Full Review of the iPhone 2 On Launch Day 420
With the launch of Apple's brand-spanking-new 3G iPhone today, Engadget has a great review of the product and many of the prominent features. The review has quite a few good pictures and is not shy about technical details, but I guess they would know a fair bit about it, having ripped one apart yesterday. "The wireless industry is a notoriously tough nut to crack, and it's become pretty clear that the first iPhone wasn't about total domination so much as priming the market and making a good first impression with some very dissatisfied cellphone users. With the iPhone 3G, though, Apple's playing for keeps. Not only is this iPhone's Exchange enterprise support aiming straight for the heart of the business market, but the long-awaited 3rd party application support and App Store means it's no longer just a device, but a viable computing platform. And its 3G network compatibility finally makes the iPhone welcome the world over, especially after Cupertino decided to ditch its non-traditional carrier partnerships in favor of dropping the handset price dramatically. $200? We're still a little stunned." Update 17:17 GMT by SM: The guys over at Engadget also pointed out that Apple is having some severe problems with their iTunes servers and many customer are being sent home without their sync complete for new iPhones.
More Expensive (Score:5, Informative)
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Sure, that would be a waste fo an iPhone, but I could see a lot of people doing that so they can appear to be "hip" or "cool" with their iPhone while. But then again, I live near Scottsdale where a lot of people try to appear to have money when they don't.
Re:More Expensive (Score:4, Informative)
I'm fairly certain at least with AT&T you're required to get a data plan and minimum voice plan with the iPhone purchase. Basically this is their solution for the unlockers. Force you into a plan at the store and charge you $200 + activation + 1 month of service if you break the plan.
Re:More Expensive (Score:5, Informative)
You don't have to get a data plan do you? It is possible to get the phone for $200 and then use one of the bacis phone service plans, correct?
No, you can't.
Not even if you are buying a used iPhone from someone; you have to get the iPhone package. In fact I *just* closed the window I had with an AT&T support chat asking this question.
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Then that really does make the complaint about the rise in the data plan even more valid.
Re:More Expensive (Score:5, Informative)
Not even if you are buying a used iPhone from someone; you have to get the iPhone package.
If you're buying an used iPhone from someone and you have already a contract with AT&T (or sign up with a dumb phone) nothing prevents you to put the AT&T SIM on the iPhone, no matter what the AT&T support drone tells you.
Re:More Expensive (Score:5, Informative)
I believe you can switch your iPhone SIM card over to some dumb phone, adjust your plan to include unlimited data for dumb phones (costs less than unlimited data for smart phones)... and then put that SIM card back in the iPhone.
A word of warning to anyone wanting to try...
For Rogers in Canada, the "cheap data plans for generic phones" (say the $7 all-you-can-leech instead of the "big" plan for iPhone) is locked to the IMEI [wikipedia.org] number of your phone. The carrier has a list of IMEIs of all the phones it sold to subscribers.
When you power up a phone with a SIM card inside, the IMEI is transmitted to the carrier. If the IMEI is unknown (your phone is "unapproved") the cheap data plan is not in effect, and you pay through the nose.
This is all in the fine print that no one reads, though not that explicitly :)
Re:More Expensive (Score:5, Funny)
I live in the United States where a lot of people try to appear to have money when they don't.
There, fixed that for you.
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yes, but you are getting more features and abilities.
If I upgraded my car to a new one, it would cost more.
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It actually becomes $160 more expensive over the life of the contract.
This is variable.
I say that because through various resources (job, college, etc.) you could qualify for corporate, IRU, or FAN discounts (at least in the US). For example, the FAN discount I have from working at the Univ. of Nevada gives me a 15% discount on the phone plan (the cost of the data plan is included in the service now), 20% discount on any accessories bought at ATT, and any upgrade fees waived)[1].
Discounts vary from company to company and entity to entity, so the best bet would be to see if yo
Re:More Expensive (Score:5, Informative)
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Palshife was probably referring to the fact that for the extra $160 you get nearly twice as much bandwidth (up to 3x) over the first iPhone.
