Developing for the iPhone OS: App Store vs. Web Apps 3
Distributing internal native apps also requires provisioning all iPhone OS devices within the organization with security certificates indicating that those devices are allowed to run internal apps. While the current iPhone OS doesn't make deploying either the security credentials or the apps themselves as quick and easy as most systems administrators would like, it can be done.
And it's slated to become much simpler with iPhone OS 4.
Another option for enterprise environments that utilize terminal services such as Citrix are iPhone and iPad apps that allow access to virtual desktops and applications. For an organization already using such technology, products like the Citrix Receiver deliver the same level of access as a Mac, PC or other thin client. (Citrix Receiver is free in the App Store and includes demo environments for evaluation purposes.) The small screen size of the iPhone and iPod Touch imposes some limitations, though Citrix and third-party companies provide a range of ways to present data and enterprise apps in a smartphone-oriented format that can also be used with other mobile platforms, including Android, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile.
For many organizations, though, a thin-client approach might work best with the iPad. In fact, most of the medical field use of the iPad so far seems to revolve around Citrix for the ease of integration and compliance with security requirements related to HIPPA. Although the medical field seems to be pioneering these moves, they can easily be applied to a range of businesses seeking easy integration while providing secure access to data without physically storing it on the device.
Choosing the best approach
Obviously, the right answer for any individual or company depends on a variety of factors, chief among them the skills available and the ultimate goals for the app(s) they want to produce. For many, the goal of developing a task-oriented app or game will mean developing a native app for the App Store; others who are looking to focus on distribution of content, interoperability with other mobile platforms, and integration with existing systems, will find that a Web app more easily meets their needs.
There is no definitive answer for every person or company looking to provide content, solve a problem, offer entertainment or even make money, but weighing the pros and cons of each approach can shed light on the best avenue for a particular project:
Developing for the iPhone OS: App Store vs. Web Apps 2
Native applications -- those created using the Apple Xcode development environment -- obviously offer developers a broader range of features. But developing native apps for distribution via the App Store also means obeying all of Apple's guidelines and purchasing a $99-per-year iPhone developer membership. It also requires a knowledge of the Objective-C programming language and a familiarity with Xcode.
The pros and cons
Deciding whether to create a Web or native app depends on a number of factors. First and foremost is the ability and willingness to learn to write Objective-C code and use the Xcode environment. For experienced Mac developers, there's very little learning curve, since the underpinnings of the iPhone OS and Mac OS X are essentially the same. However, for anyone without that kind of experience, Objective-C and Xcode can be a bit daunting, which is why developers liked RunRev and Adobe's Flash Packager for iPhone, both of which offered an easier learning environment, before Apple changed the development rules for iPhone OS 4.
For those organizations simply looking to present content in an iPhone OS-specific format or to tie into existing Web-enabled resources like personal information managers or databases, there's an advantage in going with a Web app. Development will likely be easier and quicker, these types of uses generally won't require a lot of advanced features, and they rely largely on commonly used Web technologies. Take a look at Apple's Web app directory for examples of what can be achieved.
For sites that use WordPress as a blog tool or content management system, creating a Web app is even easier: There's as a WordPress plug-in that automatically formats content as a Web app for the iPhone OS and other mobile platforms such as Android, Palm webOS and the Blackberry Storm. It's freely available, and it works. Just head to Ryanfaas.com on a supported device.
Although Apple supports Web apps, it doesn't maintain the degree of control over them that it does with native apps. That's largely because Web apps are essentially specially formatted Web pages. As a result, Web apps are free from any of Apple's requirements for native apps. Google actually used this as a solution after Apple refused to rule on its Google Voice app.
For developers who want to create more-robust apps -- including those that take advantage of more iPhone OS core features and APIs -- Web apps can be constraining. Those limitations will be even more noticeable with the release of iPhone OS 4, which will offer a wide range of new features for native-app developers. Native apps also don't require hosting the app on a Web server like Web apps, which, depending on the popularity of the app, could get rather expensive.
Web apps also can't be monetized as easily as native apps, for which developers can set a purchase price and prices for in-app purchases that deliver additional features and content. In picking which direction they want to go, developers have to settle on an ultimate goal: Is their application designed primarily to make money or simply to offer up content or information?
