3G iPhone Going Into Production In May 269
A few folks noted the rumor mill churning over 3G iPhones coming soon. Apparently they might be going into production as early as May, and announced somewhere in the 2nd quarter. Hopefully they manage to stick a GPS and another 16 gigs of memory in this one.
Don't take away my storage, captain! (Score:4, Funny)
But my iPhone already has 8 gigs!
Will it have a Paris Hilton news blocker? (Score:5, Funny)
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day early? (Score:4, Funny)
You should take a clue from Apple (Score:2)
WishList (Score:3, Interesting)
- AutoFocus/Flash for the Camera
- 3G
- GPS
and I'm set, getting rid of a bunch of electronics for just one deviceWhat else do you guys think could be added?
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I know everyo
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I know everyone complains about EDGE, but I hope the 3G layers on top of the EDGE support. You can get EDGE just about anywhere--even if it is dog slow. Sometimes that's really handy.
Maybe in the USA, but not elsewhere. Most of Europe skipped EDGE and went straight to UMTS and is now moving to HSDPA. In the UK, O2 (who got the exclusive deal for the iPhone) quickly rushed out EDGE in London, but not anywhere else, meaning that the iPhone has to fall back to GPRS in most of the country. My current phone support UMTS and the network has pretty good coverage - I only occasionally have to fall back to using GPRS, and I really notice the different (50KB/s downloads with 200ms ping times
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Gosh, I had forgotten all about that ;-) I had originally hoped to use my iPhone to connect my MacBook to the internet while roaming about. There turned out to be no way to do it. But in the end, I stopped taking my MacBook around with me so much, as I could just about everything I really needed with my iPhone. Any time I needed my MacBook, I almost was always near Wifi ... so I guess I just forgot about the problem fo
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16GB _exta_ memory? (Score:2)
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FCC approval ? (Score:3, Insightful)
Surely since they had to pre-announce the first iPhone to protect against the FCC announcing it for them, we could expect to see a similar request before a 3G iPhone comes into being ?
Finally in Vermont? (Score:2)
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In the market for a new phone and really not impressed with the various Treos, I picked up an iPhone. Great phone, finally a decent interface. A few major annoyances like the inability to sync notes from an OS X machine (???).
Too bad AT&T couldn't figure out how to keep both the iPhone and my wife's L6 runn
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Will it have a Fly Eye camera? (Score:3, Interesting)
A key benefit of the camera is if you're on a video conference, your image will be looking straight at the camera instead of off screen.
who cares? (Score:3, Informative)
The iPhone has crippled software, crippled hardware, and crippled contracts. There is no reason on earth to buy one.
3G is what Canada needs... (Score:3, Interesting)
It's almost cruel how little Apple has said about a Canadian release (nothing). They haven't even hinted, nor have Telus, Bell, or Rogers. Only recently have we gotten a sign a 'something' in that there's a "French - Canadian" language seeting in the new 2.0 software.
Sigh, I'll keep waiting.
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One more improvement needed (Score:2)
are particularly annoyed at : speakerphone mode, and the speaker in general. One of the major
problems is that its maximum volume is abysmally low. How hard is it or how much cost does
it take to put in a beefier microspeaker? Probably next to nothing. Are they trying to save
a few pennies? I'd like something ala the Qtek 9000. Not only does this thing have stereo sound [myqtek.com]
but it has about everything but the kitchen sink.
Re:why (Score:5, Informative)
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Or as you said, if a flip flop saves a flop, well, meh.
I stick to my nokia (edge, 3g, gsm, 802.11g) I think
Re:why (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:why (Score:5, Insightful)
Such is the case for most of the connectivity technologies that see more rapid adoption overseas. There are large areas of the USA that are simply not densely populated enough to justify the expense of rolling out cutting-edge networks there. It isn't a matter of the US simply being behind the technological curve, as some like to assume.
Pardon the PHB nature of this next statement, but these are the types of differences that turn a 3 year ROI into a 10 year ROI, and slow down adoption.
Re:why (Score:5, Informative)
And don't think we have 100% 3G coverage over here(Denmark) - far from it. I would guess by area we're around 40%(Complete guesstimate), but coverage by population is at least 80% - I see nothing that prevents USA from doing something similar.
