Google yesterday announced that it has rolled out a new feature for its mobile-formatted search results pages, offering direct links to App Store and Android Market application listings as part of the results.
As of today, if you go to Google.com on your iPhone or Android-powered device and search for an app, we'll show special links and content at the top of the search results. You can tap these links to go directly to the app's Android Market or iPhone App Store page. You can also get a quick look at some of the app's basic details including the price, rating, and publisher. These results will appear when your search pertains to a mobile application and relevant, well-rated apps are found.
Clicking on a "More results for your iPhone" link under suggested apps will automatically link users to the App Store and perform a search on the app's name.
Google notes that the feature is currently available in the United States, but will be extended to other countries and devices in the future.
In a very brief response to a question from Beet.tv regarding the iPhone, Verizon spokesman John Johnson notes that the company is not planning to carry the iPhone in the "immediate future", before quickly redirecting the conversation to tout Verizon's new handset offerings.
Q: Let me ask you first of all about Verizon and the iPhone. What is happening, if anything? What is the status?
A: No one ever asks that question. (Smiles) So, no plans to carry the iPhone in the immediate future, but you've gotta look at the incredible excitement around the Android devices...
Johnson's comments are not much of a surprise, considering that he would be unable to divulge any such plans if they did exist, but the footage is making the rounds today as a tempering of expectations for those who might be hoping for a Verizon iPhone announcement at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference next week. One recent report has pegged a Verizon iPhone release for as early as November given reports of the status of the manufacturing testing process with rumored manufacturer Pegatron, although many observers see a 2011 launch to be more likely.
TUAWgot in touch with an AT&T spokesperson and has put together an extensive Q&A clarifying some of the details of the carrier's upcoming changes to its iPhone and iPad data plans. Among the topics addressed:
- AT&T will continue to offer the $14.99 250/MB data plan for the iPad. It will not be reduced to the 200 MB cap the carrier will be offering on its cheaper smartphone plan.
- iPad users reaching their 2 GB limit under the forthcoming plan will be able to initiate a new monthly cycle on demand with a new start date. This would appear to make the iPad plan more of a "2 GB or 30 days, whichever comes first" cycle than a "30 days with 2 GB cap plus overage fees" cycle, with the exception being that users will have to manually initiate a new cycle should they reach their 2 GB cap before the end of the billing cycle.
- iPhone users can bump up from the $15 200 MB data plan to the $25 2 GB plan without penalty as long as they initiate the change before the end of the desired billing cycle. This will allow users on the lower tier to simply bump up to the $25 plan as needed rather than having to pay $15 per additional 200 MB over the initial 200 MB limit. Users can then bump themselves back down for their next billing cycle. It is unclear at this time whether users on the higher tier will be able to drop down to the lower tier mid-cycle if they see that their data usage will be low for that period.
- Original iPhone users still on 2G plans are unaffected by the new plan changes, although AT&T has indicated on its Facebook page that those customers will continue to be able to upgrade to the current $30 unlimited data plan even after it is officially discontinued and the new plans are rolled out.
- iPhone customers upgrading their handsets and signing new contracts will be able to continue on their existing unlimited plans. The representative noted, however, that AT&T may offer "new desirable plans" alongside the next-generation iPhone, although the comment appears to be more of general statement than a specific disclosure of the company's plans.
With the leak of a claimed white front panel for the next-generation iPhone last month, it appears that if the parts are in fact legitimate Apple will be bringing the existing iPhone color option of a white back around to the front of the device. Since that time, additional photos of the white front panel have surfaced as interest in mockup renderings of the full device in white has been on the increase.
Repair shop PowerbookMedic today appears to offer the first apparent proof that Apple is at least planning to continue offering the option of a white back with the next-generation iPhone. The evidence comes in the form of images sent to the shop showing several claimed iPhone parts.
Notably, the white back case contains placeholder text for the model number and other identification numbers, suggesting that the parts represent a prototype build and are not from the final release widely rumored for introduction at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference next week.
In addition to the white back panel, PowerbookMedic also received images showing the same white front panel seen in previous leaks, as well as the digitizer and midboard assemblies.
Google subsidiary AdMob today announced the release of a revised iPhone OS SDK bringing new ad formats that will allow customized delivery to the iPad.
Our new SDK is unified across all devices running the iPhone OS, which means that developers can download one binary for development across all Apple iPhone OS devices - iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. AdMob's unified iPhone SDK makes it easier for developers to quickly integrate our code and start monetizing their applications.
