It's true. Most mobile phone platforms are a pain in the ass to use or just outdated. There isn't an OS out there more simple than the one on the iPhone. Multitasking? Who gives a shit. #apple
uh huh... Mobile OS X can't even multi-task and just got cut and paste, features Android and I *believe* Blackberry OS have had since the beginning. #apple
of course it can multitask - it just doesn't for the sake of performance. jailbreak it and it will do thy bidding. but don't paint it as being 'incapable' of multitasking. #apple
@nutbastard: Uh yea, to the rest of the population who doesn't want to deal with that shit(seriously we all know how easy it is but we clearly are an educated group when it comes to tech), yea the device is incapable of multitasking.
In all seriousness the iphone is way behind in pretty much everything but apps but Kool aid tastes good right?. It's a ballsy statement that has plenty of room for debate. #apple
im sorry but that's semantically incorrect. i think what you mean is, "the vanilla iPhone OS's ability to multitask is disabled by default"
you can't talk about the 'iPhone' as if it's just one thing - it's a combination of hardware and software. to say that the iPhone is incapable of multitasking is just silly, since millions of people are happy owners of multitasking, background-running jailbroken iphones. its capability in the matter shouldn't even be up for debate. That apple cripples it off the line is a valid concern, but no more significant than any other device which has a flaw which is easily rectified on the user end. #apple
An iPhone is "a combination of hardware and software."
The iPhone software disables multitasking by default.
Disable - make unable to perform some action, i.e remove some ability.
Incapable - lacking some ability.
Therefore, the iPhone is incapable of multitasking. Yes, it is possible to turn an iPhone into a "jailbroken iPhone", but that is a distinct subset (or a completely different set really).
Semantics aside - yes, jailbreaking itself is easy, but it's still a PITA to have to jailbreak after every update. So, it's not quite as stress-free as you make it seem. For instance, after each jailbreak, you'd have to reinstall Backgrounder in order to re-enable multi-tasking.
what else matters besides apps? Really?
multi-tasking (all variants, incl. ability to respond to SMS w/o exiting app)
cut & paste and MMS (yay!)
physical keys
video recording
replaceable battery
replaceable memory
quick toggles for 3g, wifi, etc.
customization
sync w/ more than one Exchange server
ability to sync w/ non-iTunes
...
All of these are just personal prefs, but it runs counter to your argument that apps are the only thing that matters. When most people think there are more fart apps than anything else, I doubt apps are perceived as the "scoring points" to the exclusion of everything else.
despite being an extra step, i don't know anyone who's actually done it who classifies jailbreaking as a pain in the ass. that said:
multi-tasking (all variants, incl. ability to respond to SMS w/o exiting app) - addressed by jailbreak
cut & paste and MMS (yay!) - addressed by latest vanilla OS
physical keys - people are split on this, so it's a fair gripe.
video recording - addressed by jailbreak
replaceable battery - fair enough.
replaceable memory - huh? why?
quick toggles for 3g, wifi, etc. - addressed by jailbreak (SBSettings)
customization - addressed by jailbreak (winterboard)
sync w/ more than one Exchange server - fair gripe but affects few people
ability to sync w/ non-iTunes - probably the most valid of your grievances. i'd KILL for drag and drop w/o itunes. #apple
@nutbastard: I wasn't characterizing the jailbreak process as being a PITA. Instead, I was describing the endless update-jailbreak cycle as a pain. This is especially true for those (like me) who haven't looked into how to backup/restore jailbroken apps.
You're right, though. Most of my gripes are addressed by various jailbreak-only apps, which is why I followed through with the aforementioned cycle for some time. I only listed them to illustrate other features which can be considered at least as important as "apps" for some people. And I'm sure many people would like to be able to use these features on the vanilla iPhone, especially since jailbreak apps prove the only limitations are artificial.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not disparaging the iPhone. I love mine - jailbroken or not.
@nutbastard: Being able to multitask with out having to take the risk of messing up your new investment is pretty important to me. Yes like I said it's easy to jailbreak, but try getting support if something goes wrong, well your out of luck aren't you.
And no your football statement is way out of wack clearly the situation is not the same. #apple
Pretty ballsy statement for a phone that took two years to get cut and paste, MMS, and video recording. Ah, well. All the better, I suppose. The less he sees what's coming, the more fun it will be when it hits.
