Dvorak Says gPhone is Doomed

drewmoney writes "Speaking with his usual frustrated crankiness John Dvorak rants his way through an article explaining why the gPhone will never work. 'First of all, it wants to put Google search on a phone. It wants to do this because it is obvious to the folks at Google that people need to do Web searches from their phone, so they can, uh, get directions to the restaurant? Of course, they can simply use the phone itself to call the restaurant and ask! I've actually used various phones with Web capability. They never work right. They take forever to navigate. It's hard to read the screens ... I also hope that people note the fact that the public has not been flocking to smartphones of any sort.' "

Re:Dvorak

[ByOhTek]

That's a joke right? (Sorry, but there might actually be pople that think this is the same guy as the one who created the keyboard.

Though this is rich.

I've actually used various phones with Web capability. They never work right. They take forever to navigate.-

Google specifically addressed fixing those two issues in their goals.

It's hard to read the screens ...

This is, of course, completely dependant on the phone design. If you are talking about a phone like my little LG, yeah, web stuff would be a pain, but if you are using something with a screen as you would find on a PDA phone, it wouldn't be that bad.

I also hope that people note the fact that the public has not been flocking to smartphones of any sort

Dvorak, iPhone. iPhone, Dvorak. Apparantly you two havn't met. Maybe not the hugest mass of the public, but there was certainly a flock, and I'm not sure how many other phones are as popular as that one.

As for directions, I'd probably take google maps over calling the restraunt. And you'd still need to find their phone number (ok, 411 covers that, but google maps is one step, and probably faster).

All that being said, I'm happy with my dumbphone. Except that it has a camera. Maybe next time I'll be able to find a no-camera phone. You know, the kind you make phone calls with, and don't do much else with.

1.4 million bought

[AHumbleOpinion]

I'm not a fan of Apple and won't get an iPhone for myself, but people are buying those, right?

At last count 1.4 million bought at $400 or $600. And that is just the US.

Has Dvorak even used Mobile Google maps?

[Pontiac]

I don't think so.. Google maps rocks.. the mobile version is killer if you have a java enabled phone..
If you are on Verizon that means you are screwed since they Hacked out java.
Maybe all he's used is yahoo maps on his phone.. Thats about as painful as hacking your arm off with a dull butter knife.. it sucks!

I use my Windows Mobile phone all the time for doing web searches, looking up addresses and all kinda of other stuff.

If the Gphone has a good browser like Mini Mo,GPS, can sync Gmail it'll be good..

If it can't do active sync with exchange over the network it'll never catch on with big business..
Not a huge deal there.. the Iphone is doing quite well without them.

Re:On the subject of tags

[Thornburg]

I thought that's what "Get off my lawn!" was for...

Re:So Wrong

[Jonboy X]

Well, it's kind of a matter of semantics, but some people are of the opinion that the iPhone isn't really a "smartphone", because you can't add 3rd-party apps or it doesn't have a QWERTY keyboard or no "enterprise" email connectivity, etc:

http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/09/the-iphone-is-not-a-smartphone/ [engadget.com]
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/11/08/smartphones_q/ [publicradio.org]

However, Blackberries are pretty darn popular from what I can tell. I think Treos would be popular too if they weren't so crash-prone.

Re:Dvorak

[Anonymous Coward]

I, for one, do not care for his keyboard, but I'm a real fan of his New World Symphony.

Re:Really?

[billn]

Google search on a capable phone isn't going to fail. It's already a success. If Dvorak has this view on the subject, it's because he's trying to ramp up adSense traffic for his point of view, or he's still rocking a mid-80s brick phone, kicking it Zack Morris style.

Disclaimer: I do not work for any of the companies or providers I'm about to mention. I am an end user in every respect, with regards to this discussion, however technically adept.

I own a Treo 700wx, running Windows Mobile, on Verizon's network, with an unlimited usage EVDO data plan. However much Microsoft tends to piss me off, this is the single most useful phone I've ever owned, and that is largely because of the Google Maps application I installed on it, post purchase.

The ability to lookup anything puts real value into the money I spend on a data plan for the phone. Combined with an I-blue Bluetooth GPS receiver (that happily goes to sleep when you're not talking to it), I can search for anything around my current location, like a bank, an ATM, a restaurant, a car repair place, and get it on a map, and save the contact information directly to my phonebook. It's one more option to get driving directions from my current location to the selected destination, without calling anyone, including a pay-per-use 411 style information service.

Search on a smartphone works. Period. Google did it right. I don't blame them one bit for finding a way to monetize it and leverage what is already an excellent service offering. I haven't cracked a phone book in years to begin with. They pile up on my porch and get used in my fireplace.

Re:Rly

[Four_One_Nine]

How are you going to get their phone number?

Google has already taken care of that too: 1-800-GOOG-411 [google.com]

From the link:

Find and call local businesses by talking, not typing. Free.