iPhone Roundup 149
Some of you are tired of the blizzard of coverage the iPhone is getting, so this roundup of iPhone stories is running off the main page. First off, EMIce points out what seems to be plenty of prior art (as well as a booming research scene) on the multi-touch interface that Steve Jobs demo'ed, boasting of having "filed for over 200 patents." FastCompany has a profile of NYU researcher Jefferson Han and his killer demo of a multi-touch interface at TED. Next, Toreo asesino writes in with Microsoft's Steve Ballmer's take on the iPhone; the Microsoft CEO doesn't sound very impressed. And finally, an anonymous reader notes CNet's article on why the iPhone, once it's in the hands of consumers, may be the most muggable item of consumer electronics ever.
Hiding the iPhone (Score:3)
Re:Hiding the iPhone (Score:5, Interesting)
Honestly, the best way that I can think of to protect iPhone owners from mugging is for the GSM carriers to get to gether and share ESNs of stolen phones, and then simply black list them (this would have to be a group effort as unlocking the phone would get around each network blacklisting phones stolen from their customers).
I know Verizon will blacklist the ESN of a phone that has been reported stolen, and they don't have to share these numbers around, as there are only 2 CDMA carriers that I know of (can you unlock a phone between Sprint/Verizon?).
also, the incentive for the carriers is that with fewer stollen phones, they can sell more handsets.
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"That's profiling, and profiling is wrong." - Ron White
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You used to be able to unlock the programming mode of Sprint phones and reset the access codes to 0000, which allowed you to activate the phone with Verizon.
You couldn't go the other way - In addition to a stolen phone blacklist, Sprint keeps an ESN whitelist of phones they have s
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I also didn't know that you were able to swap a sprint phone over to verizon. Knowing that I am not surprissed that both verizon and sprint now use a white list to keep track of ESNs that are from their retailers, they REALLY like locking you in.
This all makes me start to wonder if the US will start to have laws about unlocking cellphones, and what will happen if we do. I know that in other contries providers are generaly either requir
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Blacklisting stolen phones (Score:2)
Most muggable item? (Score:5, Insightful)
The Apple iPhone will trigger a revolution in street-crime convenience. It's a three-for-one deal: not only is it a mobile phone, it's also a cutting-edge video iPod and a Wi-Fi enabled Internet browser. The Met says that people are stealing mobile phones even if they are locked, so that they can access the other features, such as the camera and games. The highly functional iPhone couldn't fit more perfectly into a mugger's dream.
So it's a 3-for-1 deal, an iPod, mobile browser, and phone. If I'm not mistaken, without a usable service (which would no doubt be disabled within minutes of it being reported stolen to Cingular), what are you left with? An expensive video iPod with "camera and games." This is all well and fine in itself, and the article went on to explain how obvious it will be that someone has an iPhone when they're talking into their white headphones, but still, I'm not seeing what's so lucrative when a wallet, purse, Rolex, laptop, or small dog may also be available. At least those don't immediately lose two-thirds of their value when stolen.
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If you stole it from some one the cost to you is Zero. So you just got an iPod with a camera and games for free.
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Also, remember the cost can be very high, as the cost of mugging someone is the chance of getting caught and going to jail. Obviously getting caught far outweighs the worth of the iPhone, however that cost is tempered down as it is only a possible ending, and the ocst is further adjusted up/down based on the effectiveness of the local police.
On the note of reporting the phone stolen.
Cingular does not kill ESNs if a phone is reported los
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BTW, the feature you are refferign to is Visual Voicemail (it showes you what voicemail msgs you have with out having to call into your voicemail). That is the only thing I see that is network driven. (Visual call waiting is already here on most phones, it will show you the ph
Re:Most muggable item? (Score:4, Informative)
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Triangulating a mobile phone is just like triangulating a pirate radio broadcaster; it has everything to do with signal strength and knowing exact positional data on the GSM towers the phone is connected to.
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They're not required to have GPS transmitters, but the phone company is required to provide positioning data. A number of GSM providers (including T-Mobile; no idea for sure on Cingular but AFAIK they're in bed together now anyway) are using TDOA or Timed
pseudo-GPS (Score:2)
I agree. But why wouldn't they? Is it possibly because it's not terribly reliable and they don't want to be subject to lawsuits if it doesn't work the way it should?
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I guess that's an option, but as per licensing you're already supposedly not allowed to sue the maker of a navigation device for misleading you. I don't see why this would be any different.