When Android rumors first surfaced, they said it would never work out. When the G1 launched, they said it was too lame to touch the iPhone. In about a year and a half, Android's gone from nonexistant, to preparing to launch 2.0 with a 10k app Market on a dozen devices on almost (if not all) the major carriers. That's a lot of advancement for a single phone OS in one year. Now what does that kind of expansion rate remind you of? And need I remind you the iPhone didn't start it's meteoric rise until the 3G?
@OCEntertainment: Remember, the iPhone is one device, it is really apples and oranges. It is like saying PCs sell better than Macs, when the Macintosh is a single brand competing against dozens of others. #apple
@OCEntertainment: I think it's great how well the iPhone has done because it has pushed our phones to another level, but if they don't continue to push it's only a matter of time.
I've been wondering if Android 2.0 will mark the beginning of the big G media blitz. Most people I know have no idea that Google has phones (technically yes I know they aren't G's phones, but it's easier to explain it that way).
Right now iPhones are still selling around my circle (no pun intended) mostly due to the look and it's "cool". Unless they have a new form factor in the pipe it's only a matter of time before Moto or HTC or Samsung or ??? come out with one that people will go nuts over.
@Thomas O'Dowd: It's not apples and oranges. Apple makes PCs. Apple also makes cellphones.
The bottom line is they are all competing for the same market share. People don't run out and buy a Windows PC and a Mac. They don't run out and buy an iPhone and a Hero. #apple
@UnderLoK: I think the Verizon Droid has a fair chance of being the first 'big hit' Android phone. Verizon is spending a lot of money to create an "iPhone versus Droid" atmosphere in people's minds and if Droid is as powerful as it sounds then they have a fair chance of convincing a lot of people.
Android already has a friendly UI, a good web browser, and a large selection of apps (not even approaching the number on iPhone, but enough for most people to find the functionality they're looking for). All it really needs now is some hardware strong enough to keep it lag-free, some marketing muscle, and availability on the nation's largest carrier. Droid will bring all of those. #apple
@UnderLoK: I don't think that matters. There are plenty of people who are well informed and choose Android over iPhone because of its advantages. As long as Verizon gets the word out that Android is a thing that exists and is very good, then the average person will be able to make that choice for themselves too.
Your proposed problem implies that Android isn't capable of competing head-to-head against the iPhone on the same carrier, and I think that's untrue. The biggest reason why the iPhone is impossible to top is because of the public perception that it's the only good phone out there. Once that perception goes away, then Android is free to win customers on its own merits, rather than being the best "iPhone alternative" when you can't get the real thing, which is what's driving most of its sales right now. #apple
The iPhone is great if you want to run games and fart apps and the occasional movie. The screen is very nice. You can also do a lot of fun things with the icons. You can even pretend to drink beer! I don't run into many people using them in a business environment though. Few phones are as functional as a Blackberry with a BES. #apple
@I_have_something_to_say: Just like how many BB users use their phone primarily to yack in IM's a la Sidekick, or check/update their Facebook status. It really depends on the setting as well as the people you find using the phone. #apple
@I_have_something_to_say: I never really understood the BB thing... Winmo I can understand as far as PPT, Word, Excel, etc... BB stopped being impressive when the cellphone took over for the pager.
All the people I know in business still run Treo's, Q's, and BB. #apple
The most obvious thing people like to point out is the actual feature set. The problem with just looking at features is that it doesn't take into account how well these features are actually implemented. Windows Mobile, for example, does quite a bit, but it doesn't matter, because Windows Mobile is a dodgy piece of shit.
Sometimes it's not about how many things it can do, but rather how well it does the things it can. (Show me one that even implements something like the virtual keypad nearly as well)
@Panzer23: I think the Zune HD's interface is beautifully done, though it strangely irks me a bit how the words on the screen are slightly cut off on the edges. Unfortunately, it's strictly in the PMP realm. Hopefully Windows Mobile 7 carries over the loveliness and makes us forget the crappy WinMo 6. #apple
@Kaisper-Machead: I agree which leads me into the main purpose of a phone, to talk.
Why in the hell don't any of these newer phones take into account the fact that many people have to have the device held up to their ear and their face the majority of the time?
