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Verizon's Challenge To the iPhone Confirmed
misnohmer writes "Verizon has just launched a new set of ads confirming the rumors of its upcoming iPhone competitor: 'Unlike previous Android phones, the Droid is rumored to be powered by the TI OMAP3430, the same core that the iPhone and Palm Pre use, and which significantly outperforms Qualcomm 528MHz ARM11-based Android phones that exist today. Droid will also be running v.2.0 of Android, with a significantly upgraded user interface. The Droid poses a different and more significant challenge to the iPhone than any other phone to date. The Palm Pre could have been that challenger, but it lacked the Verizon network, and users were unimpressed with the hardware. According to people who've handled the device, the Droid is the most sophisticated mobile device to hit the market to date from a hardware standpoint. When you combine that with the Verizon network, you've got something that is most definitely a challenger to the Jesus phone.'"
The summary reads more like an advertisement for Verizon than anything else...
So what? It's on Sprint, it can roam on Verizon's network. The Pre isn't a challenger not because of the network, but because people were waiting for the much better HTC Touch Pro 2.
More to the point, WinMo phones like the TP2 remain years ahead of the competition in terms of functionality, but people are too stupid to use them.
The specs look outstanding, the network is far better than AT&T's cobbled mess, and since it's not from Cupertino, the price will likely be somewhat reasonable as well. And even better, Bill & Steve didn't have anything to do with it.
Wondered what all the "We've got a map for that" ads were leading into. Now we know. Let the games begin.
Starting next week, all passwords will be entered in morse code.
It always makes me leery when you don't actually get to SEE the product they're advertising. On the one hand, they're promoting intrigue as to what it will look like, on the other hand, it may be a soapbox with buttons drawn on with Crayola markers and they're not sure of how the public will receive it's looks.
The iPhone is only popular because it's from Apple. For years the IPhone didn't have:
IM
MMS
Cut/Paste
MP3/AAC ringtones
Video recording
Bluetooth A2DP
There's many other great phones and carriers that easily surpass the IPhone and AT&T's shit network by a long-shot (Blackberry Tour, Palm Pre, HTC Pro)
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits" - Albert Einstein
Woot. So. Another battle of the checkmarks.
I thought we passed the point where every new cellphone was the 'iPhone Killer'. Guess not. Slow news day, even for a Sunday. Back to bed.
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
Just like all the companies that came out with "the iPod Killer", companies (like Verizon here) just don't get it. It's not about coming out with the "most sophisticated mobile device to hit the market to date from a hardware standpoint." The iPhone wasn't the most sophisticated mobile device from a hardware standpoint when it came out. It's not about the hardware. Yes, the hardware can make several things really stand out but it's about the user experience. Companies continually ignore and overlook that aspect of it and that is why this phone will be cool and mobile geeks will sing its praises but it will not be a serious threat to the iPhone - it's not focusing on the right things.
Sorry, but we've heard "this is the iPod killer" too often and it's the exact same song and dance as this new round of "this is the iPhone killer."
You can always head to the dozen of rumor sites and read about it. There have been rumors about this phone for quite some time and quite a few shots were posted. Everyone who's into Android already knows what this phone looks like, hence the comment in the summary.
"Not to mention all the idiots who use words like boxen."
Anonymous Coward on Monday August 04, @06:49PM
The best way to challenge the iPhone is to not bill your phone as "the iPhone killer". Just let the phone do what it does best and people will eventually notice.
I think some one needs to wound the iPhone before some one can claim to be an iPhone killer. It's the same BS of who ever is on top must be knocked off! Next it'll be the Android killer. The one ups man ship is silly. Gee can't one be better suited to a given person than another? Do we all really have the same exact needs and the new phone nails our specific clonelike needs?
The problem I had with Verizon was never with their network or their phones but the management decisions that were made to cripple those phones to charge customers more money.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
How about details that matter to me as a user, rather than how cool the technology is?
Comment removed based on user account deletion
If the engadget page l inked from the WaPo article is accurate, then the phone is butt ugly. Meaning it won't lure away most iPhone users, who, as a group, tend to actually value style and ergonomics.
... and since it's not from Cupertino, the price will likely be somewhat reasonable as well.
What makes you think that? Verizon will charge what the market will bear. It may cost less than an iPhone, but will it really cost much less? If the user experience is close then there won't be a reason to reduce its price (supposedly, the value adder will be the "Verizon network").
The dogcow says "Moof!"
Specially from the hardware standpoint? Would be interesting to compare it with i.e. the Nokia N900 that is about to hit the market... with the extra advantage of not being tied to Verizon or anyone else afaik.
Two words for you: Nokia N900. Maemo throws crappy android phones, and iphones out the window.
Even if Verizon doesn't refer to it as the iPhone killer, all the pundits and bloggers hungry for pagehits, will. This only helps advertise iPhone and is detrimental to Verizon phone's introduction. (Notice that no one is talking about the new "Windows phone" either.)
(posted from an iPhone)
If you don't know what AltaVista is (was), get off my lawn.
No, the iPhone was/is popular because it enables me to do useful things that I could not (and cannot) do as well with any other phone currently available. That simple.
Cut and paste? It's been out for months now, never used it. MMS? Never used it. MP3/AAC ringtones? Always supported, (you have to change the file extension is all), but actually never used them. Video recording? Never used it (and yes I have a 3gs.) I could go on, but literally all the features you bitch about are things that I don't want/never would use. Maybe you really do need them, but frankly I could give a crap less.
What I do use is an application for tracking my blood sugar. And another application for tracking my weight-training log. And another app that functions as a pedometer when I go walking/running. And another app that tracks my weight. Oh yeah, and an app that lets me do Go problems on my phone. And Kindle for iPhone. And... the list could go on ad infinitem, but the point is that your little checklist doesn't begin to encapsulate what makes this the best possible device for me.
Before iPhone, I had a Treo, I had a Blackberry, I had Windows Mobile. I hated them and never used even the features that came with them. With iPhone I use everything that comes with it and then some because the iPhone makes it easy. Could I figure out how to do this stuff on, say, my Blackberry? Yes. Was it fun? Hell no. Was it easy to find apps? No. Did the apps cost $1.99 each? No.
So, sorry, but the iPhone is not popular just because it's from Apple. It's popular because it works.
"He who would learn astronomy, and other recondite arts, let him go elsewhere. " -- John Calvin, commenting on Genesis 1
Why aren't they using the new TI OMAP3530 @720MHz? That should give them an advantage over the older OMAP3430 @600MHz.
