10-09 Obligatory iPhone post
Maybe not quite so obligatory: in fact, I haven't seen that many reviews of the "game changing" "killer app of phones" since it came out, when everyone was so hot to trot to get their 2 cents in. Having moved from almost 2 years of Windows Mobile (which can seem like an eternity), it sure was a "game changer" for me.
The Good:
The responsiveness of Windows Mobile is that of a stoned sloth; even the more high-powered PDAs have a goofy response time but "Smart" phones like the HTC I had are rarely fast enough to even do what you expect. According to Nielsen-Norman, a delay of more than 1/10th of a second causes the user to "lose the feeling of operating directly on the data." Of course, if you've even played with the iPhone at all, you know the feeling of "direct operation." Being that there are no hardware buttons except the home one, it has to be that way. Visual feedback is simple but more than adequate. This is very possibly the biggest selling point for me–as small as it seems, that type of experience adds up little by little.
Aside from response time, performance in general is just a lot better. I used to spend my time really afraid I'd need to dial 911 or some similarly important number only to have my HTC crap itself and crash, then have to wait for the long reboot process. Safari crashes on the iPhone occasionally, but other than that I've seen few problems with lag or lockup.
As for apps:
The Not So Good:
We've all heard it, but the lack of third-party apps is a stinker. It's also the killer feature that's keeping a lot of people from buying one. Then again, maybe the locked nature is the killer feature that's got the rest of the people buying them (it's stupid easy to use, which if I'm not mistaken is the point).
I really enjoy installing applications on my "smart" phones. Even the Sidekick allowed for applications through a store interface (most sold for $5) and I have near-zero percent doubt in my mind that the iTunes store will eventually sell Apple-made / Apple-approved applications. One of them will be Tetris, if there's any justice. Hopefully some of what is showing up in the AppTap repositories (Navizon? wow.) will make its way to that future store.
I don't buy a lot of music from the iTunes store (and probably will buy less now that Amazon is rocking DRM-less mp3s), so the Wi-Fi store appeals less to me than my SummerBoard customizations and the Pushr Flickr uploader. Thus... no 1.1.1 for me yet. It all makes me feel less on the cutting edge rather than more, and that sucks.
The Debate:
I don't, however, agree with the nonsense about Apple hating their customers, etc. etc. I understood what I was doing, and that I may have to kill all my fun stuff before I can upgrade or Apple will kill it for me. Apple have always operated this way. Remember the generic Macs, and how long those lasted? They like to have control of the hardware and the software, and the result is the iPhone, so obviously that's not a bad plan. The provider, AT&T, is of course a part of it. I just about peed my pants the first time I used the visual voicemail. Their device has a synergy that Windows Mobile devices can't hope for because hardware manufacturers are working around a crappy OS, rather than with the designers of the OS.
I've always tried to buy the Apple "package" in full, because when you do you maximize your ability to enjoy and benefit from their products. Microsoft is the same way, but they're not a hardware manufacturer so you can never truly go all the way with them. Not that you'd want to "go all the way" with either of the Steves. At any rate, I think we overall benefit from Apple's controlling ways, and if you don't feel like you do, don't buy it. Or hack it and take the risks, which are the same as those risks entailed in hacking anything.
The Good:
The responsiveness of Windows Mobile is that of a stoned sloth; even the more high-powered PDAs have a goofy response time but "Smart" phones like the HTC I had are rarely fast enough to even do what you expect. According to Nielsen-Norman, a delay of more than 1/10th of a second causes the user to "lose the feeling of operating directly on the data." Of course, if you've even played with the iPhone at all, you know the feeling of "direct operation." Being that there are no hardware buttons except the home one, it has to be that way. Visual feedback is simple but more than adequate. This is very possibly the biggest selling point for me–as small as it seems, that type of experience adds up little by little.
Aside from response time, performance in general is just a lot better. I used to spend my time really afraid I'd need to dial 911 or some similarly important number only to have my HTC crap itself and crash, then have to wait for the long reboot process. Safari crashes on the iPhone occasionally, but other than that I've seen few problems with lag or lockup.
As for apps:
- Contact and Calendar Syncing is infinitely better than with the WinMo and Missing Sync (good product though, still recommend it), but the iCal for iPhone needs more than one calendar. I understand simplicity, but every once in a while Apple takes that principle too far. Dual reminders for events? Great. Lack of a to-do list? Kind of sucks.
- Google Maps is not a whole lot better than the WinMo version, but it's just about the most useful Windows Mobile app in existence. So it's great.
- Notes are ok, not beyond ok though. WinMo has a great Word editor that is far more useful.
- YouTube is fun, and if you have just a tiny amount of patience you can even use it on EDGE.
- Visual Voicemail. Nuff said.
- iPod. I've never had one before, I always said I'd never get one because they're ridiculously overpriced (and don't sound nearly as good as Creative's players). But the interface for this one is great, and the video is just stunning. I converted all my vids to 15fps and crap compression for WinMo and obviously that isn't so pretty.
The Not So Good:
We've all heard it, but the lack of third-party apps is a stinker. It's also the killer feature that's keeping a lot of people from buying one. Then again, maybe the locked nature is the killer feature that's got the rest of the people buying them (it's stupid easy to use, which if I'm not mistaken is the point).
I really enjoy installing applications on my "smart" phones. Even the Sidekick allowed for applications through a store interface (most sold for $5) and I have near-zero percent doubt in my mind that the iTunes store will eventually sell Apple-made / Apple-approved applications. One of them will be Tetris, if there's any justice. Hopefully some of what is showing up in the AppTap repositories (Navizon? wow.) will make its way to that future store.
I don't buy a lot of music from the iTunes store (and probably will buy less now that Amazon is rocking DRM-less mp3s), so the Wi-Fi store appeals less to me than my SummerBoard customizations and the Pushr Flickr uploader. Thus... no 1.1.1 for me yet. It all makes me feel less on the cutting edge rather than more, and that sucks.
The Debate:
I don't, however, agree with the nonsense about Apple hating their customers, etc. etc. I understood what I was doing, and that I may have to kill all my fun stuff before I can upgrade or Apple will kill it for me. Apple have always operated this way. Remember the generic Macs, and how long those lasted? They like to have control of the hardware and the software, and the result is the iPhone, so obviously that's not a bad plan. The provider, AT&T, is of course a part of it. I just about peed my pants the first time I used the visual voicemail. Their device has a synergy that Windows Mobile devices can't hope for because hardware manufacturers are working around a crappy OS, rather than with the designers of the OS.
I've always tried to buy the Apple "package" in full, because when you do you maximize your ability to enjoy and benefit from their products. Microsoft is the same way, but they're not a hardware manufacturer so you can never truly go all the way with them. Not that you'd want to "go all the way" with either of the Steves. At any rate, I think we overall benefit from Apple's controlling ways, and if you don't feel like you do, don't buy it. Or hack it and take the risks, which are the same as those risks entailed in hacking anything.
Read comments on your right →