I saw a little hint of forethought with the initial Hero (with that bent chin), but other than that, it's the same old thing.
@UnderLoK: I think that's a slightly antiquated view of the modern mobile device. My iPhone gets used very rarely for talking compared to Facebook, Twitter, email, apps, etc.
As we move away from talking on the phone as the primary function of the device and into one of the functions of the device (which is the way I believe Apple sees it), the emphasis is pulled into the interface over the talk convenience. And I applaud them for that.
A trend which I believe was started with those stupid brick Blackberrys focusing on email over talk. #apple
@UnderLoK: Eh, I don't think it's safe to make that assumption anymore. I'm a pretty heavy smartphone user, but I use up about 20 of my talk minutes in any given month. If my phone suddenly lost the ability to make calls it would probably take me a few weeks to notice. #apple
@drewdrawshashtags: For the average Joe sure, but for most people that is still the primary use of a phone.
There is also the issue of email. I would say that at most 10% of my work email (it would be the opposite for personal which is I assume why you mention facebook) could be responded to via my phone, the rest requires documents, images, and references only available on my PC which is why I carry a laptop.
@chefgon: Until I moved out of Sales I was doing 1300 minutes and I'm not alone. #apple
@UnderLoK: I'm not saying that nobody makes phone calls anymore, of course, but keep in mind that this is clearly a consumer targeted device and I think there's a fair number of people who put just as much emphasis on internet features as they do on phone calls. I think it would be a mistake to make sacrifices in screen usability or pocket friendliness in the name of making the device more comfortable to talk on. #apple
i don't know, my blackberry had copy and paste, and third party apps, out of the box, and has a physical keyboard, removable memory, a removable battery, a GPS, and 3G. and it's one of the more dinosauric, all-business no-fun blackberry devices by today's standards, as it was a year ago when i got it. #apple
@imTheKing: my experience with apple touch devices is that in order to make them do anything useful, you'll end up freezing the device. heck, a few days ago, my iPod touch (which is not jailbroken at the moment, nor has it been for 2 months) decided to refuse to play any of my music, and spontaneously lock itself up and act like it was bricked. you call that working? #apple
@rimplestultskin, macberry fanboy: You should watch the documentary Objectified. I assure you that you'll change your view on "customization". The Pre is not slow because of the App store, it's slow because of the device itself. The design isn't exactly "attractive" and the UI is much less descriptive than it should have been. Swipe up to close an app? How was a consumer supposed to figure that out. As for the 8830, you've luckily named the single device that BlackBerry made (I had this before I had the new Tour 9 series) that actually has solid body build. As for the OS? Again, it's not so easy to do much of anything on it. The browser thats built in is incredible lame, the opera add on is slightly better, watching video on a BlackBerry is ridiculously slow and laggy unless you compress the damn thing 100 times. BlackBerry falls short of the iPhone. If you want to talk about a handset that comes close, right now it looks like only the Android MyTouch. #apple
@imTheKing: Doesn't the Pre use the same processor as the iPhone?
I still think Palm totally screwed up not sticking to something to replace the Treo. For years it has been the Treo and BB fighting for business, but it seems like Palm just up and quit. #apple
@imTheKing: i never said the pre's hardware was amazing, quite frankly i think it has way soo small of a keyboard and pointless sharp edges, but i think the UI couldn't be more on the money, and every time i try it out, i think it's brilliant from a software point of view. i find the flick-up-to-quit to be very natural, and the synergy interface for texts and facebook and the like is something every smartphone should have going forward from here.
and i personally like being able to change certain aspects of how a device runs, so it can suit my needs better. the iPhone doesn't offer me much in that department. i'll admit that the blackberry is a joke for multimedia (that'll change when i get the tour, and can actually use slingbox for once), that's why i have two iPods, but to say that it lags behind the original iPhone in how useful it is as a smartphone is complete crap. #apple
@UnderLoK: I completely agree. And yes, I believe same iteration in the proc.