Can anyone who has an iPhone tell me what the attraction to this device is? When I tried it, I was impressed by its technology but unimpressed by the price tag and its overall look. Its applications were all irrelevant to me and issues with its batteries made matters worse.
Question: What makes the iphone "a must have device" in today's economy?
So that it doesn't set your face on fire?
Maybe the heat increase wouldn't be quite that extreme, but it would probably be more heat than the casing or other components are designed to handle.
I truly don't think Apple has anything to worry about. The iPhone's greatest strength is not the iPhone itself, but the App Store--the 10's of thousands of applications, games, etc. that are already available for it. The quality of these applications has improved markedly over the past year, and it's going to continue to improve. What does Android have? They say "thousands", but market realities being what they are I'm sure that the quality and development time that has gone into these thousands just isn't there. "There's an app for that" about covers it--with my iPhone, I know that whatever I'm doing I will have a choice of several apps that do it.
Can Android catch up? Probably eventually. But I think it's going to be difficult. First, Apple's already got a huge lead, and this is a self-perpetuating cycle. Huge lead means more developers, which means huge lead continues. Second, I think that in the long run Android's hardware diversity will hurt it when it comes to (for example) games--it's a pain for game developers to have to test on a wide variety of devices, and many of them may not bother until Android has proved itself as a platform. Last, it's worth remembering that Apple still commands a huge lead in the all-important digital content market. This creates a big incentive for people with large iTunes libraries to stay with iPhone.
Is Verizon's network better? Yes, probably. However, it's also reaching saturation. I live in a very rural area and have both an iPhone (personal) and a Verizon cell phone (work), and I pretty much get coverage everywhere I go. And let's not forget that AT&T's going to provide adequate coverage for 90+% of the population anyway, even if they do get spotty in rural areas.
"He who would learn astronomy, and other recondite arts, let him go elsewhere. " -- John Calvin, commenting on Genesis 1
The mobile data market doesn't really seem to care about price. A more relevant determinant of the device's success will be the strength of the network of developers working on the platform. Apple's phone has succeeded in large part because of the huge number of apps made available to users. If Android can attract the same interest then it's likely to provide a viable, international competitor for the iphone available to more carriers.
> Why aren't they using the new TI OMAP3530 @720MHz? That should give them an advantage over the older OMAP3430 @600MHz.
battery life?
and while it does seem to have some better features than my iPhone, none of them were exciting enough for me to even consider looking at it. I love my iPhone and don't see any reason to replace it with anything else until another revolution occurs.
Indeed, and for Apple too - why must everything be compared to the Jesus Phone? It's just one phone - it's not the best seller, and Apple are not the biggest player (or even remotely near). Why not compare to a Nokia phone? Or better yet, why do we need cheesy comparisons at all?
This is Slashdot - we know what a phone is, without having it to be explained in terms of actual products. We don't refer to the Internet as "Internet Explorer" or "AOL". We don't refer to computers as "A Dell". We don't refer to websites as "MySpace". But why do we hear people using Iphone as a generic term for the perfectly already good word phone? I mean, it's the same word, except you save one letter.
If they are actually only targetting their sights at the Iphone, then I'm not interested. What does that mean - that it'll get lots of hype, but only add features like 3G a few years after everyone else does? I'd rather hear news about the market leaders, I'm afraid.
I'm waiting for the day when the new Iphone phone from Apple gets hyped as being an Iphone killer.
And the sad thing is that the fans won't even spot the irony of it. They'll actually be telling us how great the new Iphone phone is, because it has things like Java, video, copy and paste, and all the things that the Iphone lacks (but every other phone in existance has had for years).
I had Verizon for near 10 years. However, this last summer I switched to AT&T because verizon's network was dropping my calls in my apartment half the time or more. And this is just 2 miles outside of downtown Portland, Or. Haven't had a dropped call on my iPhone on AT&T yet.
So just remember that strength of network is not "national", because most people don't move around all the time. Find the network that is best in your area first, then pick a phone.
There's nothing to stop Apple from building a new iPhone using the newer, faster parts. And iPhone has something that the android doesn't -- a lot of software apps that people love. Moving from one iPhone to another is a no brainer for most. Moving from their beloved and heavily spent/invested iPhone to something "better" requires a lot more consideration.
No, the iPhone was/is popular because it enables me to do useful things that I could not (and cannot) do as well with any other phone currently available. That simple.
Okay, name them. Actual examples, not "things that other phones actually can do, but I'm going to claim the Iphone is better anyway, without explaining why".
As for "apps" (sic), you do realise that just about any bog standard phone can run applications? There are about two billion Java phones out there, for example. $1.99? I can download them for free. Easy to find? Yes, I can download from anywhere I like, rather than being restricted to only Apple's site, and only allowed to run what they decide.
So, sorry, but the iPhone is not popular just because it's from Apple. It's popular because it works.
Sorry, it's not popular full stop. Well sure, it's selling okay - it's popular in the sense that it's "not a flop", but then I could say most phone brands are popular. But Apple are not a market leader in the phone industry. Or anywhere near. For popular phone brands, try Motorola RAZR, or for popular phone makes, try someone like Nokia. Unless by popularity, you don't mean sales, but hype, then sure - the Iphone is the most "popular". But I'm not sure how that has anything to do with how good it is - it's just a question of what gets hyped and receives free advertising.
And my phone works too. If your expectations are so low that even simply working is good enough, then that tells us all we need to know about the Iphone's features.
Over the use of 'Droid'. Already happened to Battletech (Battledroids).
I heard the battery doesn't last more than a day?
I prefer my phone dumb. And I prefer it to last at least a week.
NB: The message above might reflect my opinion right now, but not necessarily tomorrow or next year.
...I don't carry a cell right now, but my wife has an iPhone. ...
You've spelled your wife's url incorrectly.
My wife would not tolerate such slack goofing off.
Kids today are tyrants. They contradict their parent, gobble their food, and tyrannize their teachers. - Socrates 400 BC
so you're a fat bastard who doesn't give a rat's ass about what other people want as long as you get yours. what a surprise!
-- All this knowledge is giving me a raging brainer.
if (post.contains("iPhone")) rage();
"According to people who've handled the device, the Droid is the most sophisticated mobile device to hit the market to date from a hardware standpoint. When you combine that with the Verizon network, you've got something that is most definitely a challenger to the Jesus phone.'"
Oh? When I hear that "according to people who've handled the device, the Droid is the most comfortable, pleasant-to-use device to hit the market to date," then I'll pay attention.
