Google CEO Eric Schmidt said in a recent interview that they’re not in competition with Apple, even while taking a little shot at the company on whose board of directors he sat during the iPhone’s development.

We don’t have a plan to beat Apple, that’s not how we operate,” Schmidt says. “We’re trying to do something different than Apple and the good news is that Apple is making that very easy.”

“The difference between the Apple model and the Google model is easy to understand – they’re completely different. The Google model is completely open. You can basically take the software – it’s free – you can modify whatever you want, you can add any kind of app, you can build any kind of business model on top of it and you can add any kind of hardware. The Apple model is the inverse.”

Which is poppycock, really.

I’m as invested in Google’s services as I am Apple’s products, but come on. Completely open? Like any company, Google is open in what doesn’t make them money and proprietary as heck in what does. Android is open (under the Apache license, not GPL — which should give the philosophical FOSSies pause) but Google certainly hasn’t opened their search or AdWords platforms. Likewise Apple open sources WebKit (which Google uses for their browser) and OpenCL and Grand Central and FaceTime, but keeps their crown jewels equally closed. So enough already with the open stuff. You give me free services so you can mine my data, I sell my soul to you to use them. Deal. Just don’t insult my intelligence while doing it.

Much like the silly Google I/O comments, Google needs to compete on technology, not fake ideology. Android 2.2 sounds smoking hot and Android 3.0 might finally look as good as it works. Compete on that.

(Which, of course, is Google’s plan. It’s the plan they claim they don’t have — the one that had them go from a BlackBerry-esque prototype to an iPhone-like model almost immediately after Macworld 2007.)

They are opposites when it comes to go-to-market strategy, however. Apple is doing the (almost) bottom-to-top solution, lacking only their own carrier. Makes for great, integrated, singular vision. Google is partnering on hardware and implementation. Makes for excellent, diverse, flexible options.

We’re lucky to have both. We’d be luckier if Google just said so straight out.

[Telegraph.co.uk via Android Central]

UPDATE: Why is Android being Apache license important? Because it’s a corporate-centric license. A carrier could take Android and, under Apache, release a completely locked down phone if they want. It makes Android only as open as the company implementing it. That highlights another key difference between Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android — Apple is targeting the customer. Google is targeting the carrier/manufacturer. Apple has given carriers as little say in the iPhone as possible. Google’s license gives the carrier complete say if they so choose. For the average consumer, that’s what makes the philosophical argument about “openness” realistically meaningless.

Also, any app is difficult given Google recently remote-killed 2 apps off users phones (something Apple has yet to do). Sure, you could side-load apps, except the Apache license allows AT&T to close that aspect of openness, doesn’t it?

Google CEO: We don’t have a plan to beat Apple is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Tweetings for iPad is a relatively new Twitter client.  It comes not only for iPad, but iPhone and Mac as well (we’ll look at the iPhone version next time).  Tweetings is all around a very full featured Twitter client.  It has everything from unread tweet management, geolocation tagging, now playing, nearby tweets, and even push notifications.

Tweetings has also recently been updated to support iOS 4 and iPhone 4.  The update also fixed a couple bugs including one that really irked me — scrolling.  It only did it with certain themes but it was irritating nonetheless.  The problem seems to have disappeared since the update.

Read on for a breakdown, pics, and how you can win a free copy of Tweetings for iPad!

For the most part, Tweetings should be very familiar to you if you’ve used clients such as Twitter for iPhone (formerly Tweetie 2). Tweetings comes complete with pull down to refresh and even carries familiar UI elements to Twitter/Tweetie 2. To me, that’s part of what I really loved. The UI isn’t completely overdone. I’m a fan of simple and elegant; a streamlined UI is typically what wins me over. It’s typically the reason I’ve stuck with Twitter for iPhone, the interface and simplicity.

Don’t let Tweetings completely fool you though, it may look simple but it carries some pretty advanced features. It also has native push. I attempted to test this by keeping Boxcar active and the push for Tweetings. For the most part, it was touch and go. Sometimes Boxcar would chime in first, other times Tweetings would. I’m only going to assume this has to do with how busy both servers are at any given time. Either way, I’d call it a pretty fair fight.

