iPhone

[Praxis]

Personally, I wouldn't want a touchscreen as the only input feature.

This would be a valid argument for anything other than the iPhone, but the iPhone's touchscreen (not being pressure-based) is really in a totally different league. A keyboard would make this thing feel clunky.

I have an iPhone, but I don't reccommend purchasing one, due to its extremely closed nature

So Jailbreak it and run third party apps, or wait for Apple's SDK which is supposed to be released sometime in the next two weeks along with a ton of new iPhone applications.

[Admiral Valdemar]

This would be a valid argument for anything other than the iPhone, but the iPhone's touchscreen (not being pressure-based) is really in a totally different league. A keyboard would make this thing feel clunky.

There is no substitute for a full keyboard, something the iPhone cannot accommodate if you also have a Bluetooth headset installed. Ever tried typing a decent amount of text using that touchscreen? It's actually more comfortable using a keypad with predictive text. Pressure based or not, the touchscreen is still a gimmick that is not mandatory.

[The Jester]

I'd need to go and check with the local store, but I'm sure the new USB modem released this year has, if not the maximum grade, near to it. For laptops on the go, it's becoming more common to use telecom companies for their net access via mobile cell networks, as opposed to pricier and less convenient Wi-Fi accounts.

Even if they were category 10, the company would probably cap your rate since running at 14.4 eats up *a lot* of base station resources. Oh, I should also add that the 14.4 figure (along with MCS-9) assumes that there is no error coding, which almost never happens in real life.

[Big Phil]

I have an iPhone, but I don't reccommend purchasing one, due to its extremely closed nature

I'm fine with this, and it makes my life easier since I don't have to worry about software compatibility.

(and the fact that Apple seems to enjoy breaking its customers' phones with impunity if those customers do anything that displeases Apple).

I'm not sure what you mean by this

My advice would be to wait for some of the new Android-based phones that will be coming out later this year.

Any links to these forthcoming phones?

[Big Phil]

This would be a valid argument for anything other than the iPhone, but the iPhone's touchscreen (not being pressure-based) is really in a totally different league. A keyboard would make this thing feel clunky.

There is no substitute for a full keyboard, something the iPhone cannot accommodate if you also have a Bluetooth headset installed. Ever tried typing a decent amount of text using that touchscreen? It's actually more comfortable using a keypad with predictive text. Pressure based or not, the touchscreen is still a gimmick that is not mandatory.

Personally I prefer the touchscreen to a partial keyboard (with tiny keys) like most PDA's, handhelds, and sidekicks. And i absolutely hate the predictive text function of phones.

[Beowulf]

(and the fact that Apple seems to enjoy breaking its customers' phones with impunity if those customers do anything that displeases Apple).

I'm not sure what you mean by this

Firmware updates have been known to brick phones that have been unlocked to be used on other networks (*cough*T-Mobile*cough*)

[Praxis]

(and the fact that Apple seems to enjoy breaking its customers' phones with impunity if those customers do anything that displeases Apple).

I'm not sure what you mean by this

Firmware updates have been known to brick phones that have been unlocked to be used on other networks (*cough*T-Mobile*cough*)

Only the very early ones. All of the modern hacking methods rely on OS modifications rather than firmware- meaning, if a new update is released that bricks your phone, a simple software restore will put your phone in a brand-new state.

The unlocking process required that core system files be modified to allow for new software to be installed, which is why it happened.

It's not like Nintendo and Microsoft haven't bricked modchipped machines during firmware updates. Sony, well, if anyone has a modchipped PS3, they are pirates, since the PS3 is region-free so there is no legitamite reason to get a modchip.

[Max]

I love my iphone. I actually have more fun messing around with the jailbreak than I do anything else. Aesthetically pleasing, and great interface. It's perfect for me, edge sucks though.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/12/ziph ... including/

I definately recommend that Ziphone jailbreak if you want to add different apps to it.

[Big Phil]

I love my iphone. I actually have more fun messing around with the jailbreak than I do anything else. Aesthetically pleasing, and great interface. It's perfect for me, edge sucks though.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/12/ziph ... including/

I definately recommend that Ziphone jailbreak if you want to add different apps to it.

What does ZipPhone do exactly?

[Pint0 Xtreme]

I've bought and used my iPhone for about 2 weeks now and I also really have enjoyed using it. I haven't jailbroken it or anything yet but I'm currently pretty satisfied with its out-of-the-box features.

[Pint0 Xtreme]

I love my iphone. I actually have more fun messing around with the jailbreak than I do anything else. Aesthetically pleasing, and great interface. It's perfect for me, edge sucks though.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/12/ziph ... including/

I definately recommend that Ziphone jailbreak if you want to add different apps to it.

What does ZipPhone do exactly?

It allows you to install third party aps on your phone and stuff.

