2008 October 06 | Alec Saunders

Everybody’s jumping on the application store bandwagon. Today, via CrunchGear, come screen shots of the BlackBerry Application Center. Apparently set to debut with the BlackBerry Storm and OS 4.7, this store differs from Apple and Google’s offerings in that “All application data will be stored at the carriers’ locale; RIM is totally out of the loop as far as that goes. …carriers can put the applications they want on their own little store.”

If true, that’s a mistake. The appeal of the AppStore is that it goes around the carrier. As a developer, the last thing I want is to go on bended knee to 180 carriers to ask them to carry my software. Been there, done that, got the rugburn.

BlackBerry developers can take heart in the fact that RIM already has competition on the store front. BerryStore has launched, and has already scooped up some of the most popular applications. Are the carriers gutsy (or stupid) enough to try to block it? Wait and see.

I’m reminded of Peter Seller’s hilariously dark sketch “Auntie Rotter”.

“Now now children. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have TWO daddys?”

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Bill St. Arnaud, Chief Research Office at CANARIE, which is Canada’s advanced network organization, is on a mission. The primary focus for this morning’s call was alternative models for delivering fibre to the home. Bill’s contention is that the triple play model can never finance fibre to the home and another model is necessary. He thinks consumers should own their own connection to the network, and has ample data to back up that conviction.

In Bill’s world, the triple play of voice, video and data is underpinned by a piece of homeowner owned optic fibre, giving the homeowner the choice of which service providers for each of the main services coming into the home. This is net neutrality taken to the logical end.

Incumbent’s reactions are mixed. Some view it as a competitive opportunity to invade another’s market, while others see it as a threat.

And some of the consumers on the call expressed skepticism at the cost.

Check out Bill’s Blog for more details.

On today’s Calliflower Conference Call: Rob Nielsen, Dan York, Technically Speaking Radio, Jim Courtney, Sheryl Breuker, Bill St. Arnaud, Jonathan Jensen, Sergio Meinardi, and Bill Volk.