I don't really know how Apple does it. Their UI and usability aren't all THAT great, yet they consistently manage to turn out stuff that really is usable. Maybe the mystery is how everyone else manages to screw it up. With the average gadget, it takes about ten minutes before you come across something so inexplicably, bafflingly sucky that you just can't figure out how it ever could have gotten out the door. Of course, I've worked in a company where the CEO dictated UI decisions and, unfortunately, had _bad_ taste. And I've also worked in a big company where the marketers simply would put down "ease of use" as a bullet point, and from that point on everyone just assumed the product had it because it was on the list.
I still can't figure out what Apple did that made iTunes the first viable online music store, or made the App Store the first viable software store for smart phones. It seems as if all they did was to avoid gross stupidity. That must be a lot harder to do than you'd think.
Afterthought: It occurs to me that one area in which vendors do get the usability consistently right, or at least "good enough," are digital cameras. I wonder why digital cameras are easy, or at least POSSIBLE to use, and cell phones aren't? I notice that digital camera makers do seem to be willing to spend a few extra cents to give the controls different shapes and turn in different directions, instead of confronting you with a uniform sea of buttons.
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
Because the OMAP3430 has been on the market for a long time, is well supported by software and is cheaper than the OMAP35 series. If you want a device now, the OMAP3430 is a good choice. If you want a device in six months then the OMAP4 series is probably a better choice. The OMAP3530 doesn't really have any compelling features over the 3430 (same GPU, same DSP, marginally faster ARM core) and is more expensive.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
so will it be called the "Judas phone"?
you are aware that Apple went from a 2% cellphone share world wide to a 13% share in 2009, right? That is insane growth.
Sorry chief, but Apple already ran an advertising campaign touting the next iPhone killer, which turned out to be the iPhone 3G.
Also... video? Copy and paste? Do you know *anything* about the iPhone, other than that you hate it and its user base for some reason?
I am so sick of Verizon taking EVERYTHING good and finding ways to make to make it pointlessly crippled and useless.
Will this phone have tethering? Probably, but it's going to be disabled unless you pay $79.99 a month.
Will this phone have contact and calendar syncing? Probably, but it's going to be disabled unless you pay $5.99 a month.
Will this phone have music support? Definitely, but it's going to be severely crippled unless you pay $12.99 a month.
Take your network and SHOVE IT.
Um, the 3GS does video and all iPhones have had copy/paste for a while now.
Let's not forget Verizon's idea of what "point zero zero two cents" means.
Chances are anyone falling for this will get raped in the wallet harder by it than the iPhone's global roaming charges.
he kind of did with the list of things that he does do with his iPhone.
BTW... what defines a market leader is the company that everyone looks to to beat or the company that everyone looks to for the trendy new blah blah blah.
Apple is a leader in the market. If you define market leader to be the company that sells the most, then there are a lot of markets who's leader is a generic brand.
The big news here is that Verizon is clearly not going to carry the iPhone anytime soon. A few months ago, Verizon and Apple were "in talks". So, what happened? That's the most interesting part about this story. You guys are burying the lead.
Nitpicking, but they have 13% of the smartphone market, and under 2% of the total cellphone market. I'm not really sure what the distinction is these days, given that even cheap phones come with a 200MHz or faster ARM core and are capable of running arbitrary programs, but the people compiling these numbers like to divide the market up.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
And Apple have the worst case of NIH imaginable . The Newton team worked out how to do copy and paste sensibly on a touchscreen device almost twenty years ago. Drag object to edge of screen, it becomes a clipping. Drag it away, you can paste it elsewhere (even after switching apps). Intuitive, easy to use, and yet not done on the iPhone because the wrong team at Apple invented it.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
The reason the iPhone is so successful is the convenience of the app store, itunes and the sheer amount of content. When apple first started the app store people seemed to talk as if it was simply a waste of time and resources but now its so far ahead of the game that no one seems able to catch up.
There is a map for that.
I wonder how Ted Stevens would explain a "shit network"?
For nearly four straight years, every feature stuffed non Apple mp3 player was the "iPod Killer". Turns out the only true iPod Killer was the iPhone. At least they have the good sense to call this a "challenger" and not a "killer". And Microsofties can always dream about how the Pink would have killed the iPhone, I guess.
Fiat Homos et Pereat Theos
For years only few phones had good email and browsing. The iPhone was great because it did, and was also integrated, from day one, to the then emerging cloud via google and .mac. It was also integrated to iTunes, and not dependent on cell company music services. For some this is a plus, as it makes it easy to rip tracks and put it on the phone.
But you are correct. There are many phones that some thinks surpass the iPhone, and those people should absolutely buy those phones. No one says that everyone should have an iPhone. All that happens is that people complain that the iPhone does not do everything. But we live in a competitive market place and the iPhone can do it's thing, and the others can do their thing. What is to be seen is whether Verizon, with the clearly superior network in the US, can put out a better integrated product than Apple.
What also remains to be seen is if data integrity can be assured with these other services. I have never lost data because Apple servers went bust. True, I pay extra for the service, but I think that others are going to consider the data retention service as part of the monthly fees, especially if using Android or MS Windows Mobile.Both MS and Google has recently caused data loss for at least some customer. Not a very good start for their cloud computing strategy.Perhaps they don't care about data retention, since these devices are mostly considered toys, and that is why they include such critial features such as MP3 ringtones and A2DP. That will leave Blackberry and iPhone for those that just need to get work done, so we can go and play in the real world.
"She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
Did you completely miss the paragraph where he lists the things you are trolling about?
1. Take a time out
2. Reread the post you are replying to
3. Stop trolling
Verizon: great network, over priced, over locked-down on devices, stupid costy "services"..
I guess the question is, has Apple forced them to stop being stupid, or will they do stuff like disable built-in functionality on android phone to sell overpriced crap service that would have been provided for free by the hardware?
A 33 MHz 486 was several times faster than a 33 MHz 386.
MHz is almost meaningless when comparing speed, even in CPUs that are very similar. Even somewhat technical people fail to realize this frequently.
I'm a big tall mofo.
So it's an iPhone killer...from Verizon...and it's gonna kill iPhone as a product...and it's from Verizon.
You Americans never cease to amaze me...sorry for shouting but; THE REST OF THE WORLD DOESN'T HAVE VERIZON!
EXPERT TRUTH-TELLING
on the iPhone app store. Don't you pay attention to advertising? :P
"From the depths of my skeptical and rationalist soul, I ask the Lord to protect me from California touchie-feeliedom."
I agree this is thinly veiled shilling. We're supposed to get excited that this phone has managed to catch up to the hardware that other phones already have? What about some innovation like fitting an underclocked OMAP4 core in the phone so that it draws less power and has better performance? OMAP4 has the CortexA9 vs the CortexA8 in the OMAP3 series.
