Just Whatever

Yeah the iphone is pretty but not much of an innovation.

The iPhone is less capable than my non-smart mobile phone.. in fact, the _only_ thing an iPhone can do that my crappy LG flip phone can’t, is WiFi. That’s it. And why the hell would I want to use WiFi on my tiny cell phone screen? Even the larger iPhone screen is still TINY for web browsing. I have a laptop for that.

Except for a few minor issues with the comparison there… I’ve been using PDA phones since 1999. Starting with a PALM based one, then going to Windows Mobile. Even the newest WM6 based ones are a pain to use. The touchscreens get scratched easily, so have to be protected, and as for the supposed things in this article? Push based email? Check. iPhone has it for Yahoo, just like Windows Mobile. It also has full Microsoft Exchange interface, with Push (the whole “check mail now” thing) and full security, so for corporate mail/calendar/schedule/etc it’s more secure. You can even remotely wipe it if you have to (if the phone is stolen) yet not lose anything since it’s still on the server. GSM? Yes. They went for worldwide compatibility, since the US is the only country that doesn’t use the standard that everyone else does. GPS mapping? Check. And if there’s no GPS signal? The iPhone natively uses cell signals to do it’s best. Which is usually within 10-20 yards at worst, in my experience. In NY that’s critical, because GPS’s have issues. Too many tunnels, large buildings around you, etc. And it’ll even tell you how to get there on the subway or bus in any city that has them. Inventory Control? Check. Spreadsheets/databases/etc? Check. Both can do that. The one thing I liked best about it though was that it’s easy to use as a PHONE. Instant launching of the right app, just hit 1 button and dial. Find me a PDA that’s that simple. Once I stopped thinking about the iPhone as an Apple product and just viewed it as a unix based machine, tried it, and actually pushed the limits of what I could do? Perfect. And they’re opening it up more and more to developers, making it easy to launch your own software on there. The samsung blackjack from these pictures is one of the ones I’ve owned. It was glitchy, had issues with quitting apps properly instead of just minimizing (every version of Windows Mobile on PocketPCs and smartphones has had this) and getting to phone usage. It’s a phone. Let me dial and hit send. And the sync. options, being able to natively sync from anywhere with my home PC, my work network (without interfering or combining the 2) etc? Just right for me. Now, if only EITHER of them could handle HD Matroska MP4s. Personally my vote’s on the iPhone with it’s 700MHZ processor. (Natively 667, usually run down at 512 or 620 but clocks to well over 700 without heat or stability issues.) That and if AT&T would let us unlock a USA based iPhone (legitimately) for those of us who have to travel to Germany to visit family. Otherwise? It’s still my favorite at the moment. Now if I could hide the fact that I’m using an iPhone publicly and stop getting the whole “Ooh look! You’re an Apple user!” attitude… It’s a phone, PDA, and media player as far as I’m concerned. Not a status symbol.