The new SDK supports two ad formats in native iPad applications: text & tile ads and image ads. Both of these ad formats are available in the three IAB standard ad sizes: 300250, 72890, and 46860.
AdMob notes that it is already working with advertisers on the new platform, with Amazon rolling out a Kindle ad campaign tailored for the iPad. Publishers and advertisers can access the new SDK through their online AdMob accounts.
Despite the fact that today's release is limited to "text & tile" and image ads for the iPad, AdMob has also posted a demo showing how HTML5 tools will in the future enable more engaging user experiences in advertising on the iPad.
Boy Genius Report has received word that Verizon Wireless is testing new iPad models compatible with the carrier's CDMA-based cellular network.
According to a highly placed source of ours, Verizon Wireless is currently testing Apple iPad devices on their network. We have been told that the model they are testing is a CDMA-compatible device, and while our source mentioned LTE in some capacity (possibly another model), we haven't been able to independently confirm that part of it.
Verizon is set to roll out its LTE (4G) network in up to 30 markets, having been engaged in testing in Boston and Seattle since last August. Verizon's aggressive LTE rollout puts it ahead of AT&T, the current exclusive iPhone carrier in the U.S.
Apple had been expected by many observers to launch the iPad in a partnership with Verizon, but the Apple CEO Steve Jobs surprised many at the device's January introduction by announcing that it would appear as an AT&T exclusive for 3G service in the U.S. Speculation centers around AT&T having outbid its competitors with its data plans for the iPad, offering unlimited data for $29.99 per month. AT&T just today announced, of course, that it is moving to a $25/month, 2 GB data plan for the iPad, although customers on the existing unlimited plan can remain on it as long as they keep their plan active.
Verizon has also been a popular target of rumors regarding the iPhone, with Pegatron being named by sources as the manufacturer for the CDMA-specific hardware. Recent rumors have suggested that a Verizon iPhone could appear as early as November, although many observers think that a 2011 launch is more likely.
With AT&T's announcement today that it is rolling out new data plans next week for the iPhone and other smart phones, many customers have been thinking about which data plan is right for them in light of the new download limits.
AT&T iPhone customers can view their data usage for the current billing period on the summary page for their account by logging in to the AT&T Wireless website. Such data is only an estimate, however, and AT&T notes that delays of up to five business days may be experienced before data activity shows up in the displayed total. Users can also dial *DATA# and receive a text message with their current billing period's usage.
From their AT&T Wireless account summary page, users can also click on the "View Past Data Usage" link to see a six-month history of their data usage to help gauge which new data plan they may want to select.
For existing customers who wish to keep their $30/month unlimited data plan, they can continue on the plan even if they upgrade to new hardware. If a customer elects to switch to one of the new plans, however, they will be unable to switch back to the unlimited plan at any point in the future. Customers on the grandfathered unlimited plan will also be unable to use AT&T's tethering feature, which comes as a $20/month add-on to the new $25/month 2 GB data plan.
All Things Digital has been editing together some video clips of the opening session sit-down between Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher at the D8 Conference. While we've already highlighted many of the interesting comments that came out of the interview, the video clips offer exact quotes of his comments and demonstrate his passion and forcefulness outside the realm of his usual scripted keynote addresses at Apple events.
AT&T's announcement of their new capped data plans has generated a lot of discussion amongst current and future iPhone owners. In short, AT&T eliminated their $30/month unlimited plan for new iPhone customers starting on June 7th. After that time, new iPhone (and other smartphone) customers have the option of $15/mo (200MB) and $25/mo (2GB) data plans. AT&T, however, has grandfathered in existing iPhone customers by allowing them to keep the $30/month unlimited plan if they desire.
But with the new iPhone just around the corner, several readers wondered if that guarantee would hold even if they chose to upgrade to the new iPhone. It seems like it will.
AT&T has replied on their Facebook page indicating that current customers may keep the $30/month unlimited plan even when they upgrade to a new iPhone:
The good news for current customers who love their unlimited plan is this: they are not required to switch, even when it's time to upgrade to a new phone. So you are welcome to keep your unlimited plan :)
Of course, by staying on the unlimited plan, customers won't be able to add on tethering service. See our previous coverage of the new pricing plans for further details.
