About a week ago, we noted that Verizon was gearing up to launch its own app store for Android phones. This app store, called V CAST Apps, would be completely separate from Android’s existing Market for apps. In other words, it’s Verizon kicking their partner Google in the man region.
Of course, we all knew neither side would spin it that way. And sure enough, today we have Verizon’s take. During their Verizon Developer Community Conference earlier this afternoon, the company took the time to respond to the charges that they were taking over control of Android devices with maneuvers such as this. Jkontherun has a good overview of what was said, but Verizon itself was tweeting key parts. Here’s my favorite:
V CAST Apps is NOT out to take over the phone. It’s about choice, and about simplicy – carrier-billing — and quality — great apps.
Oh Jesus. Here we go again. It’s not about control or money — no, of course not. It’s about “choice”. Excuse me while I vomit in my mouth.
Does anyone really believe that Verizon really cares about choice here? What they care about is not ”becoming a commodity connectivity provider,” as James Kendrick puts it. And that’s fair enough, there’s nothing wrong with a company wanting to be successful and maintain their success. But I’m sick of this spin that all of this is for the betterment of all. Verizon cares about making money just like every other company and that’s why they’re doing this.
But there are two main reasons I have a problem with all of this. First, Verizon has proven itself to be incapable of making a decent consumer experience. I’ll refer back to my experience with the Motorola RAZR which was delayed for many months so Verizon could load it up with their crap UI and V CAST junk. And now we’re seeing it with the Droid Verizon phones. They’re packed to the gills with garbage compliments of Verizon. There is no question that Google needs to improve the Android Market experience, but as the creators of Android, I have much more faith in them doing that than with Verizon circumventing it.
Second, here’s what really annoys me: believe it or not, I really like the idea of Android. I love the idea of an OS ecosystem that works across a range of carriers. In the U.S., Apple isn’t doing this, Android is. I like anything that gives the carriers less power. The problem is that Verizon is now using Android’s openness to ruin that approach.
Verizon is essentially making Verizon Android phones different from all other Android phones. Say I buy an app through the V CAST app store then a year down the line I buy another Android device on Sprint. Guess what? It won’t work on the new device. This was supposed to be an open ecosystem — instead, it’s turning out to be very, very fragmented. We’re seeing now that a Verizon Android phone and a Sprint Android phone will soon only share a bit of branding in common. The harmonious ecosystem is being razed.
And all of this doesn’t seem to bode well for the prospects of a Verizon iPhone. Does anyone believe for a second that Apple is going to let Verizon open their own app store on the iPhone? Not a chance. They’ll be lucky if they get a V Cast content app pre-loaded on there — you can bet Apple doesn’t even want that. So why would Verizon want to have anything to do with a device that will turn them into the “commodity connectivity provider” when Google is giving them the keys to the castle?
And so, despite the best efforts of Apple and Google over the past few years, the carriers are now striking back. And it’s us, the consumers, who will lose as a result. How’s that for “choice”?
[image: Warner Bros.]
Does respecting the opinions of others include despising others, of implying that others will be at fault if the awful Rethugs, whom Obama has been, you will recall, courting with “bipartisanship”?
Does respect entail telling us that what we saw, in print, of Obama’s clear promises, what we heard with our own ears, of Obama’s promises, an Obama many worked for thinking that, as a black man, Obama would be good for the country, and the vote alone, by itself, Was and IS a sign of the good of the country … does respect mean telling us we never saw or heard such things … that we are lying and making things up?
Does respect mean telling people who have watched, closely, the political scene for longer than Obama has been alive, people who were willing and happy to donate time and effort and ideas, people who had and have good, indeed wonderful, ideas, ideas that still must be implemented to avert serious economic and social disaster, that they are “effing r*****s”, in need of a drug test, and of “getting” a “real” life?
Does respect mean peddling fear?
Or does “respect” mean something else perhaps, like appreciation, or at least, tolerance AND the understanding that people who do not agree with you are, possibly, neither stupid nor uninformed?
Apparently, what phred suggested, regarding a party having actual accomplishments and a moral compass is less important than “winning”, when such “winning” simply means more of the same.
Frankly, AC2, it matters little who is in power because the “system” is so corrupt, economically and legally, specifically as regards the rule of law, as Obama has continued and extended the worst of the Bush-Cheney Executive power grab, and the military has far to much power, politically and, in terms of the amount of the nation’s “wealth and treasure”, a stranglehold on the nation’s “looking forward” future, that regardless of who is in “power”, as they are both essentially the same, in spite of YOUR assertions that, somehow, they are not … our society faces very hard times … and to be brutally honest … the pain ought to be shared equally, and the blame, let’s not put it on “progressives”, or even the T-baggers, but on those who have had and do have power, especially Obama who had, despite those who dispute it, a genuine and heartfelt mandate to actually make some changes, which as President, with majorities in both the House and Senate, as well as each and every one of those “Democratic” Senators and Representatives, he and the Democrats COULD have done?
At the very least, respect means not calling others stupid or blaming them for the failures of others.
