Why Netflix won’t go like Blockbuster

There’s more than a little irony in the fact that Blockbuster, the store that shut down hundreds of little mom-and-pop local video rental stores, is now on the verge of bankruptcy. The fact is that Blockbuster has a physical problem: it’s tethered to its brick and mortar stores and hasn’t been able to break away from that image in the face of Netflix’s rising popularity. Plus, Netflix has an evolving plan.

Netflix has been promoting its very different way of doing business and it has been paying off. Odds are, if you buy a Blu-ray DVD player, Netflix comes with it (sometimes Blockbuster does as well). Netflix is also available on multiple mobile platforms with apps for the iPad, iPhone, Microsoft Windows Phone 7 and now Android phones. The Android app will instantly stream movies just like the app for Windows Phone 7 and the iPad.

It’s becoming pretty clear that it you cater to people they’ll stick by you. Netflix is on a rampage, snatching up all available mobile markets before Blockbuster does. Although Blockbuster does plan to become available on Android, it’s the first to the party that reaps the rewards. And Netflix is working on a streaming player for the iPhone because right now that’s not what the iPhone’s app does.

What slipped between the cracks

Here’s a quick round up of some other stories that happened this week:

Twenty-four global phone carriers have come together to combat Apple by creating one large app store that can deliver applications to all mobile users.

The Mobile World Conference was held on Monday in Barcelona, Spain and there was an Android tablet.

Also at the MWC was the announcement that Verizon is bringing Skype to its users in March.

TechCrunch brought to light the Web site called Please Rob Me, which uses location-based services, like Foursquare, to see who is not at home. Basically, if you check in somewhere that isn’t at your house, it streams to this site.

Lastly, if you like fashion with your tech, fashion designer Vivienne Tam has designed in-ear headphones that will put you back $200.

The iPhone dominates apps, but is that good?

When people are looking to buy a new smartphone, seeing how many apps (especially how many free apps) are available might help make the decision. All the others — Android, Symbian, Windows Mobile, RIM — have a few thousand and don’t even combine to equal Apple’s tally. After all, Apple has more than 100,000 apps by now.

When Peter Paul Koch pointed out (not without some swearing) that the iPhone only has 15% of the smartphone market he made a point that a lot of Americans (and I mostly mean the people I know) forget: there are other phones out there. The iPhone (and Apple in general) is considered hip. But RIM, with the popular Blackberry, has 20%, and Nokia is leading the charge with 39%. Android trails with 4%, but I don’t expect that number to stay so low.

Koch’s point is that web developers are going out of their way to make apps look good on the iPhone when they could be making apps for Symbian and getting 30% more people. (Symbian is Nokia, plus some SonyEricsson and Samsung, Koch explains). All the stats come from Tomi Ahonen.

All of the focus on a smartphone that has a small share of the market will eventually mean everyone will want that smartphone or web developers will start making apps for other phones. I sincerely hope it’s the second.