[Praxis]

I love my iphone. I actually have more fun messing around with the jailbreak than I do anything else. Aesthetically pleasing, and great interface. It's perfect for me, edge sucks though.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/12/ziph ... including/

I definately recommend that Ziphone jailbreak if you want to add different apps to it.

What does ZipPhone do exactly?

ZiPhone does three things (or only one of them if you wish).

1) Activation.

Normally, you buy a phone from an Apple store or AT&T store, take it home, and it's locked. You can't use it until you hook it up to a computer and activate it through iTunes by subscribing to AT&T. ZiPhone will tell the iPhone that it's been activated so you can use it without any kind of cell phone plan.

2) Jailbreak.

Jailbreaking is hacking some key iphone files to let you install homebrew applications on the iPhone.

3) Unlock.

Hacking the iPhone so that it can be used on other networks like T-Mobile.


I literally just ran ZiPhone, checked three boxes, plugged my brand new iPhone in out of the box, and told the application to run. A script started executing on the phone (lots of text scrolled across) and it was done a minute later, and I tossed in my T-Mobile SIM card and made a phone call. It adds an Installer icon which, when clicked on, brings up a database of iPhone homebrew that you can install any app from with two clicks.

EDGE sucks pretty badly but I'm usually near WiFi. And I really tax the thing, so I guess the extra battery life afforded by EDGE is worth it.

ZiPhone is the way to go. Beware- Apple released a new firmware update (1.1.4) yesterday. I don't know if ZiPhone is able to unlock it but they're promising a new release within days.

[Max]

Did anyone on here, who owns an iphone, get those bubbles on the screen? I got mine when it first came out, and a couple months later it started getting bubbles in the screen. Really small ones. First there were 2..and then another...and another..until about 6 were on my screen. They were all in the same general area. Anyway, I brought it into an apple store after reading that they were replacing peoples iphones who had this issue. Which I heard was an easy process, but the 'genius' I talked to gave me a hard time. Apparently he hadn't heard of this issue, and asked me where I had heard about it. I told him I read about it on Engadget. He said that if it wasn't from an Apple site, than he couldn't do anything. That I had to call Apple about it. I was like, "Um.. why don't YOU call apple, since you're an employee of apple." Long story short, I got a replacement. It's a newer version 1.1.3, and ziphone worked fine on it...but a few of the programs that you can get from Installer don't work correctly. I can change my theme, which is what I wanted most..but hopefully there will be a fix to the Customization feature.

/ramble

[Praxis]

It's a newer version 1.1.3, and ziphone worked fine on it...but a few of the programs that you can get from Installer don't work correctly.

Same thing here. No bubbles, but I've got ziphone-unlocked 1.1.3 and a few apps don't work properly. The guitar app, for example, crashes on launch (opens up and disappears), and I can't play songs on Tap Tap Revolution.

I think it's a 1.1.3 thing. Something must have changed that broke some homebrew apps. That won't happen once the SDK is out.

[Beowulf]

They changed the home directory in 1.1.3 from root to mobile (I think that's the user). Obviously, running as root is bad.

[ANGELUS]

Only the very early ones. All of the modern hacking methods rely on OS modifications rather than firmware- meaning, if a new update is released that bricks your phone, a simple software restore will put your phone in a brand-new state.

Not to mention other upgrade methods different than iTunes. About three weeks ago I upgraded mine to 1.1.3 without iTunes using an application called "1.1.3 official upgrader" by Devteam that I downloaded directly from Installer.app. It worked just fine and now my iPhone has 1.1.3 with all of the new features and is still unlocked and jailbroken.

Unfortunately several applications that were designed for the previous version don't work on this one anymore, but I have been able to find substitutes or upgrades for most of them already.

This device is really cool, last week I was able to turn it into a ftp server that I can access from any other computer within the same network to upload and download anythink. I also turned it into an Apache webserver.

There are several downsides for it, such as you not been able to use memmory cards, or that Bluetooth only works for headsets (I have found workarounds using a wifi application called dropcopy, but it only works with other iPhones). 2Megapixel cammera is not awesome, but it is ok, and it doesn't bother me that you can't record video because eventually an application for ti will show up (actually there are a couple already but are really buggy).

So all of the software features that it still lacks will eventually be fixed (specially when the SDK comes out) and the device itself is really powerfull and with a lot of potential.

[Dalton]

1.1.4 is out. No new features, just bug fixes. I hear it's to prep the phone for SDK.

[Ypoknons]

This would be a valid argument for anything other than the iPhone, but the iPhone's touchscreen (not being pressure-based) is really in a totally different league. A keyboard would make this thing feel clunky.

No bloody way. I've worked with an iPhone keyboard and even more extensively with an almost identical one for Windows Mobile (my screen is a little bit smaller), and if there's no contest if I'm going on IM (AIM/MSN) between a physical HTC keyboard (Tilt/Kaiser) and an ipod touchscreen keyboard - the physical one is so much faster. I wouldn't use my phone for regular IM at cafes and school if it was touchscreen only.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Least standard touchscreens allow a stylus for better accuracy too. Still, as I say, can't replace a full QWERTY and I've contemplated the purchasing of one for my N95. Folded up, it's the same size as the phone itself.

