Apple Blocks iPhone 3rd Party Developers with Firmware Update 1.1.1

Published by Eric Litman on Thursday, September 27th, 2007 4:00pm

Apple's most recent update to the iPhone's base software, version 1.1.1, adds the same anti-hacking protections they applied to the iPod Touch. This means that at least for the near term, anyone who upgrades their iPhone to version 1.1.1 will be unable to run any of the third-party software the budding but enthusiastic iPhone developer community has created. Since my previous post on the missing iPhone SDK, I've spent some time exploring the undocumented APIs on the iPhone and have written a few mini applications just for the fun of delving into relatively uncharted territory†. Others have done much more than explore, and have released some ...

Apple, Cingular and the Case of the Missing iPhone SDK

Published by Eric Litman on Wednesday, June 13th, 2007 12:29am

At Apple's annual developer event this week, Steve Jobs announced that there was no native SDK for the iPhone and that developers wanting to add functionality to the device could write web applications with limited hooks into some of the phone's native functions. Steve has cited concerns for the sanctity and stability of Cingular's network, but that's a veil for other, far more salient reasons behind this. Let's walk through some of the more interesting ones. The Apple/Cingular deal represents a significant departure from the typical relationships found between device manufactures and mobile operators. To close their deal, both companies had to evaluate and learn ...

Mahalo’s Untapped Opportunity

Published by Eric Litman on Monday, June 11th, 2007 5:15pm

I've been watching the early progress of Mahalo, the new “human powered” search engine launched by Jason Calacanis last month, more than I normally would a search-related startup in no small part because I'm impressed with and fascinated by the type and intensity of buzz Jason's been able to create around it with so little cash outlay. As I spend more time considering the basic model of identifying and gathering the most interesting/relevant/current/popular/uniquely useful/etc. sites related to popular searches, I can't help but think of just how important context is to search, and that while Mahalo's broad-based approach to adoption may be ...