Re:More Expensive (Score:5, Interesting)
Nope, not where I live. The nearest 3G to me is a 2 hour drive away, yet if I decide to upgrade my iPhone (which I may do anyway to get the GPS functionality), I still get to pay the higher rates.
EDGE isn't actually that bad, for the most part, I notice bad javascript bogging down the cpu far more often than I notice the limited bandwidth. But it still kinda chaps my ass that I'll have to pay 3G prices for it.
Re:More Expensive (Score:4, Insightful)
Don't buy it. I like the look of the new Lamborghini, but I wouldn't buy one if I had to drive on dirt roads.
Re:More Expensive (Score:5, Insightful)
He was refering to the raise in the cost of service for the new phone that will end up costing you $160 above what "phone service" used to cost you.
Ok, 160/24 = $6.67 per month. Or a premium of 12% over your minimum plan with the EDGE iPhone.
Your data rate increases by (absolute worst case) a factor of three, even while moving at highway speeds (3G [wikipedia.org] > EDGE [att.com]). Standing still it's four to ten times as fast. I fail to see how it's a bad deal.
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Re:More Expensive (Score:4, Informative)
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Re:More Expensive (Score:5, Insightful)
"Your data rate increases by (absolute worst case) a factor of three..."
No, the worst case is if you live in a non-3G area, and your data rate increases by nothing, but you still have to pay for the 3G plan.
Re:More Expensive (Score:5, Informative)
It's the exact same price as any other 3G data plan that AT&T offers, ala Crackberry or Treo, but don't let that stop you from bashing Apple.
I'm not saying it's a good deal. I think all the 3G data plans are overpriced right now, regardless of carrier, but that's what you have to pay if you want to be an early adopter. Me? I'm happy with my 1 year old iPhone that works just as well on wifi as the brand new 3G model.
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It's the exact same price as any other 3G data plan that AT&T offers, ala Crackberry or Treo, but don't let that stop you from bashing Apple.
It's not the 3G that's expensive, it's the "smart phone" premium. The $15 featurephone ("MEdia Net") unlimited data plan works perfectly fine on 3G but AT&T has decided to charge more for devices with a touchscreen or qwerty keyboard. Nothing keeping you from pulling the SIM out of your free-after-rebate phone and popping it into your unlocked N95 but the terms of service.
The great thing about the first iPhone was that they'd let you use the normal cheap data plan with a "smart" phone. Now that they
Be warned.... Don't lose your iPhone (Score:5, Informative)
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Damn you Nokia! Or is it Motorola?
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A friend of mine works for a company selling the iPhone 2. According to him if you lose your iPhone 2 you will 1. Have to pay full price to get a new one (not too surprising imo) and
This is true of all cell phones. Not only if you 'lose it', but if you damage it in ways that are not covered by warranty, or if you damage it out of warranty. (most cell phones have a 1 year warranty although you can often buy extended warranty.) however liquid damage and physical damage are never covered.
2. Re-sign up for a 2
Re:Be warned.... Don't lose your iPhone (Score:5, Informative)
Liquid damage?
You mean when they take your phone in the back to "check it", bring it back a few seconds later and show you a red dot under your batter cover?
A reputable dealer will flip it open and remove the battery cover right in front of you to check that dot with you.
The red dots in my experience with cellular has been a pretty accurate predictor. And in virtually every red dot case I've ever seen, when at the customers insistence that they've never been anywhere near moisture ever and at their expense we've had our service technicians open the unit -- significant corrosion was invariably plain to see.
A phone can be sopping without getting dunked. An unlucky drop or two on the ground, or not putting the battery cover on properly and the water proofing can easily be compromised. Once that's the case, water vapor and humitity from being left in a pocket on the counter while you take a hot shower, or on a windowsill at night... etc... and the inside of the phone will be full of condensation, which rapidly turns in it into a useless paperweight.
All that said, I wouldn't doubt a disreputable dealer might do what you describe.
If you genuinely suspect a scam, take the device someplace reputable, and have them check the actual electronics -- if they are bone dry and free of corrosion, you have a lawsuit on your hands.
But don't be surprised if the insides come back looking like they spent a week at the bottom of a lake.
