

Apple Yanks The Cord On GV Mobile, other Google Voice integration apps - rufo
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/07/27/apple-yanks-the-cord-on-gv-mobile-is-it-trying-to-kill-google-voice-on-the-iphone/

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tsally
In other news, Google yanks Apple iPhone from search results, claiming the
built in Safari browser "duplicates functionality" of the Google search
engine.

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jonursenbach
This makes me want to return the 3G I bought on Saturday, cancel my new AT&T
contract and buy a G1. Between this and their growing shitty service (3g
reception in SF is for ass), are they now _actively_ trying to turn customers
away?

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jrockway
Wait for the G2 ("myTouch 3G"), out in a few days. I have been using Android
installed onto my AT&T Tilt, and it's amazingly good. It compares well to the
iPhone experience; email, chat, Google Voice, and the browser all work very
well. The added benefit is that there is no restriction on what apps can do;
if you want an app that runs in the background and sucks your battery dry,
that's totally up to you.

(Also interesting; the touchscreen works horribly under the Windows Mobile
install that the Tilt ships with, but it works great under Android. I can
actually use the software keyboard with 100% accuracy, and I don't need to use
the stylus. Amazing.)

Anyway, I am on AT&T, but I am jumping ship to whichever US carrier gets the
HTC Hero. (Hopefully Sprint, as they will also be releasing their 4G network
soon.)

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litewulf
The better touchscreen may actually just be a better corrective dictionary...
It seems reasonable to me that some Googler got to write a mapreduce for
thumb-type correction.

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zacharypinter
This is what happens when you let a platform control the software that's
released on it. Absolutely crazy, short-sighted anti-competitive practices.

I don't mind Apple having an official AppStore where only the products they
sanction show up, but at least provide a method for installing applications
outside of the app store.

I'm on my second iPhone (first 2g, now 3gs), and there's a lot to like about
it. Specifically, if it weren't for the iPhone, I don't think we'd have an
Android or a Palm Pre right now. The carriers exerted so much control over
their phones that nothing innovative could really happen.

However, now that Apple has opened up the playing field, I hope Android or Pre
wins the market.

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jsz0
Apple should be careful here. This could be one of those game changer moments.
The vast majority of the previous removals/denials were legitimate but Apple
has already allowed VOIP applications and already allowed apps that duplicate
functionality of the Dialer. There is no possible way Apple can walk this one
back and make it look like anything other than anti-competitive behavior.
Apple has enough leverage with carriers that they can dictate the rules now.
What's AT&T going to do? Stop selling iPhones? Apple needs to flex their
muscle on this.

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sgoraya
_"Apple has enough leverage with carriers that they can dictate the rules now.
What's AT &T going to do? Stop selling iPhones?"_

Agreed - the article insinuates that AT&T had the app blocked, I
wholeheartedly disagree. Apple has been dictating terms to AT&T since the
beginning of their deal. In addition, I'm using AT&T w/ a BB in California and
the GVoice app is working perfectly fine.

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sgoraya
_"Yet another possibility is that Google’s official application is imminent,
and the GV Mobile app was pulled to reduce confusion once that’s out (though
this seems less likely)."_

My initial thought was, OK, Google is probably prepping their own native app
for release...likely or not, I hope its the case. I use the blackberry app
almost exclusively for all my calls now and dont see going back to my BB's
dialer.

Apple's recent actions at the app store are disconcerting to say the
least...What about the skype app? Is that going to be (or has it been) yanked
too?

I suppose its another reason to be happy I stuck with my BB ;)

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redorb
Makes it see like Apple wants to make Jail-breaking your phone more appetizing
then it already was...

*<http://appulo.us/appdb/> \- if your tired of apps being pulled that you really liked....

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wooster
Pointing to a piracy site on a site chock-full of entrepreneurs? Really? And
you got upmodded. WTF.

~~~
Quarrelsome
Piracy ain't always equal to bad.

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quizbiz
I have GV Movile on my iPodTouch and I use it for a lot of my calls. AT&T
shouldn't be able to make Apple remove apps solely because of feature
redundancy on one of the two platforms.

What about the skype app(s)?

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sahaj
the ipod touch has a mic?

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wheels
Everyone always muses over whether Apple would be worse than Microsoft if they
controlled the platform. I suppose now you can see your answer.

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rottencupcakes
I'm hoping this means that Apple is planning on adding native Google Voice
functionality in the 3.1 release.

A man can dream, right?

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drewcrawford
As an iPhone developer, this makes me really pissed. I was working on a (non-
GV) app I was modeling off of GV mobile, and quite frankly I'm scared to
submit it now. WTF Apple. The really scary thing is these rumors I keep
hearing about the secret ninja app reviewers that call you instead of giving
you something in writing because they're afraid it will get press.

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m0shen
At least if they call your GV number you can easily record and publish the
call online.

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Timothee
Does anybody know what the rules are regarding ad-hoc distribution?

I believe that you can install your apps without going through the App Store
if you have a developer license (either for debugging or through the ad-hoc
process), right? So, now, could there be a network of people with developer
licenses to deliver some open-source apps in that manner?

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yesimahuman
I just sort of realized how sick apple makes me after I "synced" and deleted a
bunch of my apps off my iPhone from iTunes. Stuff like this doesn't help. I
don't really think I'll be staying with them after the contact.

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tybris
That's great news. The beginning of the end of the App store.

