The proclamation from Steve Jobs that the iPhone will not support the Flash Player, either in it's full desktop player form or Flash Lite, has led many to examine the motivations behind Apple's stance.

Personally, I think this is all just saber-rattling. The most compelling argument I've seen thus far - on why Apple doesn't want Flash on the iPhone - has nothing to do with the security of the Flash player or it's robustness on a mobile platform. Apple wants to control and protect the development channels on the iPhone. They want a say in who builds applications and what those applications are. Furthermore, they have no interest in proliferating the Flash Player's reach within the mobile and devices space. That wouldn't help the advancement of Silverlight at all now would it?

For more on this topic see the links below (posted in no particular order).

CNN's coverage (w/ comment from Ryan Stewart):
http://tinyurl.com/2nxrap

Marketwatch's coverage:
http://tinyurl.com/2zhuwk

Robert Scoble on Apple/Job's declaration of no Flash on iPhone:
http://scobleizer.com/2008/03/05/apple-stabs-adobe-in-the-back/

John Gruber on this topic (more detail on Apple protecting the iPhone dev environment):
http://daringfireball.net/2008/02/flash_iphone_calculus

Ryan Stewart says the Flash Player is coming to iPhone (background info only):
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Stewart/?p=241

Larry Dignan on Apple vs. Adobe iPhone Spat (background info only):
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=8061

I've been working this week on patching several ColdFusion servers so they are unaffected by the early switch to Daylight Savings Time occurring March 11. I didn't think my Treo 700p would need an update but I'm apparently wrong as today Verizon pushed an SMS message to me indicating I needed to update.

I visited the URL provided by Verizon and sure enough the Treo 700p - as well as many other smartphones - require an update. Fortunately, if you aren't using a smartphone you do not need to update as your phones time only receives information from the Verizon service.

If you use a BlackBerry, Treo, Motorola Q, or some other smartphone on Verizon's network, you should check out the link below.

http://support.vzw.com/how_to_use/daylight_savings_time.html

I was reading through Mike Chambers Apollo Overview / Getting Starting slides and noticed he mentioned Apollo would be making its way to labs in early 2007. No further information is given but one can hypothesize "early 2007" could mean really soon. If you want to be notified when Apollo is available in beta form check out this link (http://labs.adobe.com/wiki/index.php/Apollo).

I'm not sure how long it's been out but I just discovered Google Maps runs on Palm OS based Treo's. The free app is available as a downloadable PRC file or, for convenience you can download and install it straight from your Treo (link below). Google Maps for Treo includes all the popular features of the original Google Maps including Satellite and Map View, business lookup, driving directions, and traffic information. You can use your stylus to navigate maps by dragging across the screen, zooming in and out, and clicking on items of interest like a local pizza joint. Find the business you were looking for? Just click its icon to pull up address and phone number information. With one click of a button Google Maps will connect you to the business. I'm really surprised the mobile app feels just like the non-mobile original. It's just as zippy and just as easy to find what you need.

The downside - if there has to be one - is the amount of data you will consume. In just a few minutes of browsing the Nashville area I had received over a MB of data. This won't be a problem for the professional paying for unlimited data use, but if you're on a limited plan you will want to pay attention to how much data you transfer. Fortunately, Google Maps keeps this information in front of you at all times data is being downloaded.

Google Maps for Treo
http://www.google.com/gmm/treo

Few surprises this week as Apple announces their latest hardware invention, the iPhone at the Macworld 2007 in San Fransico.

The iPhone combines a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod (with touch controls), and an Internet-enabled communications device, in one svelte handheld.

As I type this blog post I'm using Firefox 1.5 running on a Sandisk Cruzer Micro 2.0 GB flash drive. That's right, Firefox 1.5 is running directly from my flash drive without it being installed on my Mac (Note: I do have Firefox 2.0 installed on my Mac but it's not being used for this post). How is that possible? Well, there are several "portable applications" designed to run off of external storage, be it an external hard drive, a flash drive, or some other storage device. These applications range from e-mail clients like Thunderbird, Web browsers like Firefox, to word processors and image editors. Portable applications allow you to take your applications with you - anywhere you go - complete with your own preferences and settings, and use them on any computer (Mac or PC in most cases). You simply plug your device in, start up your app, and go! For more information on what apps are available, where to download them, and how to get up and running with a cross-platform version of Firefox, read on!

[More]

Google has announced a new GMail service allowing you to access your GMail account from your mobile phone. GMail has always been available via the Web and even available as a POP3 service if you configure your account for it. Google's announcement adds GMail connectivity to your mobile phone via a small downloadable Java (J2ME) application. The interface is the same familar GMail interface you are used to and your mail account stays synchronized whether you use GMail's Web-based interface or your mobile phone. Viewing attachments is also supported. For more information on this new service check out this link. Or, to see if your mobile phone is supported consult this list.

Palm has unveiled the new Treo 680 which is very similar in design to the Treo 700p except with an internal antenna. The new 680, expected to be priced at $199 when released in mid-2007, features quad-band GMS/EDGE (sorry Verizon subscribers), a 320 x 320 color screen (which is fantastic), an excellent VGA camera with video, Bluetooth, 64MB of non-volatile flash memory, 4 colors to choose from and all the productivity apps Palm users have come to love.

Productivity features include: multi-party phone conferencing, high-quality speakerphone, e-mail on the go, Web access using the Blazer Web browser, text messaging including multi-threaded chat, built-in organizer with calendar, contacts, to-do lists, and memo's and much much more.

Being a Treo 700p user myself I'm a huge fan of the Treo line and Palm OS. With this phones amazing price point and new color options it is sure to please business professionals and casual users alike. I've yet to figure out what features they've removed from it in order to get the price down from over $600 (like other Treo's).