Re:Be warned.... Don't lose your iPhone (Score:4, Informative)
Yeah, but why do they design mobile phones so shittily? Isn't it a scam?
I could understand with the first generation, but by now, don'tcha think they ought to have figured out a way to get a waterproof seal over the battery when you close the lid??? I think it's pathetic.
Actually back in the old days I saw a Motorola 2-way unit sitting in a fishbowl at a tradeshow. People could come up use it, and then put it back in the fishbowl. Its not that they can't make them waterproof... its that they can't make them water proof, feature rich, light, 4 millimeters thick, stays cool while you use it, and on top of all that cheap.
Most cellphones are actually quite water reistant, and I've seen countless survive drink spills, and even falls into sinks and worse. But the engineering tradeoffs mean most are still fairly vulnerable. You -can- get waterproof phones though... manufacturers do make units designed to survive immersion... Sony, LG, Fujitsu and others have all released waterproof models. And for the rest, there is a thriving market for waterproof cases.
And its not just the battery cover... the keypad, buttons, charging port, along with the hinges and slides of phones that do that -- are all potential entrances. There are membranes and coatings in place - and the better devices -are- fairly resistant, but if you want water 'proof' you'll have to make some tradeoffs, and the market despite its moaning about liquid damage doesn't exactly snap up the water proof options that are available.
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Re:Be warned.... Don't lose your iPhone (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Be warned.... Don't lose your iPhone (Score:4, Informative)
Your friend is wrong. Even people not eligible for ugprade can get the iphone at the middle price ($400/500).
The subsidized price is available when you are eligible for an upgrade; just like any subsidized phone - if you lose it, you pay an unsubsidized price. AT&T has a freaky offer of a non-contract iphone at $600/700, but it makes no sense to buy it, since the ETF is the same or less than the cost differential.
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I doubt having to buy a new contract would hold up very long in court.
Unless, they canceled your previous contract when you reported the phone lost. If it becomes an issue, get a lawyer.
finally! (Score:2, Insightful)
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quick, someone start complaining! (Score:5, Funny)
It's more expensive over the life of the contract than the previous model!
It's not just a plain cell phone!
It doesn't run Linux!
Re:quick, someone start complaining! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:quick, someone start complaining! (Score:5, Funny)
LOUD NOISES.
Re:quick, someone start complaining! (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:quick, someone start complaining! (Score:5, Funny)
I salute you, good sir, for defying the caps filter.
Re:quick, someone start complaining! (Score:5, Funny)
Maaaaaaaatlooooooocckk.
Re:quick, someone start complaining! (Score:5, Insightful)
I think that's a pretty valid complaint. Being locked into a contract lowers the companies desire to offer decent customer service when compared to how they would want to treat you if you could just switch providers whith a phone call.
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http://www.mycricket.com/ [mycricket.com]
Re:quick, someone start complaining! (Score:5, Informative)
Simple solution.
Purchase the unsubsidized phone. Apple is selling the phone outright for $399 (8G) and $499 (16G) without the contract. If you don't want the contract, or are unable to upgrade your phone with them at this time, you can still buy the iPhone outright.
BL.
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It keeps stealing my aluminum foil!
It won't get off my lawn!
Re:quick, someone start complaining! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:quick, someone start complaining! (Score:5, Funny)
Worth a chuckle at least.
Re:quick, someone start complaining! (Score:4, Funny)
911wasplanned14 (18 hours ago) Show Hide
Well here is our president, isent it wonderful. No wonder he was in the 9.11 crap and other things. look, this is how it goes, we went to war with iraq, we distroyed them. now were trying to help iraq for something HE did. There is no iran necular weapon. there is nothing. iran and iraq are nothing to us. so god bless them. and may they find safty soon. watch ppl, next will be Saudia Arabia. watch. and. see. god bless you all, and beleive in god+christ, cuz thr the only true people left. bye...
Re:quick, someone start complaining! (Score:4, Funny)
http://xkcd.com/202/ [xkcd.com]
Re:quick, someone start complaining! (Score:5, Insightful)
It's not just a plain cell phone!
