The Apple iPhone Software Roadmap

As you might guess, the blogs are buzzing with the news that the SDK along with a number of enterprise enhancements to the iPhone will be available in June. To recap, the iPhone will natively support Microsoft Exchange Push "everything" (mail, calendar, contacts). Also supporting the enterprise IT organization will be the capability to remotely configure iPhones to a standard enterprise template, the ability to securely communicate using Cisco's VPN, and the ability to remotely wipe the iPhone in case it is lost, stolen, or an employee should leave the company. Also buried in the presentation was the announcement that the June iPhone software update--iPhone 2.0-- will provide parental controls that can be set to restrict access applications such as the Safari browser. Finally, the SDK-developed applications will be available exclusively through a new AppStore that will enable the user to wirelessly download and install the applications.

Most of the buzz is about the enterprise and SDK features, operation, and availability. However, what I found to be the most interesting was a discussion by John Doerr of the venture capital organization Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) announcing the formation of "iFund" a $100 million investment fund for start-up organizations specifically focused on the development of iPhone applications. The iFund opens up a vast applications pipeline supporting the iPhone that will enable the iPhone to quickly capture market both from consumer applications such as games, but also commercial applications supporting a variety of enterprise needs. With the combination of the SDK being made available in beta to a large number of developers today; making the final SDK widely available in June; providing an application distribution approach mirroring the iTunes Store; engaging name companies including Electronic Arts, Sega, Salesforce.com, and others to develop enterprise and gaming content; and KPCB fronting $100 million in seed money for iPhone application development, the stage is set for the iPhone to challenge RIM, Palm, and the numerous Windows Mobile devices on both the enterprise and the consumer front.

This alone gives the existing iPhone legs well into the remainder of the year. However, I expect that on the heels of the SDK release in June, the next generation iPhone with 3G should be hitting the market. The 3G should have at least 32 MB of storage for all those new applications and locally stored content as well as an improved Internet experience. The combination will make the iPhone well positioned for the enterprise.

My Favorite iPhone Games Roundup

In my last post, I described "jailbreaking" the iPhone in order to install native applications. Well, it wouldn't be much fun if some of those programs were not games. Face it, one of the biggest negatives to the iPhone is what can you do with it when in "Airplane Mode" if you don't want to listen to music or watch video? Once in airplane mode, all the advantages of Safari-based Internet applications are left on the ground. The solution? Native games.


So here are my favorites:

1. iSolitaire by Chris Miles satisfies anyone's desire to have a substitute for the Windows Spider Solitaire game. While lacking in features such as statistics and undo, it is surprisingly well-designed and Chris has been very active in updating it. Needless to say, at its present state, it can make a very long trip fly by.







2. FiveDice from Conceited Software is Yahtzee! ported to the iPhone. In doing so, the developers have taken advantage of the iPhone's features to make game-playing really enjoyable. If you get tired of playing Solitaire, FiveDice should get you the remaining distance on that long flight.







3. Block Puzzle by soneso is that rare combination of simplicity and challenge. The objective is to move a large red block to the bottom of the puzzle by moving different-sized around in the limited space. The puzzle provides three difficulty levels and the third level can keep you busy on a very long flight.







4. Tetromino (Mobile Tetromino) by Ste is a nice port of the Tetris game. It is generally well done, but I would like to see the buttons a little larger and the ability to change the background. Other than that, if you like Tetris, you will be happy with Tetromino.







5. Lights Off by Ste is sort of a combination of a chess game merged with a block game. The game board is a 5X5 set of squares. Some of the squares are lit and some are dark. When you touch a lit square, the square turns dark, but all adjacent squares light up. The objective is to manipulate the board to turn off all lit squares on the board so that it is completely dark. Once this is achieved, the game proceeds to the next level. I have been able to make it to level 8 and could probably take a rather long flight before I advance. It eats up time and its fun.