The iUnbrick to my iBricked iPhone

The saga of (unlocked + application loaded + virgin) iPhones getting generously bricked by Apple (my thoughts covered here) continues.

Gizmodo today reports that iPhoneSIMFree, the company that "released the first GUI iPhone SIM unlock, has just provided an updated version of their SimFree unlocker for iPhone".

One thought is that the likes of iPhoneSIMFree are extremely competent people. Their intentions aside, they are quite talented. if I were Apple I would seriously consider hiring them.

Another thought, and call me crazy, but what if all this is an Apple marketing buzz exercise? Wouldn't that be perfect? get everyone talking about iPhone this and iPhone that. Nothing like good controversy to keep product sales going.

The Gizmodo post has some length comments. Here's one guy that commented on this:

"Perhaps it was because Apple did it on purpose!"

Or maybe they tested it!!! Let's see which makes more sense!

Scene 1: Apple tests their new firmware with AnySIM unlocked iPhone -> brick -> warn people of the fact

Scene 2: Apple tests their new firmware with AnySIM unlocked iPhone -> works fantastically -> "Oh SHIT! Let's add code to make sure the firmware bricks these things! Work harder, coder slaves! This is why we pay ya!! We don't care if word gets out about this after we lay one of you guys off, and cause all sorts of backlash and lawsuits in the future, cuz we're stupid! "

Hmm."

Indeed Hmm.

Connected Cars

Have you ever had the feeling: "Hey! Cool, I thought about this!". Perhaps common sense or a combination of technical / market knowledge and life's reality, sometimes you think of something and a while later you hear there's innovation happening there. By someone else, ofcourse :-)

So this is a concept I really like and think could go ways: Intelligent cars. Actually, this is a private case of a larger thread of 'Integration'. And what it is, is that you see smaller consumer gadgets first being introduced in their independent form, and then usually, once the interest and the money equation make sense, they get integrated into larger, existing computing systems.

That trend is true for mobile: take the obvious case of music integration onto the phone: people would buy a certain phone if it has MP3 playing feature integrated instead of buying a separate MP3 player.
It is true for PCs, now having TV connectivity and control modules.
And last, it is definitely true for vehicles, getting all kinds of gadgets on the dashboard that you know, will be integrated into the vehicles capabilities.

So it only makes sense for car manufacturers to "simply throw" an off-the shelve PC onto the car to manage informational data, entertainment center, vehicle condition etc. People can install more applications like in facebook, they can download content, surf the web. Anormal connected PC can be upgraded.

You also want to make sure that PC is completely disconnected from the driving functions that affect safety. I was once told by a product manager at Trimble: "Vehicle manufacturers are used to 100% quality products, and software just isn't there yet. They trust their breaks more than they trust the onboard computer".

So I came across Popular Mechanics 2007 Breakthrough list and one of them is Ford's Sync:

"Ford has elegantly and inexpensively leap-frogged the competition when it comes to in-car infotainment systems. Ford’s $395 Sync is essentially a small computer running the Microsoft Auto operating system that wirelessly integrates all of your mobile gadgets. It enables hands-free phone use and has a universal music player that pulls songs from virtually any MP3 player. The voice-recognition control is simply the best we’ve ever tried. So far, the most impressive trick Sync offers is its ability to receive text messages and then read them to you. And Sync’s flexible software platform means it should be easily upgradable in the future. Sync will be available in 12 models by the end of the year and on nearly all Ford vehicles within two years."

Few comments I'd like to make:

• the term "Microsoft Auto operating system" causes me to shiver...blue screen while driving 60 MPH...
• It's cool that they have thought of the ability to upgrade (don't we do it every day on our PCs? why not on the onboard PC?)
• It's cool that the PC is connected to the wireless networks as well as to mobile devices in its proximity

Here's my addition:

• Allow car (passengers) to connect to each other: you have a connected PC onboard, why not connect cars to each other. Create a "facebook" network of moving cars, sharing real time road information, fun recommendations, people can talk, share content and much more
• Allow seamless web connectivity in the car so that passengers can provide feedback, for example, dictate to their blog or listen to radio and tag/comment/share their interests / play lists etc., just like Bijan in his blog talks about Radio 2.0

Overall, cool stuff. There will be some safety concerns but you know more is coming. Did anyone mention location-aware advertising?

