I’ve long stopped caring what OS *other* people use. But to me, this describes the 3 of them perfectly (from the Android Developer manual):

Setup your system to detect your device.

• If you’re developing on Windows, you need to install a USB driver for adb. See the Windows USB Driver documentation.
• If you’re developing on Mac OS X, it just works. Skip this step.
• If you’re developing on Ubuntu Linux, you need to add a rules file that contains a USB configuration for each type of device you want to use for development. Each device manufacturer uses a different vendor ID. The example rules files below show how to add an entry for a single vendor ID (the HTC vendor ID). In order to support more devices, you will need additional lines of the same format that provide a different value for the SYSFS{idVendor} property. For other IDs, see the table of USB Vendor IDs, below.
  Log in as root and create this file: /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules.
  For Gusty/Hardy, edit the file to read:
  SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, SYSFS{idVendor}==”0bb4″, MODE=”0666″
  For Dapper, edit the file to read:
  SUBSYSTEM==”usb_device”, SYSFS{idVendor}==”0bb4″, MODE=”0666″
  Now execute:
  chmod a+r /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules

When you port your App to the iPad, one of the first choices you get is whether to create a separate product, or a fat (i.e. “universal”) binary.

It seems that many folks on the App store, including several apps in the GPS/travel space have gone done the separate-product route.

Perhaps I understand why they did this. After all, it is not trivial to port an App to the iPad (basically your UI needs a complete re-think). For some apps, they have gone so far as to offer a totally new UI, using real life metaphors like “pages” and “books”.

I still think it’s a bad idea. Why? For two main reasons:
1) customers don’t like paying for the same product twice
2) how many people will actually buy both versions anyway?

Yes the iPad version costs you money to make. BUT, it will hopefully get you more customers. New customers who buy it for their iPad.

Historically I know of several products that used to ship with multiple targets. Warcraft 3 is one, and Adobe’s suite is another, both supported both Mac and Windows. Many steam games now support Mac as well (and don’t require re-purchasing).

So my theory is most users won’t buy the App twice. Some will buy it for the iPhone, some will buy it for the iPad. If you have the one binary to support both, a few will run it on both, and find that useful. If you sell it separately, I doubt most people would buy the counterpart, simply because they would use one device more than the other. Furthermore, users that have already bought the iPhone version get that installed to their iPad anyway, which may be enough.

So rather than trying to milk your existing customers to pay for the port, think of it this way: You get new customers (those who have never used your app, and want to use your App on the iPad), you add value to your product (by allowing use of both devices) which may give you an edge. And you’re doing the right thing (ask yourself, do you like paying for the same thing twice?).

I think so few customers will buy the app TWICE, that you actually de-value your product. I suspect that the number of additional people who buy your App because it supports both, will outweigh the number of people who would have bought a second copy, and that both categories of users represent only a small percentage anyway.

And please, don’t try to claim “but the iPad version is different”. I don’t care if it has a fancy book UI, a re-arranged layout, or up-res’d textures. If it performs the same function, it’s the same App.

GPS Log for iPad. Coming soon. Free for existing users.

Will

We all know if you buy a cheap, non-refundable ticket, then chance your mind you’re pretty much boned for getting a refund.

And maybe fair enough, you knew it was non-refundable, and this is how the airline can make it so cheap (or so they say).

However, this BBC article makes an extremely good point: you should be entitled to a refund of the TAX component, after all, this is not airline revenue.

To me this makes perfect sense. The taxes and “surcharges” surely are only paid out if you actually take the flight. Airport tax is per-passenger. This was never revenue for the airlines, so why should it be if you cancel your ticket?

Given the huge amounts the Airlines charge in this category (some no doubt is legit, but who knows what is in the mystery “surcharge” category), perhaps this would also encourage more honesty in the break down of fares.

For me personally, I hate how airlines split the fare, and applaud Virgin Blue for not doing this. The total amount is the only amount I care about. But if in fact they want to be so careful to detail this tax component, then perhaps they can do us the courtesy of paying it back if they don’t pay it to the government.

Thanks for listening…

Will

Not a bad take on it I think.

Think rugby union’s governing bodies are being a bit square – Will Carling’s 57 old f*rts if you like.
The Tri Nations series has already banned them, and now the World Cup in New Zealand next year is following suit, as befits an old school tie/public school sport.
The vuvuzelas are more common, culturally speaking, to the community-minded Third World nations and peoples who love to celebrate life noisily and together.
The stiff shirts that watch rugby, eat prawn sandwiches, enjoy corporate hospitality, and often sit in silence have no interest in that kind of thing.
Personally I think it all adds to the atmosphere of the sport to have the vuvuzelas and they should be encouraged.
Anyone who wants to sit in silence can watch TV!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A70019840?s_fromedit=1&s_type=15&s_sport=football

So I have an iPhone.  It’s always in my pocket.  It has a 3G connection.

