The latest from TechCrunch
- Don't Get Excited About Google's Mysterious Punch Just Yet
- Are We On The Cusp Of A Jailbroken App Revolution?
- Pulse Is Now Alive And Kicking On Android
| Don't Get Excited About Google's Mysterious Punch Just Yet | Top |
| Earlier today Google Operating System noticed something odd in an official Google Docs demo video : an icon for an unreleased document editor called Google Punch . Numerous blogs have taken a stab at guessing what Google Punch may be (we initially speculated that it’s Google’s answer to Microsoft Publisher). But we’re hearing that it is something decidedly less exciting: Google Punch may just be a placeholder for a new version of an existing editor. In other words, Google is testing a new version of Docs, Spreadsheets, Presentations, or one of its other existing apps, and just needed something to call it. So what exactly is this new editor going to feature? It’s possible that Google is working to integrate DocVerse, the service it acquired in March that allows users to collaborate on Microsoft Office files. The software will give Google a bridge between native Microsoft Office clients and Google Docs, which will be a big deal. Or perhaps Punch could be the next version of Google’s Presentation app (note that the icons are quite similar). CrunchBase Information Google Docs Information provided by CrunchBase | |
| Are We On The Cusp Of A Jailbroken App Revolution? | Top |
| The DMCA ruling won’t change things for the average iPhone user — the main difference being that jailbreakers now can’t be sued by Apple successfully under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Apple will continue their attempts to block the jailbroken phones with every iOS update and jailbreakers will keep getting more and more savvy, like a vicious cycle of digital cat and mouse. Jay Freeman, who runs Cydia , what many in the industry refer to as the “Jailbroken App Store,” posits that what today’s ruling did change was awareness; “ More people will jailbreak their phones. Now that they think it’s legal. “ [Emphasis mine]. When asked whether the ruling had increased traffic to his site, Freeman bemoaned that today’s stats were unfortunately not available. Pinch Analytics holds that 8-9% of iPhones are jailbroken (6 million devices) which square with the 6 million devices that are active users of Cydia. (On a side note: Freeman says that 7 of those are iPhone 4s, all belonging to developers). Cydia’s most popular products are related to Wifi tethering, with names like Wifi Sync and MyWi. One user said that even though his jailbroken iPhone had eventually bricked up, it was worth it for the tethering functionality, which the iPhone 4 still does not have. And Freeman takes a 30% cut of all the proceeds, just the like the actual app store. Well, how many apps are in Cydia? Freeman’s official answer is 4 apps (including Google Voice Mobile and Grooveshark) with thousands of “aftermarket mods” (as opposed to 225,000+ in the Apple Store) enabling jailbroken phone users to accomplish stuff like background application management, the ability to send a Twitter message by touching the status bar, and maybe even one day the ability to make a call that automatically uses Google Voice. Freeman stubbornly refuses to call Cydia an app store: A lot of people have confusion over the usage of the term “app” — Apple sells apps, but also rejects apps like Google Voice. The main point of Cydia is aftermarket modifications — like on a car — sometimes you need to bypass car computer system protections to modify the car. You can also go to places and get something as simple as a racing stripe. Changing the wallpaper on your phone is like changing the paint on your car.” And Freeman thinks we’re on the the cusp of a jailbroken app revolution, but not directly related to today’s ruling; “As far as I know it is now and it always has been legal to jailbreak. If it wasn’t I would be receiving complaints from Apple’s lawyers.” Admittedly, Cydia and its counterparts are to put it mildly, not break out successes. As today’s publicity will attract more developers, the jailbroken app economy of scale harbors some of the same problems faced by Apple’s app store, says Freeman, “ When a developer comes to me thinking Cydia is a less restricted app store, it ends up being a very painful discussion, because I have to reject their apps .” Photo: Hackerfriendly/Flickr CrunchBase Information Cydia Information provided by CrunchBase | |
| Pulse Is Now Alive And Kicking On Android | Top |
| Back in May, we first wrote about Pulse , an innovative and pretty news reading app for the iPad created by a couple of Stanford grads. Just about a month later, it hit for the iPhone as well . Today, they’re wasting little time graduating beyond the iUniverse with the launch of Pulse for Android. Pulse is essentially a better-looking and more intuitive way to read your favorite RSS feeds. That’s because the experience is visual and touch-based, rather than being a bunch of text you click on. The fact that it uses RSS also differentiates Pulse from its new rival Flipboard, which pulls in actual content rather than RSS in a way that may be legally murky. You may recall that Pulse was taken down from the App Store shortly after its iPad launch after the New York Times complained about the use of their content. This was especially odd since just 24 hours earlier, no less than Apple CEO Steve Jobs praised Pulse on stage during his WWDC keynote. But (and perhaps because of that) Pulse was quickly reinstated , and has stuck around with no problems since then. So what do users of Pulse on Android get? As you can see in the video below, the same experience users get on the iPhone and iPad get — and that’s saying something considering how most apps ported over tend to lose something along the way. It’s easy to add and remove content sources. Reading is smooth and seamless. And sharing is simple. Also, in the video below, the app isn’t shown on just the latest and greatest Android device, it’s running on five different Android devices, we’re told. What may be most amazing about Pulse is that this is their ( Alphonso Labs’ ) third platform release in under three months — and they’ve done this with a team of just three full-time people (and one intern). Also, the group has yet to take any Angel/VC money — though I suspect that may change sooner rather than later. Pulse is available right now in the Android Market for $1.99. You can find it by searching for “Pulse” or by clicking here if you’re on your Android device (or use the QR image below). To commemorate the Android launch, Pulse is also lowering the price of its iPhone app to $1.99 for this week. CrunchBase Information Alphonso Labs Android Information provided by CrunchBase | |
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