Or there's those IR projection boards, but they need a level and featureless surface to work on, which isn't all that ideal when in bright conditions too.

[Durandal]

Vert is right. Even if the iPhone had all the features I routinely use on my Nokia, I'd still avoid until it was 3G. In the US it may be less of an issue for many, simply because of the coverage. But here, it's pure folly to spend that kind of cash and be locked in for nearly two years with a phone that is already pretty much ancient technology, which is especially hilarious given the majority of TV ads for the iPhone here boast about having full Internet (y'know, because NO other phone can do that. Oh wait, my Nokia has Flash Lite 3 and Java).

Adobe's Mac OS X Flash version is already pathetic enough performance-wise. Flash for Mobile OS X would most likely be a performance nightmare and suck down battery life like no one's business. And as a technology, Flash needs to die anyway. It's grown way too bloated to solve way too many problems that can be addressed by technologies like AJAX and SVG. It's gone from an easy way to embed vector animations to a replacement for good web site design to a video delivery solution. And it does none of these things particularly well.

I've never once missed Flash when browsing on my iPhone.

[Max]

...the physical one is so much faster.

That's always going to be subjective. I had a treo, and I find I can rattle off messages on the iphones virtual board faster and more accurately. In fact, each one of my treos ended up getting sticky keys, which made texting/messaging even more of a pain. The iPhone keyboard isn't perfect, but it's definately better for me.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Adobe's Mac OS X Flash version is already pathetic enough performance-wise. Flash for Mobile OS X would most likely be a performance nightmare and suck down battery life like no one's business. And as a technology, Flash needs to die anyway. It's grown way too bloated to solve way too many problems that can be addressed by technologies like AJAX and SVG. It's gone from an easy way to embed vector animations to a replacement for good web site design to a video delivery solution. And it does none of these things particularly well.

I've never once missed Flash when browsing on my iPhone.

We all of us hate Flash, D. What I'm concerned about is having to use a shitty plug-in that requires dedicated portals on sites, rather than browse a Flash based site natively. Flash Lite 3 allows the likes of YouTube and DailyMotion and other FLV etc. pages within the browser, which pretty much gives you everything, bar the latest Flash 9 sites. They seem to have given up allowing a choice of HTML based or Flash based. It's now the latter or fuck all, so I couldn't see the new Indy teaser at work via my mobile because it needs lamo Flasho.

Given how Adobe fuck over Linux users too, I'm well aware of your pain. The irony of my phone having better Flash support than my desktop without going into Windoze is not lost on me.

[Durandal]

We all of us hate Flash, D. What I'm concerned about is having to use a shitty plug-in that requires dedicated portals on sites, rather than browse a Flash based site natively.

Not an issue for an iPhone. At this point, you cannot develop MobileSafari plug-ins. If you don't like Flash, I suggest that you stop giving your clicks to sites that use it extensively as a part of their design.

Flash Lite 3 allows the likes of YouTube and DailyMotion and other FLV etc. pages within the browser, which pretty much gives you everything, bar the latest Flash 9 sites. They seem to have given up allowing a choice of HTML based or Flash based. It's now the latter or fuck all, so I couldn't see the new Indy teaser at work via my mobile because it needs lamo Flasho.

Which is why the iPhone stands in a unique position. MobileSafari has become the most popular mobile web browser, and what it supports will likely have a very big impact on where the mobile web goes. It's basically an opportunity for everyone in the IT industry to make up for the browser wars fiasco.

MobileSafari uses an open source rendering engine and has excellent standards support, arguably the best standards support of any engine. This makes it a driver for forcing web developers to adopt open standards. Why erode that position by supporting a proprietary technology that's not a suitable solution for the problem space anyway? (By the way, even Flash Lite has serious performance problems, and it doesn't support Flash 9 content.) The mobile web is a fresh start. We should be doing it right this time around, not trying to drag in the hacked-together garbage that became popular on the desktop web.

Given how Adobe fuck over Linux users too, I'm well aware of your pain. The irony of my phone having better Flash support than my desktop without going into Windoze is not lost on me.

Then you of all people should appreciate what the iPhone can do for the Internet. And frankly, you of all people should agree with me when I say that Flash shouldn't be a part of the "real" Internet.

[phongn]

Well, there's the issue that FLV has pretty much become the de facto web video standard. However inefficient, it Just Works[tm] and I don't see it going away now.

[Durandal]

Well, there's the issue that FLV has pretty much become the de facto web video standard. However inefficient, it Just Works[tm] and I don't see it going away now.

Not on the desktop. But Google is moving the entire YouTube video library over to h.264 for the iPhone. It's a long-term process, to be sure. But the mobile web represents a fresh start, and Flash shouldn't be a part of that.