Oh, really. It's NOT a Mac/PC war? Then, could you please explain how a post that's 3/4 bitching about the users of other software systems is discussing the technology involved and not the usual "Mac sucks and so do their users/Windows sucks and so do their users" route? Because I'm just not seeing it.
Okay, speaking as someone who now has an iPhone (my Treo bit the dust on the trip to Toronto last weekend and needed replacement anyway, so I took the leap). From what little I've been able to mess around with it so far, the only factor I find irritating is the lack of ability to use your own ringtones or MP3s loaded onto the iPod portion of the device as ringtones. Been looking for a way around it, but I haven't found one yet. Add in that you can upload your own images to use as the phone's wallpaper, and it makes it a bit more irritating. Otherwise, I'm quite pleased with it so far. The iTunes activation was much quicker than expected, and I loaded a couple of episodes of Jericho from my iTunes video database just to test the screen resolution, which is pretty damned amazing in a device that small. So far, I'm impressed. We'll see how it goes in the next 2 years.
Terri someone or someones have alledgely cracked the file system, so using your own ringtones may be possible shortly. I am not a Mac fan, but the Iphone seem to be a good first attempt.
Slashdot has a link to a story that Apple are looking at an iPhone version based on the Ipod nano (I guess nano is where the storage and a/v capabilities come from). So it will probably lack the space and video playback but is predicted to be around the $US300 mark.
I have had my iPhone for roughly two weeks now, I went to the store on day two. They only had the 4gb version which was perfect for me. In the office, I'm surrounded by blackberryies, I couldn't care less for those. They are really ugly. The iPhone can be expensive - just consider, you might need more than one, early termination fees for even more phones, accessories.. I don't regret spending that much money, though. It's the new icon of industrial design, combining elegance and beauty with true ease of of use. And if even makes phone calls. I know, I'm sounding like one of those commercials now, but I have been waiting for this for six month. I'm not disappointed, not a bit. I'm thrilled.
one little touch that I think makes all the difference in the world, is the speed-based touch gestures, how fast you flick your finger determines different things, like a quick flick "throws" a picture aside or a web screen down. I played with it more detail at the Apple store, even came to Trekbbs and read some of the posts in the SF/F - it was glorious. The best "mobile internet" ever, and the multi-touch scrolling actually made it fun to use. The one thing I don't want however is the actual phone, with all the Cingular contract stuff. If they release a multi-touch gesture based iPod video with wi-fi internet access (no phone stuff), I will be there on day one.
I wouldn't be surprised to see that as the actual next iPod - being released this year. It just makes sense. Especially when the word has gotten out that the mobile internet really works. And it does.
Anandtech have another article up on the iPhone this time looking at the issue with a lack of 3G support. And well Apple wasn't telling porkies when it comes to the issue of size and power consumption. 3G support would of made the iPhone larger because the chipset is larger and the power consumption is much higher. If chipset size and power consumption for 3G are reduced we could see it in the next model and iphone clones (come on you don't think some-one won't will try and outdo Apple?). http://www.anandtech.com/gadgets/showdoc.aspx?i=3036
I was already a Cingular/AT&T customer, anyway, so the switch wasn't nearly as painful as it might have been for someone coming in from another carrier. I admit, I haven't seen my first post-conversion bill yet, but it's got to be better than the ridiculous amount I was paying for the Treo.
While I don't have an iPhone, this seems to be the barrier that a lot of people put up - 'yeah, but there's the two year contract!' For someone like you (and me), who is already an AT&T/Cingular customer, this isn't a big deal. I've been with AT&T now for 5 years, and haven't had any problems. So, signing me up for another two years isn't a barrier to me picking up the phone - right now, it's the cost. I'm also not sure how it would work for me, as far as my plan is concerned. I'm an OLD AT&T (pre-Cingular) customer. My plan is still from before the Cingular buy-out. The plans nowadays don't come close to what I spend each month (high number of minutes, early nights & weekends, for a much lower cost than the plans out there now). I'm not sure if they'd just be able to tack on the extra fee, or I'd have to completely change plans. I'm thinking I'd have to change plans.
So fix term contracts with a mobile carrier are fairly new in the U.S? Australian mobile carriers have had them for 4 or 5 years now. You go in sign up a particualr plan price pay for your phone (which is often included in your plan) and off you go. Then again we only pay to make the calls, not receive them.
I think we've had them here for about that same length of time, Marc, if not longer. I had a month-to-month contract back when I was with Sprint four years ago, and had to pay extra for that. When I got fed up with Sprint (back then their coverage here was crap on the best of days), and went to Cingular, where I went in with a 2-year contract, and just began my third 2-year contract.
The hype finally over? Good. Time for the alternatives: GreenPhone, OpenMoko Neo 1973.. Discover your OpenSource and use Linux...
I was just surfing around the GreenPhone website, and I'm not clear on what carrier they're using for service. Are they their own carrier, as well, or do you need Cingular/AT&T/Sprint/T-Mobile, etc. as well?
If I were into Linux I'd take a GreenPhone. But mostly talking and texting is enough... For a few months I had a data tariff, to play with internet on my phone. It worked well (OperaMini, or GoogleMaps), but it was not that essential.