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I fail to see anything in the parent post that suggests that he doesn't understand. In fact, it's likely that he understands all too well. Perhaps rather than take an argumentative tone in response, you simply add your point to further reinforce the his.
Now, if such large areas in the US can't justify 3G then how could they justify WiFi as an alternative? That is, after all, the Apple position on the matter.
Re:why (Score:4, Insightful)
This isn't true anymore. About 83% of the U.S. population lives in cities. We just aren't a rural country anymore. The simpler answer is that we have a de facto telecommunications monopoly in this country, and we all know how much monpolies love innovation.
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There is no reason why carriers in the US couldn't do the same and roll out UMTS at 850 or 700 or some other number that gives the same coverage as Telstra are getting.
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nd you'll see a lot of comments from Apple fanboi's defending Apple all the way, but here's the truth, uncensored. (Go ahead, mod me down, fanboi trolls) what a lot of North American (like myself) readers don't seem to understand is that while we just got 3G services and phones rolled out within the last 2 years by the likes of Sprint, Verizon, etc., here in the States, abroad, they've had 3G for quite sometime and are completely spoiled by it.
1) I completely agree that apple dropped the ball by not initially launching the iphone as 3G. I want one, but have been waiting for a 3G version.
2) What service are you using that only rolled out 3g "within the past 2 years." I have been hard pressed to find a date for when Verizon rolled out their ev-do network (circa 2003--5 years ago--seems roughly it), but I'd guess I've been using it for 3-4 years. Verizon/Sprint/etc just rolled out their RevA ev-do, if that's possibly what you are confused by?
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Re:why (Score:5, Insightful)
This isn't Apple's other electronic markets, cell phones are updated almost the time, and usually it's not just a "slap a stick of bigger memory on it and call it a day" sort of revision. They need and should be adding more features to compete with the rest of the market.
With that said, I don't understand why the hell people keep begging for GPS, I just feel that there are so many other better self GPS only products that get the job done that Apple shouldn't bother with that market. Besides, if you're shelling out hundreds on an iPhone, I have a feeling you may have a GPS system of some sorts already.
Because we one "One gadget to rule them all" (Score:5, Funny)
"Three PDAs for the Elven Lords
Seven cell phones for the Dwarf Lords and their halls of stone
Nine MP3 players for the
Three Cell Phones for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven PDAs for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine MP3 players for Mortal Men doomed to die,
We want...
One Gadget the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Gadget to rule them all, One Gadget to find them,
One Gadget to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
***
(ie: I don't want a separate cell phone, PDA, MP3 player, GPS and batman utility belt. Especially NOT when the technology is available to easily have all 4 in a single device. And the only thing stopping it from happening is BS marketing idiots.)
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1) It will necessarily suck at at least one function
2) It will most likely suck at many
3) It might even suck at all of them
4) If one item gets outdated, the whole thing is
I don't want an all in one. My cell phone camera sucks. My cell phone's MP3 player sucks. My Cell Phone's GPS sucks. They function at such a low level that I don't even use them. This doesn't even count the lousy battery life of the damn thing.
Why GPS on you cell phone. (Score:5, Insightful)
Traveling? Want to find a restaurant? Just use your cell with GPS and you can even dial the number and make reservations. Yes auto GPS systems have that but do you carry them in your pocket? When you travel you may or may not have a GPS in your rental car. Yea you could take your portable one with you but what if you don't have a rental car and are just walking? What if you are riding with someone that doesn't have a GPS?
Again it is always in my pocket. It is the same reason that I have web browser on my phone and a media player.
It is always with me and it is small and light.
GPS is incredibly useful (Score:4, Interesting)
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If the Yellow Pages, or whatever you're using, is doing the job for you that's great. But I don't see why you should pooh-pooh a tool that other people (such as myself) find so damn handy.
-Peter
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But here are some examples of when I have used my GPS. My wife got us involved in a book club. The meeting was at a members. I had the address so I had no real problem finding it.
I was in the Next town over and needed to find an ATM. GPS works just great for that.
