Tom Gruber

I ran across this just now. Basically, you receive a text message in the event a child is reported missing in your area. All participating wireless carriers don’t even charge you for the txt. The program is called Wireless AMBER Alerts. According to the site, the first 3 hours after a child is missing are the most critical to getting them back.

It’s a pretty ingenious and effective way to alert people very quickly. It’s also passive — I just go about my day as usual. If I get an alert, I can be extra vigilant with whatever information they send.

By tapping the collective population of mobile phone users, this organization can actually get reasonable participation. I’d like to see more organizations try things like this.

I’m already signed up.

Watch this video.

It seems there could be a great premise for a science fiction movie here. A mammoth, oppressive government trying to show its country off during a prestigious global event, is made transparent by a rebel group. Many great movies have been made with this kind of plot!

Even though late last year Verizon Wireless agreed to offer Android based phones, it does not plan to be part of the Open Handset Alliance.

So, on the surface, Verizon’s move to use Android looks good. But, digging deeper, you wonder to what extent will it stay truly open? Verizon is well known for forcing the same proprietary menu interface on all of its phones and limiting the way to get apps through GET-IT-NOW. Will Verizon’s Android phones be heavily crippled?

I understand a carrier’s need to keep its network safe, especially with the advent of open source phones and the increased risk for viruses and malicious problems. However, accepting Android then slapping on Verizon junk apps and barriers seems pointless. It’s like buying a Porsche then replacing the engine and brakes with crappy parts. Doing this severely limits the potential of the car’s performance. Similarly, crippling an open source phone defeats the whole purpose.

The first phones are possible to come out as early as this year. Time will only tell if Verizon chooses to take the next step in the US mobile industry and not limit devices.

I was searching for information on phones that will run Android first. I couldn’t find much. I thought, will my carrier Verizon ever offer Android? This is an excerpt from a PC World article:

“Beyond the security issues, wireless carriers have financial considerations, too. A cell phone that allowed customers to use any mobile Web application for free could threaten the revenue of carriers that charge customers for identical applications, such as access to e-mail, games, and GPS features.”

If you are Verizon Wireless and you are the last wireless carrier to go open source (which is the inevitable future, I believe) then wouldn’t that put your company in a potentially dangerous position? Many customers will have already left because you didn’t have what they wanted and the competition did. Could you ever get those customers back?

“Some companies have expressed an intent to develop location-aware services that, for instance, automatically link users to reviews of nearby restaurants.”

I long for a non-proprietary way to get useful apps and ringtones on my phone without having to pay for them through Verizon’s junk-Get-IT-NOW bogus. I also want greater functionality, like better web browsing, Wi-fi and Google maps, but also the potential for user-generated apps that can fully explore mobile technology usefulness. This is simply unachievable until we have open source devices, or at least greatly unrestricted phones.

So, why not be the first wireless carrier to have an open source device? Embrace your destiny! Put your company in a strategically advantageous position right from the get-go! I haven’t done any market research, but if there was a phone with better, more open features than an iPhone, who wouldn’t go for that? I have a feeling that charging for the guaranteed increased data transfers can at least help make up for the loss of proprietary-based revenue. There are other ways to make revenue. How about this: partner up with dating services that can be extended to a new, mobile social platform?

The main point: I think it’s only a matter of time before wireless carriers are forced to adjust their business model to stay in the game. It isn’t the first industry to see a shift in demand; just look at broadcast television. More and more people are watching shows online. Similarly, wireless subscribers are going to want a more usable mobile device and will leave their living-in-the-past carrier for a new one.

I finished my last final exam today, so I’ve found some time to begin playing around with a new design for my website.

Some of the sites that I follow on a day-to-day basis have really nice, minimalist layouts. I think less is truly more when it comes to website design. So, that is the approach I am taking.

It’s 1:11am, so I’m going to head to bed. I’ve done a lot of playing around with colors and Photoshop to get an idea of what I want. This time around I’m implementing much more CSS than usual. I think I’m on the right track.

It’s lightning in Boston right now — kind of a rarity.

“Radio continues to be the No. 1 way that people discover new music.” Link

I partially agree with this. If you consider Pandora a radio, then that’s where I find most of my new music.

Recently, though, most of my new tunes I found through Muxtape.

“Radio continues to be the No. 1 way that people discover new music, and the HD Radio iTunes tagging capability lets listeners add songs to their iPod playlists with just a push of the button,” Clear Channel Radio President and CEO John Hogan says.

I noticed my website (head’s up: it’s super outdated) got tagged by 38.99.13.123. A little bit of research shows me that Cuill (pronounced “cool”) is a stealth search that a few former Google employees started with $5 million.

Google saw them as a potential threat and tried to acquire them unsuccessfully. I guess I’m just surprised that my lowly site somehow got indexed by them. Apparently their indexing technology is considerably faster and 10x cheaper.

Does anyone know more about Cuill?