From the screenshot above, you can see how Tweetings also has a feature that will allow me to combine two users timelines together. It’s very similar to a conversation type feature, but I somewhat like it better. Say I wasn’t sure what Leanna was replying to, well if she @ replied me with any tweet, and not that specific one, a conversation tool wouldn’t pick that up, where completely combining our timelines, I can easily read through and pick out what she was talking about. This to me is extremely useful and intuitive.

Direct Messages are also now grouped by user, which I prefer. No one likes scrolling through pages of direct messages searching for something. I believe this was implemented in the most recent update as well.

The iPad version also has a quickpost feature which I like quite a bit. It just brings a little box down and monitors your characters. If you’d like to attach a photo or other type of media, just go to the regular compose screen.

Clicking on a user’s display picture will also present you with a quick view of ways you can interact with that user, which I find extremely useful.

You can also click on the physical tweet to be presented with several more options including seeing that users profile, location, and of course, your combined timelines.

There’s also a lot of fun extras I found within Tweetings such as TweetCost, a spam reporter, and a block feature. You can also tweet now playing, which will probably be a fun feature for a lot of users.

Overall, I’d say Tweetings is an all-around solid choice. I experienced a few bugs here and there, but the developer seems pretty quick to fix them. He can also be found on twitter with the handle @Tweetingsapp. He’s very responsive to issues and questions. So if you’re in the market for a Twitter client or you’re bored of your current one, I’d have no issues telling you to give Tweetings a try. It’s very reasonably priced for what it is. If you decide to take it for a spin, or currently use it, let us know your thoughts in the comments!

[iTunes Link]

Pros

• Reasonably priced
• Tons of basic and advanced features
• Lots of extras
• Great developer support and frequent updates
• Available across 3 platforms
• Built-in push that actually works

Cons

• Experienced a few crashed in the iPad version
• Sometimes conversation view doesn’t catch everything
• Settings panel could be simplified just a bit, it could be a bit overwhelming to Twitter beginners

Give-away

Want a free copy of Tweetings for iPad? Just leave a comment below telling us what you want in an iPad Twitter client. What feature is most important to you?

(Reminder: Promo codes require a US App Store account — Apple’s rule, not ours! — and they expire. If you get one, use it quickly!)

[YouTube Link]

Tweetings for iPad – app review and giveaway! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

BGR is reporting that one of their reliable sources is claiming to know Apple’s iTunes is going to the cloud and soon. The source states these cloud capabilities will be broken down into 3 separate groups:

• Streaming music and movies from Apple's servers to your computers, devices, etc.
• Streaming music and movies from your home computers to your other computers, remote devices, etc.
• Wireless iTunes syncing with devices

Is this the fabled iTunes.com we’ve been hearing about for a while now, and if so, when can we expect all of these exciting new iTune features? Our best guess – Apple’s yearly fall event, which as you may already know is all about the iPod and music. BGR’s tipster even added we will see Apple introduce "two new devices with camera/camcorder capabilities."

One might be that new iOS Apple TV we’ve heard rumored before. The other…? Speculate in the comments below!

[BGR]

Apple unveiling iTunes cloud services and wireless syncing soon? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Apple has posted an open letter addressing the widely reported issues surrounding iPhone 4 antenna reception — how it drops or loses signal when held in such a way that the lower left side is covered.

Short version is, Apple’s claiming they are, and historically have been, miscalculating how they display signal strength as bars on iPhone. They repeat that all phones will drop some signal when held in certain place, Nokia, Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone alike, but because of the way Apple was displaying signal strength, the drop appeared far more dramatic on iPhone 4.

For example, if the signal drops two bars when you hold it, and you only really have two bars, you’d see no signal and understand the drop. If you have two bars but Apple is showing you 5 bars, and weighting the calculation far too heavily towards high bars, you could drop 2 bars and really have 0, but iPhone is still showing you 3, 4, or even 5 bars. There in lies epic frustration.

A software update, to be issues within a few weeks, will change the calculation to AT&T’s recommended method, and Apple will make the lower signal bars easier to see at the same time. So, in other words, your signal will still drop but it won’t look to be as good before it does so.

Apple also reiterates that both they and their customers continue to report that iPhone 4 has better than any previous model, and remind everyone that anyone unsatisfied can return an undamaged iPhone 4 for a refund within 30 days.