Palm totally dropped the ball for years and years. It's the same issue that WinMo is going to run into when they release WinMo 7 and even possibly during the Windows 7 release. They had produced a bad rep during an extended time, and they landed up paying for it later on even after creating a solid product. Hell every company has pretty much gone through a time like this. Apple had a rough time regaining trust from consumers for a few years no doubt. Imagine how rough it is in another area such as Car production. GM, Ford and all of them have a long road ahead of them before they regain faithful consumers that its competitors have. #apple
@imTheKing: my blackberry has the ball too. it gets stuck once or twice a month, big deal, the fix is as simple as rubbing it with a t-shirt or a cloth. it's still a real tactile input method, and i love having that. #apple
It depends on what people want from their phone, really. If you want a phone for an adult who understands technology and is trying to run a business, or perform business-related activitie, the iPhone has been the bottom of the barrel for a while, lacking basic text editing like cut and paste and communication options like MMS.
The iPhone is, to me, the intellectual equivalent of a'N Sync or Britany Spears, except of the technological world. Shiny, focused more on looks, entertainment and popularity than actual intellectual activity or productive behvior.
I'm not saying that the iPhone CAN'T be used to be productive...it's just that those features were added as an afterthought. It's why Blackberry needs to stop focussing on the iPhone-- it's not the same market. Take some of the features-- text transcription of emails, voicemail playable in any order, etc and derive business functions for them. Heck, get google wave or microsoft office mobile apps. Focus on those customers who don't care about another entertainment device, and actually want to use their phones to do business.
I'll not knock the iPhone entirely-- it does what it does excedingly well...it's just that what it does is dumb people down. Let's see...I can pay $50 for an app or I can achieve the same functionality by simply going to a website?Hrmm...it's so hard to figure out.It's I've yet to see anybody I know who owns them (and believe me, that's a lot) do anything with them that I thought would truly change my life.
Screw smart phones. The concept has lost it's meaning because of the iPhone. I want a business phone. Something that makes my job easier-- not something that makes my job easier to deal with because I'm playing a game rather than doing my job. #apple
@S-Express has a pet troll: Nathan: Oh, I'm sure that your experience is different from mine. I work for the Marine Corps and yeah, every single day (not kidding) I have to chew somebody's ass for playing games on their freaking phone when they're supposed to be working. They don't sync up with out network, don't have easily accessible smart-card readers for our email servers, don't allow remote access (at least not they've I've seen) so when one of our less tech-savvy Marines breaks it, it can be fixed remotely.
It doesn't allow us to actually provide them to our Marines in decent numbers since they are incredibly overpriced. Oh...and it doesn't allow us to be on a network that actually, you know, works.
From my experience as a network administrator, the iPhone is perhaps the least friendly OS when you are talking about an enterprise network that is larger than almost every corporation in the entire world.
I'm glad it works for you, but I would argue that perhaps your business doesn't have nearly as many employees as mine does. #apple
@OG_Phenix: Which apps are you trying to download that cost 50$ lol. Sounds like you're just a bad shopper. Most of the apps that are paid are .99 cents to around 3$ max, even then a lot of great apps are free.
You're also basing your ideas around the concept that you heard from some Starbucks business junkie "The iPhone is a toy, a blackberry is for business"
This is a misconception. Obviously all of those things you're looking for in a device that makes things productive are available and for the most part...FREE. Especially since the data plan is the same as any other smartphone and you get more for the money. AT&T's network opinions aside..the iPhone is dominant. #apple
@collectiveego: He works with the Marines. You should know how thick headed those people are. They've been brain washed to "protect our freedom" so they don't use the product you like. They use G Shock phones with armor plates. #apple
"The US Marine Corps is funding an (iPhone) application that would allow soldiers to upload photographs of detained suspects, along with written reports, into a biometric database. The software would match faces, in theory making it easier to track suspects after they're released.
Then there's this write-up on how the Touch/iPhone is becoming the 'networked warfare' tool for the US Military:
@collectiveego: Wow. Biased much? Perhaps you've never heard of Officers, who graduate from top-ranked universities across the country?
Sure, the "Jarhead" thing is a common stereotype...but you're not thick-headed enough to actually buy into a stereotype blindly, are you?
And my "bias" comes from years of experience working on computers of all makes and models (including my 1st Gen iPhone and MBP), evn before I went to college. Perhaps you're the one with bias, hmm?
@imTheKing: That was an example from a story yesterday regarding the Wolfram Alpha app, which pretty much replicates the websites' functionality. It's not a ubiquitous phenomenon, but unneccessary apps are certainly abundant...