When the spill in the Gulf occurred, certain pundits intoned, “We are all responsible for this catastrophe.”
But look who is still in business, the largest supplier to the US military, aka Bee Pee.
When the economic meltdown occurred, certain pundits intoned, “It was those who could not afford these homes, but really we are all to blame.”
But look who is getting huge, actually obscene, “bonuses”?
Now you can say, “It’s systemic, and the D’s can’t fix it over-night”
Righto, AC2, righto.
Wonder when they plan to start?
Righto, right after they defeat the awful, evil R’s … well soon thereafter, anyhow.
But it’s hard, doncha know?
Righto.
Now, you will note, AC2, that at no point did I take you, personally, to task or suggest that it will be your fault if disaster befalls us? Nor did phred, for that matter.
Those who differ from you have never said you are to blame, yet you, and other partisans who agree with your viewpoint, charge us with such “responsibility” constantly and consistently,
Nobody “lost” 2000, but the Dems, Gore and Lieberman.
Frankly, AC2, I voted AGAINST Lieberman AND Gore’s apparently happy choice of Lieberman as his running-mate.
And, you know, just between us, AC2, Gore’s behavior, during Bush v. Gore, was not inspiring, to say the least.
Kind of cowardly, like the D’s in general, and certain ones, in particular.
These times, clearly, call for courage and bold innovation, not capitulation to selfish greed, mindless fear, and state secrecy, “secret” law and killing at a distance on the whims of one man or woman. Democrat or Republican. The President of the United States of America.
In my opinion.
DW
The Tools of Ignorance: Wednesday <b>News</b> - Pinstripe Alley
The schedule and what it means for playoff seeding.
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 9/22 - Arrowhead Pride
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robert shumake
The Tools of Ignorance: Wednesday <b>News</b> - Pinstripe Alley
The schedule and what it means for playoff seeding.
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 9/22 - Arrowhead Pride
Good morning Chiefs fans. Another day means more Kansas City Chiefs news. Let's be sure to play nice in the comment sections today. We're all Chiefs fans even if we might have different (though no less passionate) visions of what this ...
FileMaker releases FileMaker Go updates for iPhone and iPad <b>...</b>
iLounge news discussing the FileMaker releases FileMaker Go updates for iPhone and iPad. Find more iPad news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.
About a week ago, we noted that Verizon was gearing up to launch its own app store for Android phones. This app store, called V CAST Apps, would be completely separate from Android’s existing Market for apps. In other words, it’s Verizon kicking their partner Google in the man region.
Of course, we all knew neither side would spin it that way. And sure enough, today we have Verizon’s take. During their Verizon Developer Community Conference earlier this afternoon, the company took the time to respond to the charges that they were taking over control of Android devices with maneuvers such as this. Jkontherun has a good overview of what was said, but Verizon itself was tweeting key parts. Here’s my favorite:
V CAST Apps is NOT out to take over the phone. It’s about choice, and about simplicy – carrier-billing — and quality — great apps.
Oh Jesus. Here we go again. It’s not about control or money — no, of course not. It’s about “choice”. Excuse me while I vomit in my mouth.
Does anyone really believe that Verizon really cares about choice here? What they care about is not ”becoming a commodity connectivity provider,” as James Kendrick puts it. And that’s fair enough, there’s nothing wrong with a company wanting to be successful and maintain their success. But I’m sick of this spin that all of this is for the betterment of all. Verizon cares about making money just like every other company and that’s why they’re doing this.
But there are two main reasons I have a problem with all of this. First, Verizon has proven itself to be incapable of making a decent consumer experience. I’ll refer back to my experience with the Motorola RAZR which was delayed for many months so Verizon could load it up with their crap UI and V CAST junk. And now we’re seeing it with the Droid Verizon phones. They’re packed to the gills with garbage compliments of Verizon. There is no question that Google needs to improve the Android Market experience, but as the creators of Android, I have much more faith in them doing that than with Verizon circumventing it.
Second, here’s what really annoys me: believe it or not, I really like the idea of Android. I love the idea of an OS ecosystem that works across a range of carriers. In the U.S., Apple isn’t doing this, Android is. I like anything that gives the carriers less power. The problem is that Verizon is now using Android’s openness to ruin that approach.
Verizon is essentially making Verizon Android phones different from all other Android phones. Say I buy an app through the V CAST app store then a year down the line I buy another Android device on Sprint. Guess what? It won’t work on the new device. This was supposed to be an open ecosystem — instead, it’s turning out to be very, very fragmented. We’re seeing now that a Verizon Android phone and a Sprint Android phone will soon only share a bit of branding in common. The harmonious ecosystem is being razed.
And all of this doesn’t seem to bode well for the prospects of a Verizon iPhone. Does anyone believe for a second that Apple is going to let Verizon open their own app store on the iPhone? Not a chance. They’ll be lucky if they get a V Cast content app pre-loaded on there — you can bet Apple doesn’t even want that. So why would Verizon want to have anything to do with a device that will turn them into the “commodity connectivity provider” when Google is giving them the keys to the castle?