Y'know, that used to be one of my complaints about ridiculous phones like these. I always said that the durn thing should make phone calls, and that should be the primary functionality of it. Plain and simple.
But then I realized that nobody wants to call me anyway, so maybe what I want really IS a portable computing platform that just happens to have a cell phone buried in it somewhere just in case. :-)
The big news really is the 2.0 software (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:The big news really is the 2.0 software (Score:5, Interesting)
Yeah, so why the hell is that? you can have unlimited data, sent at very fast rates, watch streaming video, check your mail, etc, but those little 140byte packets, sorry, those are $0.20 each...
Re:The big news really is the 2.0 software (Score:5, Insightful)
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Please. That is certainly no ex
Re:The big news really is the 2.0 software (Score:5, Insightful)
Yeah, so why the hell is that? those little 140byte packets, sorry, those are $0.20 each
What's even worse, when I bought my first cell phone (one of the first digital phones), text messaging was free. Then they heard that people elsewhere were gladly paying 10 cents a message, go figure. I don't know the details for sure, but in terms of network usage it might cost them more for a ten minute phone call than a month of heavy text usage.
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That's called "stupidity tax".
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The whole point of SMS is that you can send to any phone that is why it is hard to get rid of
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Best "i" Joke Ever (Score:5, Funny)
On the meltdown of Apple's servers given international demand:
Quoth ABC News and others:
It's the iPocalypse!!!
The Apple revolution may be televised, but streaming is down at this time...
Activation, not sync (Score:3, Informative)
Just Got Mine... (Score:5, Interesting)
Sitting At Home With a Paperweight (Score:2)
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So play find the iPhone. You should be able to get in a good couple of rounds before it gets activated.
To make it interesting, start the game with copious amounts of vodka.
Re:Sitting At Home With a Paperweight (Score:5, Insightful)
I just sold my soul and gave $200 to AT&T, I'd really like to play with my iPhone.
And you're not even allowed to play with it by yourself without activation?
Try and tell me that the future wouldn't be darker with Apple at the helm than Microsoft... Just try.
Re:Sitting At Home With a Paperweight (Score:5, Insightful)
I just sold my soul and gave $200 to AT&T, I'd really like to play with my iPhone.
And you're not even allowed to play with it by yourself without activation?
Try and tell me that the future wouldn't be darker with Apple at the helm than Microsoft... Just try.
Let's see:
Apple's iPods - no activation
Apple's computers - no activation
Apple's other hardware - no activation
Apple's operating system - no activation
Apple and AT&T's iPhone - mandatory activation
AT&T's other mobile phones - mandatory activation
Blaming Apple for cell phone activation is almost as silly as blaming your sports car manufacturer for speed limit signs.
Re:Sitting At Home With a Paperweight (Score:4, Interesting)
Actually... the iPod Touch also won't work without activating it by connecting it to iTunes. It's got a notepad application, a YouTube viewer, a mail client, a web browser, none of these things are set up by iTunes, but none of them works until the iPod Touch is activated by connecting it to iTunes.
Re:Sitting At Home With a Paperweight (Score:5, Interesting)
True, but the "activation" just pairs the device with the computer; it doesn't verify anything with Apple's servers. You can set up an iPod Touch with no Internet access whatsoever.
The techno-survivalist geek in me wants gadgets that are fully functional right out of the box, but the experienced IT geek in me has learned that without a degree of control, inexperienced users get themselves into deep trouble.
In other words, I'd rather spend a minute pairing the handheld device with the PC at the very start than spend hours trying to get the two to sync properly after the fact... It's always fun making two semi-overlapping contact lists/mail folders/calendars on two separate devices perfectly merge with no loss or duplication of data. While the CFO breathes down your neck.
I need no frigging computer or software .... (Score:4, Insightful)
... to activate other phones.
So try again genius.
Re:Sitting At Home With a Paperweight (Score:4, Insightful)
Blaming Apple for cell phone activation is almost as silly as blaming your sports car manufacturer for speed limit signs.