The iPhone is a GREAT entertainment device...but that's where I leave it. For day to day use, I still prefer a custom cooked rom of WinMo, or the standard Blackberry that works on the Navy-Marine Corps network. #apple
@S-Express has a pet troll: Nathan: A single application utilzed by under a dozen Marines != a device which every single OIC, SNCOIC or any responsible Marine with an iota of responsibility is GIVEN by the Marine Corps/Navy.
Listen, I'm not trying to be argumentative, but if you're trusting your understanding of what technology the Marines actually use on a day to day basis to anyone other than a person who actually puts on the uniform everyday, you might be putting your faith in the wrong hands.
That's not to say that there aren't a lot of iPhones in the military...but as I said, they are personally owned phones, and their increased use is actually forcing commanders to crack down on cell phone usage during working hours.
For example, we no longer allow cell phones in our workspace at all, which kind of sucks. #apple
The statement is very true - provided we ignore how long it took to get Cut & Paste, and the mess caused by Exchange integration, etc. But, from a UI perspective, the iPhone has set the standard. Then again, it is from Apple -- would we expect anything less? #apple
@Demonbird: Are you talking about the cost for the plan? It's not much higher than any other smartphone. In fact it's cheaper than the palm treo I had before I got it. #apple
there is no need to give pinch-zooming a high regard in the Pre , Pre is 200% better than iPhone with or without pinch-zooming.
That being said.
Palm does hold a lot of patents as well. I wouldn't be surprised if MS decide to join in, if this is a good opportunity to remove iPhone from the market completely.
@imTheKing: The same way people were so sure the iPhone was going to be so great befire it actually was released: Media hype, magazine articles, blogger talk and community enthusiasm.
Thus far the Pre has probably gotten as much, or more, positive attention prerelease than any other phone, with the possible exception of the iPhone. Virtually everything about the Pre has been extremely well received and hailed as a fantastic contender.
While it may not be supplant the iPhone as the de rigeur phone of hipster-wannabes and technofetishist iconoclasts, it may actually be the phone to have for people who actually need a serious, capable and powerful phone for productivity and multimedia. It certainly looks as though it'll have a more open software development architecture than Apple would ever allow one of their products, which is automatically a point in its favor.
Apple's tight grip on iPhone applications might be a nice way to prevent sullying the device's good name, but it also inhibits the sort of rampant, creative, "outside the box" thinking that was Apple's initial reason d'etre. If Palm can extricate themselves from Apple's nasty and petty legal posturing, then they may just have a chance to rebuild a brand that once defined very nature of handheld computing, and set a new benchmark in smartphone standards.
@mcr_fan: Videos are fabricated. Believe me. I work for one of the mobile companies that make those exact videos. ;)
@BeautifulAgony: it was different with the iphone. The phones that were out at the time of release when Apple made their iphone announcement were horrible. No one had come close to a phone like that. At this point we have some good competitors in the run (none of which have hit the mark), yet some idiot comes around a blog to say "the pre is better" when hes never even seen one in person.
@imTheKing: My opinion is that the Pre is better, based on the fact that I like a hardware keyboard, a more open development environment, and a more universal code base so that more apps can be created for it without a screening process. The hardware and OS also look to be more powerful for the needs I have. All this is based on demonstrations, data released by Palm, and CES media coverage from multiple sources. I don't like the iPhone. There is absolutely nothing about it, from shape, functionality or cost, that appeals to me.
We make judgments based on available data. Based on data available to me I think the Pre is great, and I think the iPhone isn't.
10/22/09
10/20/09
10/20/09
of course it can multitask - it just doesn't for the sake of performance. jailbreak it and it will do thy bidding. but don't paint it as being 'incapable' of multitasking. #apple
10/20/09
In all seriousness the iphone is way behind in pretty much everything but apps but Kool aid tastes good right?. It's a ballsy statement that has plenty of room for debate. #apple
10/20/09
10/20/09
im sorry but that's semantically incorrect. i think what you mean is, "the vanilla iPhone OS's ability to multitask is disabled by default"
you can't talk about the 'iPhone' as if it's just one thing - it's a combination of hardware and software. to say that the iPhone is incapable of multitasking is just silly, since millions of people are happy owners of multitasking, background-running jailbroken iphones. its capability in the matter shouldn't even be up for debate. That apple cripples it off the line is a valid concern, but no more significant than any other device which has a flaw which is easily rectified on the user end. #apple
10/20/09
a retarded 12 year old can jailbreak an iPhone.