The price will be better? I will wait and see about that one.
Keep in mind, the original RAZR was $400 with a contract! If this phone is using comparable hardware to the iPhone, I am sure the actual hardware costs will be pretty high ($5-600), so the subsidy to start will probably be not that much. If there is one thing Verizon does well, it is makes money--not giving things away. Add to that, your monthly costs will surely be as high if not higher than the "premium" iPhone plan with AT&T.
he kind of did with the list of things that he does do with his iPhone.
But you could hardly say that an "application for tracking my blood sugar" is something that cannot be done as well on any other phone. Most of the things that the GP listed were simple apps from the early days of smartphones. Hardly proof of how much better the iPhone is.
As in where exactly is the dividing line between a regular cellphone today and a smartphone? I think with these smallish laptops it is easier, has optical drive/does not have an optical drive. The one without is a netbook, the one with is a notebook. but I am not sure on the line between phone species yet.
Ever heard of this technology called "recharging while you sleep"?
People these days...just finding excuses to complain.
I am really wanting a great android phone to come out, because everyone does better work in an environment with competition.
But I don't like the initial ads, and here's why - because they read like they were targeted straight at a Slashdot reader.
The read like someone who has seen, and paid attention to, every Apple ad and every Slashdot story about lacking multitasking or not being as open as other phones. In fact the ad even says in big huge letters "Open development environment" - it a major ad targeting the general consumer!
Consumers do not care about that. They don't care how open or closed the development environment is, the mantra is "show me the apps". The iPhone is just multi-tasking enough with mail and a few other things actually running in the background, and now alerts, that people generally don't notice the lack of multitasking except for edge cases.
I think they could have focused more on what made Droid great, not what technical people perceive as lacking in the iPhone.
I have similar feels for Palm ads, I think the interface and OS is fantastic, but the ads have a very hard time explaining why you might like the phone. Honestly all Palm had to do was play the intro video (or variant of same formatted for TV screens) during a commercial and sales probably would skyrocket. There's nothing wrong with Palm hardware really, it's quite good at the moment even if a little weaker than the 3Gs.
I find it odd that so many people ignore the marketing lesson the iPhone taught at launch - if your product is good, simply show it working and let it speak for itself..
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
iPhone posts lead to rage, rage leads to fanboyism. Fanboyism is the mind killer.
...Battery life?
You are 100% correct.
I was trying to avoid the iPhone tax (extra cost) and got a WinMo phone ...... to make the story short, I returned it after 3 days of nothing but headaches and got an iPhone 3GS. ..... because I never heard it ring. (and No, it wasn't set to vibrate and sound was enabled) ...... it keept freezing every time I tried to set it up.
- The interface looked nice, but it was pretty much unusable. I had to click multiple menu windows do what I wanted.
- It froze at least 10 times during the 3 days I had it.
- Missed multiple phone calls
- Would not connect to my WiFi
The main issue was the constant crash that would require manual reboot. The OS would freeze while I was trying to learn how to use it.
In the end, it was better to just buy something that works and not waste time with something that had the same qualities as a paperweight.
The iphone just works. That is the difference.
I had a blackberry before it. Never bothered trying to get applications onto it. Certainly never used the browser for more than 30 seconds at a time.
Before that I had a Razr. The contacts list sucked. The people that created the software (or ruined it, I really couldn't care which) obviously never used a phone's contact list.
The idea behind the app store is not at all new (sounds like a software repository, like with Debian Linux), but it made things so easy. You could add apps to the phone without connecting it to the computer.
There were some articles soon after the phone came out about how some people were using it instead of getting a primary computer. It worked that well.
Help! I'm a slashdot refugee.
"he kind of did with the list of things that he does do with his iPhone."
Yes, but he didn't justify how the iPhone does it better than other phones that offer equivalent or identical features like he claimed the iPhone does. I'm not saying the iPhone doesn't do it better, it'd just be nice to know how or why, rather than asserting that it does without any justification.
"Apple is a leader in the market. If you define market leader to be the company that sells the most, then there are a lot of markets who's leader is a generic brand."
So what measure are you using to quantify Apple as a leader? Certainly they led with the app. store and with their touch interface, no one can really argue that. However, whilst they led with those features, they were also led by others when it came to 3G, MMS, Browser on a phone and many, many other features. Apple is only really a leader in the market so far as touch interfaces and app stores go, but beyond that? They're certainly only a follower- in fact, they were arrogant enough initially to suggest that features like MMS, 3G and so forth weren't needed, only to end up conceeding and having to include them. This is the problem with the suggestion that Apple is a leader- for everything they lead on, there's still plenty that they're simply wrong about, or get led on. What they have going for them is the things they lead on are generally style related, and style sells pretty damn well- the iPhone interface looked so much slicker than pretty much anything else around at the time and when most people see a phone, it's that that they notice, not the underlying features. This is something Apple already demonstrated before with the iPod in that it certainly wasn't the first MP3 player to market, it certainly wasn't the most feature packed, but it was sure as hell the best looking.
I think the parent's point was that it's silly to come out with generic comments such as "the iPhone does it better" without justifying that. Similarly, it's wrong to suggest Apple is a market leader based on some arbitrary undefined metric because whilst for some metrics it is, there are plenty where it is unquestionably not.
This is the problem with Apple debates, you have those that are staunchly for the company, and those that are staunchly against with no objective middle ground and realisation that like pretty much anything, it has it's good points, and it has it's bad points, whether it has more good than bad or vice versa, is usually down to personal opinion, but to suggest it's entirely good or entirely bad is merely dishonest. It'd be nice if Slashdot grew the fuck up and was capable of objective, reasoned debate when it came to Apple and the likes but it just seems to be a pit of rabid fanboys resembling brutal all or nothing roman gladiator games of old rather than a group of smart, intelligent people having insightful discussions.
Soon misnohmer will have to disclose what he was paid for this ad?
I hope the Droid does well, competition is needed to push this device space as a whole.. With the open platform the Android phones likely have the best chance of success.
Find the comments hilarious about the capabilities of pre iPhone so called "smart" phones. I hear them whining "but my phone can do this... and this.. and this." Give it up. the world has moved on from phones with a bunch of hardware added on by the marketing department in a manner only a true geek could make work, to truly handheld computers.
if the interface was the only real barrier, the Pre would have probably knocked the iPhone off its perch
Ditto also. I bought an LG Versa which, excluding the gimmicky keyboard attachment, is a very capable piece of hardware. But couple it with Verizon's abysmal software and it just turns into a joke. 19 features out of 20 have me thinking "the people who designed this never actually tried to use it, did they?". Disappointment at every turn. My Sony Ericsson T616 that I got for free in 2004 is better in every respect except appearance, and with *much* worse hardware. Bleh Verizon. I'll believe it when I see it.
