Verizon started the volley when it launched a series of ads comparing Verizon’s 3G network to AT&T’s via their 3G network coverage map – Verizon claims to have 5X the coverage of AT&T by square miles.

AT&T struck back with ads of its own – but in an embarrassing marketing decision, they chose to ignore the issue of 3G coverage altogether, instead focusing on other issues, like 3G speeds (FYI AT&T: my 3G speeds in areas without coverage average 0 Mbps).

Et tu, Luke?

AT&T actually filed a lawsuit against Verizon that their ads are misleading and deceptive.

Which led pretty much everyone who knows anything about the issue to say ‘WHA?’

AT&T, listen, we aren’t morons – Verizon called you out on your 3G coverage. Your 3G coverage is relatively poor, and Verizon’s is (much) better – period. The maps speak for themselves.

Verizon’s ads are not only totally legitimate, but especially *relatable* to the customers who use your network every day. None of us AT&T users even *needed* to see this ad to understand that your coverage is bad – you’ve been called on the carpet on it time and time again.

AT&T needs to stand up and take responsibility for its coverage issues head-on and stop dodging them. The iPhone is seeing better and better competition in the smartphone marketplace and the iPhone won’t be exclusive to AT&T forever.

I don’t think AT&T has a clue had badly this retaliatory campaign against Verizon is backfiring. Its as if they are in total denial. To file suit against a company for a totally legitimate, relevant, and responsible ad promoting its superior service coverage is just sad.

I know myself personally that as soon as Verizon – or even Sprint – has the iPhone (or a better smartphone), I will be glad to switch carriers and go back to the signal quality I previously enjoyed as a Sprint and Verizon customer.

Great article about this on BNET.

Originally appeared on: StationStops - Metro-North Train Schedules and NYC Commuting Blog See the original post here: Dear AT&T: Customers are Not Idiots

“(MTA Spokesman Aaron) Donovan said that MTA welcomes development of “innovative applications” that make it easier for riders to access train information.”

Based on my experience with MTA, this is complete BS.

As Ron Coleman, IP lawyer and Goetz Fitzpatick and author of the IP blog LIKELIHOOD OF CONFUSION® has asserted, MTA is much more interested in ‘rent-seeking’ than ‘actually helping people get around’.

From my experience and discussions with other developers and MTA C&D recipients, I can attest 100% that this is the case, without reservation.

MTA Marketing is a licensing and litigation machine – engaging developers to create accurate and powerful mobile applications for passengers is absolutely NOT a priority for them.

Part of this is because the same people responsible for licensing a subway coffee mug are the same people working with developers on mobile apps – until my case, believe me, that department really did not understand the importance and requirements for success between the two.

This is MTA’s behavior, this is the policy MTA exercises daily – not the policy Aaron Donovan attempts to assert.

MTA, compared to almost every other transit agency in the US, is a developer’s worst nightmare.

I actively pursued a license agreement with MTA for 6 months – I was calling THEM, for the most part MTA marketing had stopped returning my calls and emails entirely.

My return to discussion with Mark was only achieved through MTA backchannels.

When I got the license and brought up terms which needed negotiation, I was flatly refused and immediately (falsely) told that my app and website were infringing on MTA intellectual property and needed to come down or face cease and desist, period.

There was no negotiation on their end on this – when I asked them for new disclaimer language or changes I needed to make to be in compliance, I was flatly refused – they insisted the ONLY negotiation was that I sign the license or take down my app and website, period.

To add insult to injury, the C&D to Apple insisted that *I* was the party unwilling to negotiate.

THAT IS NOT ‘WELCOMING INNOVATIVE APPLICATIONS’

That is ‘THE OPPOSITE’ of ‘WELCOMING INNOVATIVE APPLICATIONS’.

MTA never gave me a hard time about my app before I received the contract, we had a working good-faith relationship.

ALL of the litigation which has followed is a direct retaliation to my expressing objection to the affordability and schedule update policy of the license.

That was my reward for working with MTA.

Period.

It has cost myself and my family nearly $3000 in lost sales and legal fees in order to have professional attorneys attempt to break down the cease and desist sent to Apple and StationStops so that they can advise me as to the legal status of their claims.

I have had multiple IP attorneys, law professors and students review my C&D, and they are in agreement that in the very best case, its poorly authored and does not even specify what intellectual property I was infringing on.

Personally, I believe the C&D was made to be purposefully ambiguous as there was no legal basis.

Unfortunately, since IP law is such an expensive and complicated legal practice, it was impossible for me to represent myself without expending money on specifically skilled counsel.

This is EXACTLY what MTA legal counted on when they sent me the cease and desist – they know the cost of defending oneself against IP fraud, so they sent me the cease and desist expecting me to take my ball and go home, as countless other of their C&D recipients have done.

This is what Brooklyn Law Professor Jason Mazzone describes as copyfraud.

MTA never sued me, but they knew in order to protect myself from their C&D, I would need to undertake expensive legal counseling.

I will not and cannot give MTA ANY money for what they have done to me – it was false, misleading, and unprofessional behavior.

They owe StationStops a public apology for their past false IP claims and a written retraction of both cease and desists – I have asked for it several times in writing over the past couple of weeks – MTA has stopped responding to my emails altogether.

That would the ‘starting point’ of ‘welcoming innovative applications’.

Because the #1 thing developers are asking of MTA right now is EVIDENCE, not SPOKESMAN propaganda, that ‘MTA won’t take legal action against me if I seek working with them on innovative applications’.