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My sprint phone does provide me with position data. But for mapping you have to pay for it but for weather and movies it is free.
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Can we not register the device's serial number against the user's account, such that when I call in to report a stolen phone they can blacklist that S/N and share the blacklist with all other US carriers? Street crime and muggings are generally not international, so the odds of a thief being able to turn a profit locally is slim if the phone they just stole is useless.
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As previously stated, Sprint and Verizon DO (though they do not share the blacklists, but you can not unlock a phone between sprint/verizon).
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And what use would a thug have with an expensive video iPod with camera and games that they didn't have to pay for?
Even without phone or internet connectivity, getting an iPhone for $0 sounds like it would be a good deal. And that's not even including the value of an iPhone as a status symbol.
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It's not that simple. The phone will probably be locked to Cingular, but who's to say there won't be an unlock available? Some phones are AFAIK only unlocked with assistance from the manufacturer, but who really believes the iPhone will be among them?
Meanwhile, there are IMEI changers
If Ballmer thinks it's a bad idea (Score:5, Funny)
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The plan will make or break the iPhone (Score:3, Insightful)
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Most anyone that is interested in the iPhone will already have a cellphone and be locked in to a 2 year contract already. Personally, I have a pretty good deal for my Family plan with Sprint. Moving everything over to Cingular will likely end up costing an additional $100 per month on top of the $599 I'll need to pay for the phone. So, over 2 years, the iPhone will cost about $3000. As much as I like the phone, that's a little too expensive for a gadget. Now if Cingular introduces a plan as revolutionary as the iPhone at launch then they will sell these phones as fast as they can make them.
lets see:
($100.00 x 24) + 599.00 is certainly in the ballpark of 3k.
the more likely figure for cost is going to be closer to:
($100.00 x 24) + 599.00 - (the rate you already pay for your service X 24)
And it seems to me that the target market is already paying premium service fees (so the monthly fees will likely be a wash or, perhaps there will be some savings, since the phone itself will be able to do some of the things that you used to have to pay the service p
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Personally I'm not as excited about the iPhone as I could. Form factor is bigger than I like, no GPS, and I expect the lack of tactile keyboard would be a lose for me. (Not to say it's not a good fit for other people, of course. I expect a highly competent execution of the style they ch
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I've specifically refrained from updating my cell phone and entering into a new contract while waiting to see what Apple comes with. Now I'm glad that I did. I suspect that I'm not along, and that there could be a significant amount of pent-up demand.
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Patents (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/me
Subdued response from Ballmer (Score:1)
Re:Subdued response from Ballmer (Score:4, Insightful)
From pirates of silicon valley, which is of course no good for quoting, but still, "We have culture, they don't".
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I think Ballmer also misses the point. Can you get a phone cheaper than the iPhone? Yes. Will it match up to the iPhone feature for feature. No. Then it's not a fair comparison.
What Apple is gambling on is that they will reduce the complexity of smart phones to where the average grandmother could use it like they did with MP3 players. To this day, iPods are not the cheapest MP3 players compared to Creative, Samsung, etc. But none of those other players sold 21.1 million players in the Q3 2006.
Possible Anti-Mugging prevention (Score:3, Informative)
Old news [appleinsider.com].
It might be amusing to add a GPS system. Then, write an app that, on receiving a certain type of SMS from Apple, proceeds to start phoning the police asking for help, and posting its position and a picture of its surroundings to a website. Screaming for help [appleinsider.com] might be another nice touch... or perhaps just making the sound of police sirens as an unsubtle hint.
Yeah, it's a problem; however, there are enough easy solutions that I'd be surprised if Apple doesn't stuff one (or more) in by deployment time.
Uhm. (Score:1)
So, way to not point it out by using an outdated article, but I would be so bold as to venture that Han and Apple
"Smartphone" (Score:1)
Hopefully they'll include this at some point, but for now I (personally) just can't justify getting it for a smartphone, maybe a ni
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Multi-Touch Innovation (Score:2)
If not I wonder who filed patents first on a lot of these technologies as the article linked above mentions that many different companies ar
Apple bought the company (Score:5, Informative)
Apple bought FingerWorks [fingerworks.com] several years ago.
You may remember them for their Multi-Touch keyboard [slashdot.org] nearly 4 years ago. Apple first began incorporating the technology into their scrolling trackpads [apple.com] about 2 years ago. Now it has found its way into the iPhone.