More features for Verizon to disable.
Have gnu, will travel.
And that's technology advancing? Ever heard of phones that don't need recharging every day, so if you're away from a charger, or just plain forget, your phone is still useful?
Because the OMAP35x series is a catalog part sold to hobby projects and the like. It's not intended for use by handset manyfacturers and is missing some of the features they need (it's also a larger package than the OMAP34x which leaves less room for your other parts). You'd be better asking why they're not using the OMAP36x (45nm version of the OMAP34x). Coming to you from an N900, by the way, which is almost certain to kick this thing's ass. ;)
That so-called great Verizon network can't even manage to allow one to do data and voice at the same time.
I'm currently looking at the Nokia N900. Too bad it's tied to T-mobile for 3G data currently, but at least I won't be competing for limited bandwidth with a bunch of iPhone users!
Not to nitpick, but how does: "...but literally all the features you bitch about are things that I don't want/never would use." jibe with: "With iPhone I use everything that comes with it and then some..." ?
Good for you. You bought an expensive phone and don't use all the features. I've used MMS, cut and paste, an MP3 ringtone and video recording on my Nokia N82 since I bought it in 2007, for about the same price as a first gen iPhone. Newsflash: Some customers actually use the features of their phones, and some customers they don't. Plenty of people expect these sorts of features to be standard at the iPhone's price point, though.
Except apparently video recording, MMS, cut and paste...
Program Intellivision!
Apparently "Sholes" wasn't considered to be a very good name for the phone.
More info.
no one apart from your co-mugs are interested in your mindless bleeting.
so, sorry , but why don't you shut up, you miserable little fanboy mug.
Ever heard of leaving your parents basement for more than a few hours...? another country even(WOW!!!!)?
People these days...just finding excuses to justify the fact that they paid thru the nose for a useless piece of crap.
there fixed that for ya!
What's this "phone" you're talking about? Is that like, a mobile internet device that's gotten damaged and can now only do one thing ... ?
it's in my head
Your pretty self-centered.
Just because YOU don't use these features, doesn't mean that others will not.
So, sorry, but the iPhone is not popular just because it's from Apple. It's popular because it works.
Hmm? My Blackberry Tour "Just works" and many other phones do too. Speaking of "Just Works", how is it that Apple can approve farting apps, while quality apps (Google Voice) get rejected? Now you could definitely argue that Apple doesn't have to support Google's products, but lets see how happy Apple is when Google decides to take away their maps? You'll see Apple bend over so fucking fast.
To be brutally honest, the App Store is really the only thing keeping the IPhone alive at the moment.
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits" - Albert Einstein
That's a pretty rash conclusion. Maybe they didn't implement copy and paste with a "yank board" for the same reason they didn't use Dylan as its primary language, not because of NIH but because it's obscure and unusual and does not meet market expectations.
Don't blame me, I voted for Baltar.
If you scroll down the page there is a picture here.
once more into the breach
It always makes me leery when you don't actually get to SEE the product they're advertising. On the one hand, they're promoting intrigue as to what it will look like, on the other hand, it may be a soapbox with buttons drawn on with Crayola markers and they're not sure of how the public will receive it's looks.
Have you not seen the pictures?
Reason that iPhone has that many apps is the locked down OS so the only way to get them is App Store. Automatically this does "copy protection" for non-jailbroken phones (many people don't know/want to do hack it), so iphone attracts developers wanting a quick buck like flies to shit (well, with 100k apps it probably won't earn much to average teen developer). No doubt, Apple had a Microsoft-esque plan to do maximum lock-in until competition comes up with something.
I have a Nokia N75. The built-in browser is so bad, it's basically unusable. The rendering engine is OK (it's based on WebKit), but after you've loaded a couple of pages, the browser runs out of memory and won't load anything else until you reboot the phone.
I'm using Opera Mini, which works surprisingly well considering what it is. However, it's still somewhat cumbersome.
Supposedly, this phone is supposed to allow me to check my e-mail. I've never been able to get it to work. At all. If I could get it to work, it probably wouldn't work well enough to be really convenient.
I don't have an iPhone because when I was in the market for a new phone, the iPhone didn't support some of the features I needed (tethering is an absolute must for me, and I do actually use several of the items on the above list on occasion). I plan to hang onto my current phone until AT&T opens up tethering sometime next year, and then finally put an end to the frustration.
$x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
$x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
The iPhone is a one trick pony, there are 8-10 Android phones now coming out, and that number will quadruple next year. Were seeing Android for flip phones putting it in areas Apple has yet to try to touch. Android will catch up with the iPhone in units deployed, even AT&T has Android units out there, and they're more than happy to trot that one out so they can likely put Apple in a bind. If the Droid is any indicator, Verizon will not be carrying the iPhone anytime soon which limits Apple's choices. I'm sure they shopped the iPhone to just AT&T and Verizon. Apple would not put it with a 2nd tier company, and Sprint has not been viable since it's acquisition of Nextel.
Their only choice today would be T-Mobile once their HSPDA+ upgrades are complete, Apple can say "Oh Look 21Mbps!", but by then LTE will be in full swing with Verizon, and they'll go "Ooh the iSlow or the LTE Droid at 30Mbps".
The phone makers were caught blindsided by the iPhone and now it's their turn to put Apple in a bind. Apple's choices are to stay closed and relegate itself to the "Other Phone" or open itself up and see OS X on more phones. Owning a iPhone myself I hope they stay closed, I've about had it with the battery life of the iPhone, and iTunes quirks.
Songbird + Andorid wil rock.
Except it will be a phone made by someone like HTC, be butt ugly and lack any style or design flair.
Mobile networks branding phones is a lousy idea.
You think people still own RAZRs? That's hilarious, they all have iPhones now. Even when I had my SLVR and would download Java apps onto it, my RAZR friends had no idea what to do. The App Store is just as big of a reason that iPhone is successful. How many people do you know that owned the Moto software to connect the phone to a PC?
Anything Motorola has built in the past... however long I can remember has pretty much been a piece of shit. Can anyone back me up on this?
I am all for iPhone killers, but to think Motorola can challenge Apple at anything seems a bit too optimistic... I'm just sayin'.
The iPhone was released on June 29, 2007. Exaggerate much?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_iPhone
your whore of a wife asked me to let you know that not only did you spell her domain incorrectly, you are definitely not the master of anything.
I've personally been hopeful for a good Android phone for a long time but so far it has failed to manifest.