Business, education and internal app development
The calculus on Web apps vs. native apps changes a bit if you're creating apps only for internal use at an organization. Apple's enterprise iPhone developer program exists for creating native apps that will not be submitted to the App Store. At $299 a year, the program is more expensive than the general developer program, but it allows organizations to internally develop and distribute native apps. Since the apps don't need App Store approval, they aren't bound by all the requirements of commercially developed apps (though they still require a working knowledge of Apple's development tools).
Developing for the iPhone OS: App Store vs. Web Apps
Apple's App Store approval process has always been a bit controversial because of the level of control the company holds over what types of applications are allowed in. Initially, there were concerns that Apple rejected apps because they duplicated functionality the company already offered or was planning to build into the iPhone OS -- not because the submitted apps wouldn't run according to the company's specifications.
After this winter's purge of apps that could be construed as adult in nature, the controversy ballooned as both developers and consumers objected to Apple imposing its morality on them and limiting free speech. Although Apple argues that the move is to protect children and teens perusing the App Store (a laudable goal), many felt that such protection could be enforced with better parental controls or by creating an 18+ (or even 21+) section of the App Store.
The controversy over Apple's iron-clad control ratcheted up again after the company announced and previewed parts of the iPhone OS 4, which was unveiled in April and will be front and center at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference. In addition to the many new features in the next-generation iPhone OS 4 -- and the opening of many new APIs to developers -- the company also amended its developer agreement to block the use of any software development tools other than Apple's own Xcode. That's what really added fuel to the company's feud with Adobe over Flash.
The decision seemed mainly aimed at Adobe's Flash Packager for iPhone, which allowed applications created in Flash to be converted to native Objective-C code matching the parameters for inclusion in the App Store. However, the ban on cross-compiled apps went beyond Adobe and Flash. RunRev, which had been planning to offer a HyperCard-like development environment for quick and easy app creation, was also left out in the cold.
The end result: Anyone thinking about offering an iPhone app has to decide whether to create a Web-based app or use Apple's development tools, which only run on a Mac, require membership in Apple's iPhone developer program and must adhere to its App Store policies -- policies that sometimes change with little warning.
What's an app developer to do? Read on.
The difference between Web and native apps
Initially, Web apps were the only way for developers to create iPhone-specific applications; they were supported a few months after the iPhone's initial release in 2007. They allowed Web developers to create Web sites specifically formatted for the iPhone's relatively small touch screen. Working with dynamic coding options specific to the iPhone, Web developers could use HTML, CSS and JavaScript to create Web-based applications that mirrored the look and feel of the apps Apple included with the iPhone. Launched alongside the new Web-clip feature that allows users to place bookmarks as icons on the iPhone's home screen, the effect was very much like creating a workable iPhone application -- albeit one that required an Internet connection over Wi-Fi or AT&T's network (which, at the time was limited to the older and slower EDGE network).
Web apps were a stop-gap measure between the original closed iPhone OS and its first major upgrade in 2008, which allowed developers to create third-party apps and introduced the App Store for them to show off their wares. At first, third-party apps were somewhat limited. But with succeeding OS updates, Apple offered more capabilities, and today third-party apps can even access part of the iPhone's core features, such as using the GPS capabilities of the iPhone 3G and 3GS to acquire location information.
What to expect from Apple and Steve Jobs at WWDC
Within hours, Apple CEO Steve Jobs will walk onto a San Francisco stage and pitch his company's newest products.
But what's he going to shill and shuck? After all, didn't Gizmodo spill the pot o' beans in April when it grabbed the Web's attention -- and Apple's -- with the iPhone prototype?
True, but there's still plenty we don't know about Jobs' keynote at the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), ranging from the official confirmation of Gizmodo's findings to the date when Apple will ship the iPhone OS 4 upgrade.
Based on conversations with analysts and experts over the last several months, we think we have some answers to the outstanding questions.
Will Jobs pull a new iPhone from his pocket? Does a bear use the great outdoors for his personal Port-A-Potty?