(-1, StupidCarAnalogyByStupidPerson)
Guess what? My RAZR V3i lets me play Java games if it has any SIM in it (including a test SIM, which is about $6.) It doesn't have to be activated. The device wasn't locked when I got it (not even a subsidy lock, since I got it from edge wireless, now part of AT&T, god damn it.)
It's more like having your sports car delivered to your house, then having to contact the manufacturer with your name, address, phone number, current location and VIN before you are able to turn the key and drive even on your own property - and right now, their call center is very, very busy.
See, in this analogy, WiFi is your own property; at least, it's not the phone company's. And the cellphone network is the phone company's network. Apple is the auto manfacturer; it's not only none of their fucking business where or who you are, but just as it is perfectly legal to purchase a car and not register it and then use it for off-road use only (and I don't mean dirt roads in BLM land, which are considered roads for all purposes of law, but instead dune riding or on-track racing) it is also totally legal and reasonable for you to use such a device on your own network.
See what I did there? For those at home who missed it, I just took your analogy which bore no resemblance whatsoever to the situation at hand, and made it almost make sense.
If you had to get permission from GM via onstar before being allowed to pull your car out of your garage and into your driveway, would you be amused? Especially if it didn't work?
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Blaming Apple for cell phone activation is almost as silly as blaming your sports car manufacturer for speed limit signs.
AT&T's other cell phones require "activation", but AT&T does it with their own system.
The iPhone must be activated using Apple's servers. Today, that appears to be where the problem lies. That puts the responsibility squarely on Apple's shoulders.
AT&T is having no problems doing activations for non-iPhone customers today, other than they have to wait in line along with all the people waiting for an iPhone.
Re:Sitting At Home With a Paperweight (Score:5, Insightful)
But all available evidence has shown that no one can fix Windows.
The evidence has shown mostly that it will take everyone to fix Windows.
Microsoft has been making more token displays of Openness because people are demanding that they be more Open.
If we demonstrate (financially) that it is not sufficient, then they will actually become more Open as have various other companies like IBM and even Apple (although they are going back and forth on their Open Source promises.) IBM sells more Linux than AIX today. Much of the MacOS is Open Source. Back in the day, Apple sold you a computer you couldn't open without a special screwdriver (I've had two MacCaseCrackers stolen from me already, criminy) and if you wrote software on an old IBM mainframe, it became the property of IBM. (Perhaps not at the same time.) Microsoft can be shown the error of their ways as well, if we just decide that it is possible, and don't settle for half-measures.
But meanwhile, Apple is still half-assing it, and it's still Apple's way or the highway. Why shouldn't an iPhone let you use all the non-phone functionality right out of the box? Why can't you pick it up and start using the WiFi functions and the web browser? Answer: because Apple wants your personal information.
.. sent home without their sync complete (Score:5, Funny)
That's if you ever get past the line to even get a phone in the first place.
iPhone 3G lines make DMV look like baskin robins.
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as an admitted apple fanboy, i must say.... (Score:5, Interesting)
I am completely sick of hearing about this thing. everyfarkingwhere you turn it's 'iphone-iphone-iphone' arghhhh. of course I might be singing a different tune if 1) I had a job and the economy was doing ok so I could afford one 2) knew someone i could actually make a phone call to. but oh how I do want to hold it's shinyness in my filty little hands and multi-touch it's glassy goodness. Unfortunately I have to buy groceries this month and pine for the days when I had a decent credit score.
Re:as an admitted apple fanboy, i must say.... (Score:5, Funny)
I am completely sick of hearing about this thing. everyfarkingwhere you turn it's 'iphone-iphone-iphone' arghhhh. of course I might be singing a different tune if ...
Don't you mean you might be singing a different iTune?
The iPhone is dead to me, and maybe other geeks (Score:5, Interesting)
As a pro geek, my arsenal of electronic gadgets used to climb in number. In the past year or so, I've gotten down to 4 items I need and use daily:
1. iMate Ultimate 6150 (primary phone, T-Mobile, EDGE)
2. HTC Trinity P3600 (secondary phone, AT&T, 3G)
3. iPod Touch 16GB
4. TomTom GO 910 GPS
My Trinity has a great GPS built in, so the TomTom could go. The iPhone 2 would almost get rid of 3 devices, actually, except for one feature that is missing/disabled: tethering.
