Just over one year ago Apple announced the App Store and told developers that their new platform was going to offer developers the ability to make applications that could do almost anything! As we sit here a year later we now know that is not the case as Apple rejects apps based on what can only be described as murky rules that change based on what apps are submitted such as in the case of Google’s VOIP app.

After speculation that AT&T asked that Google’s app not be allowed onto the app store the matter is being further investigated by the FCC. None-the-less this is not sitting well with the one demographic that Apple should care the most about. iPhone owners…

There are countless blogs spewing rants about Apple and how the company rejected an App offering a feature that they were looking forward to. This creates unrest in an otherwise extremely loyal base of customers. Even worse is the moths of development that many of the coders have spent on working on apps that seemingly meet Apple’s rules only to get rejected for what seems to be emotional reasons on the part of Apple and their partners.

Now enter Microsoft, with a new way for angry and confused iPhone developers to recycle their code by porting their software to windows Mobile. This move from Microsoft allows them to play catch up with other mobile platforms and creates good will with App Store developers by allowing them to salvage months of work and effort spent on software previously rejected by Apple. Microsoft has also announced that their app store offering will be available for older versions of Windows Mobile giving cross-over developers access to a new user base of over 30 million windows Mobile devices.

So i guess we will see if this move from Microsoft enables a change of heart in Apple’s hard line dealings with App Store developers…

read more: Microsoft Courting iPhone Developers — Windows Marketplace For Mobile — InformationWeek.

Thank God is all i have to say!

I purchased the iPhone 3G to replace a Treo 750 the weekend that it was released. Since then i have experienced a love/hate relationship with the shiny, thin and ultra sheek iPhone. I really miss the ability to invite an attendee to a meeting using exchange e-mail (And dot even get me started with cut and paste…) however those features while convenient, are not essential to my everyday life. The two un-excusable features that are missing from this ultra modern cutting edge piece of hardware to me are:

A decent Bluetooth Stack.

Tethering.

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Attention Business Professionals,

Below is a sign I found hanging on a soda fountain at a 5 Guys burgers and fries in Atlanta, GA. Even though they only sell hamburgers and french-fries we can all learn a lot from their business model.

All of us should aspire to the ideals shown by this burger joint!

“You, the customer, are the most important visitor on our premises, You are not dependent on us, we are dependent on you. You are not an outsider in our business – you are part of it. We are not doing you a favor by serving you . . . you are doing us a favor by giving us the opportunity to do so. Thank you, Five Guys”

When was the last time you encountered customer centric service at any business? If you have I bet you remember it and make buying decisions based on that quality of service. Let’s try to be as customer oriented as this fast-food chain and I am sure that success will follow

P.S. While my wife and I were at the restaurant we were treated in a manor that showed that for 5 Guys, the sign is not just a lofty goal but a practiced methodology. The pride in what they do is apparent the second you walk through the door.

Visit their website:

http://www.fiveguys.com

Ok, so I fear I may have lost it. Today I sat down at my computer, in my office, at my adult job, and spent an entire hour trying to figure out how to get more followers on Twitter. I mean “Come on!” I’m an adult right, I don’t need adoring fans or groupies, but occasionally I have a few things to say and I have a tendency to want to say them to an audience outside of my normal life. I think it all goes back to when I was on radio as a weekend DJ at a station here in Atlanta. I really enjoyed the opportunity to throw my ideas out there and get instant feed back from the entire city, the exchange of information and ideas was awesome. (more…)