Monday, July 9, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
My thoughts on the iPhone
So I guess this would not be much of a tech blog without at least one post regarding the much anticipated iPhone. Apple's new gadget hits the shelves this Friday at 6:00pm local time. No matter how you feel about Apple, you have to admit that they know how to use the hype machine to their advantage. The iPhone, based on all the information available to date, is going to be innovative and sexy, but is it truly that revolutionary?
That depends. As far as being a phone that also works as an mp3 player....Yes, it is revolutionary.
Now you may say that there have been other phones that also play mp3s, and you would be right. But there has always been this disconnect when it comes to usability. I currently own a Nokia 6230, which is a great phone if you judge it on what it is capable of doing. It can play mp3s too. It even has access to external memory via an MMC card. But do I use it for my mp3 player? NOPE. Primarily because I can't use any standard headphones with it. I must use the Nokia proprietary headphones or find a dongle to do the conversion, but that's just clunky. Now I know my 6230 is getting a little long in the tooth, and that there have been many mp3 capable cell phones since, but I'll bet they have their own little quirks. For example:
Motorola rokr - stupid 100 song limit
Nokia N90 - Again with the proprietary headphone jack
LG Chocolate - proprietary jack, clunky interface, transferred songs must be converted to WMA
So, unless Apple completely screws the pooch, the iPhone will be as good or better as the iPod when it comes to music and video.
I'll also give Apple credit for the touch screen interface. Yeah, I know that touch screens have been around too, but Apple is taking it to a new level with the multi touch features. And given their track record with interfaces, they'll get the benefit of the doubt. This device will be simple to use and understand. I doubt there will be a myriad of nested menus that only real geeks like me go through to get to some function you want to use.
So on to the smartphone part of the iPhone.
This is where I start to have some concerns. The biggest of them being the lack of 3G for data. My 6230 does EDGE, and its slow. Now I've heard that AT&T has somehow made EDGE perform better for the iPhone, but even if that is true, it's still nothing like a 3G network. And on top of that, Apple is touting the built-in Safari browser as being full featured and not a stripped down version of a web browser. I don't see how that helps. When I use my Blackberry or my Nokia, I try to go to mobile version of the sites I'm interested in for the sake of speed. I don't care how cool it looks if I have to wait 2 full minutes for it to come up. Now, I know that the iPhone has WiFi built in, and that IS very cool. But I believe that most web surfing from a smartphone device will happen when you are on your cell data network and not sitting at home where your WiFi is already paid-for. Using the iPhone on EDGE will be like driving a Porsche 911 in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Excruciating.
The iPhone also has a nice 2 megapixel camera, but unlike other camera phones, it has no flash. Not that the little LEDs that the other cameras have can really be considered a flash, but at least its an effort. So here is another area that the iPhone lacks features commonly found on other competitive devices.
Another little tidbit that has been reported, is that the iPhone will not be able to send MMS messages. You know, the little picture or video you take with your phone and send it to another cell phone. Can't do it. At least not out of the box. Apple will surely upgrade this thing many times over with software updates, but still.....a pretty basic feature.....a commonly used one too.
So after all is said and done....the iPhone IS still a revolutionary device, in that it is able to capture the interest of so many people. The expectations are sky high for this thing. What does that say about the existing cell phone market? It looks to me as if there are a bunch of really dissatisfied customers who have had needs that the big cell companies have not been able or willing to satisfy. Will I get one? I doubt it, but I will never say never. Hell, I don't even have an iPod for myself. I've bought two for my wife, but I'm still going against the grain with my Creative Zen Vision M:. I might end up doing the same thing when it comes to my cell phone. After the iPhone is released and the other manufacturers finally start putting some thought into form as well as function, I will probably choose the device that fits my needs the best. But I must admit that there is a part of me that wants to be one of the first to whip out a cool new iPhone at lunch or a business meeting, and have everyone seething with envy. But there is also another part of me that knows that fleeting moment is not worth the 600 bucks + I'd have to dish out. There will be bugs, flaws, and improvements, and I already have a phone, laptop, and mp3 player. And I don't like standing in line for anything.
