Apple iPhone...

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2007-01-10 07:59am

Yeah, smartphone without external storage is a bit of a loss

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2007-01-10 08:36am

So already Nokia have a more powerful system with better hardware just around the corner, while the iPhone is at least half a year away. Why am I not impressed?

Gimmick. If I thought going on Google Earth and having a touch-screen was actually amazingly useful, yeah. But they're not, so it's just more style over substance from Jobs with a gloriously large price-tag.

Durandal wrote:*SNIP*

Why should I even listen to you, you lackey of Master Jobs? I may as well ask Ballmer what's so good about Microsoft. Woe, for thou hast forsaken thy soul in the interests of shiny Apple things.

Begone, foul being!

Post by **Colonel Olrik** » 2007-01-10 08:55am

GPS is a great thing, and it will only become better when Europe's Galileu comes to play. It always works, it's reliable and once you buy the equipment it's free. Google maps on mobiles is nice if you don't have anything better (a friend of mine showed me his mobile with google maps a couple of months ago, and how it shows where you are and nearest eating place, like a GPS) but it's a distant second compared with a $200 Garmin GPS, or a fully integrated GPS in a mobile/PDA.

Arrow · Post by **Arrow** » 2007-01-10 09:24am

Master of Ossus wrote:Where are you? After Cingular bought AT&T and, now, BellSouth, their coverage has increased by 20-60%, depending on area.

Southern Maryland, which AFAIK doesn't have an coverage increase from the mergers. The other thing is that everyone I know and need to talk to, from family to coworkers, all have Verizon, so calls to them are free.

Durandal wrote:(Save for reasons like Exchange server compatibility.)

How well does Safari work with Outlook Webmail? Does it work the same as Firefox?

Max · Post by **Max** » 2007-01-10 10:07am

For me it's the functionality. I wondered how long it would take before keys and buttons just "went away." With touch screens on devices this small, they just don't make sense any more, and not only does it reduce the size but also the complexity of the device.

Dahak · Post by **Dahak** » 2007-01-10 10:18am

Max wrote:For me it's the functionality. I wondered how long it would take before keys and buttons just "went away." With touch screens on devices this small, they just don't make sense any more, and not only does it reduce the size but also the complexity of the device.

There are already many mobiles out there with touch screens, so that's nothing new.
For me, I rather have buttons. I find them easier, sturdier and less error-prone than a touch screen.

KrauserKrauser · Post by **KrauserKrauser** » 2007-01-10 11:12am

I enjoy the tactile feel of buttons compared to tuch screens. When I press the button I know how much pressure is required to move the button and make it do what I want.

I have run into multiple touch screen interfaces that are non-responsive or require variable amounts of pressure for the system to register your touch. Not to mention the number of times I have hit two things at once on a touch screen or even had dirty fingers that smudged teh screen.

Buttons aren't going anywhere for a while. Especially with an aging population that will require larger more tactilly responsive interfaces that a touch screen does not allow.

I'll look into the Nokia, especially if they go multi-provider and I can get one for Verizon. The Apple one, meh, it's a suped up iPod, and I don't want to have to buy all my songs over again to be able to use the mp3 features.

Post by **Colonel Olrik** » 2007-01-10 11:43am

Dahak wrote:
Max wrote:For me it's the functionality. I wondered how long it would take before keys and buttons just "went away." With touch screens on devices this small, they just don't make sense any more, and not only does it reduce the size but also the complexity of the device.
There are already many mobiles out there with touch screens, so that's nothing new.
For me, I rather have buttons. I find them easier, sturdier and less error-prone than a touch screen.

Exactly, so the first company to make a touch screen with those qualities will have accomplished a breakthrough, no? I'm terribly interested to read the reviews and have one iphone in my hands, because if Apple has truly done it then it's an amazing change to the phones GUI technology. Look at the new Nokia, for all its specifications the hierarchy menus type GUI it uses is the same phones have used for the last half a decade.

I am dissapointed by some of the relatively modest aspects of the phone (in the end, a good camera on a mobile phone is a very nice thing to have, I love my Sony-Eriksson for that reason) and the lack of UMTS, but this things can appear in later models. If the GUI works as advertised then the phone will sell.. a lot.

Durandal, I'm finishing my PhD this year and I don't want to stay at Siemens 'cause it sucks. Give me a job at Apple gimme.

Max · Post by **Max** » 2007-01-10 11:52am

Dahak wrote:
Max wrote:For me it's the functionality. I wondered how long it would take before keys and buttons just "went away." With touch screens on devices this small, they just don't make sense any more, and not only does it reduce the size but also the complexity of the device.
There are already many mobiles out there with touch screens, so that's nothing new.
For me, I rather have buttons. I find them easier, sturdier and less error-prone than a touch screen.