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It's not about the products. When companies acquire other companies, many things are considered assets... products, as you mention, but also the workers/knowledge, the IP, the customer lists... often times the products sold by the acquired company themselves are not nearly the most valuable thing in an acquisition.
In this case, it was clear the patent portfolio of Fingerworks was the
innovation is not invention (Score:2)
The difference between Apple and others is that they're usually the first "innovator" but rarely the inventor. With integrated Ethernet & USB on the iMac, for example, they were the innovator. With Firewire, they were both. With the iPod, they were the maj
Muggable? Retarded (Score:2)
Many of us wear watches on our wrist that make the iPhone's price tag look meaningless. If I were a mugger I'd much rather steal them. The black market for expensive watches has to be better then the black market for a device in which you can't use one of its main features (the phone part) and of which is easily to track if you turn it on and let it connect to the cell network (which phone
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One could argue that there are more people with iPods than nice watches in rough neighborhoods I guess.
A few random thoughts (Score:5, Interesting)
Success:
- Will it be a success? Yes. Is it pricey? Yes. Is it gorgeous? Yes. And the price will eventually drop, just like the iPod did. It's Apple's famous method: release a really nice, almost perfect product for a bunch of money, sell a bunch to the first batch of buyers; then, when that supply is exhausted, improve it, drop the price, sell again to the next round who weren't willing to buy the first time. Lather, rinse, repeat. (Note: don't look for a widescreen, touchscreen, iPod until MAYBE September for the 2007 Xmas season; more likely, you'll have to wait until Spring 2008. Apple won't let a nice iPod cannibalize sales they'll get to people who buy the iPhone MOSTLY because they want a widescreen iPod. Oh, and by the way--current iPods have 4:3 screens. (1.33:1.) All Apple's computers are 16:10. (1.6:1.) The iPhone, like the original PBG4, is 3:2. (1.5:1.) So: what shape should iTMS movies be?)
- BUT--the iPod wasn't a success just because it was pretty. It really is a better, easier-to-use MP3 player than anything else out there for most people. The iPhone will ONLY succeed if the touchscreen system works as well as Steve says it does. I can tell it'll be mostly great just by looking--a regular touchscreen could easily handle 90% of the single-finger action he demo'ed--but I'll have to see the keyboard in person to become a believer on that.
- will Apple work out a deal with Cingular to offer a reasonable data plan? No one will be happy with the Internet Communicator of the Future if it costs $100/month to do anything with. For this to really, really work, there has to be reasonably-fast, reasonably-priced data. If it becomes a situation of "Oh, I can't use Safari until I get to Starbucks or Panera" that will be a big buzzkill.
- will they meet their goals? They said they want to sell 10 million phones--have 1% of the market--in 18 months. (God, that sounds like so many WWW business plans I heard in 1995-97--"If we could just get 1% of all web users to visit our site...") That sounds good on the one hand, given that they want 1% of a billion phones, BUT--Cingular only has 60M customers. Is the iPhone so great that ONE SIXTH of Cingular's customer base will spend $500? If not, are that many people going to get out of contracts and switch carriers in the next 18 months? I'm not so sure. Like I said, I really think the iPhone will be a success, but their expectations are pretty high.
Other thoughts:
- no iChat! no iChat A/V! How LAME! Either a) it's part of the deal not to step on Cingular's toes by offering anything like VOIP, or b) it's waiting for Rev B. Unfortunately, my money's on A. Well, at least you can use the browser to access Meebo [meebo.com].
- Proximity sensor--nice. But I hope that's not one of their patents. My Canon XTi turns off the screen when you put it up to your face--and it already exists.
- Apple will need to add 'Cingular' and 'iPhone' to Leopard's spellcheck dictionary.
- I'll pick one up in a couple rev's just to have a decent browser. Despite having twice as many pixels as the iPhone, browsing on my Axim mostly sucks. [slashdot.org]
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I do most of my communicating via email and IM. My Blackberry is my only phone, and I try and use it sparingly. However
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Ultimately, it should remain 640x480 with a Pixel Aspect Ratio field to enable anamorphic widescreen. I really wish they would use this now. I'm really not fond of the idea of getting a 640x480 quicktime file with a matted letterbox format. Too many wasted pixels.