That depends. As far as being a phone that also works as an mp3 player....Yes, it is revolutionary.
Now you may say that there have been other phones that also play mp3s, and you would be right. But there has always been this disconnect when it comes to usability. I currently own a Nokia 6230, which is a great phone if you judge it on what it is capable of doing. It can play mp3s too. It even has access to external memory via an MMC card. But do I use it for my mp3 player? NOPE. Primarily because I can't use any standard headphones with it. I must use the Nokia proprietary headphones or find a dongle to do the conversion, but that's just clunky. Now I know my 6230 is getting a little long in the tooth, and that there have been many mp3 capable cell phones since, but I'll bet they have their own little quirks. For example:
Motorola rokr - stupid 100 song limit
Nokia N90 - Again with the proprietary headphone jack
LG Chocolate - proprietary jack, clunky interface, transferred songs must be converted to WMA
So, unless Apple completely screws the pooch, the iPhone will be as good or better as the iPod when it comes to music and video.
I'll also give Apple credit for the touch screen interface. Yeah, I know that touch screens have been around too, but Apple is taking it to a new level with the multi touch features. And given their track record with interfaces, they'll get the benefit of the doubt. This device will be simple to use and understand. I doubt there will be a myriad of nested menus that only real geeks like me go through to get to some function you want to use.
So on to the smartphone part of the iPhone.
This is where I start to have some concerns. The biggest of them being the lack of 3G for data. My 6230 does EDGE, and its slow. Now I've heard that AT&T has somehow made EDGE perform better for the iPhone, but even if that is true, it's still nothing like a 3G network. And on top of that, Apple is touting the built-in Safari browser as being full featured and not a stripped down version of a web browser. I don't see how that helps. When I use my Blackberry or my Nokia, I try to go to mobile version of the sites I'm interested in for the sake of speed. I don't care how cool it looks if I have to wait 2 full minutes for it to come up. Now, I know that the iPhone has WiFi built in, and that IS very cool. But I believe that most web surfing from a smartphone device will happen when you are on your cell data network and not sitting at home where your WiFi is already paid-for. Using the iPhone on EDGE will be like driving a Porsche 911 in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Excruciating.
The iPhone also has a nice 2 megapixel camera, but unlike other camera phones, it has no flash. Not that the little LEDs that the other cameras have can really be considered a flash, but at least its an effort. So here is another area that the iPhone lacks features commonly found on other competitive devices.
Another little tidbit that has been reported, is that the iPhone will not be able to send MMS messages. You know, the little picture or video you take with your phone and send it to another cell phone. Can't do it. At least not out of the box. Apple will surely upgrade this thing many times over with software updates, but still.....a pretty basic feature.....a commonly used one too.
So after all is said and done....the iPhone IS still a revolutionary device, in that it is able to capture the interest of so many people. The expectations are sky high for this thing. What does that say about the existing cell phone market? It looks to me as if there are a bunch of really dissatisfied customers who have had needs that the big cell companies have not been able or willing to satisfy. Will I get one? I doubt it, but I will never say never. Hell, I don't even have an iPod for myself. I've bought two for my wife, but I'm still going against the grain with my Creative Zen Vision M:. I might end up doing the same thing when it comes to my cell phone. After the iPhone is released and the other manufacturers finally start putting some thought into form as well as function, I will probably choose the device that fits my needs the best. But I must admit that there is a part of me that wants to be one of the first to whip out a cool new iPhone at lunch or a business meeting, and have everyone seething with envy. But there is also another part of me that knows that fleeting moment is not worth the 600 bucks + I'd have to dish out. There will be bugs, flaws, and improvements, and I already have a phone, laptop, and mp3 player. And I don't like standing in line for anything.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Let's get it started !
Well, here it is 3 years after setting up my blogger account, and now I'm ready to start blogging. This site will hopefully capture some of my thoughts, opinions, and experiences regarding tech.
I am a self proclaimed technophile who has a good bit of experience with not only consumer electronics, but with corporate technologies as well.
To make up for lost time, my initial posts will focus on the stuff I have acquired over the years, and will give you a little insight into my little problem/hobby. I hope it stays interesting......for you and me.
-Kip
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