Online Masai :: The Digital Nomad

Apple today filed a lawsuit against mobile devices maker HTC. The suit claims infringement of 20 patents related to the iPhone’s user interface, underlying architecture, and hardware.

In the release, Steve Jobs says, “We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it…We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”

Taiwan-based HTC was the first company to manufacture a cell phone based on Google’s Android operating system, which has emerged as a significant competitor to the iPhone, AP reports. It’s also making the Nexus One phone that Google is selling directly to consumers.

It looks like the Nexus One, and other HTC phones, may have hit too close to home for Steve Jobs.

Earlier, we supposed that Apple’s multi-touch user interface could be the basis for the lawsuit. But after examining the complaint, it appears that Apple is NOT suing over multitouch, but rather a bunch of other software. (When Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone, he touted its multitouch screen, then said, “And boy, have we patented it.”)

Meanwhile, Apple is already tied up in a patent lawsuit with Nokia, claiming Nokia is stealing Apple technology. Nokia says Apple is stealing its technology. Kodak is also suing Apple claiming technology theft.

Basically, Apple’s patent lawyers are going to be busy for the next year or so.

Finally the app store is finding its way to Kenya.  You can now distribute your apps to more customers with the addition of App Store support in Armenia, Botswana, Bulgaria, Jordan, Kenya, Macedonia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Senegal, Tunisia, and Uganda. Log in to iTunes Connect to view and update the countries where your applications are available.

This is sure to come in handy should you ever get the urge to grab that brand new app while you’re climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, or while making your way across the beautiful Sahara desert.

Because of the way the iPhone SDK agreement works, inclusion in the new App Stores is not automatic—instead, developers need to log in to Apple’s iTunes Connect portal and request that their apps be added to the new distribution channels.

After months of speculation, Apple finally unveiled its “tablet pc” the ipad. With mixed reactions, many hailed the iPad as an industry-redefining device, especially as an e-book reader destined to save print media.

While others laughed at the name, iPad and criticizing it as an over-sized iPhone.  So what exactly is the ipad, which at the moment has more of a negative opinion that a positive one?

The  iPad does indeed resemble a large iPhone or iPod touch. It has a 9.6-inch multi-touch screen, is a 1/2-inch thick, and is made of aluminum and glass. Like the iPhone, iPad has just four physical buttons. It can run most of the applications in the iTunes App Store, just like an iPhone or iPod touch.

While iPad can run those apps, it has been mainly designed for reading books, newspapers and magazines, surfing the Web, playing games, and enjoying media such as YouTube videos, HD movies, music, photos, and TV shows. You can also use iPad to send e-mail, touch up photos, edit documents and spreadsheets, and view PDFs. You hold iPad in your hands like a clipboard or book.

The iPad has a software keyboard just as the iPhone has. Early reports say this keyboard is fine for basic text editing, but probably isn’t ideal for complex word processing. Apple is offering two external keyboards to help with that (extra costs).

All versions of iPad have built-in Wi-Fi, while three versions also have 3G wireless capabilities &it should be possible to make VOIP and Skype calls from iPad, as it now is with 3G and 3GS.

Now the iPad may be an over hyped product lacking quite a bit

Notable features lacking on the iPad include a camera or webcam, SD card port (though Apple is offering an adapter for SD cards), support for Flash, and true system multitasking.

It’s surprising that iPad lacks a camera, maybe we will see on in the next generation iPad? Multitasking should have been part of the iPad as it is a “tablet pc” using one app at a time tends to become very annoying. This though is likely a feature in the next version of the iPhone operating system which powers the iPad. If iPad supported multitasking now, it would likely have far less haters.

The lack of Flash will be iPad’s major shortcoming for many. Most popular websites make use of  flash on their sites.

So, just a slight sum up of what we know about the iPad so far. What does it mean for the African market? Will we use it in our offices? Will we use it to read our daily newspapers? Our e-books? How about introducing it into our schools?

Really, I do not see any of that happening any time soon. Priced at $500 its too pricey for the African market. Many of us have the more pricey iPhone but its usefulness is more than that of the iPad.

Would be extremely interesting to hear what you guys have to say about it, so feel free to post your views and thoughts too.