MyPhoneRocks dot com

It’s both…

from the comments of my last post…

“is it the manufactures purpose to create those services, create a platform that can let service providers bring their experience to your pocket, or both?”

Both…

Look at this from the perspective of video game consoles. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo all manufacture consoles. Worthless plastic without games, so they provide tools for publishers to make content for their platform. But they also have their own 1st party publishing groups.

Providing a platform and tools for other publishers allows them to scale the business, bring in outside innovation, and diversify some risk. Sony and Microsoft would never have come out with Grand Theft Auto. Even if they would have come up with the idea I’m sure an internal lawyer or someone from their Brand Protection Police would have shot the concept down.

1st party publishing allows them to ensure that there is value for their customers. This is especially important during the early days. Take the Wii for example. Nintendo made Wii Sports and shipped it free with the console. This is still my favorite game. I’ve played through other games from other publishers but I still keep coming back to bowling. They innovated on their own platform and created a valuable experience for their customer… Me.

So the answer is both.
(now give me my advertising revenue

Content is changing our minds

How long has it been since I’ve posted something significant to this blog. One could argue, perhaps never :). But if I consider the answer to be dictated by my own perception, which is my reality, then it’s been quite some time.

When I started writing this blog in May of 2005 I don’t believe content and services was a real decision driver for purchasing a phone. Things like music and games were really just nice to have features. The price of your minutes and number of free text messages were infinitely more important, for example.

Three years later, I think this has changed. Games, music, maps, and access to the internet do make a difference to people outside of the “Early Adopter” demographic. Now it’s becoming increasingly important for people to get good at providing these services, or at least making sure that the best possible experience is available. Then the trick becomes actually doing it, and more importantly, doing it well.

Doing it well, is the hard part, and I think that will be the topic of my next blog post.

Long time no post

My guess is that nobody is reading this blog any longer. I think it’s been a little over a year since I’ve posted anything. At least on this blog. I’ve posted a some of my other blogs though.

3pointlanding.com and Adventurecub.com

So now that this is fixed maybe I’ll start pontificating about mobile again just to keep this going and to keep the text link ad revenue coming in :). That extra 100 bones a month is good stuff.

N95 in Vietnam

My friend Karl recently rode a motorcycle through Vietnam with his N95. He’s uploading all the videos to Blip.tv. You can see the entire stream at KarlLong.blip.tv

But you have to check out this video of him eating a fertilized duck egg. This is some really funny shat

Even mobile games beat the PS3

EA making twice as much money from mobile as from PlayStation 3

Xbox 360 was the publisher’s biggest cash cow with $218 million (£106m), followed by PlayStation 2 ($73m/£35m), Wii ($59m/£29m), and DS ($47m/£23m). But next comes mobile with $37 million (£18m), ahead of PSP ($21m/£10m) and PS3 ($17m/£8m).

All I can say about that is AWESOME!… and I’m still not buying a PS3. Apparently neither is anyone else.

Worth coming out of hiding for this one…

Is this a kinder gentler AT&T speaking out.

The Engadget Interview: Ralph de la Vega, CEO of AT&T Mobility

I actually just want to link to this so that I can reference it later for one reason or another. However, I’m just going to leave this one alone.

On my adventure flight

We are half way to San Francisco from Texas on the adventure flight. We are taking images and videos with the N95, blogging, geo tagging, and generally having a good time.

Check it out at the adventure sight. www.adventurecub.com

iPhone Lawsuit

I’ve been silent for a while, mostly because I’ve been incredibly busy working and preparing for my adventure flight. However, I feel I need to throw my opinion out about what Apple has been doing to their loyal customers.

This is a long post so I’ll get to the point right away.

Apple sold a product for 400 to 600 dollars, didn’t like what people were doing with it, then punished their customers by disabling it, perhaps permanently. In my opinion, they have no right to do that.

Jennifer Bowcock, an Apple spokeswoman, said unauthorized modifications to the iPhone software violated the agreement that people entered into when they bought the phone. I don’t believe that’s true.

When I bought my iPhone I was not informed by the clerk or any posted signs that the exclusive deal between AT&T and Apple extended to me. I never verbally agreed to it and I certainly didn’t sign anything.

I paid for a nice screen, some metal, a bit of software and a radio without signing or agreeing to anything. Now, I own it and I can do anything I want with it as long as I’m not using it to break the law.

J. Noah Funderburg doesn’t seem to agree though. He says in this NY Times article

“Anyone who hacks must know that they are taking certain risks. If they aren’t willing to assume the risks upfront — like a brick iPhone — then maybe they should not hack the device. We have a free marketplace. Buy a product, including using it on the terms accompanying the purchase, or don’t buy it. And learn to live with not always getting everything you want.”

Again, I don’t see where iPhone purchasers agreed to anything at all. There were no warnings or signs posted explaining that by purchasing an iPhone I was agreeing to be bound by an exclusive deal with anyone. As far as “Hacking” is concerned, the DMCA clearly protects your right to unlock the phone for the purpose of lawfully connecting to a wireless telephone communications network.

Here’s the entry from the DMCA

In addition to the safe harbors and exemptions the statute explicitly provides, 17 U.S.C. 1201(a)(1) requires that the Librarian of Congress issue exemptions from the prohibition against circumvention of access-control technology. Exemptions are granted when it is shown that access-control technology has had a substantial adverse effect on the ability of people to make noninfringing uses of copyrighted works.

….
Computer programs in the form of firmware that enable wireless telephone handsets to connect to a wireless telephone communication network, when circumvention is accomplished for the sole purpose of lawfully connecting to a wireless telephone communication network. (A new exemption in 2006.)
….

So here’s what Apple did. They sold a product for 400 to 600 dollars, didn’t like what people were doing with it, then punished their customers by disabling it, perhaps permanently. In my opinion, they have no right to do that.

As a side point, it seems odd to me that Apple would go so far out of their way to so grossly offend their most committed Apple fan boys. But, whatever.

Google patents SMS based transaction ?

Isn’t this already being done?

“The Internet giant filed an application with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office to patent “a computer-implemented method of effectuating a payment” that is initiated when a mobile shopper sends a text message to a computer. Google would perform the requested transaction, debiting the user’s account and crediting the appropriate vendor.”

Super Addictive Game from N-Gage

I have been waiting to talk about this game for a long time. Hooked on Creatures of the Deep is one of the most addictive games I’ve ever played on a phone. I know is sounds completely ridiculous that a fishing game would be so damn fun, but it just is.

By the way, we launched the new N-Gage site last night. Check it out here.

N-Gage rolls out this November. Initially it’s available on these phones; N81, N73, N93, N93i, N95, and N95 8GB. When you get it, this is going to be one of the games you’re going to want to try. Fortunately, you won’t have to take my word for it because all of the games are try before you buy. But after one round of COD you’re going to want to get it.

I’ve been working on games at Nokia, specifically N-Gage, since we launched the taco phone back in 2003. It’s really nice to see games like this roll out for multiple devices utilizing digital distribution. Believe it or not, after 4 brutal years of paying dues to the games industry I’m still really excited about being a part of this industry and part of this launch.

N-Gage is back and better than every!