"iphone is way behind in pretty much everything but apps"
what else matters? that's like saying 'such and such a football team is way behind in pretty much everything but scoring points' #apple
10/20/09
An iPhone is "a combination of hardware and software."
The iPhone software disables multitasking by default.
Disable - make unable to perform some action, i.e remove some ability.
Incapable - lacking some ability.
Therefore, the iPhone is incapable of multitasking. Yes, it is possible to turn an iPhone into a "jailbroken iPhone", but that is a distinct subset (or a completely different set really).
Semantics aside - yes, jailbreaking itself is easy, but it's still a PITA to have to jailbreak after every update. So, it's not quite as stress-free as you make it seem. For instance, after each jailbreak, you'd have to reinstall Backgrounder in order to re-enable multi-tasking.
what else matters besides apps? Really?
multi-tasking (all variants, incl. ability to respond to SMS w/o exiting app)
cut & paste and MMS (yay!)
physical keys
video recording
replaceable battery
replaceable memory
quick toggles for 3g, wifi, etc.
customization
sync w/ more than one Exchange server
ability to sync w/ non-iTunes
...
All of these are just personal prefs, but it runs counter to your argument that apps are the only thing that matters. When most people think there are more fart apps than anything else, I doubt apps are perceived as the "scoring points" to the exclusion of everything else.
/end rant #apple
10/20/09
despite being an extra step, i don't know anyone who's actually done it who classifies jailbreaking as a pain in the ass. that said:
multi-tasking (all variants, incl. ability to respond to SMS w/o exiting app) - addressed by jailbreak
cut & paste and MMS (yay!) - addressed by latest vanilla OS
physical keys - people are split on this, so it's a fair gripe.
video recording - addressed by jailbreak
replaceable battery - fair enough.
replaceable memory - huh? why?
quick toggles for 3g, wifi, etc. - addressed by jailbreak (SBSettings)
customization - addressed by jailbreak (winterboard)
sync w/ more than one Exchange server - fair gripe but affects few people
ability to sync w/ non-iTunes - probably the most valid of your grievances. i'd KILL for drag and drop w/o itunes. #apple
10/20/09
You're right, though. Most of my gripes are addressed by various jailbreak-only apps, which is why I followed through with the aforementioned cycle for some time. I only listed them to illustrate other features which can be considered at least as important as "apps" for some people. And I'm sure many people would like to be able to use these features on the vanilla iPhone, especially since jailbreak apps prove the only limitations are artificial.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not disparaging the iPhone. I love mine - jailbroken or not.
BTW, thanks for the response.
10/21/09
And no your football statement is way out of wack clearly the situation is not the same. #apple
10/19/09
When Android rumors first surfaced, they said it would never work out. When the G1 launched, they said it was too lame to touch the iPhone. In about a year and a half, Android's gone from nonexistant, to preparing to launch 2.0 with a 10k app Market on a dozen devices on almost (if not all) the major carriers. That's a lot of advancement for a single phone OS in one year. Now what does that kind of expansion rate remind you of? And need I remind you the iPhone didn't start it's meteoric rise until the 3G?
Yes. This is going to be fun. #apple
10/20/09
10/20/09
I've been wondering if Android 2.0 will mark the beginning of the big G media blitz. Most people I know have no idea that Google has phones (technically yes I know they aren't G's phones, but it's easier to explain it that way).
Right now iPhones are still selling around my circle (no pun intended) mostly due to the look and it's "cool". Unless they have a new form factor in the pipe it's only a matter of time before Moto or HTC or Samsung or ??? come out with one that people will go nuts over.
@Thomas O'Dowd: It's not apples and oranges. Apple makes PCs. Apple also makes cellphones.
