Google said “no” to joining Microsoft, Apple, in Novell bid? [Updated]

Microsoft General Council, Brad Smith tweeted out a response today to Google’s open letter on an alleged anti-Android patent conspiracy, basically calling shenanigans on their whole patent conspiracy act:

Google says we bought Novell patents to keep them from Google. Really? We asked them to bid jointly with us. They said no.

Which makes very little sense, given how angry Google reportedly was about not winning the bidding (regardless of the silly way they went about it), and their interest in having the DoJ investigate Microsoft, Apple, et. al on anti-competiveness grounds.

Jon Fingas at Electronista hypothesizes that:

His remarks if accurate imply that the bidding group, which named itself Rockstar BidCo and also included companies like RIM and Sony, is primarily intended as a defensive mechanism to prevent lawsuits from patent trolls and other, usually smaller firms from suing anyone involved in the coalition. Many have presumed that the group was united with the aim of further suing Google and slowing down the adoption of Android.

UPDATE: Frank X. Shaw, from Microsoft Communications has posted a copy of the email to Brad Smith of Microsoft from Kent Walker, Google’s General Counsel. Along with this sharply worded tweet:

Free advice for David Drummond – next time check with Kent Walker before you blog. http://t.co/PfKle9H

[@BradSmi via Electronista, @xfshaw via WPCentral]

Amazon’s Appstore makes Apple’s App Store seem all warm and cuddly

We’ve all heard horror stories about Apple’s “draconian” control over the iOS App Store for years, but if developer Shifty Jelly is to be believed, and as the old saying goes, Apple ain’t got nothing on Amazon.

Amazon’s biggest feature by far, has been their Free App Of The Day promotion. Publicly their terms say that they pay developers 20% of the asking price of an app, even when they give it away free. To both consumers and naive developers alike, this seems like a big chance to make something rare in the Android world: real money. But here’s the dirty secret Amazon don’t want you to know, they don’t pay developers a single cent.

So it’s not that they exchange marketing (getting on their features list) for money (getting zero for your app), but that they’re not up front about it before hand. But that’s not all, in addition to Apple-like lengthy review periods, Amazon takes it upon themselves to set or reset a developer’s price, re-write their descriptions, provides fewer reports, and pays later than Google does for the Android Market proper.

This, of course, comes as no surprise to anyone who’s ever dealt with Amazon from an author/publisher point of view. They’ve always made Apple look easy going by comparison. What will be interesting is how developers, media, and enthusiasts respond. They and we, rightly, gave Apple hell in 2008/2009 for their App Store policies. Given the especially harsh contrast between Amazon’s policies for their Android Appstore, and Google’s policies for the “openy” Android Market, there will be every bit as much outrage directed Amazon’s in 2011, right?

Check out the link below for all of Shifty Jelly’s cautionary tale…

[Shifty Jelly, thanks Seth!]

Google said “no” to joining Microsoft, Apple, in Nortel bid? [Updated]

Microsoft General Council, Brad Smith tweeted out a response today to Google’s open letter on an alleged anti-Android patent conspiracy, basically calling shenanigans on their whole Nortel act:

Google says we bought Novell patents to keep them from Google. Really? We asked them to bid jointly with us. They said no.

Which makes very little sense, given how angry Google reportedly was about not winning the bidding (regardless of the silly way they went about it), and their interest in having the DoJ investigate it.

Jon Fingas at Electronista hypothesizes that, if true, it calls into questions Google’s whole patent victim routine:

His remarks if accurate imply that the bidding group, which named itself Rockstar BidCo and also included companies like RIM and Sony, is primarily intended as a defensive mechanism to prevent lawsuits from patent trolls and other, usually smaller firms from suing anyone involved in the coalition. Many have presumed that the group was united with the aim of further suing Google and slowing down the adoption of Android.