Oh, damn... I hope I didn't just turn this into a torrent vs authorize
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- no iChat! no iChat A/V! How LAME! Either a) it's part of the deal not to step on Cingular's toes by offering anything like VOIP, or b) it's waiting for Rev B. Unfortunately, my money's on A. Well, at least you can use the browser to access Meebo.
That's presuming that Apple doesn't do something with the browser like disable the ability to use the microphone into the browser session. From a coding perspective, that's trivial and would make sense so they would not step on the toes of their partner. Don't expect any VoIP to work; that's a danger to Cingular's business model and will lead to the dissolution of their partnership incredibly quickly.
I won't be buying an iPhone... at least not in the incarnation that seems inevitable at this point. I've sp
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Balmer doesn't sound impressed? What a surprise! (Score:5, Funny)
Apple could develop a cure for cancer, and Steve Ballmer would say "Meh, we've got an offering in the works that will do everything Apple's cure will do, but at a lower price point. And our solution leverages our synergy with our business parterns to enable innovation by developers, developers, developers! in this new market. It'll be brown and you can squirt it to all of your friends!"
Anonymous CNET Reader (Score:2)
Easy Fix (Score:3, Interesting)
Ballmer's Keyboard Fantasy (Score:3, Insightful)
I have to call BS on this one. We've got plenty of corporates using Windows mobiles (I'm not one of them, thankfully) and the serious e-mailers do prefer a keyboard - a Bluetooth keyboard, not the built-in ones. You can even get them in pocketable folding formats. iPhone has Bluetooth? Check!
iPhone is just the beginning... (Score:5, Interesting)
The iPhone is just the beginning of a much larger revolution in computing, in fact probably the biggest revolution since the birth of the graphical user interface. Not sure what I mean? Look at the submitter's link to the TED demonstration, and also take a look at the Synaptics Onyx Concept [synaptics.com].
Put it this way... if you still haven't guessed where Jobs' head is right now, the iPhone with its arguably limited feature sets is a way of not showing your best work up front. In fact, Apple I think has something much bigger in mind... for which the iPhone is really just a loss leader.
When you see what multipoint capacitance sensors can do, it should become evident that Apple's probably already researching how to redefine the user interface of the home computer... and eliminate the mouse and physical keyboard entirely, but simultaneously give us a user interface far more advanced than a mere 2D touchscreen. A touchscreen tablet strips away some of the advantages of a keyboard and mouse, but a tablet PC with a multipoint capacitance sensor opens up new dimensions of desktop navigation and application control.
Put it another way... Have you seen the Pre-Crime computer in Minority Report? Now you've got some idea where Apple's research is very probably currently focused.
iPhone not meeting expectations, not living up to the hype? Pfeh... I guarantee you Steve Jobs and company are already thinking another five years ahead to the day when the desktop GUI framework will undergo the first systemic metamorphosis in 20 years.
Re:iFiasco (Score:5, Funny)
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It also has a couple of major flaws that really irk me. One, why didn't they not include a user replaceable battery? I thought that was stupid enough on the iPod, but it's vastly more stupid for a mobile phone. I know people that are so attached to their mobile phones that they carry around multiple batteries. Batteries die somewhat quickly in mobile phones a
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On a 480x320 display, the difference between 1.5:1 and 1.78:1 is 25 pixels of letterboxing on top and bottom. At 160ppi, that's about a quarter of an inch. Complaining about that is like complaining that it doesn't have surround sound.
Also, all of Apple's widescreen computer displays are 1.6:1, do they not qualify as "truly widescreen"? There are widescreen DVDs with 1.85:1 and 2.35:1, are they not "truly widescreen?
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I have a cell phone that ostensibly does everything the iPhone will, but it is such a PITA to navigate through the convoluted menu system and shitty desktop software that I don't bother.
And as for the price, people seem to be forgetting that this is an iPod too. I'm willing to pay $250 for an iPod Nano, and $250 for a smartphone. $500 to have both of them in a single device without any
Re:Not impressed (Score:5, Informative)
And it will do all of this with Apple's usual ease-of-use and pleasant aesthetics. Not to mention, they have six months to refine it further.
What brains are missing, exactly? I can't really think of much else that I want a smartphone to do. 3G would be nice, but I can live with that omission for now.
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I can't really think of much else that I want a smartphone to do.
I want it to cook me breakfast in the morning.
No, wait, I'm thinking of something else. Never mind.
