Built-In vs. 3rd Party, Is There A Balance?
We’re all familiar with S60 announcing S60v3 FP2 recently (if not, read it here). Basically it’s all these improvements to usability and adding features that we’ve all been scratching our heads about anyways. However, one thing that I noticed is that alot of the change, there’s 3rd party apps that accomplish the same thing. Kinda makes me wonder, what’s the balance with manufacturers and developers?
For example, a few of the new features include full-screen photo caller id, timed profiles, multiple alarms, and an RSS feed that scrolls across the bottom of the idle screen. All are things that heavy S60 users have looked at other phones and wondered why Nokia and S60 left them out. However, all are also easily fixed and implemented on current devices with 3rd party applications. So I have to ask the question…
How does this fare with those developers? These people who have spent valuable time and resources building a business around their applications, diligently filling a need that was ignored for so long, and now, as of the 2nd half of this year, they will see a steady decline in the demand for their current products.
However, at the same time, S60 has to grow, and this makes it easier for newcomers to the S60 platform to appreciate it, by building in the most popular features. I think that some of these developers will cease to exist, or at least their product will not be updated any further than it is currently. I think, though, as Olly agrees, that for some applications, it will actually drive the developer to improve upon their product. Applications such as MobliNews may offer the same thing, but if I can move the RSS tickertape around on the screen, whereas the built-in one is stuck at the bottom, then there’s a competitive edge (that functionality is being worked on for MobliNews, btw).
Since he was on Gtalk, I asked Olly for his thoughts, and he offers similar thoughts, only a bit stronger and more optimistic:
What exactly is the effect of FP2 going to be on 3rd party developers for
S60? Is there any danger of Nokia ‘driving out’ the 3rd party, so to
speak? Afterall, the argument goes, if I have a good built-in mail
app, what do I need Profimail for? If I have a good built-in web
browser, why do I need Opera? If I have a good built-in calendar app,
why would I need Papyrus?
Now before all the 3rd party developers out there start
panicking, wondering if Nokia themselves are going to drive you out of
business, I want you to think about the nature of the ‘Aftermarket’
Business in general.
When I bought a new car in 2004 (the first new car I’d ever
purchased) it came with a 6-CD changer built-in to the dash. Pretty
cool says I! But after a couple of years of owning the car, I’m ready
to buy an aftermarket stereo to replace the factory one. And I’m even
going to do so faced with the fact that it won’t work with my steering
wheel audio controls, and I’ll lose the in-dash changer. Why am I?
Quality. 6-Cd changer or not, the stereo in my car has NOTHING on the
pioneer deck that I recently had installed in my wife’s SUV. Whereas
mine distorts at high levels, hers excels. Whereas she can plug in
and control her iPod, I can’t. Whereas she has a great display, mine
has a hokie green-text-on-black-background. In short it just does what it does better.
This seems like a no-brainer to a lot of folks: afterall, Ford is in the business of making cars, not stereo’s.
think that the more you look at the 3rd party software market for S60
devices (and indeed ANY smartphone/computer device), you are always
going to find this to be the case. My phone may come with a built-in
mail application, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the features
available in Profimail. My phone’s calendar is adequate, but it’s
nothing compared to the robust abilities that Papyrus offers.
Indeed, the prime example for me is in the web browser space.
Nokia’s browser is innovative, don’t get me wrong. I DO use it, and I
use it a lot. But the number one browser for me is, and has been for a
long time, Opera. Whereas Nokia’s browser can’t handle downloads very
well, Opera handles them like a full blown desktop application.
Whereas Nokia’s browser can’t do multiple pages, Opera allows me to
have several open at once. Just in general, from a mobile computing
experience, Opera allows me to find the sites and information I need
much quicker than Nokia’s browser is capable of.
So there’s your answer all of you 3rd party developers. You
should be WELCOMING Nokia to add apps built-in … by doing so, they
are defining problems for you to fix. Can’t handle notes in the
built-in calendar very well? Nokia would have to push out a firmware
fix, whereas you can install and use Papyrus today.
Nokia adding these features in is good for everyone. The
community gets stuff that works out of the box; the developers of 3rd
party software get a reason to push the innovation envelope even
further; and the real winner here is choice.
Remember, Nokia may be a huge company, but they probably
don’t care whether the mail app does everything you want it to; whereas
Lonely Cat Games has a vested interest (not to mention a team of
developers) focused solely on that problem.
-olly
Which application can make timed profiles *as they are on S40 devices*, which is what I think was implemented on FP2?
This has been a pet peeve of mine for a while, because On s40, timed profiles are simple and efficient (for example, you set the phone to silent for 2 hours then it reverts back).
The solutions I found for current s60 device work with schedules, locations, and such things are mostly overkill. I think it is *good* that they are there, but it is also nice to go into a movie theater, set a timed profile and not having to remember to change back after you get out.