Not only has Apple unveiled a new iPhone at the last two WWDCs -- though Jobs was absent last year -- but the clues this year have piled up faster than a tween's cell phone overage charges. Last week's naming of today by AT&T as the official start of its new capped data plans was only the most recent one.
Will I be able to buy a new iPhone today? Depends on what you mean by 'buy.'
The chance you'll have one in hand by day's end is slim-to-none. But we're assuming Apple follows protocol, and makes it available for pre-order today from its online store.
When will the new iPhone hit Apple's stores? Jobs knows. We don't.
But by again turning to the short historical record, the iPhone could go on sale at retail and reach customers who pre-ordered as early as June 18 or as late as July 9, assuming the time between WWDC and on-sale are identical to 2009 and 2008, respectively.
Bet on an early Friday launch: It's Apple's favorite day of the week for new iPhones, and Apple has opened stores significantly early to accommodate eager customers.
What's it going to cost me? The same as before.
Most analysts have bet that Apple will keep prices at $99, $199 and $299 -- unless it throws a curveball and announces a Verizon iPhone at the same time -- with the bottom price occupied by last year's now-retired iPhone 3GS. Wal-Mart has already started selling the iPhone 3GS for $97 to undercut Apple's expected price, and Apple stopped taking orders of 2008's $99 iPhone 3G last week.
Those are U.S. prices -- your mileage may vary if you're outside the borders -- and they will undoubtedly require a two-year contract with love-to-hate AT&T.
Will Jobs announce a new U.S. carrier partner, maybe Verizon? Not likely. The consensus by analysts is that if Apple does end AT&T's exclusive U.S. deal, it won't do that until later this year or sometime in early 2011.
Will the new iPhone have a faster processor, more storage space? The first is a near-certainty if you believe the Vietnamese forum that posted a quick-and-dirty teardown of what it said was a preview fourth-gen iPhone.
The mid-May report out of Vietnam claimed that the next iPhone sports the same Apple-designed A4 SOC (system on a chip) that runs the iPad media tablet, something a U.S. hardware expert said made perfect sense.
As for more storage space, the bets are that Apple will keep to the 16GB and 32GB configurations it's used before. The prototype touted by the Vietnamese site was marked as a 16GB model on the back, for example.
What about iPhone OS 4? What will Apple divulge today? A surprise or two.
While Apple previewed the new mobile operating system in March, it's fond of holding back a few features to trumpet. We expect no less today.
Thanks to AT&T, we know that iPhone OS 4, as suspected, supports tethering.
High on the not-yet-publicized-by-Apple list is video chat, with that assumption being driven by the front-facing cameras on the leaked prototypes. Several analysts have gone on the record saying that video is Apple's most likely next service move, and AT&T's capping of new data plans is another clue that video chat is probably imminent.
When can I download iPhone OS 4? Jobs will tell us later today. But if we had to bet, we'd bet on next week.
Last year, Apple rolled out iPhone OS 3 on June 17, two days before the June 19 sale date for the new iPhone 3GS. Apple separated the upgrade from the new iPhone in 2009 after a debacle the year before when it rolled out both on the same day, a move that brought Apple's servers to their knees as users clamored for the update and new phones were activated in AT&T and Apple retail stores.
If Apple sets June 18 as the sale data for the next iPhone, figure iPhone OS 4 landing on Wednesday, June 16.
It's not all about the iPhone, is it? Pretty much.
But Apple's also used WWDC to plug new non-iPhone products. Last year, for example, Apple's marketing guy, Philip Schiller, announced a sweeping overhaul of the company's laptop line, set the price of the upcoming Snow Leopard operating system at $29, and launched Safari 4, the next version of its Mac and Windows browser.
With laptops having been refreshed in April and May, and no new OS in the air, the best chance of a it's-not-an-iPhone announcement involves Safari. The French site MacGeneration started the Safari 5 rumors rolling.
Other rumors have circulated that Apple will update its Mac Mini line and/or Apple TV. Another possibility: The iMac line, last relaunched last October, is overdue for an overhaul -- or at least some noteworthy tweaks.
Will Gizmodo be at WWDC to confirm its "lost" iPhone speculations? No, said the site's top editor, Brian Lam.