I know that. I have a 700wx. What I'm saying is if they can actually pull off a phone that doesn't need the extra buttons, and they pull it off well, I'm in.

Praxis · Post by **Praxis** » 2007-01-10 12:02pm

Just want to point out to all those whining about the price;
HP sells two iPaq phones in a similar price range. One is $599, and the other is $579 w/two year cingular contract.

Both are 400 MHz w/802.11b, Bluetooth, a 3" screen, and 128 MB memory + 64 MB RAM.

This makes the iPhone look like a steal. A bigger screen, multi-touch, all the various sensors, a 4 GB flash drive, and $100 cheaper?

Praxis · Post by **Praxis** » 2007-01-10 12:05pm

KrauserKrauser wrote: The Apple one, meh, it's a suped up iPod, and I don't want to have to buy all my songs over again to be able to use the mp3 features.

Why would you have to? The iPod plays MP3's. Unless you were silly enough to buy all your music in a Microsoft proprietary format, you're fine.

Dahak · Post by **Dahak** » 2007-01-10 12:06pm

Colonel Olrik wrote:Exactly, so the first company to make a touch screen with those qualities will have accomplished a breakthrough, no? I'm terribly interested to read the reviews and have one iphone in my hands, because if Apple has truly done it then it's an amazing change to the phones GUI technology. Look at the new Nokia, for all its specifications the hierarchy menus type GUI it uses is the same phones have used for the last half a decade.

Should it be available in a local MediaMarkt or somesuch after Europe market start, I'll certainly take a look at it. I'm especially interested how "smear-resistant" the display will be if you use it a lot (like if you have to wipe it clean a lot to see something), how responsive it is, and especially scratch-resistant...
As for Nokia and menues... I have used Nokias through the ages, and I, for one, like the interface structure. It does its job quite well and I don't see why they should change their menu structure to do the same thing (like making calls, address book, sms,...) just for the fun of it.

I am dissapointed by some of the relatively modest aspects of the phone (in the end, a good camera on a mobile phone is a very nice thing to have, I love my Sony-Eriksson for that reason) and the lack of UMTS, but this things can appear in later models. If the GUI works as advertised then the phone will sell.. a lot.

I remain sceptical if it will sell stunningly well. After all it's said and done, it's just a Smartphone with a shiny interface for a huge price in a really competitive market. And Smartphones are overkill for what most people use a phone for to begin with.

Glocksman · Post by **Glocksman** » 2007-01-10 01:15pm

Stark wrote:Yeah, smartphone without external storage is a bit of a loss

To be fair, 4 or 8 gigs is plenty of memory for most people but there are people who will consider the lack of removable storage a deal breaker.

I enjoy the tactile feel of buttons compared to touch screens. When I press the button I know how much pressure is required to move the button and make it do what I want.

Isn't this one of the criticisms leveled against Okudagrams?

As for the rest of it, I'l be interested to see how it works as an actual phone.
Most of the phones I've tried outside of a few Nokia models are lacking in the earpiece volume department (I have permanent tinnitus).
Jobs has been reported to have hearing problems as well and supposedly insisted that the iPods play louder than most other players so that he could use it without straining to hear.

As much as I dislike the bullshit marketing drivel that Apple shoves out (the digicam/PC iMac ad, anyone?

), if the new phone has good loud sound quality and you can make phone calls without having to go through a shitload of menus, it'll be on my 'try' list when my Cingular contract expires later this year.

Ubiquitous · Post by **Ubiquitous** » 2007-01-10 03:54pm

I don't see what is so special about this phone. My nine month old Motorola plays mp3's, has internet access [which costs me a bomb each month to use but I love it] and supports removable memory cards. It doesn't have a touch screen - but it also means that it won't break as easy in my pocket, which was a problem I had with my old D-500 getting a cracked screen.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2007-01-10 06:40pm

Neat, but I probably won't get one on account of the fact I just got a new phone (well, it's used, but it's in good condition). It's a little bulky, but the user interface is elegantly simple (looks something like a click wheel, actually), the sound quality is excellent, and the battery life is unreal. I like the default ringtone, too.

It's a Western Electric 500.

Totally works, too. Don't bother calling the number; the phone was picked up at an estate sale in Indiana and the line has been disconnected. Just marvel at a Ma Bell relic that's so well engineered it will probably still be making phone calls long after the very last iPhone is thrown into the trash.

Xisiqomelir · Post by **Xisiqomelir** » 2007-01-10 06:44pm

So, you all want the link to the launch video, right?

Jon · Post by **Jon** » 2007-01-10 06:59pm

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/01/10/D8MIN3LO0.html

^ SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Cisco Systems Inc. said Wednesday it is suing Apple Inc. in federal court over Apple's use of Cisco's registered iPhone trademark for its new handheld device.

