Something which could bring together WiFi (802.11), WiMAX, and (3G) cellular networks. The idea being that you can get the advantages from all of these so that the device can be online pretty much all the time. It’s a pipedream, of course, but it’s a fun dream to have.

And then, the release of location services on the iPhone and iPod touch made me think about some kind of hybrid positioning system, using GPS, Google’s cellphone-based positioning, and Skyhook‘s Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS).

A recent article in USA Today explains Skyhook’s strategy:

Jobs, iPhone have Skyhook pointed in right direction – USATODAY.com

And the Skyhook site itself has some interesting scenarios for WPS use in navigation, social networking, content management, location-specific marketing, gaming, and tracking. It seems rather clear to me that positioning systems in general have a rather bright future. I also don’t really see a reason for one positioning system to exclude the others (apart from technological and financial issues).

Positioning will be especially useful if it ever becomes really commonplace. Part network effect, part glocalization.

Of course, there are still several issues to solve. Including privacy and safety concerns. But a good system would make it possible for the user to control her/his positioning information (when and where the user’s coordinates are made available, and how precise they are allowed to be). Even without positioning systems, many of us have been using online mapping services (including Google Maps) to reveal some details about our movements. Typically, we’re fine with even perfect strangers knowing that we’ve been through a public space in the past yet we may only provide precise and up-to-date location details to people we trust. There’s no reason a positioning system on a handheld device should only work in one situation.

Now, I’m not saying that positioning is the “ultimate handheld device’s killer app.” But positioning is the kind of feature which opens up all sorts of possibilities.

And, actually, I’ve been thinking about GPS devices for quite a while. Unfortunately, most of them are either quite expensive or meant almost exclusively for car navigation or for outdoor activities. As a non-wealthy compulsive pedestrian who hasn’t been doing much outdoors in recent years, a dedicated GPS device never seemed that reasonable a purchase.

But as a semi-nomadic ethnographer, I often wished I had an easy way to record where I was. In fact, a positioning-enabled handheld device could be quite useful in ethnographic fieldwork. Several things could be made easier if we were able to geotag field material (including fieldnotes, still pictures, and audio recordings). And, of course, colleagues in archeology have been using GPS and GIS for quite a while.

Of course, any smartphone with a positioning system could help. Apple’s iPhone is one and we already know that smartphones compatible with Google’s Android will be able to have location-based functionalities. Given Google’s lead in terms of maps and cellphone-based positioning, those Android devices do sound rather close to the ultimate handheld device.

Optimism From OLPC

To say the least, I’ve been ambivalent about the One Laptop Per Child project. And I was not alone in my OLPC discomfort.

But now, I feel optimistic. Not about the OLPC project. But because that project is enabling something important.

Music, Coffee, Digital Life

“These are a few of my favourite things…”

I keep thing that music and coffee have a lot to do with one another. I’m also a wannabe geek. So I’m quite interested in the recently-announced Apple/Starbucks partnership to distribute music via wireless connections.

Apple – iTunes – Starbucks

Haven’t read much discussion about this deal yet. After all, the iPod touch is generating a lot more buzz. But I think this partnership can lead to something.

Makes a lot of sense, this deal. Brand recognition. Co-branding. New avenues for music distribution. “Physical locations” and computer networks. Music discovery through exposure. Impulsive buying. Selling an ambiance.

As it so happens, I’ve been a fan of many Apple products. I’m not a total Apple fanboy. And I’m certainly not an “unconditional” of the company. But I do tend to be overly enthusiastic about some products they release and the approach they’re taking. I did get contracts as a campus representative for Apple about ten years ago. And I have high hopes for the company. So, I think this can be a good thing for Apple and I’m looking forward to that, even if it doesn’t change anything in my life.

I’m also an ethnomusicologist and a musician. I care about people’s enjoyment of music. And I care about musicians making a living through their musical activities. Because this can mean increased music sales, “I’m all for it.” Of course, I have some reservations about the way the iTunes music store works. But the basic principle makes a lot of sense and is pretty much musician-friendly.

I care a lot about cafés. I do think they’re important locations for a lot of things to happen. I even take notes about what I think the ideal café would be for me. And I celebrate the opening of new cafés where I live. So I think my love for cafés is well-served by an association with music. I had been thinking about a similar system for a while now, thinking that cafés would be great places to “diffuse” music. So I can’t complain that this dream I had is being fulfilled.

The only thing is, I have a thing about Starbucks. Not that I think it’s the most evil company in the world. But I dislike a lot of the effects they’ve had on the world of coffee. Some of their business tactics are very close to bullying so I enjoy it when they lose to a café owner. I also find the quality of their coffee to be subpar. Contrary to what many people in the United States seem to feel, I don’t get the impression that Starbucks increased my ability to get quality coffee. In fact, because of Starbucks and other café chains, I feel that coffee has often decreased in quality and certainly in diversity since Starbucks started its “worldwide” expansion. I’m not anti-globalisation. But I’m against the bulldozing of café culture.

Not to mention that I prefer local initiatives to provide free WiFi connections to local communities to T-Mobile’s restrictive business model.

So, though the partnership between the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store and Starbucks should fill me with joy, I feel sad that Starbucks had to be the target of this deal. It makes a lot of sense and I understand Apple couldn’t have a more appropriate partner in the deal. But I would prefer a move toward broad partnerships across a wide range of people. Who knows, maybe this will spark a movement by online music distribution system (besides iTunes), wireless providers (besides T-Mobile), and cafés (besides Starbucks) to connect music listening and café-going in new ways.

It’s not the whole world that’s consolidating in a few multinational conglomerates.

Techno Lust

Yes, I tend to be overly enthusiastic. Granted, I know exactly nothing about it yet. Sure, I’ve been influenced by the years of rumours. Not to mention the iPhone hype.

But I still feel like I really need one of these.

Apple – iPod touch

Really, I do.

I’m much less of a gadget freak people think I am. I just need several devices to do what I do. And this could be it.

Much more so than an iPhone. I don’t need an iPhone. I need an iPod touch. I need a WiFi enabled music player based on the iPod. I know why but I don’t need to justify myself. I’m just being honest.