Originally appeared on: StationStops - Metro-North Train Schedules and NYC Commuting Blog See the original post here: MTA: “We Welcome Innovative Applications” – Prove It!

I started jogging on the treadmill with my iPhone 3GS, and as anyone can attest, it’s pretty awkward.

It’s not comfortable having it in your pocket or on your hip, and if you put it in the treadmill cubby, your swinging arms WILL hit the headphone cord and send your iPod flying across the room.

But I like using the iPhone when jogging, because I can take a call really easily, and the remote and voice control come in real handy for controlling the iPhone.

I just needed some kind of armband-thingy to avoid breaking the damn thing.

I figured there were a million of them out there – not quite, but there only seems to be one popular one – called the Tuneband.

The Tuneband is cheap, holds the iPhone very securely, and is very easy to take off and put on (just remember to put the velcro sleeve through the loop BEFORE putting it on your arm

I have had no issues with it, and I am fairly surprised how little having an iPhone on my arm bothers me while running – it doesn’t. And no more accidents.

Originally appeared on: StationStops - Metro-North Train Schedules and NYC Commuting Blog See the original post here: iPhone Armband – The Tuneband Review [iPhone Tuneband Review]

StationStops for iPhone has never under any circumstances claimed any affiliation or relationship to MTA or Metro-North whatsoever, has always used self-sourced schedule data which is not copyrightable by anyone, public or private, and properly disclaimed the app as ‘Not Affiliated With MTA’, since the day it went on sale.

The MTA, outrageously, has simply asserted the exact opposite in its cease and desist:

“The Application infringes on MTA’s statuatory and common law intellectual property rights and is inaccurate, false, and misleading with respect to content pertaining to MTA and MN”

This Application expressly and implicitly falsely purports that MN is the source for the information in the Application and the Application is endorsed by and associated with MN and MTA under an initial and ongoing relationship, and that its content has been supplied and approved by MN’

Absolutely none of this is true whatsover.

It is Copyfraud.

Apple has complied with the MTA’s takedown request despite written refusal of all claims by StationStops, without responding to a request for conversation with StationStops whatsoever except for notices.

StationStops will continue to fight to return to the iTunes App Store, and will continue its legal, media, and political campaigns to force MTA to release its schedule data freely to developers, as 40 other transit authorities in the US have done.

StationStops actively pursued a formal licensing agreement with MTA for 9 months in exchange for developer-friendly data services.

During that 9 month period, MTA Marketing did not request any changes which needed to be made to StationStops for iPhone – until StationStops asked for changes to the licensing contract MTA proposed in June.

When StationStops requested a more reasonable royalty schedule and good faith promises of schedule updates from MTA, MTA accused both the StationStops blog and StationStops for iPhone as infringing on MTA copyrights and immediately sent cease and desist letters to StationStops and Apple.

StationStops refutes ALL copyright infringement claims from MTA, and even has MTA-documented history of being cooperative and compliant in listening to MTA’s concerns in the past in good faith.

Originally appeared on: StationStops - Metro-North Train Schedules and NYC Commuting Blog See the original post here: Apple Removes StationStops from iTunes App Store

The Mophie Juice Pack is the newest entry in the growing market of supplemental iPhone 3G batteries, and in my opinion, its the best of the bunch.

The iPhone 3G is fantastic, but lets face it – the battery needs help. I’ve tried a couple of other solutions, including the Brando iPower (clunky case, horrible speaker, decent battery) and the the stick-on-the-bottom kind (awkward), which both ‘get the job done’ of improving battery life, but both have their own drawbacks.

The Mophie Juice Pack does not have these drawbacks – its simple, its well-made, its elegant.

Just slide your iPhone into the sleeve, and your ready to go – the included mini-USB cable charges both the iPhone 3G and the Juice Pack itself (in that order), and your iPhone will use the Juice Pack before draining its own battery.

The mini-USB cable will also allow you to sync with iTunes, so theres no need to remove the pack.

Posting battery life specs with the Mophie Juice Pack is kind of pointless – battery life on the iPhone can vary so much based on the age of the iPhone 3G’s internal battery, local reception, and what you do with the phone.

All I know is that the Mophie Juice Pack has more than enough juice for me – I never have to worry about it dying over the course of a day or two.

The form factor is so small I don’t mind it at all, it actually makes the iPhone handle better when using it as a phone.

Originally appeared on: StationStops - Metro-North Train Schedules and NYC Commuting Blog See the original post here: Mophie Juice Pack Review [Mophie Juice Pack iPhone 3G Battery Review]

I am keeping the promotional pricing at $1.99 for a limited time, so if you’re thinking of getting it, now would be a good time.

Just search for ‘StationStops’ in the app store on your iPhone or iTunes App Store to download.

Note: The icon has been changed, but looks very similar to the old one.

Thanks everyone for the support of this app and you’re great reviews. We are currently in the top 14% of all travel apps, both free and paid, in the iTunes App Store.

Originally appeared on: StationStops - Metro-North Train Schedules and NYC Commuting Blog See the original post here: StationStops for iPhone Update 1.2 Live in iPhone App Store, still just $1.99

• Over-The-Air Podcast downloads (nice maybe now I will actually use some!)
• Google Street View (meh).

Details at Engadget

While you are on iTunes upgrading you might as well get your copy of StationStops for iPhone!

Originally appeared on: StationStops - Metro-North Train Schedules and NYC Commuting Blog See the original post here: iPhone Version 2.2 Firmware Now Available