$600 per version isn't even close to nominal! If I sell an app. through an online store (like Handango) for $10 my net (after fees) is ~$6. I've got to sell 100 copies before I can even begin to start making up my development costs (computer, time, ISP, etc.). That means if you want me to add some special feature to my existing app (say your red-green color blind and you can't make out the text), you've got to find 100 friends willing to purchase the upgrade before I will even consider helping you. -- On the PC and PPC platforms, it costs me only 5 minutes of my time, you want purple text, ask nicely, it's yours.
But the much bigger problem with the SPV certificate process is this: MS (through Orange) is using it to test the market for the Palladium "Trusted Computing" model. If you're not familiar with Palladium you should be! If it flies, then in the very near future it won't just be your SPV that's locked down. Your home PC will be too! http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/f...alladiumwp.asp
I put the question like this: Was Orwell's dire prediction in his novel 1984 incorrect, or just premature? Use your consumer power to protect your rights to control content on your PC. Don't buy an SPV until Orange drops their certification.
Everybody is going to buy Taiwanese made CPU, VIA, anybody remember Cyrix? or ARM in the future. (hell Here come SH-3, PowerPC or VR)
put Linux on top of it too....... stick a finger at Paladium.
If anybody is buying SPV and not thinking about Paladium, they deserve to be spied on and their computer locked down in the future because of their stupidity.
I don't have a problem with Digital Signatures. Can you imagine if there was a virus or trojan horse that infected a phone and spread through similiar phones? Because you wanted that solitare application from that 'free' website. Oh yeah. How about a complete melt-down of the communications system within a few hours? Now do you think Digital Signatures is such a bad thing? I think not.
I like SPV, but no bluetooth equals no sale for me. Bluetooth has made my life a little easier. Have you tried the new Jabra bluetooth headset? Yes, bluetooth is cool!
I don't want a Symbian OS for my phone either. Sure, it MIGHT be more stable, but I want my IPAQ, phone and pc to work together without any issues. I like an alternative to MS, but Symbian doesn't have the features to justify me buying it.
__________________
Rick Gomez - Owner/Consultant
fiona Systems Integration www.fionasystems.com
To be put it politely, I believe that this lockdown is sheer and utter lunacy of the highest order. If this is the only reliable way to make the MS Smartphone secure, then my name is Bingo Bongo the Second, Grand Emperor of the Planet Venus.
From what I can see, Microsoft are not really the ones to blame in the case of the SPV - it's Orange who have made the decision to require certification, killing any hope of decent third-party software support in the process. Anyone remember how older, pre-Pocket PC CE devices fared against Palm? Yep, in those days, the SDK wasn't free...
The Smartphone OS is a new OS. In order for it to succeed, third-party software development is going to be absolutely vital. If I worked for MS, I would be disgusted beyond belief at Orange's decision (at least, I hope I would!).
It's not so much that certification costs £600 (or £300 for a limited time) a pop. Perhaps more pressing is the problem that, as a developer, you have to pay this money before you can actually test your application on the phone - otherwise, you're restricted to flying blind on the emulator.
Requiring certification in this manner is, in my opinion, dumb beyond belief. At least Orange will have a nice, secure network - for there surely won't be any Smartphones to hack.
Can you imagine if there was a virus or trojan horse that infected a phone and spread through similiar phones?
Fair point, but why ban all programs? Surely, there must be a way of designing the OS so that uncertified programs can't access any functions that have the potential to do damage (i.e. they can only run locally and affect the local device)?
And also, if there is such potential for harm, why don't Pocket PC Phone Edition devices require certified software? As far as I know, my xda hasn't taken down any phone networks yet...
Fair point, but why ban all programs? Surely, there must be a way of designing the OS so that uncertified programs can't access any functions that have the potential to do damage (i.e. they can only run locally and affect the local device)?
Correct - and Microsoft did this. They give the carriers the option to restrict all non-certified applications or to have the OS prevent non-certified applications from doing certain things. Orange chose the restrict-all model.
__________________
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
Interesting thread - seems like it got all the pro-Symbian people out to mock... :roll:
Thankfully, the buying public is nothing like us, and OS bias will likely not play a factor in their purchasing decision. 8)
You're getting touchy in your old Jason, I had to go back to find the one comment.
Very interesting thread, but it would be more interesting if we could get the Orange spin on why they decided to do it.
We have talked about the need to ensure they guarantee both network use and service revenue to support the shed loads of cash they paid for the 3g licences. This could show the model that they will be operating under. Never mind just getting certified. You must get certified for 'our certificates'. Suddenly they have a ring fenced playground that they decide who get into and they can operate like the interactive tv market. Charge a high price for entry and perhaps only certify apps which are limited to providing the network providers content and services. This would ensure that they get the service revenues.
Or they could just be doing it to make sure that they don't a load of technical queries about duff software which keeps taking their phone down.
1) What are Orange and Microsoft's plans regarding bugfixes and
updates?
One of the key applications of the SPV is Orange Update. This allows us to send so software updates to customers over-the-air. We are working on one update to be sent before the end of the Year, and a further update to be sent before the end of Q2 2003. The intention is that these updates will address a number of concerns raised by your contributors.
2) Is there any scope for Orange reconsidering their position to be more
accomodating to developers? I believe the uptake of the SmartPhone
2002 platform would be seriously hindered by this approach.
Orange is committed to working with third party developers, and understand that developers and their applications will be essential to the success of the SPV - without these applications, customers will not get the best out of their SPV. However, to protect it's customers from malicious or corrupt applications and to protect the value generated by application developers, Orange has opted to implement security measures on the SPV. Orange is working towards launching a website early in the New Year to assist SPV developers. The site will detail how a developer can get their application digitally signed, how to get an application published on the Orange download site and also explain how a developer can get an SPV for development purposes.
__________________
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
Linear Mode
LinkBacks (?)
