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Apple May Bring a Non-iPhone To Verizon Wireless
The Narrative Fallacy writes "According to BusinessWeek, Verizon Wireless is in talks with Apple to distribute two new iPhone-like devices that are not iPhones. (Apple has created prototypes.) AT&T's contract with Apple, which has not been made public, is believed to cover all models of the iPhone, but only the iPhone. So if Apple builds something that isn't an iPhone — and perhaps doesn't even make cellular calls — they won't be violating their exclusivity contract with AT&T, which runs through at least 2010. One device is a smaller, less expensive calling device described by a person who has seen it as an 'iPhone lite.' The other is a media pad, said to be smaller than a Kindle but with a bigger screen, that would let users listen to music, view photos, watch high-definition videos, and make calls over a Wi-Fi connection. (And read books?) Apple could use the prospect of an iPhone-esque device as leverage to prevent Verizon Wireless from introducing the Palm Pre, or at least to delay its introduction on Verizon's network. 'The media pad category might go to Verizon,' said one person who has seen the device. 'We are talking about a device where people will say, "Damn, why didn't we do this?" Apple is probably going to define the damn category.'" Reader stevegee58 writes with word that Verizon may be playing both ends against the middle. Marketwatch reports that Microsoft and Verizon are in talks to develop a touch-screen mobile phone that would run on Windows Mobile.
It's amazing how much apple dominates. It's iPod controls 73% of the market share of mp3 players and is the second leading smart phone vendor in the U.S.S.A. There is no stopping them. Antitrust measures should be taken immediately.
One man with a gun can control 100 without one
The thinnest, lightest fuck you to ATT on the market!
"A Non-iPhone"
So this an article that isn't about iPhones, but feels the need to define it in terms of an iPhone.
(Car analogy time) That's like saying Ford is developing a new Non-Mustang vehicle.
Authority questions you. Return the favor.
That would make my Orange an Apple. Sweet.
The Navy Motto "IF it ain't broke Fix It" "A day is wasted if you don't learn something new"
I dont own an iPhone because it doesn't have a tactile keyboard. I believe that when Verizon realizes how much of a gimmick the Blackberry Storm was and finally picks up the Palm Pre, AT&T will lose millions of customers to Verizon/Palm.
"To err is human, to mod Funny divine."
This sounds an awful like what Jobs did when he decided to kill off the clone makers after he came back as CEO. They had a license for OS 8, so he just changed the name to OS 9.
I hope the 'Media Pad / TouchBook' end up being true. Because it would be a product that would be useful to me.
I don't want a laptop. I have an old one, and even if my old iBook is rather small, over the years, I realized that it's not small enough for a lot of uses. Example: we don't use it at the dinner table to refer to Wikipedia and I don't bring it often when going to friends and family unless I know I'm going to use it because it's slightly too big and heavy.
On the other end, there's the iPod Touch and the like. Doubtlessly useful, and despite not owning one (I really try to buy as little stuff as possible because 'the things you own end up owning you' ;-), I fear the screen is too small to enjoy it as an input device (very small virtual keyboard) and media device (small screen too). On the plus side, smartphones / iPod Touch *are* really portable, and to a level that won't be attained by any "media pad".
NetBooks. Almost, but I don't think they're for me yet. Waiting for the next wave. Why? It's not really a laptop but it's not really that portable either. (that's obviously subjective)
And last but not least, Apple products integration. I don't consider myself a fanboy, but I want to be productive. Despite using Debian at work everyday, Linux is still not up to my expectations yet (yet!). Is there some lock-in with Apple? Yes. Is this a problem with me? Not that much, as long at it doesn't get in my way too often. I'm ready to pay to have more pleasure using a computer. I don't want crap, even if it's free. (this is a general statement, not specifically related to software)
Now, I guess I did not need to write all this other than to have feedback from you: what do you think? Where am I wrong?
Animoog.org
"Say yes to the new Apple ayePhone! Now available on Verizon Wireless!"
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
That's odd. I have a Samsung Omnia and it's the best phone I've ever owned. The screen response isn't as good as the iPhone's, but nothing else is either. The Omnia is #2. It also allows me to do things for free the iPhone can't, such as SSH and VNC, flawlessly. Its camera is also the best I've used on a phone and, at 5MP, has plenty of resolution.
Exactly. In the USA there are no perfect phones. The perfect phone would be:
Full Keyboard and Captive touchscreen
Decent enough resolution camera with built-in video recording
Copy/Paste
Bluetooth Tethering
Full Bluetooth features
Built-in GPS
An OS with the ability to easily add in software from any source (and the official source must not have stupid restrictions like the app store on the iPhone)
A decent media player with all major codecs supported
Flash, and if not Flash then YouTube and other video site viewers as applications
Wi-Fi
MMS
Not painful to use browser
Standard USB port
Standard headphone jack
As of yet no phone even comes close to that. Sure, the G1 is a great phone, yet it has so many easy to fix flaws such as the lack of a standard headphone jack. The iPhone is a great phone, but it has the stupidest design issues such as the lack of basic features like MMS, copy/paste, multiple codecs for audio and video (OGG is a no brainer), lack of Flash along with usability issues such as the application "approval" process and the lack of a decent camera (with no zoom or video recording features).
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
The back story here is that verizon is switching away from CDMA. they are expected however to maintain CDMA for voice and phase in the new network for data. Apple has said they are not eager to develop for CDMA since it has no future.