Last Friday, Lam announced that Apple had ignored the site's request for a pass to WWDC's keynote -- the only part of the conference open to the press. At the same time, Lam asked for volunteers to help Gizmodo cover Jobs' speech.
Sounds like retribution to us.
When will we know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? That's too existential for us, but as for what Apple says publicly, Jobs will kick off WWDC at 10 a.m. PT, 1 p.m. ET.
Computerworld will offer updates about today's iPhone and iPhone OS 4 details emerge shortly after Jobs concludes his presentation.
Apple unveils iPhone 4, touts 'FaceTime' video chat
Apple today unveiled the iPhone 4, touting it as the "biggest leap" since the company's original model of 2007 and saying it would go on sale in the U.S. and four other countries on June 24.
"This is more of the kind of enhancements they usually do, and none of them is a blockbuster, but I agree that it's the biggest step since the [2007] iPhone," said Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research.
The debut of the iPhone 4 and the availability date for iOS 4, the new name for what the company had called iPhone OS 4, came at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which CEO Steve Jobs kicked off Monday in San Francisco.
Jobs covered several of the new smartphone's and operating system's features, including a much sharper display, Apple's new iAd mobile advertising platform, and video capture and video chat.
The last was saved for Jobs' now-famous "One more thing..." near the end of his time on stage, when he placed a video call to Jonathan Ive, Apple's head of design. "You know, I grew up with the Jetsons and video calls," Jobs said to Ive. "And now it's real."
Dubbed "FaceTime" by Apple, the video chat feature works only between iPhone 4 smartphones, and during 2010, only via a Wi-Fi connection on each end. "We need to work a little bit with the carriers" before video calling can migrate to cellular data networks, Jobs admitted.
"They're positioning this as completely divorced from all the other video chat that's out there," said Gottheil. "They're positioning this as something completely different from, say, the Skypes of the world." Even so, Gottheil expects that Apple will provide video chat links between the iPhone and its desktop-bound Mac OS X client, iChat, in the near future.
"Apple wants to build a wall around [its] own ecology," said Gottheil.
The 32GB iPhone 4 will sell for $299; a 16GB model will go for $199. Both will be sold by Apple and AT&T at brick-and-mortar and online stores, and at Best Buy and Wal-Mart stores. Apple is also retaining the 8GB version of the iPhone 3GS, and starting June 24 will sell that older model for $99.
All iPhones sold in the U.S. require a two-year commitment to AT&T service. AT&T, however, will waive its usual contract restrictions and allow any current subscriber who would be due for an upgrade in 2010 to purchase an iPhone 4 starting this month.
Apple will take pre-orders on the iPhone in the U.S., France, Germany, Japan and the U.K. beginning June 15, and start selling them in those same countries nine days later.
"People are going to go out and buy this thing in droves," said Ken Dulaney, an analyst for Gartner Research. "Apple will get not just the additive buyers, but also the repeat customers," he said, pointing out the waiver AT&T is giving subscribers.
Apple's iPhone 4 will be powered by iOS 4, the partial-mutlitasking operating system that the company previewed in April. Current owners of the iPhone 3G and 3GS will be able to download the operating system as a free upgrade starting June 21. As most expected, iOS 4 will not be available for users of the first-generation iPhone.
Jobs trumpeted iOS 4 as "the most advanced mobile operating system in the world," while he covered some of the same feature ground he did in April, including restricted multitasking, folders, and better data protection. Among the few new features not confirmed before: The addition of Microsoft's Bing as a search engine choice for users. "Microsoft has done a great job on this," said Jobs.
One of the most interesting moments during Jobs' keynote was when his iPhone 4 refused to load a page. "I'm sorry guys, I don't know what's going on," said Jobs during the glitch. "Got any suggestions?" After someone in the audience shouted out "Verizon!" Jobs replied: "We're actually on Wi-Fi here." Later, Jobs asked reporters and bloggers in the hall to put down their laptops so Apple could have sole use of the Wi-Fi network.
Jobs spent considerable time describing the iPhone 4's increased pixel density, calling it a "magic number" that renders sharper text, images and video. "Once you use a Retina Display, you can't go back," said Jobs, referring to Apple's name for the new technology. iPhone 4's 960-by-640-pixel display -- it's the same 3-by-5-in. screen as in previous models -- also offers four times the contrast of the iPhone 3GS, Jobs said.
