For what it’s worth, I thought I heard an audience question during MacBreak Weekly from a guy from Alberta mention that Rogers has partnerships with AT&T and Cingular. I have no idea what those partnerships could be about or if they’re true, but there is hope that we may see the iPhone here in Canada.

[…] Yes, there’s still months for this to change, and yes, this is a 1.0, and yes, one reason the iPod became the iPod is because Cupertino retained 100% quality control (up to the point of individual musical taste). So I would completely understand why user-installable applications are off the table. Or why, as my friends have speculated, how third-party functionality might be handled only in a tightly controlled and for-pay way (ala iPod Games). […]

I’m figuring that eventually they’re going to allow 3rd party development, because 1) they made a point of saying it runs OS X, 2) because of the touchscreen, it can have any interface, for anything that could fit in your hand comfortably, and 3) what better developer community could they possibly enlist?

There’d have to be an awfully good reason not to use the programming stuff they already made, and alienate their salivating developers. Give Apple a little time; they’re probably still finishing the final tweaks and parts sourcing. There might be rules for how to get in, but I’ll be really surprised if there aren’t ever any 3rd party applications for the iPhone.

[…] Curse you, Steve Jobs! I’ve been thinking about upgrading my cell phone - looking at smartphones like the Motorola Q and the Samsung Blackjack. As I read reviews, it became clear that these phones have a fatal flaw - they lock up and crash. It comes with the territory - with more complexity and with a general purpose OS, Murphy has bigger opportunities for fun and chaos. So, after thinking about it a bit (and admitting that really, what I need a cell phone for is making phone calls) I’d settled on what I’m callling the unix approach - loosely coupled devices, each good at the thing they are supposed to do. A cell, with 3G capabilities for data, to make phone calls on; maybe a Nokia N800 for data/web connectivity; a headset; and so on - all tied together with Bluetooth. Sounds like a plan. Then comes the announcement of of Apple’s jPhone and I’m overwhelmed by techno-covetousness. It’s still very early - I’ll be very interested to see the reviews - but mein Gott, what eye-candy. It is, for sure, pricey, but if it performs as advertised reliably it will be a contender and may knock my plan all to hell. Sounds like Apple is trying to ensure reliability - they may be using what I’ll call the PS/2 software model. Developers will have to get software blessed by Cupertino before it’ll be available (through the iTunes store?) - maybe, again, not a lot of details - it’s pretty clear, though, that the iPhone won’t be an open platform. Time will tell and the cell decision delay is for the best - with the boy going off to college in the fall on one of the 2 US coasts (TBD), there are likely to be more important cell plan considerations - like coverage and minutes.   […]

Merlin: It’s noh-kia (like Jason said it), not no!-kia.

Otherwise, nice little snippit!

I want to fork out the cash, but being in Canada, it looks like I’m SOL until after Europe and Asia. The Canada iTMS doesn’t offer TV shows or Movies yet, either. I really wish they’d get on global roll-outs more quickly.

I phoned to ask when it would be released in Canada and was told “the same day as in the US” - but the guy didn’t know what carrier, since there is no Cingular in Canada. So my suspicion is that he was talking through his hat.

I’m curious about the following on the iPhone:

1. Voice recording ability for quick input - even with touchscreen, too slow for capturing ideas quickly.

2. Handwriting recogition?? It was apparently built-in to OS X, is the functionality there for those who want it since the iPhone runs OS X?

3. Still have yet to see how it integrates with iCal and displays calendar, todos, etc.

4. Future compatibility with voice recognition and speech-to-text functionality.

5. Durability - Nobody wants to fork out $500 for something that can’t withstand normal wear-and-tear.

Just my 2 cents.

[…] Two recent articles in the New York Times would seem to put to rest — at least for the foreseeable future — any hopes or speculation that the new iPhone will be allowed (nb: I did not say able) to run third-party OS X applications (previously: 43F Podcast: Snell & Gruber on iPhone applications and Let OS X developers at the iPhone. Please.) […]

[…] No answers yet, and you can find good speculation on this at this 43Folders podcast, but I’d like to share a little perspective with you. […]