I travel, a lot, for my businesses. Nationally and internationally, I use my cell phone for email, phone calls, and basic billing. A notebook is not in my list of gadgets, even though I usually have 2 on me some of the time. Being able to tether to my Trinity is a huge need. On the Trinity I run a WiFiRouter app that lets me tether any WiFi device to the web at full 3G speeds. If I am with clients, employees or subcontractors, having a great WiFi wireless router is a huge gain. But Apple refuses to allow it.
I'm sure some third party hackers will eventually get tethering to work. If so, Apple will gain a customer or 15 (I'd give this option to any of my staff who uses wireless tethering regularly or even irregularly). So why did Apple not offer this feature? Battery life? AT&T telling them not to?
I'm using tethering right now, in fact. On the go. I have two notebooks booted up and online, and they're working great. But I'd love to downsize all my devices to one.
So I'm calling you out Apple. Add a tethering feature to the next ROM update!
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As a pro geek, my arsenal of electronic gadgets used to climb in number. In the past year or so, I've gotten down to 4 items I need and use daily: 1. iMate Ultimate 6150 (primary phone, T-Mobile, EDGE) 2. HTC Trinity P3600 (secondary phone, AT&T, 3G) 3. iPod Touch 16GB 4. TomTom GO 910 GPS ...
Nokia, as many other brands, can reduce all of that to one phone (can even install TomTom)... and have 5MP camera with flash, and 30FPS video camera, and an officially unlocked phone. Apple is not the best thing, since sliced bread - you have other options.
Re:The iPhone is dead to me, and maybe other geeks (Score:4, Interesting)
Is tethering not something that could be implemented with the SDK? I honestly don't know, not having a Mac (which as far as I'm aware is needed to make proper use of the SDK), I haven't investigated.
That said, tethering HAS been implemented by third parties, for quite some time now. Unfortunately, it's so far required a jailbroken iPhone and some fairly low level hackery that I don't think the average user would feel comfortable doing.
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Any service plan discounts for AT&T premier (Score:3, Interesting)
I wouldnt mind picking one up if I can maintain my discounts as an AT&T premier customer.
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I'll only get one if I can maintain my discounts as an AT&T Super mega ultra platinum AT&T contract only customer (you have to know someone, if you ask about it, they'll tell you it doesn't exist).
Has Apple jumped the shark? (Score:4, Interesting)
Apple had over a year to correct the supply/activation fiasco of the initial iPhone launch, and so far it's going worse, not better. The new iPhone is also more expensive to own - Job's "half the cost" pitch is an outright lie. 3G (where available) simply provides the "user experience" that people expected from the original iPhone. I already had a bad experience with Edge, so I didn't waste my time with it.
They intentionally planned both an iTunes software upgrade and the release of 2.0 software for the original iPhone and iPod Touch for today, and they didn't plan for overloaded servers? I was fortunate enough to have gotten the iTunes update before the rush, but all day long, the "Buy Now" button on apple.com for the 2.0 upgrade (for my iTouch) is "temporarily unavailable".
By the way, It's $10 to "upgrade" the iTouch to accept the 2.0 software upgrade. This upgrade is needed to run 2.0, which is required if you want to install any additional apps from the Apple Apps store. An original iPhone and my iTouch both cost the same ($399), but if I had an iPhone, the software update to 2.0 would be free. Also, I made the mistake of buying the earlier $20 iTouch software upgrade. Turns out the 2.0 upgrade includes that upgrade as well, and already having it doesn't make the 2.0 upgrade any cheaper (or free, as it should be)
How much longer before the masses will finally see through the bad customer experiences with Apple (they go on and on - unreplaceable iPod batteries, rip-off price of the original iPhone (reduced shortly after release to really tick off the loyal early adopters), and now another botched product release. When will the loyal fans finally say "ENOUGH!"
Re:Has Apple jumped the shark? (Score:4, Insightful)
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Of course, the problem with that is that it might steal some of the hype from iPhone 3G. After all, an original iPhone with 2.0 firmware has all the features of a new one, minus 3G and GPS. If you have all the original iPhones updated a week before, then the release of the new version is just going to seem like a minor hardware update.