I stopped to get gas in that same town and an older gentleman asked me where the nearest Walmart was. I had no idea until I took out my Cell phone and did a search and
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Now that I have a good car GPS system to save me from getting lost all the time, I want one in my pocket. I can think of a few times when I have been out in a city on foot, and had to worry about getting lost. It would have been nice to have GPS
Re:why (Score:5, Informative)
Maps versus GPS (Score:4, Interesting)
then MAYBE you'll have a decent argument about why maps are superior in every way. Maps are useful to be sure but GPS devices do a lot more than just show where streets are located. I use my GPS almost daily. Bet you I get a lot more value out of my GPS than you do from your map.
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So. What.
I don't need any street directions to anywhere, ever. I can plan a 1200 mile trip after glancing at a map and arr
GPS is the next wave of integration (Score:3, Insightful)
With that said, I don't understand why the hell people keep begging for GPS...
Because GPS is a VERY logical addition to a mobile device. Arguably more logical than a music player for many people. Any business traveler would likely find a GPS enabled phone (with appropriate navigation software) to be extremely useful. I think the GPS is the next logical device to see serious integration into smartphones (after PDAs and MP3 players) because it is such an obvious fit for mobile users.
I have a Garmin nuvi 660 and a Nokia E70. Both are fine devices. But there are MANY times when car
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It's great for in-car use where it's on power, but unless apple have found a GPS chipset that is able to work on much lower power than the current ones I wouldn't expect it in an iphone in the near future.
External GPS works - where you have a separate battery and you plug it into USB. Then when the GPS dies at least you've still got your phone. That would mean apple enabling the USB port
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It's great for in-car use where it's on power, but unless apple have found a GPS chipset that is able to work on much lower power than the current ones I wouldn't expect it in an iphone in the near future.
No argument on the battery drain, though generally if I'm outside a car I generally don't need the GPS to be active for many hours in a row. If I did I probably would be carrying a dedicated GPS device anyway. One specially designed for hiking or whatever else I'm doing at that time. I think an integrated device would work if you could easily turn the GPS functions off when not in use.
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Not so sure that is really the entire issue. I have a bitty little Holux GPSlim 240 that I use in conjunction with my cameras. It's about 2 inches long and weighs next to nothing. With the bluetooth transmitter going I get about 8 hours off of some (unknown) little lithium battery inside the unit. Of course, the power management problem inside the iPhone is extremely complex and has b
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My girlfriend just got a new phone to replace her two year old one that broke. The new one is almost imperceptibly smaller, the camera is slightly higher resolution, and the default ringtone is more annoying and more difficult to change.
Apple has done very well by resisting the urge to cram more "features" into their devices. Most famously, the iPod.
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Really? You are having trouble grasping the concept of integration? You see no value in having only one device in your pocket instead of two? A GPS unit you have with you will always be better than one you don't have.
As for battery life, GPS only consumes power when it is on. I'm amazed how
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Re: GPS (Score:4, Interesting)
Besides i don't want GPS built in. As GPS uses a ton a battery power. I want a Bluetooth, or other dongle that occasionally sends GPS data. Why can't I get a car dock, with a built in GPS receiver? Just plug the iPhone in I can listen to tunes, hook up the bluetooth to my car's bluetooth headset, and have driving map to go by all from one device.
Unfortunately the SDK, and Apple's EULA's prevent exactly that from ever happening.
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How does the Maps location based service (LBS) work?
LBS provides your approximate location using information based on your proximity to known cellular network towers and Wi-Fi networks (when on and available). The more accurate the available information, the smaller the circle identifying your position on the map. The feature is not available in all areas. Known Wi-Fi networks are predominantly in urban areas. In order to provide your location, d
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Every time I've used it it's either said no data was available or drawn a huge circle around the city I'm in - that's completely useless.
Google maps versus GPS (Score:2)
I'm assuming you have cell towers near you. Sure, when driving you'll need more accurate information than the LBS provides. But on foot, a map of the surrounding area should be good enough for most.
It's certainly better than nothing but in my experience the cell phone triangulation is pretty bad at figuring out where you really are. When I use Google maps on my cell phone it's pretty rare that I'm even within a kilometer of where it thinks I am. Takes a lot of searching to find your actual location. And I'm in a major metro area with pretty good cell phone coverage flat terrain and no large buildings in the way. Even with Wifi assistance it's still often pretty imprecise. Maybe I'm just spoiled
GPS via Bluetooth (Score:2)
Besides i don't want GPS built in. As GPS uses a ton a battery power. I want a Bluetooth, or other dongle that occasionally sends GPS data. Why can't I get a car dock, with a built in GPS receiver?