I can share the 3G Connection to a laptop.

So why the hell can’t I share this connection to an iPad? Even a Jobs-derided “Net Book” can use the iPhone’s 3G connection.

What’s worse is that this is not only technically feasible, but it’s been done!  What a slap in the face.

So now we have to buy another data plan? Even if you’re willing to pay it’s not (currently) easy to find Micro-SIM 3G plans in all countries.

Thanks Apple, thanks AT&T :-/

PR NEWSWIRE: After some weekend deliberation over a bottle of scotch in a scientific setting, Tony Abbot amends list of things he “doesn’t believe”:

• Humans are not the cause of climate change
• Smoking doesn’t cause lung cancer
• and even if it did, then second hand smoke certainly wouldn’t anyway
• HIV doesn’t cause AIDS
• The earth is not spherical

Sorry mate. But some things you are free to “believe” or “not believe”. These are things like your religion (for you, apparently in the “believe” category, at least on paper). But when it comes to science. Either get a qualification and debate the science in the right forum, or shut the fuck up.

$1 apps are one thing. Now people are releasing 15 games in 1, for $1. Wow…

Seems like Apple needs to add some new pricing categories, especially for games. I suggest:

$0.19
$0.09
and, my personal preference:
$0.01

Just think about it – at 0.01, your audience could be HUGE!!!!!!!!%!!!!! Enjoy your instant noodle dinners!

I’ve got no issue with people modding/hacking their iphones (even as a developer myself), or any hardware they own for that matter.

But please. Don’t blame Apple for viruses/malware that f*ck you up when you do. This “worm”, and the subsequent more malicious versions only run on hacked iPhones. You run unauthorised software on the iPhone – you’re on your own…

The BBC (and the rest) really should make it clear that “anyone running Apple authorised software are completely unaffected”. And put that in the first paragraph.

Rather than screaming “Worm attack bites at Apple iPhone” what about “Worm attack bites at Hacked iPhones”. At least they didn’t spell bites, “bytes” :-S

Source

Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner did acknowledge that a “tiny proportion” of the money might be spend overseas, by expatriates

OK, this has really got my goat people.

Every time I read about the aussie stimulus package, someone complains that the money might be spent overseas (e.g. like mine), and politicians have to justify it (even if they know better).  Well get this:

1. You only get the money if you paid Australian Taxes.  I paid my taxes just as much as everyone else and I’m not even in the country to use the benefit of any of the services this money buys me (e.g. medical care).  I’m not asking for my tax back – so shut up about my stimulus money.

2.  THIS IS A GLOBAL PROBLEM.  IT DOES NOT MATTER WHERE YOU SPEND THE MONEY. Got it?  GLOBAL PROBLEM.  It didn’t start in Australia, and it won’t end there.  I spent my stimulus money in the United States of America, which probably did a lot more to help the world economy (and thus Australia’s) then spending it in Australia.

So just shut up, buy a plasma TV, and be happy.  OK?

iPhone users really have come to expect a bargain.  Odd considering how much cash they forked out for the phone.  But so many people discounting their Apps in a desperate bid for popularity (it’s based on downloads, not downloads * price, which encourages $1 apps), the prices are generally undervalued (that – and there’s a lot of crap on the App Store).

I’ve had 2 people now review the free version of GPS Log (albiet with overall positive reviews) asking for a lower price.  But it’s only $10.  I’m trying to think of computer software I have bought for less than that, and I can’t.  I’ve bought a dozen small utilities over the years, from screen capture tools, to newsgroup software, all in the $25 range (sometimes US).

lwb@sg writes, “Excellent GPS software. It’s easily one of the best geotagged-related programs I have tried on iPhone. If the full version is more reasonably priced, I would not hestitate to get it!”

So it’s better than all those other shitty apps.  But it costs more than them.

hmm.  lets think about that for a minute.

It’s better.  But it costs more.  That’s because it’s better!  Maybe if those other devlopers were working on their apps full time they would be better too – but then they would also want more money, because hey – you have to pay for the food you eat!

So I don’t get it people.  Reward quality with purchases, and you will encourage more quality.  Set the bar at $1 and expect 8 pages of crap on your iPhone.

The thing is that you can’t make up for the low price with volume, unless your App has mass appeal.  If GPS Log was $1 I would have the same number of people interested – but perhaps a small fraction extra would buy it because they are unwilling at the current price.  But I would need 10x more purchases to make up for this!  I know GPS Log doesn’t have mass appeal – I never intended it to – I want it to appeal to a small group of users who need the extact features it provides (such as me), and thus are willing to pay $10 for the privilage.  So far this seem to be working.

I’m asking for $10 – and I’m keeping it that way.