And so, despite the best efforts of Apple and Google over the past few years, the carriers are now striking back. And it’s us, the consumers, who will lose as a result. How’s that for “choice”?
[image: Warner Bros.]
Does respecting the opinions of others include despising others, of implying that others will be at fault if the awful Rethugs, whom Obama has been, you will recall, courting with “bipartisanship”?
Does respect entail telling us that what we saw, in print, of Obama’s clear promises, what we heard with our own ears, of Obama’s promises, an Obama many worked for thinking that, as a black man, Obama would be good for the country, and the vote alone, by itself, Was and IS a sign of the good of the country … does respect mean telling us we never saw or heard such things … that we are lying and making things up?
Does respect mean telling people who have watched, closely, the political scene for longer than Obama has been alive, people who were willing and happy to donate time and effort and ideas, people who had and have good, indeed wonderful, ideas, ideas that still must be implemented to avert serious economic and social disaster, that they are “effing r*****s”, in need of a drug test, and of “getting” a “real” life?
Does respect mean peddling fear?
Or does “respect” mean something else perhaps, like appreciation, or at least, tolerance AND the understanding that people who do not agree with you are, possibly, neither stupid nor uninformed?
Apparently, what phred suggested, regarding a party having actual accomplishments and a moral compass is less important than “winning”, when such “winning” simply means more of the same.
Frankly, AC2, it matters little who is in power because the “system” is so corrupt, economically and legally, specifically as regards the rule of law, as Obama has continued and extended the worst of the Bush-Cheney Executive power grab, and the military has far to much power, politically and, in terms of the amount of the nation’s “wealth and treasure”, a stranglehold on the nation’s “looking forward” future, that regardless of who is in “power”, as they are both essentially the same, in spite of YOUR assertions that, somehow, they are not … our society faces very hard times … and to be brutally honest … the pain ought to be shared equally, and the blame, let’s not put it on “progressives”, or even the T-baggers, but on those who have had and do have power, especially Obama who had, despite those who dispute it, a genuine and heartfelt mandate to actually make some changes, which as President, with majorities in both the House and Senate, as well as each and every one of those “Democratic” Senators and Representatives, he and the Democrats COULD have done?
At the very least, respect means not calling others stupid or blaming them for the failures of others.
When the spill in the Gulf occurred, certain pundits intoned, “We are all responsible for this catastrophe.”
But look who is still in business, the largest supplier to the US military, aka Bee Pee.
When the economic meltdown occurred, certain pundits intoned, “It was those who could not afford these homes, but really we are all to blame.”
But look who is getting huge, actually obscene, “bonuses”?
Now you can say, “It’s systemic, and the D’s can’t fix it over-night”
Righto, AC2, righto.
Wonder when they plan to start?
Righto, right after they defeat the awful, evil R’s … well soon thereafter, anyhow.
But it’s hard, doncha know?
Righto.
Now, you will note, AC2, that at no point did I take you, personally, to task or suggest that it will be your fault if disaster befalls us? Nor did phred, for that matter.
Those who differ from you have never said you are to blame, yet you, and other partisans who agree with your viewpoint, charge us with such “responsibility” constantly and consistently,
Nobody “lost” 2000, but the Dems, Gore and Lieberman.
Frankly, AC2, I voted AGAINST Lieberman AND Gore’s apparently happy choice of Lieberman as his running-mate.
And, you know, just between us, AC2, Gore’s behavior, during Bush v. Gore, was not inspiring, to say the least.
Kind of cowardly, like the D’s in general, and certain ones, in particular.
These times, clearly, call for courage and bold innovation, not capitulation to selfish greed, mindless fear, and state secrecy, “secret” law and killing at a distance on the whims of one man or woman. Democrat or Republican. The President of the United States of America.
In my opinion.
DW
robert shumake
The Tools of Ignorance: Wednesday <b>News</b> - Pinstripe Alley
The schedule and what it means for playoff seeding.
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 9/22 - Arrowhead Pride
Good morning Chiefs fans. Another day means more Kansas City Chiefs news. Let's be sure to play nice in the comment sections today. We're all Chiefs fans even if we might have different (though no less passionate) visions of what this ...
FileMaker releases FileMaker Go updates for iPhone and iPad <b>...</b>
iLounge news discussing the FileMaker releases FileMaker Go updates for iPhone and iPad. Find more iPad news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.
robert shumake
The Tools of Ignorance: Wednesday <b>News</b> - Pinstripe Alley
The schedule and what it means for playoff seeding.
Arrowheadlines: Chiefs <b>News</b> 9/22 - Arrowhead Pride
Good morning Chiefs fans. Another day means more Kansas City Chiefs news. Let's be sure to play nice in the comment sections today. We're all Chiefs fans even if we might have different (though no less passionate) visions of what this ...
FileMaker releases FileMaker Go updates for iPhone and iPad <b>...</b>
iLounge news discussing the FileMaker releases FileMaker Go updates for iPhone and iPad. Find more iPad news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.
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