So if apple came out with a data device, say a netbook, for verizon it could run on the new network and not bother with CDMA.
makes total sense.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
does it really cost $95 a month for all that stuff?
I think it actually may, in a way. Last I saw iPhone users were using WAY more data than users of AT&T's other phones. I've heard AT&T has struggled to keep up with this in some locations. Think of the $95 a month as keeping out the vast hordes that would rape and pillage their inadequate infrastructure. So for someone to compete on this aspect I think they would have to have a much more robust network with plenty of bandwidth room.
Computers allow humans to make mistakes at the fastest speeds known, with the possible exception of tequila and handguns
...if you want to market it to another company under a different name, there's even an app for that.
"I'd just like to emphasise that taking a million years isn't a metaphor here..." -Rich Bradshaw
Firstly, let's hang up the old rumor mill and improve the S/N ratio.
Secondly, roughlydrafted.com has a pretty insight into why this is probably not going to happen.
If you don't know what AltaVista is (was), get off my lawn.
The other is a media pad, said to be smaller than a Kindle but with a bigger screen, that would let users listen to music, view photos, watch high-definition videos... Just what we need! The current iPhone is way too small for watching pr0n while driving! Why not just build in a projector and project the picture on the windshield instead?
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
I don't know about that track record. So far Microsoft efforts on consumer electronics have been successful when MS is willing to take heavy losses (Xbox: -$7 billion over the lifetime of the Xbox and Xbox 360) or not as successful (Zune: small profit for a year then losses). No I am not counting keyboards and mice which are not quite as complex as consoles or MP3 players. Even in the realm of mobile phones MS is losing money and marketshare. MS started in the industry back in 1999, and even with a 8 year head start, Apple has overtaken them in marketshare within 2 years.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
Two things: Apple doesn't do cheap, so a iPhone Lite is out of the question. Same with the "media pad". Nor, does Verizon allow third parties to do whatever they want. Verizon isn't going to have a WiFi only device that's not going to get people to sign up for Verizon. Nor, do I think Apple wants to work with CDMA which is now officially an obsolete technology. Apple will stick with AT&T which allows Apple to do whatever they want on Apple's terms. Verizon doesn't need Apple. AT&T does. I do predict that Apple will come out with a "Netbook" like device based upon the iPhone OS. It will probably have a keyboard, but no mouse.
One of my CS professors in college said something I wrote down, because it was a great quote, especially since he has a very thick Czech accent. Here's the quote, with all grammatical mistakes intact:
"When you pick up phone at your house, it just works. You don't wait two minutes to boot up, then it gives you blue screen of death."
Convert FLACs to a portable format with FlacSquisher
This whole things reeks of making-stuff-up!
or the Mac Phone.
It would be interesting if the phone was based on the old Apple Newton device. Apple could claim IP back to the Newton before a lot of these "Smart Phones" got invented.
It only makes sense as Microsoft used Windows CE in their smart phones, that Apple recycles the Newton into a Newton phone. You got that IP there, and it can be modified to run on ARM processors, and it pre-dates the iPhone.
Remember, Slashdot does not have a -1 disagree moderation, and no, troll, flamebait, and overrated are not substitutes.
So, in other words, you want a laptop.
Developers: We can use your help.
His/her post wasn't entitled to much of anything. It was titled "Question."
Douche.
You should be aware that the iPhone can do those things with a 3rd party app.
"When the president does it, that means it's not illegal." - Richard M. Nixon
Actually, the iPhone has all of those except tactile keyboard, copy/paste, tethering, MMS, and Ogg support. If you count the upcoming release of the iPhone OS, you'll only be missing a tactile keyboard and Ogg support.
Seriously, why do people get so hung up on Ogg support? Less than 1/10th of 1 percent of digital music listeners even know what it is or care to use it, so why should Apple support it? DRM free AAC is good enough quality and unencumbered enough to use (unencumbered as in Apple pays for the license so wtf do I care?).
"When the president does it, that means it's not illegal." - Richard M. Nixon
I have a touchscreen phone that uses Windows Mobile. It's the HTC mogul and it's a damned sweet phone when you load it up with SkyFire browser. (IE mobile takes suck to whole new levels)
I browse and post on slashdot/digg/reddit/etc, watch movies on hulu, play mp3s and all that jazz but unlike the iPhone, it has a real keyboard that doesn't suck to type on. (touch screen keyboards blow HARD)
It's a pretty awesome phone. But dangit, it's still windows with all its suck. The interface is inconsistent, laggy, it runs out of memory when you run too many progs at a time, and it just crashes about 1x/week without warning. Oh, and there's no spider solitaire.
It's a great phone except for the windows part.
It was great irony this morning... using Outlook mobile, Exchange (Zimbra) and Office mobile, it refused to open a word document in an email because it might 'harm my system'. Something ironic about MS' product telling me that another of their products is dangerous to use?
I opened it w/my Linux laptop, Kmail, and Open Office just fine, thank you!
PS: I typed this post on said phone. Verizon is developing a touch screen phone? What am I using, then?
I have no problem with your religion until you decide it's reason to deprive others of the truth.
The iPhone has free SSH and VNC apps. I have them installed.
5 MP in a cell phone is fooling yourself. Zoom one of those pictures up and inspect it pixel by pixel. You MIGHT be getting 2 MP effective resolution. Everything else is just wasting memory capturing lens blur.