Something funny for a change

Just came across this video of Johann Lippowitz who completely cracked me up. It's a must see.



Here's the same thing but now with the unbelievably hot Natalie Imbruglia joining the gig herself (if you want to see Natalie do the mime fast forward to 1:30):


And here's a couple more:
That's my home and Don't Look back in Anger.

Great laugh, enjoy!

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

Recently the FAA has announced that they will not allow mobile phone calls on flights (read here). There are some sensible people out there after all. Only problem, FAA governs US air space only...

This is one thing I really hope can be avoided.
For a while I knew that there was nothing really stopping cell phone usage from a safety perspective, but the prospect of people making calls in a very intimate space on a red eye into another hectic day was just one step too far for me. It's exactly that kind of technologically-doable service that is a terrible idea.

Also, this is a good time to add, the argument that arises in many situations: "people can make calls on their WiFi enabled PC while on board, so what's the difference?" is a non-argument. This is an annoyance to everyone around you, so there's no point in encouraging it.

Thank you FAA, for demonstrating leadership and sensible thinking: Will airlines outside the US adopt this? PLEASE?

Some really interesting creative work on codes

Stephen Chasey (Depna) is an asset to the mobile code scanning world.

First, he's spent time in Japan, capital of real-life code scanning. He knows first hand what it is, what people think about it, how it's being used and all of that.

Second, he is not biased towards one technology or another, or so it seems from his blog. He seems to be open to what works and makes sense to the audience requirements, independent of marketing spins.
Third, he is well aware of other mobile marketing methods and in fact proposes a good consumer view summary here.

And last, he has some fabulous work done on codes for aesthetic features and use cases. Extremely creative.

Any code scanning player should consider how they could harness his energy!

Market Fragmentation (BMW Mobile code scanning campaign with Semacode in light of the One Austria & Beetagg launch)

A great example of what can make, or break the mobile code scanning market:
Do you remember BMW launching mobile code scanning campaign with Semacode?

As much as I'm happy at the launch of code scanning at One by Beetagg, there is the cost of different symbologies and risk of over fragmentation (please feel free to comment on my LinkedIn question): What is BMW supposed to do now? change symbologies?

It's just worth keeping in mind that at some point, code scanning market players had better start deal with the fragmentation or else...

What's going on with Skype?

Anyone noticed a quality drop in Skype? We've been using Skype quite a bit and it seems that something's changing. Perhaps the load of all users overloads their systems?
Here's some of what I'm seeing:

• After 10 minutes or so of a call the quality would drop into shuttered fragments of voice
• It seems Skype implemented a new algorithm that tries to repair the lost voice frames, so there's a long gap and then the other side is heard in fast-forward mode, making it impossible to understand. That's useless. get it right the first time and if you can't, drop it (and drop this business)
  
• On a number of PCs, I've seen that sometimes Skype loads the processor to 98% and stays there. The PC then starts to crawl in a very visible way. I had to restart it
• On some days calls come in but are only displayed for a fraction of a second before a call disconnects (I know, nobody wants to talk to me)

Hey skype folks, you were good so far and I've been loyal...get back in shape, please.

That's what I'm talking about!

One, an Austrian mobile operator had launched BeeTagg's code scanning solution. Here it is from the operator's site.
Why do I mention this? Because the mobile code scanning market is in need for energy now. More announcements like this to see more operators take on the technology, more innovation happening, more trials, more ENERGY.

One appears to be an early adopter operator that has innovation and services high on the value list. One of the service they seem to launch with Beetagg is 'tag your city', connecting physical locations to digital media. Probably not too dissimilar from Nextcode's Freedom Trail project here in Boston, using ConnexTo technology.

An interesting point, Heike Schultz, a leading mobile and code scanning blogger, seems to think that the service might be offered in German, getting closer to large crowds in EU.

Is Beetagg's solution better? is it good? does it serve the overall MC2 initiative? what's One (the operator) going to actually do with it? I don't know. and I don't care. The market needs this energy, and this is the kind of energy it needs.
Good stuff Beetagg, congrats. Keep it coming.

That's right, let's use the stick

Oh hoh hoh...that's gonna be a hot potato Apple, hope you're ready for some backlash.
Punishing your audience, those willing to take the next step to use your product, that's useful.

