It's about time. The FCC has decided to look into Apple's decision to block Google Talk, which would let users make cheap or free calls with the iPhones. Why the surprise? The mobile carriers have blocked anything that challenges their monopolies or profits. They've blocked using cellphones as wireless modems, forcing customers to buy a separate data plan and cellular device. Some have blocked Skype and Vonage, the leading VoIP services.
It's time to open up the airwaves to new technologies and new applications. The phone companies should have realized by now that the walled garden approach is hopeless and try to find other ways to make money.
My beef is international data roaming. When I land anywhere outside the U.S. I get a warning on my iPhone that data calls cost $19.95 per megabyte over AT&T's network. I didn' t get those warnings when I started going to Europe with my Palm and I choked on my phone bill when I came back. Routine downloads of email quickly ran into hundreds of dollars. There's no cost justification for this. Fortunately, the iPhone has wi-fi and I can easily enough find a free or cheap connection when I'm not using my European phone.
I'm not surprised that Apple collaborated with AT&T on blocking Google Talk. Apple has always controlled third party access to its devices. You can say that's one reason they work so well; but it's also a reason they've been more expensive, too.
I recently switched to an iPhone and have been pleased by how well it works. But some of the other limitations on apps have also been frustrating. I used an app called Agendus on the Palm that nicely integrated your tasks, appointments, follow-ups and phone numbers on the tiny screen. When I saw a version for the iPhone, I immediately downloaded it, only to discover that it had none of the calendaring abilities because Apple has not given developers access to the calendar function.
Why? Who knows. Agendus apps on other phones shows that you can overlay an application without altering the core database. It might simply be that Steve Jobs doesn't like the idea. So we'll have to wait for that wall to come down as well.