Xisiqomelir · Post by **Xisiqomelir** » 2007-01-10 07:27pm

Jon wrote:http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/01/10/D8MIN3LO0.html

^ SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Cisco Systems Inc. said Wednesday it is suing Apple Inc. in federal court over Apple's use of Cisco's registered iPhone trademark for its new handheld device.

Mmmm, trademark squatting

GuppyShark · Post by **GuppyShark** » 2007-01-10 07:42pm

Fools! Don't they know that Apple owns the lowercase letter i!

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2007-01-10 07:46pm

RedImperator wrote:Neat, but I probably won't get one on account of the fact I just got a new phone (well, it's used, but it's in good condition). It's a little bulky, but the user interface is elegantly simple (looks something like a click wheel, actually), the sound quality is excellent, and the battery life is unreal. I like the default ringtone, too.

< image quoting is bad>

It's a Western Electric 500. Totally works, too. Don't bother calling the number; the phone was picked up at an estate sale in Indiana and the line has been disconnected. Just marvel at a Ma Bell relic that's so well engineered it will probably still be making phone calls long after the very last iPhone is thrown into the trash.

So I hear this phone has a laughably small feature list, is even worse than dual-band (being zero-band), is worthless for any modern functions (SMS, email, web browsing, even wallpapers), has a massive footprint, enormous weight, many moving parts, and let's not forget it needs a fucking cord to use it. The spec doesn't list any common modern wireless protocols either, and rather than a menu you get what sounds like a woman on the other end of the line asking questions and being cranky. Yeah, let's all trade our mobiles for ancient line phones!

Netko · Post by **Netko** » 2007-01-10 07:49pm

There was an article linked either here or on Ars that had a guy sit down and try the phone for an hour. The thing about the touchscreen that worries me is that, while the guy is otherwise gushing a lot about the phone, he mentions that he had to rely a lot on the autocorrection features to get his messages right, but that the autocorrect is excellent. Now the problem I have with that is that, unlike English, which gets gobs of money pumped into research on autocorrection and dictionaries and stuff, my little daily used language does not. Combined with a much more complex structure, it makes it unlikely that autocorrection will be worth a damn. All the current examples range from unusable and actually more difficult to use then without (any and all mobiles I've seen) to hopelessly simplistic with a very limited vocabulary (Office). I don't give the iPhone more then slim chances to break out of that, if they even support Croatian in the first place. Which is a problem if the guy mentioned above is any indication and could turn this phone into unusable in my local market and likely most other small country markets.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2007-01-10 07:59pm

Stark wrote:
So I hear this phone has a laughably small feature list, is even worse than dual-band (being zero-band), is worthless for any modern functions (SMS, email, web browsing, even wallpapers), has a massive footprint, enormous weight, many moving parts, and let's not forget it needs a fucking cord to use it. The spec doesn't list any common modern wireless protocols either, and rather than a menu you get what sounds like a woman on the other end of the line asking questions and being cranky. Yeah, let's all trade our mobiles for ancient line phones!

To: Mr. Stark
From: The Management

Dear sir,

It has come to our attention that you may not be keeping up on maintenance of your Personal Humour Device (PHD). We advise that you regularly keep this system in perfect working order with routine check-ups (see user's manual for more), else your unit may malfunction intermittently or fail altogether.

If you have any queries or doubts about our service, please feel free to LOLLERSKATE to your nearest dealership and ROFFLE-a-WAFFLE.

Sincerely,

The Management
SDN Post Oversight Committee

GuppyShark · Post by **GuppyShark** » 2007-01-10 08:06pm

Either Red was serious about loving his new landline phone or that's the driest piece of sarcastic text I've ever encountered.

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2007-01-10 08:12pm

RedImperator wrote:It's a Western Electric 500. Totally works, too. Don't bother calling the number; the phone was picked up at an estate sale in Indiana and the line has been disconnected. Just marvel at a Ma Bell relic that's so well engineered it will probably still be making phone calls long after the very last iPhone is thrown into the trash.

Western Electric did make solid equipment!

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2007-01-10 08:13pm

GuppyShark wrote:Either Red was serious about loving his new landline phone or that's the driest piece of sarcastic text I've ever encountered.

I do love the phone. I'm not about to throw away my LG...uh, whatever the model number of my cell phone is...on account of the fact I can't, you know, use the rotary phone without plugging it in, but I have a weird love of old technology and pre-1950s industrial design. I have an old Royal portable manual typewriter for the same reason.

And the rotary phone is, as far as I'm concerned, better than some piece of shit Wal Mart phone as far as landlines go. Better than the ones in my house, anyway, especially the shitty cordless that until today was my primary phone which I shall greatly enjoy throwing into the trash.

I was, though, being slightly silly in suggesting the rotary compares to a cell phone. It would be a real bitch trying to carry it in your pocket, especially with the thirty miles of cord you'd need to carry on a spool with you.