So either Smith is completely out to lunch, or some people in Mountain View have some explaining to do…

UPDATE: Frank X. Shaw, from Microsoft Communications has posted a copy of the email to Brad Smith of Microsoft from Kent Walker, Google’s General Counsel. Along with this sharply worded tweet:

Free advice for David Drummond – next time check with Kent Walker before you blog. http://t.co/PfKle9H

[@BradSmi via Electronista, @xfshaw via WPCentral]

Find my iPhone app catches another thief

We often get reports of how amazing the iPhone is or how practical potential iPhone apps are. However, you never really get to understand the benefits of an iPhone app until you see it work in the real world. One shocking example of this was the recent incident where a victim of a locker-room theft at the North Boulder Recreation Centre managed to track down the thief of his iPhone and other belongings to a Public library simply by using his “Find my iPhone” app. The thief was located and it was discovered that he was a suspect in a long string of thefts and burglaries.
 

It all started when Hugh Huffaker decided to check in at the North boulder Recreation centre with a few of his friends. After he deposited his iPhone, credit cards and other belongings in his locker, he went out for a few minutes. However, by the time he came back, all his belongings were gone. Fortunately, he remembered his “Find my iPhone” app and used the internet at the centre to track his iPhone via the in-built GPS system.
 
It turned out that the thief had gone to the public library. Two of Huffaker’s friends set out immediately and when they found the person, they called him and told him to activate the alarm on the phone. Once the alarm sounded, his friends cornered the man, who was then detained by the library security guards until the police came to arrest him.
 
The suspect was identified as Millhiser and it turned out that all of Huffakers’ items were in his bag. Right now, he is custody on $500 bail.
 
Huffaker admitted that the real reason he installed the app was simply that he was absent minded. In this case, the app brought a thief to justice. However, one can easily imagine some negative aspects of such apps, which can also be used to track innocent individuals.

Watch shark videos with SeaHD for iPad

Here’s another app to add to your Shark Week collection – SeaHD.

SeaHD brings you on a journey through several oceans around the globe. View real dolphins, sharks, eels, clownfish & more. Watch tranquil footage on your desktop or HDTV for an entertaining experience. Learn facts about the marine environment. Construct your own video playlist to watch your favorite clips.

SeaHD is available on the iPad for $2.99. Screenshots after the break.

[iTunes link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

imo instant messenger for iPad updates with Skype group chat

The messaging app imo instant messenger for iPad, by imo.im, has been with support for group chat and more.

With imo instant messenger, it’s easy to stay in touch with friends on your existing IM accounts. imo currently supports Facebook Chat, Google Talk, Skype, MSN, ICQ/AIM, Yahoo, Jabber, Myspace, Hyves, and Vkontakte.

The update includes:

imo instant messenger for iPad is available for free. Screenshots after the break.

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

South Korea and France Investigate Apple’s Locationgate

Locationgate looked like it had come to an end with the release of iOS 4.3.3, but it may have been too late. The Korea Communications Commission set a precedent on Wednesday by fining Apple 3 million won ($2,830) for ignoring their location information laws.

It was discovered in April that iPhones were storing up to one-year of location data files. Apple claimed that the information was being used to track Wi-Fi hotspots and cell phone tower locations, but some people didn’t like the idea that their iPhone was tracking them.

The South Korea communications regulator agreed, and after a four-month investigation decided that Apple was to blame. The KCC said Apple collected users’ info, even after they disabled the location systems in their devices, from June 22, 2010, through May 4, 2011.

Now France has started their own investigation.

“We have sent two letters to Apple, who have responded to us in part. We received some clarifications, but they were not complete. The file is still under investigation," Yann Padova, head of CNIL, told onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5igs8BXYxTZdIL6fj8Fi_SwLugp_A?docId=CNG.4e46f2abe4e7ba920554951ab8f1038a.1e1');" target="_blank" href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5igs8BXYxTZdIL6fj8Fi_SwLugp_A?docId=CNG.4e46f2abe4e7ba920554951ab8f1038a.1e1">AFP. “The group is still trying to figure out how Apple encrypts the location data it apparently collects.”

iOS 4.3.3 limited the data storage to seven days, and iOS 5 will encrypt the data on iPhones in the future, but Apple still claims they did nothing wrong.

Apple spokesman Steve Park wrote in a statement that the company was not tracking people:

“Apple is not tracking the location of your iPhone,” Park said after the decision. “Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so.”