Besides the new iPhone tethering option, AT&T also announced that they have changed the iPad 3G data plan for new customers after June 7th.
At present, AT&T offers a no-contract $29.99/month unlimited data plan specifically for iPad owners. If you activate your data plan before June 7th, you can still participate in this plan. After June 7th, however, AT&T will be replacing that plan with a $25/month 2GB limited plan. From the press release:
For new iPad customers, the $25 per month 2 GB plan will replace the existing $29.99 unlimited plan. iPad customers will continue to pre-pay for their wireless data plan and no contract is required. Existing iPad customers who have the $29.99 per month unlimited plan can keep that plan or switch to the new $25 per month plan with 2 GB of data.
So, if this is an issue for you, you still have time to be grandfathered into the unlimited data plan. Existing iPad customers can look at their current data usage via their iPad settings.
AT&T has announced details about iPhone tethering as well as new data plans for smartphone users.
Customers can pick the new data plan that best meets their needs either a $15 per month entry plan or a $25 per month plan with 10 times more data. Current smartphone customers are not required to switch to the new plans, but can choose to do so without a contract extension.
The new plans kick in on June 7th and each plan includes unlimited access to AT&T Wi-Fi Hotspots. The newly announced data plans seem to replace the current $30/month unlimited and include:
Data Plus - 200 MB of data for $15/month. Additional 200MB for another $15. DataPro - 2GB of data for $25/month. Additional 1 GB of data for $10. Tethering - Additional $20/month for DataPro customers.
iPhone users are specifically mentioned as being supported by the Tethering option, and support will be deployed with the release of iPhone OS 4.0.
The press release seems to indicate that Tethering will only be allowed with the DataPro plan. This would mean that existing iPhone customers would have to replace their current $30/month unlimited plan with the $25/month 2GB plan in order to qualify for the $20/month tethering plan. In other words, existing iPhone users who wish to take advantage of tethering would find their data rates increasing from $30/month to $45/month ($25 + $20) and find themselves limited to 2GB of data. AT&T indicates that if you don't want tethering, you may keep the current $30/month unlimited rate.
Meanwhile, it seems new iPhone customers (after June 7th) will not be given the option for a $30/month unlimited plan, while existing customers are grandfathered in. AT&T states that 98% of their smartphone customers use less than 2GB of data per month.
One of the tidbits picked up from Apple CEO Steve Jobs' appearance at the All Things Digital conference tonight was his confirmation that the iPad actually preceded the iPhone, beginning life as a multi-touch tablet project before Jobs realized that it would make an ideal interface for a mobile phone. As related by the Associated Press:
Jobs says he had the idea to ditch the keyboard for what he calls a multi-touch display in the early 2000s, although the company was working on a telephone at the time. That's when a prototype came to him that used the device's now-famous scrolling mechanism.
"I thought, 'My God we can build a phone out of this.'"
The revelation seems to be coming as a surprise to many observers, but those who have followed Apple's work for some time may remember that this piece of information has been shared before.
The first hint of it came in a January 2008 Wired article profiling the history of the iPhone, although little detail about the actual evolution of the iPhone from the iPad-like tablet was given.
Jobs had reason to be confident. Apple's hardware engineers had spent about a year working on touchscreen technology for a tablet PC and had convinced him that they could build a similar interface for a phone.
Two months later, The New York Times added some additional color to the tablet-iPhone relationship, revealing that the tablet had been internally codenamed "Safari Pad" and confirming that it had been repurposed for use in the iPhone.
Apple's multitouch technology began life not as a cellphone, but as a notepad-sized skunkworks project internally dubbed Safari Pad, run by Tim Bucher, then Apple's head of Macintosh hardware. To his credit, Mr. Jobs seized on the technology and morphed it into the iPhone.
In today's interview, Jobs noted that he directed his engineers to pursue the mobile phone angle for a multi-touch device over the tablet form factor because the mobile phone market was the more important one to tackle at the time. Once Apple built some momentum with iPhone OS through the iPhone and iPod touch, it was able to take the tablet concept back off the shelf and turn it into the iPad.
As noted by 9 to 5 Mac, Apple has seeded yet another new build of Mac OS X 10.6.4, this one termed Build 10F564, to developers for testing. The new version carries a mysterious increase of 506 numbers since Build 10F58 released one week ago, although it is possible that the new number is the result of a typo and is meant to have been a more reasonable 10F64 number.
Regardless, the new build continues to list no known issues in the update and carries no documentation in its seed notes of additional changes since the last seed. Developers are once again asked to focus their testing on Graphics Drivers, SMB, USB, Voice Over and VPN.
During the Q&A portion of this evening's All Things Digital interview, Apple CEO Steve Jobs was asked about how the balance of power in control of media content has been shifting. After noting that content providers such as movie studios and record labels are starting to see viewers as their real customers rather than theaters and record stores and that the shift is beginning to cause changes in how we consume media, Jobs addressed the need for consumers to be able to sync their content in cloud-based systems.
"You want to share your content that you bought amongst your various devices. You can do that today with a wire. You can't do that without a wire. We need to work harder on that. We need to do better. Anytime soon? We're working on it."
Apple has been rumored to be using its acquisition of streaming music service Lala Media late last year and possibly its new North Carolina data center to launch cloud-based services for music and other media. Despite yesterday's shutdown of Lala's former streaming service yesterday, however, music industry sources indicate that a launch of cloud-based iTunes services is not imminent.
During tonight's All Things D interview, Steve Jobs was questioned about AT&T service as well as the possibilities of multiple U.S. carriers. Not much new information was offered, though Jobs indicated a timeframe for service improvements.
Walt: Would there be advantages to having two [carriers] in the US? Steve: There might be. Walt: In the near future? Steve: You know I can't comment on that.
And on the issue of service issues, Jobs said thing should improve by the end of the summer:
Q: Steve, we love our iPhones... but our concern is that we can't make a phone call on it. Is someone working on that? A: Well, we're talking about it. You can bet we're doing everything we know how to do. Q: Can we expect something soon? A: I'm told that a lot of places are getting better certainly by the end of this summer. Kara: And if they don't get better? Steve: Then they won't.
One of the recent changes in Apple's iPhone SDK terms of service was limitation on collecting and sending analytics data. Many had speculated that Apple may be trying to limit competition from other ad networks, however, Steve Jobs is blaming analytics company Flurry for the change.
Well we learned this really interesting thing. Some company called Flurry had data on devices that we were using on our campus -- new devices. They were getting this info by getting developers to put software in their apps that sent info back to this company! So we went through the roof. It's violating our privacy policies, and it's pissing us off! So we said we're only going to allow analytics that don't give our device info -- only for the purpose of advertising.
The incident that Jobs was referring to is likely a report from January in which Flurry pinpointed approximately 50 "tablet devices" that were being used on Apple campus.
Using Flurry Analytics, the company identified approximately 50 devices that match the characteristics of Apple's rumored tablet device. Because Flurry could reliably "place" these devices geographically on Apple's Cupertino campus, we have a fair level of confidence that we are observing a group of pre-release tablets in testing. Testing of this device increased dramatically in January, with observed signs of life as early as October of last year. Apple appears to be going through its cycle of testing and polish, which is expected from any hardware or software company as it nears launch.
During tonight's All Things D Interview with Steve Jobs, Walt Mossberg asked about Apple's intentions of getting into the search space and possibly competing with Google.
Jobs was insistent that they aren't going to search and that the Siri acquisition had nothing to do with search:
Steve: [Siri is] not a search company. They're an AI company. We have no plans to go into the search business. We don't care about it -- other people do it well.
We profiled Siri when it was acquired by Apple. Siri was focused on personal assistant technology that serves to help users accomplish tasks.
Virtual Personal Assistants (VPAs) represent the next generation interaction paradigm for the Internet. In today's paradigm, we follow links on search results. With a VPA, we interact by having a conversation. We tell the assistant what we want to do, and it applies multiple services and information sources to help accomplish our task. Like a real assistant, a VPA is personal; it uses information about an individual's preferences and interaction history to help solve specific tasks, and it gets better with experience.
During tonight's All Things D Interview, Steve Jobs indicated that he was not going to let the stolen/lost iPhone prototype incident "slide":
Steve: You know, when this whole thing with Gizmodo happened, I got advice from people who said 'you gotta just let it slide, you shouldn't go after a journalist just because they bought stolen property and tried to extort you.' And I thought deeply about this, and I concluded the worst thing that could happen is if we change our core values and let it slide. I can't do that. I'd rather quit.
In April, Gizmodo purchased an iPhone prototype and posted several news stories about the device. There has been an ongoing investigation on the incident which resulted in a search warrant for Gizmodo editor Jason Chen.