The bottom line is they are all competing for the same market share. People don't run out and buy a Windows PC and a Mac. They don't run out and buy an iPhone and a Hero. #apple
10/20/09
Android already has a friendly UI, a good web browser, and a large selection of apps (not even approaching the number on iPhone, but enough for most people to find the functionality they're looking for). All it really needs now is some hardware strong enough to keep it lag-free, some marketing muscle, and availability on the nation's largest carrier. Droid will bring all of those. #apple
10/20/09
10/20/09
Your proposed problem implies that Android isn't capable of competing head-to-head against the iPhone on the same carrier, and I think that's untrue. The biggest reason why the iPhone is impossible to top is because of the public perception that it's the only good phone out there. Once that perception goes away, then Android is free to win customers on its own merits, rather than being the best "iPhone alternative" when you can't get the real thing, which is what's driving most of its sales right now. #apple
10/20/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/20/09
All the people I know in business still run Treo's, Q's, and BB. #apple
10/19/09
Sometimes it's not about how many things it can do, but rather how well it does the things it can. (Show me one that even implements something like the virtual keypad nearly as well)
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/20/09
10/20/09
Why in the hell don't any of these newer phones take into account the fact that many people have to have the device held up to their ear and their face the majority of the time?
I saw a little hint of forethought with the initial Hero (with that bent chin), but other than that, it's the same old thing.
10/20/09
As we move away from talking on the phone as the primary function of the device and into one of the functions of the device (which is the way I believe Apple sees it), the emphasis is pulled into the interface over the talk convenience. And I applaud them for that.
A trend which I believe was started with those stupid brick Blackberrys focusing on email over talk. #apple
10/20/09
10/20/09
There is also the issue of email. I would say that at most 10% of my work email (it would be the opposite for personal which is I assume why you mention facebook) could be responded to via my phone, the rest requires documents, images, and references only available on my PC which is why I carry a laptop.
@chefgon: Until I moved out of Sales I was doing 1300 minutes and I'm not alone. #apple
10/20/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/20/09
10/20/09
I still think Palm totally screwed up not sticking to something to replace the Treo. For years it has been the Treo and BB fighting for business, but it seems like Palm just up and quit. #apple
10/20/09
and i personally like being able to change certain aspects of how a device runs, so it can suit my needs better. the iPhone doesn't offer me much in that department. i'll admit that the blackberry is a joke for multimedia (that'll change when i get the tour, and can actually use slingbox for once), that's why i have two iPods, but to say that it lags behind the original iPhone in how useful it is as a smartphone is complete crap. #apple
10/20/09
10/20/09
Palm totally dropped the ball for years and years. It's the same issue that WinMo is going to run into when they release WinMo 7 and even possibly during the Windows 7 release. They had produced a bad rep during an extended time, and they landed up paying for it later on even after creating a solid product. Hell every company has pretty much gone through a time like this. Apple had a rough time regaining trust from consumers for a few years no doubt. Imagine how rough it is in another area such as Car production. GM, Ford and all of them have a long road ahead of them before they regain faithful consumers that its competitors have. #apple
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10/19/09
The iPhone is, to me, the intellectual equivalent of a'N Sync or Britany Spears, except of the technological world. Shiny, focused more on looks, entertainment and popularity than actual intellectual activity or productive behvior.
I'm not saying that the iPhone CAN'T be used to be productive...it's just that those features were added as an afterthought. It's why Blackberry needs to stop focussing on the iPhone-- it's not the same market. Take some of the features-- text transcription of emails, voicemail playable in any order, etc and derive business functions for them. Heck, get google wave or microsoft office mobile apps. Focus on those customers who don't care about another entertainment device, and actually want to use their phones to do business.
I'll not knock the iPhone entirely-- it does what it does excedingly well...it's just that what it does is dumb people down. Let's see...I can pay $50 for an app or I can achieve the same functionality by simply going to a website?Hrmm...it's so hard to figure out.It's I've yet to see anybody I know who owns them (and believe me, that's a lot) do anything with them that I thought would truly change my life.
Screw smart phones. The concept has lost it's meaning because of the iPhone. I want a business phone. Something that makes my job easier-- not something that makes my job easier to deal with because I'm playing a game rather than doing my job. #apple
10/19/09
We replaced all WinMo and BB smartphones with iPhones, and have seen productivity soar.
The ease of use, the excellent ad-hoc conferencing facilities, the ability to start and run a WebEx from the phone, and the excellent range of aps.
Just a few reasons that iPhone is clearly better for business.