While this does seem to address the miss-reporting of signal strength Anandtech found in their tests, and acknowledging that iPhone 4 does get better reception and does drop fewer calls — when it works — it doesn’t seem to address the higher levels of attenuation seen in raw signals, or some reports that the baseband software wasn’t properly adjusting when that attenuation occurred.

A few weeks seems like a long time to push out an iOS 4.0.1 update just to fix signal bar strength reporting, so either Apple is just waiting until their usual late July window for their first update or are working on other bug fixes — related to the antenna or other issues like the proximity sensor — we’ll have to wait and see.

Full letter after the break.

Dear iPhone 4 Users,

The iPhone 4 has been the most successful product launch in Apple's history. It has been judged by reviewers around the world to be the best smartphone ever, and users have told us that they love it. So we were surprised when we read reports of reception problems, and we immediately began investigating them. Here is what we have learned.

To start with, gripping almost any mobile phone in certain ways will reduce its reception by 1 or more bars. This is true of iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, as well as many Droid, Nokia and RIM phones. But some users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way which covers the black strip in the lower left corner of the metal band. This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have accused the iPhone 4 of having a faulty antenna design.

At the same time, we continue to read articles and receive hundreds of emails from users saying that iPhone 4 reception is better than the iPhone 3GS. They are delighted. This matches our own experience and testing. What can explain all of this?

We have discovered the cause of this dramatic drop in bars, and it is both simple and surprising.

Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don't know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.

To fix this, we are adopting AT&T's recently recommended formula for calculating how many bars to display for a given signal strength. The real signal strength remains the same, but the iPhone's bars will report it far more accurately, providing users a much better indication of the reception they will get in a given area. We are also making bars 1, 2 and 3 a bit taller so they will be easier to see.

We will issue a free software update within a few weeks that incorporates the corrected formula. Since this mistake has been present since the original iPhone, this software update will also be available for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G.

We have gone back to our labs and retested everything, and the results are the same— the iPhone 4's wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped. For the vast majority of users who have not been troubled by this issue, this software update will only make your bars more accurate. For those who have had concerns, we apologize for any anxiety we may have caused.

As a reminder, if you are not fully satisfied, you can return your undamaged iPhone to any Apple Retail Store or the online Apple Store within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.

We hope you love the iPhone 4 as much as we do.

Thank you for your patience and support.

Apple

Apple posts open letter regarding iPhone 4 antenna reception issues is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

In stock: Talon Hard Shell Case for iPhone 4

Talon Hard Shell Case for iPhone 4 helps keep your device protected while not sacrificing the slim look! This Hard Case from Talon is designed specifically for the iPhone 4 and has cut outs for all of the devices features while leaving the screen exposed for full functionality.

Features:

• Slim, Low-Profile Design
• Cut outs for all iPhone 4 features
• Screen uncovered
• Available in black, blue, pink, and purple
• 2-Piece Snap-On Design

Learn more about the Talon Hard Shell Case for iPhone 4 at the TiPb iPhone 4 accessory store…

In stock: Talon Hard Shell Case for iPhone 4 is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Early adopters, you’ve had your iPhone 4 for about a week now so how’s it holding up for you? There are some amazing new features, some solid app updates to take advantage of them, and a few bugs to boot. Give us you quick overall take-to-date in the poll up top, and your one-week-later review in the comments below.

iPhone 4 – one week later is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Just when you thought your folders were organized and cleverly named just right, we’re here to turn the naming game up a notch by adding symbols with Glyphboard. I’m sure many of you have a folder filled with Apple apps named “Apple”. I definitely do. But why be so boring and predictable when you can name it with the Apple logo instead? To learn how, follow us after the break!

First, you must visit http://mrgan.com/gb/ with Safari on your iPhone. Then follow the instructions to add the website as a bookmark to your homepage. Now, exit Safari and tap the bookmark you just created. This opens a web app called Glyphboard.

Glyphboard includes 48 characters that can be copied and pasted anywhere else on your iPhone such as email, notes, calendar, and of course, folders! Glyphboard also provides a box at the top so you can paste several icons within the web app and copy them all together. This is a time-saver for those of you that may want to use more than one character at once.

Now get to it! Give your folders a unique touch with Glyphboard and share your creativity. Head on over to the TiPb forums and show off your latest folders.

[iPhone J.D. via Daring Fireball]

How to add symbols to your iOS 4 folder names is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog