Apple Updates Safari on Windows!

Today I noticed that Apple has updated Safari for Windows too version 3.0.1. The Download (9MB) does not reaveal whats new and which bugs has been removed - all I can say is, that there are still no headlines available. Help has been completly disabled and don't let Safari crash like in version 3.0.0. Well, Safari for Windows is a real beta - you can't use it - but it's fast.

apple safari update windows

YouTube.de Domain Moves over too Google

The German Top Level Domain youtube.de is now in Googles Hands and pushing the rumors about a German and other European versions of YouTube service launching soon. The Domain YouTube.de was registered too a German guy running the Video Website Videotube.de. According to German Online Magazin heise.de, the Domain is now transfered to YouTube Inc. in San Mateo. Both parties agree not to talk about any details. At the moment the Domain is pointing to a transfer page of German Nic Services Denic.

youtube domain google

iPhone + Developers = Not that Sweet

Yesterday, Steve Jobs revealed his "one last thing" on the World Wide Developer Conference in San Francisco and some of you have probably said "woo..." but most of you probably thought "on noo...". What I am talking about is the ability for all the developers out there to write software for the Apple iPhone. When the iPhone first hit the press a lot of developers thought about "Can we write software for the Apple iPhone? That would be cool!" When it runs Cocoa - the Apple Major software language - it hopefully is possible that my application is running on it too. But than, Steve Jobs decline the possibility to write software for the iPhone by externals developers. Well, later on at "All Things Digital" - he revealed that it will be possible but he didn't mention how. From yesterdays keynote on WWDC we know, it is only possible to develop for the iPhone in developing web applications that will run into Safari - there is no way - yet - to develop software that runs nativly on the iPhone. A bummer - in my point of view! Web applications may be the future - but why is there native software running on the iPhone - like the special Google Maps application - why didn't they simple point a link to maps.google.com and made it a Safari Webapplication?

So why we can't develop native software for the iPhone?

1. Security: Yes, I understand the security is an issue. But when it runs OS X - why is it unsecure to run other applications?
   
   
2. Splitting the pros from the crowd: I am sure, we will see a lot of new "native" software for the iPhone by the end of this year. Think about games - you can't code or port a game to a simple Web Application - you need to do it nativly. And we will definitly see native games on the iPhone! The same big companies that are working on games for the iPod will deliver games for the iPhone - nativly. So Apple will split the pros from the crowd and of course they want to make money with excellent software.
   
   
3. iTunes: When there will be software from other companies that have - or bought - the rights to develop software on the iPhone - this software will be distributed through iTunes - this will be part of the deal - because Apple want to promote iTunes - as always. I am sure Apple would not be happy if some developers out there will create a great application and everybody can buy and download it from the companies-website to the iPhone - without touching iTunes.
   

Perhaps I am wrong in most of the points - I am a developer who develops nativly software as well as web applications and I am very unhappy that it is not possible - yet - to develop software for the iPhone - I hope Apple will change this in later releases of the iPhone. When I think about Windows Mobile or CE - there are a lot of applications that are made by none Microsoft developers and it really helped Windows Mobile to get attention. So please Steve, think about it - we will not harm your baby :)

iphone developers cocoa native web web20 web2.0 ajax safari apple windows+ce windows+mobile

Let the Games Begin! Welcome to WWDC

apple apple+tv game games videogames console

Run Google Apps in Secure Mode

I don't know if this was already posted somewhere but today I saw that I run my Google Mail account without seeing any secure lock in my browser status bar. I can remember I saw that on Google Mail - so I took some investigation why it disapeared. Well, the problem was easy - I created a new Bookmark and simply missed the "s" in the "https" in the URL.

Setting up the new bookmark with an https in front was easy - but when you use the Google Toolbar and those little new Toolbar icons you will see that changing to https isn't that easy.
First you need to go to the settings of the Google Toolbar and then click on the icon for Google Mail > Edit. A window opens - I am using Firefox - and you can either say "Install the latest setting from Google" or you can change into advance mode and edit the toolbar icon code by yourself. When you update the icon from Google - the Google Mail URL isn't set to https! So you need to go into advanced mode and edit the toolbar icon script. When you open the script, search for the Google Mail URLs and simply replace all "http" with an "https" and voila, from now on you can click on the toolbar icon and Google Mail is in secure mode - importand when you are at a local hotspot and somebody likes sniffing passwords. Don't ask me why Google don't set https as default in the Google Toolbar Icons.
After that, I took a look into Docs & Spreadsheets and into the URL of Google Calender. I saw that both are not called via https from the Google Toolbar. You can change those settings in the same way than I changed the Google Mail settings.

google secure https http google+mail calender

Apple iPhone Ads & Launchday

Apple released their first three iPhone Ads and gives details about the launchday.
You can see the ads over here.

apple iphone ads launch att at&t movie spot

Google & Privacy - Part II

Today The New York Times and German Spiegel Online reporting about privacy problems on the new Google Maps Add On called Street View. Mary Kalin Casey from Oakland California says she feels scary about that Google Maps users can zoom into her livingroom so close that you can see her cat behind the window.
When I first tried out Street View my first visit was Fort Point below the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. I noticed a Suzuki Jeep with some guy seems to have problems with the car. I also noticed two other people standing around the car - all of them were captured without knowing that they were captured and you can zoom in to a very detailed level. You even can see the number plate of the Jeep. I like the Street View Service but I think Google need to respect the privacy of their users.

google street+view privacy google+maps maps