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Yes, that was my point. It is a minor hardware update, but by releasing a huge software update at the same time, they tie the two together and it *seems* like the hardware update is a really big deal. If they didn't do that, the minor hardware update just seems like a minor hardware update.
But let's all be happy that they didn't hold any features back. That's to their credit. They could have released the new software to only run on the 3G, just to spur people to upgrade. Most other phones work that wa
Re:Has Apple jumped the shark? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Has Apple jumped the shark? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Has Apple jumped the shark? (Score:5, Informative)
Don't be a tool. These are valid complaints.
If someone tried to tell you something was 1/2 price but was really more expensive over the term, you think that's ok? It's not 5 bucks more, it's 160+/- more.
Where do you draw the line? It's deceptive and that's a fancy word for a lie.
How about charging ipod touch users 10 bucks so that they can spend money at the app store? That's increasing features so you spend more money. Yes I am aware that they have free apps and they have a bunch that aren't also.
What pisses me off most is that you can still buy shit all day long on the store and not get through activation. Why couldn't they load balance the activation as much as all the other crap? Yes, I know the answer to that.
I swear, if Steve Jobs personally kicked every Apple customer in the balls, 90 percent would talk about how they had it coming for some reason or another.
3g networks (Score:5, Funny)
First post!!1
I' so pumped up about these super pony fast 3g networks and the wireless coverage is spotle
Sent from my iPhone.
It begs for a cell user bill of rights (Score:5, Insightful)
1. Expose the full minimum costs (including taxes) for the deal over its life
2. Provide overnight replacement of defective phones, and have remote diagnostics to prove it
3. Bogus charges of moisture sensors should be grounds for no-fault contract termination
4. No charge for instant termination if your bill is paid on time
5. Full backup of user data services at no charge at the carrier on-line
6. No extra charges for text, data, or voice (they're all the same anyway)
7. User-selected least-call-cost routing
8. Users can put any app on their phone they want, so long as they take responsibility for it
9. No throttling of service by type; all user controlled.
10. User password-controlled kill switches to brick stolen phones
11. One single mini-USB jack for charging purposes and sub-mini audio plug standard on all phones
12. No charges for directly uploading and downloading any media or datafiles to the phone within its capacity
13. Destroy all 'deals' between phone vendors and carriers; reveal the true cost of using all services on each contract
14. Allow treble damages for carrier slamming
15. Mandate unbundled deals, so that true costs can be assessed by consumers
Cell phones need to leave the telco world and enter the computer world.
Ok. Whew. I'll get off my soapbox. Now for the barrage.
Apple, cut the BS with iTunes (Score:5, Interesting)
I mean seriously, you buy a phone and then you need to go home and activate it through some software?
What if I don't run Windows nor Mac?
I mean, Apple, cmmon ..
That means that obligates me to have a computer running the OS you choose. Or installing another OS just for activating it.
What's next?
Will I be obliged to have 4 gigs RAM to move my pics to the PC's hard disk?
P.S. I know I could just go to a friend and activate the phone, but will you just go to his house to use his computer and you have your own at home?
Already installed the iPhone 2.0 software (Score:3, Interesting)
I downloaded an earlier version of the iPhone 2.0 software [appleinsider.com] and installed it on my iPhone yesterday. Works great and I've spent a lot of time in the app store. Here are my observations:
1. AolRadio is an amazing offering. Within wifi zones, it offers a ton of digital radio stations that blow my Sirius satellite subscription out of the water- better music offerings and for free. It supposedly works to some extent over 3g, while not offering ALL stations. So it makes the iPhone a cool portable internet radio player.
2. eReader is an ebook reader that's free, but it only allows you to install books purchased from their website. For $9.99 you can purchase an app called 'bookshelf' that lets you install your own ebooks, and supports multiple formats. It doesn't currently support PDF, but I assume it will.