As expected, the iPhone 4 is powered by the same Apple-designed A4 SOC (system on a chip) that runs the iPad media tablet, and will come in the familiar 16GB and 32GB storage capacity configurations.
Apple also swapped out the older 3-megapixel camera in the iPhone 3GS for a 5-megapixel camera that for the first time not only takes still images, but captures video. "We think we have a great camera," said Jobs, who added that the camera will grab HD-quality 720p video at 30 frames-per-second. To support the camera's video-capture capability, Apple will sell an iPhone version of iMovie, its consumer-grade video editing software, for $4.99 on the App Store.
Developers get their hands on the "gold master," the final build of iOS 4, today.
To Gottheil, the most striking aspect of Jobs keynote was when the CEO stressed that there would be 100 million installations of its mobile operating system around the world by the end of this month.
"That's triple the number of Mac OS installations," Gottheil said. "This is the platform of the future. This is what real people need instead of a computer."
Dulaney agreed. "Not everyone owns a [personal computer], but everyone owns a phone," he said. "[Mobile] is the browsing engine in the world, not computers.
'One more thing' ... iPhone 4 gets FaceTime video chat
As expected, Apple on Monday revealed video chat functionality on its newest smartphone, the iPhone 4, which features a front-facing camera, although it only works over Wi-Fi.
The video-calling software, called FaceTime, was announced by CEO Steve Jobs, in accordance with his "one more thing" tradition of revealing blockbuster technologies at the very end of his keynote addresses at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference.
In addition to only working over Wi-Fi, FaceTime only works from one iPhone 4 to another. Users can automatically switch from the front-facing camera focused on their faces to the rear-facing camera -- to show others what they are seeing -- with a simple screen touch.
Analysts said Apple might reveal later whether Skype video calling and other third-party video chat software could be supported. Jobs said the FaceTime software will be made into an open industry standard, which could, theoretically, allow connections from devices other than Apple products.
But the fact that FaceTime will work only on iPhone 4 devices could be a way of building some product cachet as the concept catches on, said Kevin Burden, an analyst at ABI Research.
"We've had some video-chat and video-calling capabilities before, but now Apple is saying, 'Here is FaceTime, and only you iPhone 4 people get to use it,' which could help build a user community, since some people like being in a somewhat exclusive group," Burden said.
However, Burden said, because FaceTime will only work within iPhone 4 products and only with Wi-Fi, enterprise interest in that functionality will be severely limited. "[Apple is] saying, if you want this functionality you have to invest in this technology," Burden said. He said he doubts that a large company would want to invest in the iPhone 4s to get video chat functions, since they won't interoperate with other devices.
"I don't see any major benefit to business users with FaceTime," added Jack Gold, an analyst at J.Gold Associates. "Even for consumers, after using it once or twice, will you continue to use it?"
But other analysts say FaceTime will catch on, especially with consumers at first. "I don't think enterprises are clamoring for [video chat] right now, but consumers drive the enterprise, and it will take off," said Ken Dulaney, a Gartner analyst.
"Businesses could use [FaceTime] in some cases," he said. "Maybe doctors."
Ezra Gottheil, an analyst at Technology Business Research, said Apple seems to be positioning its FaceTime and iPhone 4 front-facing camera to a wide buying audience, as opposed to only consumers or business users.
"At this point, it looks pretty consumer-oriented and [works] only between two iPhone 4s," Gottheil said. However, the technology could have wider adoption if the front-facing camera is included in the realm of APIs that developers could link into third-party video chat programs, such as Skype. "Restricting it to iPhone 4 users is [Apple's] way of getting started," he said.
Gottheil said the possibility of connecting iPhone 4 users to a video and audio streaming service through Apple's upcoming data center in North Carolina could be made in a future announcement. He noted that Jobs talked about using Pandora, a third-party streaming music program, in a multitasking manner, but not Apple's own streaming service.
"FaceTime is somewhat what I expected, but I expected to hear more about APIs and an appeal to developers about video chat, so maybe this is Apple's way of kind of building a critical mass for [video chat]," Gottheil added.