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The iPhone does nothing a two-year-old Treo can't do, except do it all with an obnoxious gesture-based user interface. And I use Treo as an example because I consider it one of the worst platforms on which to implement that functionality.
And the lack of third-party applications disqualifies it from the moniker smartphone.
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Because we all know, that only Smart Phones require a slew of installs to do anything useful.
It's a smart phone, because a person can just USE all the advanced features. I love the gestures, rather than backing up on a selected web page, choosing option, choosing zoom, and then scrolling here -- oops, over there.
90% of that Treo functionality goes to waste. I have a semi-advanced phone, and I've yet to play even an MP3 on i
Widgets are worthless. (Score:2)
Widgets can't replicate the functionality of the software that would have made an OSX-based phone really useful, like VNC, VLC, mplayer, Skype/VoIP, IM software, etc.
Steve shows no signs of relenting on this. Apple wants top-down control of everything they produce. Their justification for this is pretty weak -- if someone is worried about the stability of their phone, let them not install any non-
Third party software, Phone locked tight (Score:5, Insightful)
Can you image phone spyware? Where you are, who you are calling and texting and potentially even sly use of your camera and microphone? This is no joke. If Apple gets this wrong it will be a complete disaster.
My prediction is that Apple will allow third-party development, but it will be through some certification system. Applications will have to be submitted to Apple for digital signatures or somesuch. This is an expensive proposition for Apple, so I wouldn't expect it to happen right away. But there will be a very serious call for Apple to open the platform and eventually, this will happen (or something similar).
We should be applauding Apple. They have done something very significant here. This device is unique and shatters the envelope. Follow-on models are guaranteed to be amazing with features such as iChatAV, even larger screens, perhaps even docking stations with keyboards, graphic cards, etc... We are witnessing a true paradigm shift. Apple is attempting to ensure the success of this venture. Their behavior will change radically once these devices are ubiquitous.
I saw an interesting discussion regarding Flash and Java. If Flash and Java are supported through Safari on the iPhone, then it is reasonable to assume that application deployment could be completely tied to those technologies. It isn't ideal, but it is a far cry from having no way to run custom apps. Also, everyone here should know, without question, that it will be a month before a root-kit is released (in our community) that allows us to take control of this device and install software.
Clearly, iChat would be seen as a threat to Cingular's revenue stream. It's pretty obvious why this wasn't included. That is an artifact of the Network monopoly marketplace we live in. It sucks, but it is what it is.
However, I know what Steve is doing. He knows that he cannot deploy a cellphone without a network. But once there are enough users of iPhones, his negotiating position will change. People will become loyal to the iPhone product, willing to switch networks rather than switch phones. The two year window with Cingular is the gestation time for this to happen. After that, you can bet your *ss that iChat and all manner of liberation will emerge. If it doesn't, then people will abandon iPhone for similar products guaranteed to ship from the likes of Nokia, Samsung and Motorola.
Elimintating the possibility of third-party software installation is not the only way to protect the phone, clearly. But it is the only sane way to enter the intensely competitive and huge cellphone market. A privacy disaster or virus disaster (etc..) would quickly eliminate Apple from carving out any significant piece of that market. Steve is entering with all the control in his pocket in order to ensure a successful birth. Wait for the child to grow a bit, it will open up.
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Microsoft and Nokia had their "ZOMG, what if we had teh viruses!!1!" moment years ago. That's why Windows Mobile and Symbian already implement code signing. You guys will get that in Leopard someday, but who knows if it will make it to the iPhone OS X-lite in a reasonable time frame.
Besides, Cingular already sells the Palm Treo, an open device with few security fea
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No, I am not. Don't put words in my mouth.
I am stating that this is Apple's first venture into this marketplac
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I think you are on to the real reason when you say that "Apple has less influence than Palm."
Basically, along with the two-year lockin with Cingular, this is about locking customers into Cingular services. If they unlocked the full functionality of this phone, someone could put Skype on this and just make free calls while near a wireless network -- I don't think Cingular would be bending over backwards to help Apple get a leg up over Nok
False (Score:2)
Even if it DOES happen, no serious software companies will produce iPhone software unless they have Apple's blessing, which they aren't going to get.
Creating a software ecosystem around this device is the best way to sell it, but apparently that reality has completely escaped Apple.
Re:Third party software, Phone locked tight (Score:4, Insightful)
When you're computer has some spyware program, it may pop up adverts and send you around the internet cashing up some advert program but ultimately it won't cost you much.. if anything at all. However when your phone has spyware you realise it because your phone bill is in the thousands.