3. Most of the good games are not free or cheap. Super Monkey Ball is $9.99.
4. Weatherbug is an app similar to the original weather APP, but it offers radar views and current condition photos. The radar would be excellent, but it doesn't automatically zoom in to the city you are interested in. At least one other feature on it seems incomplete.
Seth
Re:Time to anti-hype (Score:5, Informative)
From talking to people in the industry, the innovation with the iPhone isn't so much with the device itself, it's with the kind of deal Apple was able to cut.
No, the innovation is making the features easy to use. Surveys have been done asking phone users if they use the email, internet, etc., capabilities of their phones. Compared to other smartphone users, iPhone users use more of their phone's capabilities, and more often.
I'm too lazy to find the survey right now, and you certainly have no reason to trust me. But the innovation with the iPhone may be related to its pricing structure, but people like it because it is a solid, stable, and very usable device. Add to this the ability to couple it with your computer at home and it really is easy to see why this device is popular.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Add to this the ability to couple it with your computer at home and it really is easy to see why this device is popular.
And therein lies my biggest complaint with the iPhone. I can use it with my computer at home, or my computer at work, but not both. iTunes is one of the biggest piece of shit software packages I have ever used, second only to RealPlayer, but getting close. The iPod functionality is basically useless for me if I can only sync with one computer. Just let drag and drop things to the phone for fucks sake.
Re:Time to anti-hype (Score:5, Insightful)
And this, my friends, is exactly why none of the other clueless companies have managed to put out a similar product that can even come CLOSE to competing with the iPhone on its own terms. The innovation was in the software and to a lesser extend the hardware. The deal with AT&T was because AT&T saw the innovation and said to themselves, "Oshit, we best get ourselves in on this shit." Even having something of a dislike for Apple (honestly, I'd rather have Microsoft in a position of power than them), real credit is due to how slick their software on the iPhone is.
iPhone in Britain (Score:5, Interesting)
You think your lot are shockingly incompetent, try our lot. Their authentication software is just a basic form filling thing, barely more than a web page, but it requires IE. Applestore staff are really enjoying having to cobble together an emulation solution today as nobody realised that IE for Mac was killed off years ago, especially when they found out that the back end software is as stable as a dizzy stiltwalker in a ball bearing factory.
Meanwhile I'm not even in an Apple store as O2 randomly decreed that existing customers can only upgrade at O2 stores. I should have been able to upgrade online and have the phone delivered, but despite sending me 3 mails saying I'd successfully ordered online, and debiting my credit card, O2 randomly decided I wasn't getting one, and the estimated delivery date was 'hopefully by the end of Summer'. The idea of reserving the a phone for me at the shop, or couriering one from the shop to me was for no readily apparent reason unthinkable, so I decided to queue at the shop. I was 11th in line. After making a grand total of 3 sales in the first hour after opening, the staff decided to switch to filling in the paperwork offline, which slowed them down to just 2 completed sales in the 2nd hour.
At about this point, they finally realised that some people in the 100 strong queue would not get one of the 30 phones they had in stock. They counted the 16Gb phones, and gave the first 12 people in the queue a yellow post it note that designated us as the lucky ones to get the big memory version. Then they took the 12th post it away, having discovered that their counting abilities matched their organisational abilities. Purple post its for the 8Gbs followed, and the back two thirds of the queue were told they were out of luck, and had waited over 2 hours for no reason.
Five minutes later, they noticed the *other* box of iPhones, and handed out more post-its to people who had only just arrived and joined the back of the queue (of course it didn't occur to staff to stop people joining the queue after the first batch of phones were all accounted for). After much arguing they finally stopped trying to allocate the newly found 16s to the newcomers and swapped purple post its for yellows. Several staff genuinely couldn't understand why people who had queued for hours and been told they could only have an 8 were angry that people who arrived 5 mins ago were getting first dibs on the second lot of 16s. One just kept repeating 'but you've been allocated an 8' over and over.
After nearly 3 hours, I was the 11th person to leave the store with a phone. I expect the store won't sell out today, because they had about 40 left, and only 9 hours before closing time.
My activation worked just fine though :-)
Re:iPhone in Britain (Score:5, Insightful)
The strangest thing of all is that you paid them to treat you like that.