IPhone multitasking and the newly announced iMovie for iPhone video-editing application will be used hand in hand by video chat users, Gottheil said. Jobs also introduced a higher-resolution Retina display that will aid in video playback and video chat.
"Clearly, Apple is providing the [video chat] platform with what looks to be better-than-Skype quality, so they are starting to seed the market with video chat users," Gottheil said. "They seem to be wanting to become what Kodak used to be to photos, with video chat for all and not just geeks."
The fact that only Wi-Fi is being used for video chat at first is Apple's acceptance of the reality that Wi-Fi works faster than 3G cellular, analysts said. In his presentation, Jobs said Apple is working with cellular providers to prepare their networks to work with FaceTime.
Dulaney said the new model is Wi-Fi-only likely because AT&T needs to more fully upgrade to HSPA+, which offers a faster network speed. At one point, in reference to other functions in iPhone 4, Jobs said the HSPA speeds are expected to be 7.2Mbit/sec. for downlinks and 5.8Mbit/sec. for uplinks.
AT&T, the exclusive iPhone carrier in the U.S., has repeatedly called attention to its improvement to HSPA+, adding software and fiber-optic connections to cell towers, but the rollout is expected to last into next year, which could indicate when cellular-based FaceTime would be offered.
Jobs had to ask conference attendees several times during his presentation to stop using Wi-Fi so that all the iPhone 4 applications onstage could be demonstrated. However, Gottheil said Wi-Fi would be able to support video chat functions well, noting that many in the audience were using several Wi-Fi devices, and even base stations, that would connect to other Wi-Fi devices, accounting for much more bandwidth consumption than in a typical Wi-Fi zone.
AT&T's account site crumbles under iPhone owner load
AT&T's account management site went dark Monday after Apple announced that its U.S. partner would waive contract requirements to allow more customers to upgrade to the new iPhone 4 this month.
The site came back online at about 5 p.m. ET.
Earlier attempts by Computerworld to reach the wireless account management section of AT&T's Web site were stymied shortly after Apple CEO Steve Jobs wrapped up his presentation of the new iPhone.
The resulting messages ranged from a cryptic "No backend server available for connection: timed out after 100 seconds or idempotent set to OFF" to the more understandable "Maintenance In Progress" and "Due to a system upgrade the site is temporarily unavailable."
During the keynote at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Jobs said that AT&T was relaxing the usual requirement that bars customers from purchasing a new smartphone at a subsidized price until their contract has expired, or has almost expired. Instead, AT&T will offer the iPhone 4 for $199 or $299 to all customers who would have been eligible for a subsidized phone anytime this year.
"Any existing iPhone customer eligible for an upgrade between today and the end of this year will be eligible for our best pricing for iPhone 4, $199 and $299, with a two-year term commitment," AT&T said in a statement issued shortly after Jobs left the WWDC stage.
AT&T urged customers to check their revised upgrade eligibility on the company's Web site or by dialing *639# (star-639-pound) from their iPhone.
"We know that people are eager to get iPhone 4, which is why we moved up the upgrade eligibility date for current iPhone customers by up to six months," Ralph de la Vega, CEO of AT&T Mobility, said in a statement Monday. "This move, combined with the new wireless data plans we announced last week, will make it more affordable for more people to purchase an iPhone and enjoy the benefits of the mobile Internet."
Starting today, AT&T dumped its three-year-old $30 per month unlimited data plan for new iPhone subscribers. Instead, it is offering two new capped-data plans, a $15 deal that comes with a 200MB monthly data allowance, and a $25 plan that includes 2GB of data usage each month. The carrier announced the change last week.
Current subscribers can retain the $30 unlimited data plan indefinitely, AT&T has promised, as long as they don't add tethering to their service.
Customers ineligible for a subsidized iPhone can purchase an iPhone 4 for $200 extra: $399 for a 16GB model, $499 for 32GB. To buy an iPhone 4 without a contract commitment, consumers must pay $599 for a 16GB phone or $699 for the beefier 32GB device.
Is there a replacement for Facebook?