Saul Hansell in his NY Times article writes: "There is something futile about the way Apple appears to be fighting some of its most ardent fans, those who want to use the full capabilities of the iPhone."

In the series of recent iPhone related fumbles and weird acts, starting from going operator-exclusive (which I thought Apple could have and should have avoided), recently with the introduction of the next-gen iPhone and $100 exercise and now this...You guys are making headlines.

So people went ahead and hacked your phones to make them available on other networks. Wow. Unlocking phones has been around for ages, and it means only one thing: PEOPLE LIKE THIS PHONE AND WANT TO GET IT AND USE IT MORE!!!

As I read BBC News article on Apple crippling hacked iPhones, every line, every word amazes me:
"Earlier this week Apple said a planned update would leave the device "permanently inoperable...That warning has now proved correct as many owners are reporting their phones no longer work following installation of the update.": Oh right...let's have all those $500 paying people with a brick in their hands. They're not going to be able to complain 'cause they did the hack, so we'll probably not hear from them again

"There are also reports of the update causing issues with unaltered iPhones...Some owners are reporting on technology blogs and Apple's own forums that the update is deleting contacts information, as well as photos and music, on iPhones that have not been modified in any way. ": Oh right, and by the way, even if you didn't unlock your iPhone, our update will nevertheless delete your stuff.

Did hackers anticipate this and have a cure? I hope so.

Regardless, Apple, people may whisper that all of this has been planned, it does not look like it to me at all.

Google, I hope you're watching (I'm actually sure you are). GPhone can and should change the rules of the game, you can make it happen!

Boston VC Blogging

Scott Kirsner had a nice article in the Boston Globe (and here in his blog) on the VC blogging phenomenon with a Boston lens. The point he's making, I think, is that those VCs that use new methods to source entrepreneurial deals and ideas will benefit in the long term. His post got some positive comments from lead VC bloggers: IDG, Spark and others.

Boston is a great place to totally catch the entrepreneurship bug: there's huge energy in terms of experienced entrepreneurs, VCs, technology, talent etc. In the past years its completely got to me and now I can say I am totally contained by it. What impact did it have on me, in reality? Okay, I'm with a startup that provides innovative solution in an emerging market, I'm trying to learn, read, watch, follow, attend events and essentially just be close to that warming energy. But, in my eyes, I'm still a fly hovering above the cake: I've yet to substantially contribute anything to this energy, sadly. As many of us, I would guess, I'm having this endless stream of (probably useless) ideas that I'm considering publishing on this blog. I guess it's also down to having my garage buddy ~11k miles away and not finding a local one (anyone interested?).

My initial introduction to VC was on a Harvard event where Jeff Bussgang told the crowd about 1) his way to the top and 2) his thoughts on location based services. I walked out of the event enchanted, because:

• Here's a guy who made it, and made it big
• He's willing to share his experience how he got there, not in a vain way, but in a 'you too can make it happen' (he was probably thinking of HBS peeps :-))
• He has a lot of interest in mobile (cool!)
• He had offered an invaluable lesson on how VCs look at a market/solution/technology, and specifically at LBS
• He's a great guy (eventually he actually invited me to meet with him, which I really appreciated)

And I'm using Jeff as an example only. I'm lucky to know a couple of VC guys that are very friendly, open and just great guys to consult with and share thoughts.

So it doesn't come as a surprise that Jeff and other VC blokes are writing blogs. Beyond the commercial purposes of doing so, it's just about getting closer to the entrepreneurs, teaching them 'how we see things' and the lingo VCs use. It's about the mutual plane.

Also Jeff's comment on Scott's article is not a surprise ("Why do I blog"):
- Definitely less about deal flow and more about transparency and providing accessibility, humanizing the VC process
- Open dialog helps me keep in touch with entrepreneur’s latest issues and hot buttons
- Provides sense of accountability to the entrepreneur community
- Helps me understand social networking, community, blogging, and many other Web 2.0 phenomenon from a practical standpoint as a practitioner, not theoretical

I'm reading Jeff's, Bijan's and David's blogs, yet to use any of it in practice but I know, if ever get there, those would be invaluable. Guys: thank you for writing, it's more useful than any text book.