50%+ of the FT100 and the Fortune 100 companies would seem to agree with our view on the iPhone for business... #apple
10/19/09
It doesn't allow us to actually provide them to our Marines in decent numbers since they are incredibly overpriced. Oh...and it doesn't allow us to be on a network that actually, you know, works.
From my experience as a network administrator, the iPhone is perhaps the least friendly OS when you are talking about an enterprise network that is larger than almost every corporation in the entire world.
I'm glad it works for you, but I would argue that perhaps your business doesn't have nearly as many employees as mine does. #apple
10/19/09
You're also basing your ideas around the concept that you heard from some Starbucks business junkie "The iPhone is a toy, a blackberry is for business"
This is a misconception. Obviously all of those things you're looking for in a device that makes things productive are available and for the most part...FREE. Especially since the data plan is the same as any other smartphone and you get more for the money. AT&T's network opinions aside..the iPhone is dominant. #apple
10/19/09
10/19/09
According to this write up: [www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk]
"The US Marine Corps is funding an (iPhone) application that would allow soldiers to upload photographs of detained suspects, along with written reports, into a biometric database. The software would match faces, in theory making it easier to track suspects after they're released.
Then there's this write-up on how the Touch/iPhone is becoming the 'networked warfare' tool for the US Military:
[www.newsweek.com] #apple
10/19/09
Sure, the "Jarhead" thing is a common stereotype...but you're not thick-headed enough to actually buy into a stereotype blindly, are you?
And my "bias" comes from years of experience working on computers of all makes and models (including my 1st Gen iPhone and MBP), evn before I went to college. Perhaps you're the one with bias, hmm?
@imTheKing: That was an example from a story yesterday regarding the Wolfram Alpha app, which pretty much replicates the websites' functionality. It's not a ubiquitous phenomenon, but unneccessary apps are certainly abundant...
The iPhone is a GREAT entertainment device...but that's where I leave it. For day to day use, I still prefer a custom cooked rom of WinMo, or the standard Blackberry that works on the Navy-Marine Corps network. #apple
10/19/09
Listen, I'm not trying to be argumentative, but if you're trusting your understanding of what technology the Marines actually use on a day to day basis to anyone other than a person who actually puts on the uniform everyday, you might be putting your faith in the wrong hands.
That's not to say that there aren't a lot of iPhones in the military...but as I said, they are personally owned phones, and their increased use is actually forcing commanders to crack down on cell phone usage during working hours.
For example, we no longer allow cell phones in our workspace at all, which kind of sucks. #apple
10/19/09
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Now, but did you see the plans from launch? #apple
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01/23/09
How can you give the quote they did and not expect a cockwaving contest? They are both displaying their tickets to the gun show right now.
01/23/09
That being said.
Palm does hold a lot of patents as well. I wouldn't be surprised if MS decide to join in, if this is a good opportunity to remove iPhone from the market completely.
01/23/09
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01/23/09
Thus far the Pre has probably gotten as much, or more, positive attention prerelease than any other phone, with the possible exception of the iPhone. Virtually everything about the Pre has been extremely well received and hailed as a fantastic contender.
While it may not be supplant the iPhone as the de rigeur phone of hipster-wannabes and technofetishist iconoclasts, it may actually be the phone to have for people who actually need a serious, capable and powerful phone for productivity and multimedia. It certainly looks as though it'll have a more open software development architecture than Apple would ever allow one of their products, which is automatically a point in its favor.
Apple's tight grip on iPhone applications might be a nice way to prevent sullying the device's good name, but it also inhibits the sort of rampant, creative, "outside the box" thinking that was Apple's initial reason d'etre. If Palm can extricate themselves from Apple's nasty and petty legal posturing, then they may just have a chance to rebuild a brand that once defined very nature of handheld computing, and set a new benchmark in smartphone standards.
01/23/09
@BeautifulAgony: it was different with the iphone. The phones that were out at the time of release when Apple made their iphone announcement were horrible. No one had come close to a phone like that. At this point we have some good competitors in the run (none of which have hit the mark), yet some idiot comes around a blog to say "the pre is better" when hes never even seen one in person.
01/23/09
We make judgments based on available data. Based on data available to me I think the Pre is great, and I think the iPhone isn't.