Facebook claims to have more than 400 million active users. In fact, according to Web analytics firm Alexa, only Google is a more popular site. So, with all that going for it, why are so many users unhappy, with one poll showing that more than half of Facebook users are thinking about leaving?
The one-word answer: privacy. By default, Facebook has made almost everything on your account open to the world. You can lock down your Facebook account, but it's a tedious process.
New tools unveiled this week are designed to make this easier, but the next time Facebook changes its policies and system, you may need to do it all over again. There are also external tools that can check out just how secure your account is, but again, when Facebook changes its software, they may not work.
Last Monday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg finally admitted that Facebook has made some mistakes. Some users are staying put despite their distrust of the company. But others think it's too little too late and are talking loudly about leaving. There's even a group that has announced that May 31 is Quit Facebook Day.
Will a significant percentage of Facebook users actually leave? No matter its faults, Facebook has a huge user base, and those users, in turn, have all their friends on the service, all their photos and, yes, even all their Farmville farms. Will that many people really want to abandon Facebook and start all over with a new platform?
They have before. In social networking's early days -- all of five years ago -- Friendster, MySpace and Xanga all had their days in the sun. Now those once-popular social networks are in decline.
There are, of course, the other existing social networks. But some, like MySpace and LiveJournal, seem to have missed their moment. Others, such as the professional-oriented LinkedIn, have established a specific niche or, like Twitter, address different needs.
The alternatives
A group of would-be Facebook replacements have recently raised their hands, hoping that enough disenchanted users will see them as viable alternatives. Some are already out there, some are in beta, and some have hardly gotten past the
Who are these players, and do any of them have what it takes to become the next big social network?
Appleseed
While this open-source project is still in beta, it's an interesting take on social networking. Instead of being under the control of one company and one set of administrators, Appleseed works via a distributed server software package tied together with the ASN (Appleseed Social Network).
That means that as a user, you select and log into an Appleseed site. Once there, you connect with friends, send messages, share photos and videos, join discussions and participate in all the usual social networking stuff. Don't like the specific Appleseed site you're on? Then sign up for a different one and, according to the site, "immediately reconnect with everyone in your network."
It sounds good, but I can't help but notice that even though the program is officially in beta, I couldn't find any ASN sites to log into yet.
In a recent New York Times article, Michael Chisari, an Appleseed developer, said that the project is six months away from opening its doors to the public. It looks promising, but I'm not holding my breath on seeing Appleseed give Facebook serious competition anytime soon.
Diaspora
Diaspora, for all the headlines it's gotten, is still not much more than an idea. Mind you, with almost $200,000 of support from thousands of donors at Kickstarter.com, it's also a very popular idea.
Technically, Diaspora sounds a lot like Appleseed. It's also going to be built from open-source software, and it's going to be a distributed network server application. More power to them, but at least Appleseed already has some code.
Elgg
Along with these fledgling projects, there's an open-source social network software platform that's already available and working: Elgg. However, there is a fundamental difference between Elgg and these other networks: Rather than being a social network, Elgg is designed for companies and groups to run their own social networks.
You can either run your own Elgg installation -- according to the Web site, the developers will be happy to help you --- or you can host your site with a provider that specializes in Elgg sites. Starting later this summer, you'll also be able to host it on Elgg.com itself.
While businesses and social groups may find Elgg interesting, it's not really a Facebook competitor in and of itself. Of course, if someone were to decide to use Elgg as the foundation for a Facebook challenger, that would be a different story. I'd be very surprised if someone doesn't try it.
Lorea
Lorea describes itself as "a project to create secure social cybernetic systems, in which human networks will become simultaneously represented on a virtual shared world." It's an experimental social network that combines some aspects of social networking, such as communities and real-time updating a la Twitter, with blogging.
Facebook Watch
* Book about Facebook's beginnings may dim spotlight on privacy
* Facebook CTO: Don't forget Facebook is for sharing
* Facebook dev move won't stop rogue apps, say researchers
* Facebook 'likejacking' attacks continue with flesh appeal
* Is there a replacement for Facebook?
* Facebook CEO says mistakes made, privacy changes coming
* More than half of Facebook users may quit site, poll finds
* Social networks may be sharing your info with advertisers
* Mum's the word from all-hands Facebook company meeting on privacy
* Facebook unveils new security features
More about Facebook
While I wouldn't eliminate it as a contender, Lorea may be less a Facebook competitor than a site for programmers who want to explore the fundamental concepts of how social networks should work.