Can you expand on this? I'm not sure where you're looking, but I see three good Android phones on the US market right now.
Visual IRC: Fast. Powerful. Free.
I appreciate my iPhone aesthetically, and the apps and touch screen gestures are phenomenal, but for me the lack of a physical keyboard means the iPhone stays primarily a smart phone and not a mobile internet device.
The problem is that the iPhone's form factor makes it not a very practical smart phone, all things considered.
Whereas a mobile internet device to me is a device that I can sit down in a coffee shop, browse the internet, and write emails, comfortably and without compromises. I can't do this on the iPhone either.
My iPhone is primarily a technical curiosity that I tolerate because I think it's a cool, innovative platform.
But I think the future will hold two more specialized devices:
1) a smart phone with a more efficient and practical form factor, with Apple quality touch input and apps
2) a mobile internet device with a full physical keyboard, with Apple quality touch input and apps
I know the open Android market will ensure there are companies that deliver these devices. It remains to be seen whether Apple will be blindsided or lead.
Apple's current apps will become a liability here because unlike Android apps, they are developed for only a single form factor.
With iPhone I use everything that comes with it [...]
Eh? Didn't you just get done ranting about all those features that now come with the iPhone that you've never used?
People will pass up steak once a week, for crap every day.
Reading the specs, this could be the phone I have been waiting for. It has a keyboard (message/appointment/etc. entry), it is hackable (512 MB ROM, 256 MB RAM, and I recently read you _can_ write native apps for Android), standard interfaces (USB, WLAN), plenty of battery time, a fast CPU, it's all there. As a bonus, it runs Linux!
I'm curious what it will cost in Europe ...
Please correct me if I got my facts wrong.
Feeding a troll, I know, but the "consolidation on Android" bit is amusing... Symbian and Maemo haven't disappeared anywhere. Google has a tough fight ahead. I've personally used Samsung's Android phone for a day and I was unimpressed by the interface. The feel and finish just isn't there (yet).
(I have a N97 for its features. I'd prefer an iPhone with those hardware features because like Samsung, Nokia doesn't "just get it right" either. Apple keeps reaping what they have sowed a long time in the field of interfaces, ergonomics, functionalistic design.)
Fanboyism is the little death.
Yes indeed. I'd have no issue with people saying that the Iphone was one of the earlier devices to have touch screen (I'm not sure about the app store - note that these were commonplace before, done by the networks, or just offered by any website; Apple's is only notable in its disadvantage, in that you can only download from there, and of course it gets spun as an advantage). All phones have introduced new features when they are released - that's how progress works.
But the way people talk about it on here, it's as if it's the only phone in existence; the only phone that introduced new features; as if it invented the whole idea of using a phone for Internet access or anything; and as if Apple were the number one, rather than being way behind Nokia and other companies. And if you disagree? Well, just look at the moderation on this story. (I always have to browse at -1 on Apple stories.)
Except that it is the Motorola Sholes / Droid, has excellent specs, and runs Android 2.0.
I've never heard anyone other than apple-haters care about the things you listed there. Why don't you throw in "no fm radio" too while you're at it? It's among the many things no one really wants or gives a shit about in their phones. How about a large screen with a good interface and full-featured web browser? Apple is STILL the only one making a phone with that, and it's the one thing people actually care about and use.
You, sir, are a dumb fuck.
Nobody thinks that it is the only smartphone in existence or that it was the first touchscreen devices or whatever. Just like nobody here thinks the iPod was the first MP3 player, but it was the first one that was good enough and accessible enough to attain widespread consumer acceptance. Do some googling for "Less space than a Nomad. No wireless. Lame"--this is the same argument that has been going on for years. Hint, one side is completely fucking right and the other is completely fucking wrong--guess which side you're on.
Seriously, just go curl up with your HTC Pro and feel righteously indignant--but stop inflicting your stupidity on the rest of us.
no one's mentioning Rachel?
I agree the previous advantage in 'number' of WinMo apps has been decimated by App Store in the last year.
I also agree the out-of-the-box WinMo interface is quite horrific.
One advantage it does have though, is the level of configuration available to you on WinMo. Not saying it makes it the better phone, just that it's nice that somebody can knock up a tethering app you can just install and use. Nice that it does support that obscure VPN. Nice that you can just mimize that GPS logger in the background and it'll keep working etc etc.
I've no issue with the actual abilities of the WinMo OS, just the complete mess that's pasted over it. I know a load of people hold out hopes for WM7, but I'll just believe it when I see it.
Cut and paste? It's been out for months now, never used it. MMS? Never used it. MP3/AAC ringtones? Always supported, (you have to change the file extension is all), but actually never used them. Video recording? Never used it (and yes I have a 3gs.) I could go on, but literally all the features you bitch about are things that I don't want/never would use. Maybe you really do need them, but frankly I could give a crap less.
...
With iPhone I use everything that comes with it and then some because the iPhone makes it easy.
self contradiction means nothing to fanboys...
It always makes me leery when you don't actually get to SEE the product they're advertising. On the one hand, they're promoting intrigue as to what it will look like, on the other hand, it may be a soapbox with buttons drawn on with Crayola markers and they're not sure of how the public will receive it's looks.
I doubt it's either brilliant marketing or worry. It seems to be standard fare these days to swing around "mystery" like a 10 pound hammer. Generate buzz. Viral marketing. Get the bloggers all twittered. Or whatever else it is marketing folks do these days.
The whole replaceable battery thing is not much of a concern for most people, they expect a phone to last more than a day in real use and the iPhone does.
For those that really draw a lot of power, there are a ton of external battery options, some cases that make the phone only a little larger. I'd far rather have that than a second battery, which I would never use and would be awkward to carry.
Note: The only time I've ever used an external battery is on international plane flights.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I was a long-time Verizon customer (dating back to Airtouch Cellular). As an IT consultant I'm all over the Twin Cities metro area and there were a number of places where Verizon's network was weak and dropped calls like crazy (Highland Park, by the water reservoir -- complete VZW deadzone) and a number of customer buildings where coverage was crap.
I eventually got sick of the shit-flavored crippled handset choices and gave into the iPhone. Despite the massive complaints you seem to hear about AT&T's network, at least for me it's been actually better than Verizon from a network perspective. The Verizon dead buildings & zones are no longer dead, I'd call data throughput dead even (although with different hardware, it's tough to make a apples-apples comparison), and I can use data service ON THE PHONE, which I couldn't do with Verizon.
About the only drawback is one particular customer whose building seems a perfect AT&T shield; but outside that one spot, AT&T has the advantage.
And, I've got a dog that barks while he chases cars.
