Apple App Store 1 - Consumers and Developers 0

I have a busy day today so I just want to make a quick commentary on the whole Apple denying the Google Voice application thing. I realize the fact that Apple probably has it written in to their developer agreements and TOS that they can reserve the right to deny or pull apps from the app store at any time for any reason. Not only did Apple deny the Google Voice application but they quickly pulled the two existing third party Google Voice dialers (GV Dialer and VoiceCentral) from the app store. I want to make it clear that nobody has proven that AT&T had a hand in this but if I were a betting man, I would put every last cent in my savings account on it. It's the only explanation for such a knee jerk reaction.

What does this mean for you and me? I'll assume I'm an app consumer and your a developer. For me, it means Apple can pull applications I purchased from the app store at any time. Sure, I still have it on my phone but if I get a new phone and haven't sync'd my old phone with iTunes in a while I won't be able to get it back. This is a problem for me because I almost never sync with iTunes. I just don't use my phone for music. Hopefully I'll remember to do so if I ever get a new iPhone. This is only the immediate concern which precludes the larger discussion of Apple censorship and what apps we're missing and don't even know about.

The situation is worse for the developer. In the case of the GV Dialer app the developer was not given a clear reason other than "it duplicates features of the iPhone and could be confusing to customers." That's paraphrased but the point it is clear. I think if you're downloading a Google Voice app you understand what it's for and how to use it. So the developer loses out on revenue from the app that he or she worked hard to code and they have absolutely zero recourse. Apple won't even tell them what specific features in the app violate their terms of use so it's nearly impossible for them to re-engineer it to be approved on the app store. These vagaries in the terms of service allow Apple to basically do as they damn well please. "Don't like it? Too bad, we're Apple." It also allows third parties (e.g. AT&T) to twist Apple's arm when it comes to apps they don't like (Skype and the Slingplayer app come to mind).

Things like this leave a bad taste in my mouth for Apple (don't get me started on AT&T). Unfortunately this isn't getting much exposure since Google Voice is still an invite only service and not many people are impacted. I'm not going out and burning my iPhone to make a statement but this latest Apple snafu has started to point me in other directions for my next mobile device.

Live Mesh - Microsoft's Cloud Storage Platform

Microsoft's Live Mesh platform is something even they have a hard time describing. They call it "a ’software-plus-services’ platform and experience from Microsoft that enables PCs and other devices to ‘come alive’ by making them aware of each other through the Internet..” Whoa.. What? I sure hope we aren't talking about Skynet here.

Fortunately for us, in reality Live Mesh is far from a self aware artificial intelligence hell bent on taking over the world. As it turns out, it's mostly a nifty way to share files between computers that aren't necessarily on the same network, much like Dropbox. After signing in with your Microsoft Live ID you are given a "Live Desktop" which is essentially a cloud storage platform with 5 gigabytes of storage. From here you can create folders and upload files. Opening and navigating through the folders online feels a lot like using Windows. It has the same look and feel as Vista.

An integral piece of the Live Mesh platform is the software client which enables you to sync your cloud storage with as many PCs you have connected to your mesh network. It also makes your PC available for Live Mesh Remote Desktop. This allows you to connect to your computer remotely from any PC (similar to LogMeIn or GoToMyPC). In my tests using the Remote Desktop function on a machine that did not have the Live Mesh client installed resulted in extremely poor performance. However, after installing the client and connecting directly through it performance was much better.

I think Microsoft has developed a useful technology here. Cloud storage is the future and always-on, always-accessible documents and computers is a very appealing concept indeed. Fortunately Microsoft plans on releasing a Mac client though it is uncertain if its feature set will be crippled (i.e. read-only file sync). To check it out, head over to www.mesh.com and use your Microsoft Live ID to sign in.

Xmarks - Simple Bookmark Syncronization

I have been using Xmarks, formally known as Foxmarks for several months now. It is what allows me to realistically use multiple browsers on a day to day basis. Xmarks started out as a simple bookmark synchronization service for Firefox. After installing the plugin it copies your bookmarks to the Xmarks server. When you switch to another computer running the same plugin it syncs any bookmarks you may have added. It sounds pretty straightforward, and it is.

Xmark's name change from Foxmarks was due to the fact they now support multiple browsers, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer. Each browser has its own client/plugin that you can use. Xmarks now also boasts a secure password sync feature (between Firefox plugins). Now you can synchronize your saved passwords in Firefox across multiple computers. I personally don't use this feature as I don't believe in using browsers to save passwords for extremely sensitive areas like banking sites.

If keeping your bookmarks and saved passwords on a centralized server is too "big brother" for you, Xmarks gives you the ability to use your own server. Essentially all you need is a HTTP, HTTPS, or FTP server that the Xmarks client is able to read and write to. Detailed instructions on how to set this up can be found in their wiki.

To check out Xmarks and sign up for a free account head over to their website, www.xmarks.com.