It's a connected device and as consumers we deserve, rather require, the manufacturer to keep the platform free from exploitation.
The iPhone is best thought of as an iPod with a wap phone attached with a few bridging functions to make it all work well together... and not as a hand held computer with telephony/internet connectivity. It's a far more limited device and hence there is a lot of software that simply shouldn't be run on it.
I'm sorry, but that's retarded. (Score:2)
The only thing that prevents the iPhone from being a "hand held computer with telephony/internet conenctivity" is Apple's software lockout.
What about those of us (like myself) who WANT a "hand held computer with telephony/internet conenctivity"? Are you telling us that we SHOULDN'T want this?
Seriously, who
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Apple makes products which navigate to the centres of ease of use for the average person.. so really they're about bringing useful technology to people other than technophiles, technophiles already have acc
I can't, because it doesn't exist (Score:2)
if you want a hand held computer with telephony and wap.. what is stopping you?
The question is, "what is stopping me from buying an OSX handheld with telephony." Steve Jobs is. Apple has produced the hardware and the software and then dangled it out in front of the community and said "you can't touch it."
Cracking the iPhone is likely to be a worthless endeavor without support from Apple. Even assuming you find a way to put new apps on the device, how are you going to compile them in
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Why? (Score:2)
A THREAT? I don't think you know Cingular very well. Data plans for Cingular are fucking EXPENSIVE and cost per-kilobyte (unless you buy an 80 dollar unlimited plan). iChat could potentially be a huge revenue source for them. And if you're in range of a wifi point, you're going to pull out y
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Anything that Javascript can do.
But there is also Quartz running on that machine
So basically, anything that Apple wants to allow, that runs on OS X, and doesn't exceed the performance.
Look at the animation of the CDs again; that is a 3D transform of multiple objects composited ove
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It's kinda funny how Apple makes a big deal out of the browser, when it's the exact same browser that has shipped on all new Nokia S60 phones over a year earlier. Check it out from this December 2005 article [osnews.com].It's KDE's Konqueror. The Safari branch of that, more specifically.
Did you bother to read what you linked to? They did not use KDE's Konqueror or even KHTML renderer but rather Apple's branch of the KHTML engine called WebCore which is what Apple's Safari is built on. KHTML still has some catching up to do the last time I heard. You make it sound like they were using Konqueror when they are not.
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What do you expect?
The Apple one seems to alias better (of course, at least twice the pixels to play with), and have a better interface -- but yeah, it seems like Nokia did it first. I wouldn't say exactly the same however. Apple doesn't have that zoomed square effect and they also jump to the column width with a double click.
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We're easily blinded... by futility? How does that work? "Hey, check this thing out. It's sooo futile, there's no point to it whatsoever! Wow! I'm blind now, and I'll pay any price! That's how pointless I think this thing is."
What you probably meant to say was that people are easily blinded by something else, perhaps a good sales pitch, and that makes them overlook futility. That makes more sense. There, I fixed your flame. You're welcome.
Re:Not impressed (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm glad that you put in the comment on the Mighty Mouse, because it gives me a good index on how much to trust your opinion. I really love my MIghty Mouse. I gave up a wireless 3-button scroll Mouse for the initial Mighty Mouse, just because it was so comfortable and so much easier to use, seeming to magically know what I wanted to do, that it was worth the inconvenience of going back to the wire. Now of course, I have the wireless version. These days, it drives me nuts when I have to use an old-style scroll mouse.
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The Fingerworks TouchStream--a multitouch keyboard--presents a very nice interface, with gestures, mousing, and keyboard combined. Typing is somewhat difficult, but that is only due to the (relatively) crude design. (and the other aspects more than compensate for it.) As Jefferson Han pointed out in his presentation, on a more dynamic device, the keyboard can adapt itself to an individuals typing.
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What's really interesting is how the press has responded to the iPhone, particularly in comparison to their reporting on the Zune from Microsoft:
Inside the iPhone: Five Phases of Media Coverage [roughlydrafted.com]
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You might also be aware of both Bluetooth headsets and Apple's headphone with an integrated mic. No need to bring the phone to your face if you have greasy skin problems.
The TyTN is twice as thick as the iPhone, so if you're concerned about size
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Of those only the IM client is full commercial software (ironically talking to an open source IM server). So the IM client will likely appear if Apple opens to t