But, I don't think for all his barking he will become a Lexus.
What I find most telling about these stories, is that in just about 2 years since Apple has entered the smartphone market, they have become the product to beat, the benchmark against which all others are measured. How did it happen that sophisticated, tech savvy and powerful companies like Microsoft, Nokia, Sony and RIM have such a hard time coming up with an answer, and only Google seems to be going somewhere?
I don't have all the answers, but one thing that seems clear is that Apple totally focusses on the user experience. I once made the error in 2000 to buy a PocketPC instead of a Palm based on the hardware specs. I learned then that a 16Mhz machine can be a better choice then a 200 Mhz one, if the first has been properly designed.
I've been using Nokia phones in the past, as they seem to understand the same lesson, I'm a little puzzled why they and the other established forces in the market have such a hard time formulating an answer to the iPhone. But then the seem thing seems to be happening in the MP3 player market.
What does Apple do that makes them so dominant in these markets so quickly, that the other players seem to fail to do? Even I've been converted recently, having bought a Macbook a year ago, and an iPhone last week, after having had a good experience with my iPod for years. Somehow other products in the same price range just don't measure up. (I did quite an extensive comparison with my alternative OS being Linux).
How does Apple become the measuring stick and the product to beat so quicky, even Microsoft usually needs half a decade and Billions and often they don't really succeed if it's outside the direct Windows sphere of control. (WinCE/Mobile/Phone, Xbox?)
RogerWilco the Adventurous Janitor
There, fixed that for you.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
No, that is incorrect. The iphone was popular because of the marketing, both apple directed and that generated by fanboys. Once the marketing ceases iphone sales drop dramatically. This ultimately will be the undoing of the iphone. As each new generation of the iphone must be seen as superior to the previous one the marketing must be increased to give people the desired impression. The problem with Apple's bombardment marketing is that people quickly become accustomed to it and once they become accustomed to the marketing people will stop paying attention to it, the iphone becomes passe.
The iphone's more immediate problem is the iphone clones coming out of Asia. You can pick them up for A$60 on ebay easily. Apple is unable to do anything about these clones and will suffer the negative image of these clones failing.
The iphone is a fad and will pass in time, I say 2 or 3 more years and it will be for fanboys only. The iphone did not introduce any new features that previous phones did not have.
Because you are a perfect cross section of society and anyone who needs to do anything you dont is mad.
Cut and Paste? One of the first features I used on my HTC Dream, with email I use it regularly. MMS, at least 3 times a month. MP3 ringtones, it is not good that I need to connect my phone to a computer to get it to do what I want, a phone this advanced should be able to operate independent of any device. Video recording, fair enough I dont use it on my phone either, I have a Canon Ixus 70 that has far better auto-focus then my phone but then again I'm a bit of a perfectionist.
Typical fanboy argument, if I dont need it then you dont need it because my phone is right and the pinnacle of technology and I dont need any supporting evidence.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
Okay, yeah that was a little internally contradictory. By "use everything that comes with it", I meant that I use all the major apps that come with it, not every nugget of functionality that the phone offers or every technical feature. So, I use Contacts, Calendar, Mail, YouTube, etc. On my BlackBerry, I rarely if ever bothered because the interface was so awkward that it simply wasn't worthwhile. I didn't even use Google Maps much because the GPS was completely crippled and could literally almost never get a lock (this was a BB Pearl.) Certainly I should've been clearer.
As for being a fan-boy... before App Store, I actually bought a BlackBerry because I thought the iPhone was overrated (December of 2007 to be precise.) But AppStore changed things, which was my point. And it's not just the availability of apps--it's the quality of the apps, a lot of which I attribute to the very mature CocoaTouch programming environment.
And for those mods who modded me flamebait, you can go to hell.
"He who would learn astronomy, and other recondite arts, let him go elsewhere. " -- John Calvin, commenting on Genesis 1
I signed up for the Verizon marketing E-mail for the Droid phone, and saw this at the bottom:
DROID is a registered trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. and its related companies. Used under license.
I noticed during the commercial and from the website that "Droid" is licensed from Lucasfilm? I didn't realized they owned a trademark for that term.
The distinction mostly ends up being a matter of the ability to install programs. Even that's a bit blurry - my very basic dumbphone can download little Java ME games if I pay through the nose for it - but Symbian, WinMo, Blackberry, and of course the iPhone are almsot built around the ability for users to install software.
To look at it another way, gaming consoles are often the most powerful computer in a person's house. However, they aren't counted among computers - simply because they aren't designed to be used like one. Similarly, smartphones/PDAs (the significant difference being the presence of a cellular radio) are essentially hend-held computers, used to run programs, browse the web, check email, and so forth (although of the various ones I've tried, Maemo for the Nokia N8x0 is the only one where I could literally take an application written for desktop Linux, recompile it without touchin the source, and have an app that works on the N800). Dumbphones, including "texting" phones (with keyboards and such) are specific-purpose devices, much like a game console. For this reason, they are tracked differently (and sell at different prices).
There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
I thought the article looked weird, visually different from other Wash Post articles (e.g., much larger font). So I took a closer look.
Go to the sixth paragraph. The one starting with "The Droid poses a different and more significant challenge...". Look at the left margin. What do you see?
A word in blue, written vertically: "Advertisement"
That is not a real article by Michael Arrington of TechCrunch.com, it is an ad commissioned to him. The difference is that he is being payed to say whatever the sponsors want him to say.
Although sleazy this is legal because to the observant reader it is clear that it is not a typical article from that publication, and, heck, it even says openly that it is an Advertisement.
how about this for a needed iphone feature. deleting and/or filing messages while in Airplane mode? way to make email next to useless while i'm on a business flight.
I have an N97 too. It pisses on the iPhone from a great height in terms of hardware ability and functionality (32GB internal, plus up to 32GB microSD storage, 30% higher res screen, more memory, 5MP camera, FM transmitter, PTT, etc...), but I wish the software was, not the iPhone software, but hmmm... about half way between Symbian and iPhone.
seriously, thats like setting up a soviet russia and walking away when you see something shiny... ohh, an iphone!
- I'd prefer not to.
ARM is RISC origins so it almost always gets throughput of one instruction per clock. The difference of Cortex vs ARM11 is true SIMD instructions with lower latencies between and better power efficiency vs just pipelining in the ARM11.
All in all, not much difference between them if you run them on a crappy OS like Windows Mobile as it only uses mostly ARMv4 instructions without any activated extension support for NEON, VFP, and such. Android has the same issue actually, and most (except possibly Symbian), do not have optimized GPU drivers, but just random blobs that only pass the conformance tests.
