DMGMmm. Pity.
Some of these business guys are just not getting it.
Hank Nothhaft, CEO of Danger, Inc. spoke to Engadget this week, and basically showed that he's a corporate tool.
Can customers upload their own ringtones?No. There's an effort by the industry to make people pay for the content on these devices.
It pisses me off every time I read it. Why can't I record my girlfriend humming "You are my Sunshine" and make that my ringtone? Because, "there's an effort by the industry to make people pay for the content."
But the stupidity at Danger runs thick and deep:
If you're a developer, how can you develop software for the Sidekick?We're Java compatible, and we have a software developers kit. People with Java programs can tweak them and port them over to run on our platform, using Java or J2ME. We're just getting started but trying to reach out to the independent developer community. A lot of the new games and applications being launched by us now are certainly all coming from third parties.
What about allowing developers to create user-installable applications for the Sidekick?
Not user-installable. We're a gatekeeper in that sense. They use our developer kit, they reach an agreement with us, and then through us they can have access to our user base.
They want to be the "gatekeeper", charging a toll every time a developer wants to write software for their platform. Now, acording to the interview, Danger's handsets compose "1 percent of T-Mobile's installed base". One percent! For a software developer, it's enough of a turn-off that this platform comprises less that 1% of the total mobile platorm market. A licencing fee is basically a great big "GO AWAY" sign. They're counting on the built-in capabilities of the system to sell the units.
So if I buy a Sidekick or Hiptop, I can pretty much count on Danger squeezing me for every penny they can. No third party software will be available, and I can't roll my own. And it'll only connect via T-Mobile. No WiFi.
Why would I want one of these things again?