Smart Phone Execs Seek Lighter Apps

The explosion in the sale and use of smart phones has spawned a new cottage industry among computer programmers. The slogan, “There’s an App for that!” has never been more true. Whether you use a Blackberry, an iPhone, or a Palm Pre, the list of programs (or apps) that will run on your new phone grows daily.

There are apps that allow you to surf the web, check the weather and book reservations at a local eatery. You can use you iPhone as a carpenter’s level, a geographer’s compass, musical instruments of all stripes and even a video camera.

Most of these applications are free or cost less than two bucks each and can be downloaded to your smart phone using the 3G network. The cost of the purchased apps is added to your phone bill, or in the case of iPhone apps, charged to your iTunes account.

While the proliferation of these apps is welcome news to the folks at Apple and the other smart phone manufacturers, there is one concern being raised by almost all of the major players in this smart phone game.

On Wednesday of this week, Apple executives are inviting application software developers to a special meeting at the sprawling Apple Corporate Headquarters in Cupertino, CA. The meeting is open to all smart phone application developers, not just those writing software for the iPhone. Executives from Apple will be sharing the results of some new market research that shows that the interest in new apps and in new phones is beginning to dwindle and if that trend continues the brisk sales of smart phones may dwindle as well.

Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, will report that the increased number and complexity of the apps installed on the average smart phone are having serious negative unintended consequences. The phones are getting heavier and heavier with the installation of each new app. Jobs will urge programmers to use more efficient coding in order to keep of the files lighter.

In a recent press release, Jobs points out that a fully loaded iPhone with 100 Apps can weigh eight ounces, or a half a pound, more than the same iPhone weighs in without
the apps. “The software developers need to be more attentive to how many bits and bytes are really required for each app,” said Jobs. “If we don’t do something to address these overweight apps, before long the iPhone will feel like a brick in your pocket.”

You can read the summary of the discussions on the Apple.com web page. It will be released on Thursday, April 1st.

Smart Phone Execs Seek Lighter Apps

The explosion in the sale and use of smart phones has spawned a new cottage industry among computer programmers. The slogan, “There’s an App for that!” has never been more true. Whether you use a Blackberry, an iPhone, or a Palm Pre, the list of programs (or apps) that will run on your new phone grows daily.

There are apps that allow you to surf the web, check the weather and book reservations at a local eatery. You can use you iPhone as a carpenter’s level, a geographer’s compass, musical instruments of all stripes and even a video camera.

Most of these applications are free or cost less than two bucks each and can be downloaded to your smart phone using the 3G network. The cost of the purchased apps is added to your phone bill, or in the case of iPhone apps, charged to your iTunes account.

While the proliferation of these apps is welcome news to the folks at Apple and the other smart phone manufacturers, there is one concern being raised by almost all of the major players in this smart phone game.

On Wednesday of this week, Apple executives are inviting application software developers to a special meeting at the sprawling Apple Corporate Headquarters in Cupertino, CA. The meeting is open to all smart phone application developers, not just those writing software for the iPhone. Executives from Apple will be sharing the results of some new market research that shows that the interest in new apps and in new phones is beginning to dwindle and if that trend continues the brisk sales of smart phones may dwindle as well.

Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, will report that the increased number and complexity of the apps installed on the average smart phone are having serious negative unintended consequences. The phones are getting heavier and heavier with the installation of each new app. Jobs will urge programmers to use more efficient coding in order to keep of the files lighter.

In a recent press release, Jobs points out that a fully loaded iPhone with 100 Apps can weigh eight ounces, or a half a pound, more than the same iPhone weighs in without
the apps. “The software developers need to be more attentive to how many bits and bytes are really required for each app,” said Jobs. “If we don’t do something to address these overweight apps, before long the iPhone will feel like a brick in your pocket.”

You can read the summary of the discussions on the Apple.com web page. It will be released on Thursday, April 1st.

More on "Gs" and Smart Phones

This is the second installment of our discussion about cellular data networks and smart phones. Last week we discussed the development of the high speed wireless data networks expanding the applications available on today’s smart phones. The smart phone is not only a mobile telephone but can handle many of the tasks once requiring a computer.

Smart phones began to hit the market in the late 1990s and were essentially a mobile phone with a few applications like a personal calendar and address book built in. The explosion in popularity came with the release of the Blackberry in 2002. The Blackberry was one of the first devices that were designed to take advantage of the new high speed mobile networks. That particular device was so popular, for many the name “Blackberry” has become the moniker used for any brand of smart phone. In less than 6 years the user base for Blackberries has topped 32 million. In 2007 Apple released the first iPhone and like so many Apple products, its design (both physical and technical) and applications changed the industry.

Smart phones now can do a host of tasks from the ridiculous (there is an app that turns your iPhone into a harmonica) to mind blowing (Shazam, a smart phone app can recognize music being played on the radio informing the user of the name of the song, the artist performing the song and how one can purchase a copy of the song.) There are apps that turn your smart phone into a GPS. Others will find a good restaurant close by and even make reservations.

Most now have very good digital cameras built in as well as video recorders. You can capture Billy’s dance recital on video and email it to Aunt Esmerelda. Or you can download the pictures or video to your computer and edit a masterpiece to upload to YouTube for the whole world to see. In some countries, smart phones are replacing the credit or debit card. Waving your phone in front of a soft drink machine replaces the need for cash.

With more and more of us using these devices, the 3G networks are getting overloaded. There are already instances in some of the larger metropolitan areas of the country when the networks are so overloaded that none of the subscribers can get service. While these outages last only a short time, for those truly addicted to their smart phones, a few seconds being off the net seems like an eternity.

More on "Gs" and Smart Phones

This is the second installment of our discussion about cellular data networks and smart phones. Last week we discussed the development of the high speed wireless data networks expanding the applications available on today’s smart phones. The smart phone is not only a mobile telephone but can handle many of the tasks once requiring a computer.

Smart phones began to hit the market in the late 1990s and were essentially a mobile phone with a few applications like a personal calendar and address book built in. The explosion in popularity came with the release of the Blackberry in 2002. The Blackberry was one of the first devices that were designed to take advantage of the new high speed mobile networks. That particular device was so popular, for many the name “Blackberry” has become the moniker used for any brand of smart phone. In less than 6 years the user base for Blackberries has topped 32 million. In 2007 Apple released the first iPhone and like so many Apple products, its design (both physical and technical) and applications changed the industry.

Smart phones now can do a host of tasks from the ridiculous (there is an app that turns your iPhone into a harmonica) to mind blowing (Shazam, a smart phone app can recognize music being played on the radio informing the user of the name of the song, the artist performing the song and how one can purchase a copy of the song.) There are apps that turn your smart phone into a GPS. Others will find a good restaurant close by and even make reservations.

Most now have very good digital cameras built in as well as video recorders. You can capture Billy’s dance recital on video and email it to Aunt Esmerelda. Or you can download the pictures or video to your computer and edit a masterpiece to upload to YouTube for the whole world to see. In some countries, smart phones are replacing the credit or debit card. Waving your phone in front of a soft drink machine replaces the need for cash.

With more and more of us using these devices, the 3G networks are getting overloaded. There are already instances in some of the larger metropolitan areas of the country when the networks are so overloaded that none of the subscribers can get service. While these outages last only a short time, for those truly addicted to their smart phones, a few seconds being off the net seems like an eternity.