Of course, using any SoC processor that's not the Qualcomm MSM72xx is always a HUGE win in speed. The MSM72xx has SINGLE-HANDEDLY held back the "mobile" platform for the last 3 generations due to its poor ARM11 performance vs its XScale and Samsung cousins, as well as tight-fisted, unreleased documentation for tuning and accelerating due to Qualcomm's money-grubbing licensing policies. Qualcomm touch-screen lag, slow insensitive GPS, and htcclassaction.org are good examples of the infamy Qualcomm single-handedly created.
Notice the mobile marketplace is suddenly perking up now that the MSM72xx platform is now on its way to the graveyard? The OMAP3 is definitely a platform to be on.
As flashy as the Qualcomm Snapdragon is, it's still the one-off platform ride to hell as it was for the MSM72xx .. Just don't ride that bxxxch.
Cut and paste? It's been out for months now, never used it. MMS? Never used it. MP3/AAC ringtones? Always supported, (you have to change the file extension is all), but actually never used them. Video recording? Never used it (and yes I have a 3gs.) I could go on, but literally all the features you bitch about are things that I don't want/never would use.
With iPhone I use everything that comes with it
Excuse me, but what definition of using everything doesn't include the features that you never use?
That's exactly what they said about Windows Mobile's apps when iPhone came out.
Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
"Shit in one hand and wish in the other. See which one fills up first."
I doubt this will sway very many people away from the iPhone. The iPhone is already an iconic brand. Just "catching up" won't be enough to turn anyone's eye.
BFD.
Well, not just the ability to install programs, but the availability of many programs. My previous dumbphone had various apps built-in and downloading more apps was not an idea Apple invented, and it had a SIM card that I could put a lot of music on (after I hacked it; effing Verizon locked it down). What I couldn't do was download a GPS turn-by-turn mapping app, or Skype, Pandora, eBay, and 85,000 other apps.
Also, I think a smartphone is defined by the user interface. Moving from a phone that had a simple numeric keypad for input to a touchscreen-based system was a huge leap.
And I would say the screen size. The screen on a typical dumbphone is typically not big enough to do a lot.
And an actual keyboard, whether its physical or virtual.
However, the line is very blurry. Dumbphones are taking on more and more smartphone features.
Imagine if Verizon had gotten the iPhone what it would have been like. An extra $10/mo to even have the app store. A $.50 "service charge" every time you download an app. The only bluetooth that would work would be the $80 iHeadset only sold by Verizon. Oh, and the USB cable would work, but if you tried to connect to the iPhone using anything other than Verizon's pay-per-play software the phone would lock down.
A moddable hackable Verizon phone? Yeah, Ill believe that when I see it. And firmware-lock busting hacks that only .5% of the population can do don't count.
Just say NO to stinky cheese
You could, if by "done as well" you meant "done on hardware that doesn't lag, with a UI that's not frustrating to use, on a screen that's easy to read in broad daylight, in a phone that's not bulky..." etc etc.
I think you're confusing "the technical abilities of an iPhone" with "the experience of using an iPhone." Yes, in theory, you could make or find a Windows Mobile app that tracks blood sugar. His point was, "of all the phones I've tried, this one let me most easily find and use the features/apps I personally want." That IS proof that the iPhone is better - FOR HIM. The thing that makes it popular is that lots of people are in the same boat.
All that really matters is people saying "I like this better." Whether their reasons are valid to you is irrelevant.
Hell, I bet it wouldn't take much time at all to convert Duke Nukem Forever into an MMO that runs on a mobile smart phone.
I only look human.
My mother is a halfling and my dad is an ogre, so that makes me an Ogreling
Explaining to you why the poster (and people in general) like the iPhone is a useless exercise. It's like explaining to you their preference for the color blue. Just because you hate blue doesn't invalidate their preference.
The iPhone was not a breakthrough device because every other phone could already do everything the same. It drew gasps from people in the audience because they knew this blew the doors off every other phone out there. If you can't see that big picture then you're wasting everyone's time.
...an iPod touch with a Verizon MiFi?
Kinda hard to beat having-cake-and-eating-it-too.
Edith Keeler Must Die
Excuse me, but you know what he meant, so quit being a prick.
You know, all that logging crap you are doing.... Windows Mobile has this little program called Pocket Excel. Maybe if they just renamed it ten different things and called it an 'app', you could be happy with it instead.
--So, sorry, but the iPhone is not popular just because it's from Apple. It's popular because it works.--
I know I'm gonna get modded down for this but.....Unless you live in rural areas, specifically areas where the have acquired Alltel towers. They have done nothing to upgrade those period. GSM doesn't work out here. If you don't have a CDMA phone, forget it. It just wont work. Now Verizon doesn't have as many towers here as Alltel did, but they keep what they have up to date. I used to be able to get data service out here but had to cancel it when it slowed down to nothing for good.
They're probably targeting the people who want an iPhone, but know better than to actually get one.
Yes, the Apple Hater crowd who will dismiss anything from Apple no matter how suitable to their needs. I know them well.
They already bought an Android phone, or are buying something like the Hero. The ad does nothing to make them wait - the ad could at least mention it's a better Android phone than the current ones. That's what my complaint is, they talk about the iPhone so much they forget to tell you useful things like that.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I'm still waiting for my answers. The fact that Apple fans would rather use -ve mods than discuss proves my point. I've not had mod points in years, and they're the ones who abuse them.
But the truth is not up for a vote (and a minority vote, by the cliche that get mod points). The truth is decided by rational arguments and evidence. I've put forward mine - where's yours?
If you define market leader to be the company that sells the most, then there are a lot of markets who's leader is a generic brand.
Such as? Go on, give me an example where the market leader is a niche player of that market in terms of sales?
But if we go by a subjective definition, then fine. I say that Amiga are a market leader.
The point is... convenience. Also, the weight-lifting data doesn't really fit particularly well in a spreadsheet (although you could certainly squeeze it in), and the BG app sinks with a website monitored by my doctor, and the weight app does curve fit to give me my "true weight". Could I do it in excel? Sure. Not worth my time to try, and the interface is everything, especially on a 2 inch screen. Interface, BTW, is why Windows Mobile sucks.
"He who would learn astronomy, and other recondite arts, let him go elsewhere. " -- John Calvin, commenting on Genesis 1
It's the Steve Jobs Reality Distortion Field! The serious lack of Video Recording and Ringtones has been why I've avoided it and marveled at the people who hailed it as the greatest invention ever. I will admit that the interface was a serious advancement in UI development for small devices, and for that it should be commended, but as a phone, the original one really sucked!
My software never has bugs.
It just develops random features.