Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Thursday, 06 March 2008 17:13
Opinion and Analysis
Page 2 of 4
Ever since I started using PDAs and then mobile phones that had any level of smarts, allowing third party software to be written for them, I’ve always wanted to be able to download software directly to the device – rather than having to hook up my device to a computer to then transfer it.
Of course, in the early days, Palm Pilots, Pocket PCs and other devices generally had no wireless connectivity built in other than an infrared port.
But as time went on, connected PDAs appeared, and many PDAs transformed into PDA phones, or smartphones, and although many of these only had GPRS connectivity, the handheld computer became Internet connected.
Still, a lot of Palm and Windows smartphones still required you to download software to your PC, and then install it though some kind of ‘installer’ application, rather than simply letting you download a program that could install directly to the device ‘over the air’.
Over the past few years, this has changed. Today, there are many programs that can be downloaded directly from a website to your Windows Mobile smartphone, your Nokia smartphone, Sony Ericsson smartphones, Samsung smartphones and even the Apple iPhone, although in the iPhone’s case, without the official permission of Apple itself.
My Nokia N95 has Google Maps, Gmail, Fring, Skype, a Sports Tracker, an internet radio program, Opera Mini, Yahoo Go and many others. All were downloaded over the air. Some, like Opera Mini, work through Java. Others are native apps.
My iPhone has a zillion unauthorised third party apps installed, all done over the air.
Other phones I own also have Gmail, Opera Mini, Opera Mobile 8.65 and other apps, all downloaded over the air.
Over the air doesn’t have to mean through a 2.5G, 3G or 3.5G connection. Both the N95 and the iPhone can connect via my home Wi-Fi network, bypassing the telco carrier’s network altogether.
Some of these programs were downloaded over the carrier network, others through my Wi-Fi connection.
The “No Java in Java Father’s iPhone” explains that Gosling favours “instead Internet-based distribution to personal computers followed by installation via Bluetooth to avoid excessive data charges and to provide an automatic backup of purchased applications.”
But what does this mean? Hasn’t Gosling heard of license keys – which can be as easily backed up as the original installation files, and entered into a new phone?
Please read onto page 3.