OneSocialWeb
This is another open-source, decentralized social network that's not ready for prime time. But unlike Appleseed and Diaspora, the Vodafone Group's OneSocialWeb is not only hoping to become a social network itself, but also to be the focal point for all the other social networks you may belong to.
For example, if OneSocialWeb works as planned, it will provide the common infrastructure from which you can access all your friends' information, photos, comments, etc., from Twitter, Facebook and other networks.
Of course, for this to work, the other social networks would have to agree to play by OneSocialWeb's rules -- and I suspect they won't want to make it easy for users to jump from their own network to another.
Look for a public OneSocialWeb beta later this summer.
Pligg
Like Elgg, Pligg is an open-source platform for building social networks. The key difference between the two is that Pligg is also a content management system.
Specifically, Pligg is a CMS that enables users to submit and vote on news articles, like Digg. Besides the usual up-or-down voting system, Pligg offers a chance to rate the articles using a five-star scale. While more than good enough for this kind of story-sharing, Pligg really isn't going to be the basis of a Facebook-type network.
Pip.io
Here's the good news: Pip.io is already up and running, and it is a real would-be Facebook competitor. Here's the bad news: It is still very rough. For example, when I tried to log into the site, it wouldn't accept '08' as a valid date entry for my birth month, and it couldn't deal with the hyphen in my last name.
After that, I still found it annoying. For instance, when I asked it to find members of Pip.io whom I already knew by using my Gmail contact list, it instead offered to let me invite everyone on my thousand-plus address book to join me on Pip.io. That's really not what I had in mind.
The interface, which owes more to Twitter than to Facebook, is easy to use. It also enables you to use other social networks such as Facebook and Twitter from Pip.io. In short, Pip.io is trying to be both a social network and a social network client.
It may, eventually, do quite well at all these jobs. But for now, it's a work in progress.
And, the winner is ...
Which one of these contenders will topple Facebook from its somewhat shaky social networking throne? At this point, I'd have to say "None of them." Pip.io is the closest, but it's just not ready yet.
Like it or lump it, if you can stomach the privacy issues, Facebook is still your best social network option for keeping up with friends and family. If Facebook makes good on its promises to do better with privacy concerns, it will remain the top social network. If it doesn't -- well, someone will invent a better social network, but it's not here yet.
Sync Outlook's calendar with Google Calendar
Do you use the Outlook calendar at work, but also keep you own personal Google Calendar? Checking two calendars throughout the day and manually keeping them in sync can sometimes feel like a full-time chore. However, free software from Google can automatically keep them in sync.
Downloading, installing and setting up Google Calendar Sync is straightforward. The only real decision you'll face is what kind of sync to perform. You can perform a two-way sync, in which all events in both calendars are synced with each other, a one-way sync from Outlook to Google, or a one-way sync from Google to Outlook.
If you want to change the type of sync the program performs at any point, right-click the Google Calendar Sync icon in the System Tray, select Options, and make the change from the screen that appears.
Find where Outlook 2007 stores data
Outlook stores its data in many different locations, not all of them logical. Making things even more confusing is that some of the locations are different than they were in previous versions of Outlook. The locations may also vary depending on the version of Windows you use.
There are times when you'll want to know where the files are stored, for example if you want to back them up. To help you out, following is a list of the default files, extensions and their locations, and what they do. Note that this is for setups where Outlook is not being used in concert with Exchange Server.
Keep in mind that many of these folders are hidden by default. If yours are hidden, you can tell Windows to display them. How you do that depends on your operating system. In Windows Vista click the Start button and select Control Panel --> Appearance and Personalization --> Folder Options. Then on the View Tab, under Advanced Settings, select "Show Hidden Files and Folders" under the Hidden Files and Folders entry. Click OK.
In Windows XP, click the Start button, then click Control Panel. Click Folder Options, and in the View tab, select "Show hidden files and folders" under the "Hidden files and folders" entry. Then click OK.
source: hxtp://computesrzone.blogspot.com
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