That's why I bought a Nokia E70 instead of an iPhone. This device [garmin.com] from Garmin might do what you are looking for. Other manufacturers make similar devices if you don't like that one. Not available for the iPhone yet though.
I would say though that if you are going the separate device route AND only going to use the GPS in the car, you might just consider getting a stand alone GPS. I have one for driving and it works brilliantly. Integration with my phone would be nifty but isn't really necessary if you
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Worse, because GPS signals require so much work to read, receivers typically require several minutes to achieve a usable result from a cold start, so the option of leaving it off for the 99% of the time you're not using it is less appealing because staring at a busy cursor on your phone for 5 minutes sucks when you just want s
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(And really - do we have a Slashdot story for every 3G phone that comes out? I had to double-check my calendar to make sure I hadn't slipped five years or more into the past. Maybe we can have news stories about other new fangled technologies like texting, MMS and Java?)
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other than that Apple makes great random filler for the editors that always generate ad pageviews.
Re:Why does iPhone succeed? (Score:5, Insightful)
Like it or hate it, you got to admit that the iPhone has a pretty nice interface and it's not too hard to learn. When my mom and aunts, who are in their 40s and not very technologically adept, decided to pick up iPhones and can use them as well as me, you know they're doing something right.
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My old Motorolla V551 took a hard hit and was knocked out cold. I needed a phone - fast... I walked into the Cingular/AT&T store, asked to see a phone that would do more than just be a phone... So I looked at Palm... Been there, done that, have the t-shirt from Handspring... *yawn* --- I looked at Blackberry... too fruity for me... --- I then took a serious look at the (then) top of the line Windows Mobile
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Take hands-free dialing for example. The State of California issued several press releases about the impending law stating that cell phone use while driving would require hands free, yet, within less than a year of said law taking effect, the iPhone was released without the ability to voice dial, ergo, not being tru
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When I want to use the phone while driving -- which is rare -- I just do it, the same way I'll drive 65 in a 55 zone when I feel like doing that. Yay for individual judgment.
And I rarely use the phone for email. I was (un)lucky enough to be
Re:Why does iPhone succeed? (Score:5, Insightful)
I have used other smart phones such as the Motorola Q and the Blackberry, but the iPhone is the simplest to use for what I want: easy to access and read e-mail and web browsing and a phone. It also does simple things like work as my calculator, a calendaring system, take notes on it, do alarms, stop-watch, stock quotes, weather and whatever else you download for it now. And oh yeah, it is my iPod too and I synch it with Bluetooth to my car for use as hands-free.
As someone else already pointed out, the ease of use and interface are the key things that a good smartphone really needs - and Apple succeeded quite well with their first try. Yes, it didn't have 3G or GPS built-in for the first pass at it, but future versions most certainly will. Once they add the rest of those features, i'll be surprised at what people will find to complain about it then. It will probably never have enough memory for the complainers and i'm sure the DRM and device lock-down are also something to continue to complain about, but i'm happy with the phone now just as much (or more than) I was when I bought mine back in September after they lowered the price on it. Now if only AT&T could get some better coverage around where I live
Re:Why does iPhone succeed? (Score:5, Insightful)
Don't underestimate the power of the dark side.
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Unlikely. But if the free flip phones had a perpetual motion machine and a love ray that instantly seduces any woman it is aimed at, some people would still rather have their expensive Iphone, and that's still all we'd hear about on Slashdot.
But since neither is true
Re:Why does iPhone succeed? (Score:5, Interesting)
1: Ease of use.
2: High quality software - few software bugs
3: Ipod
4: Very good web browser
5: Some very nice third party software (if you jailbrake it)
I've also have a Nokia E90 - so I'm able to compare my iPhone to a more feature full phone. This is a phone that has almost all the features that you could imagine. 3.5G, GPS, SIP client, multi megapixel camera, keyboard and etc. This is similar to other expensive Nokia phones.
The problems with the Nokia phones are:
1. Several different confusing menus - the series 60 is awful to use
2. Lots and lots of bugs, several that freezes the phones
3. Terrible multimedia software
4: Good web browser with bad user interface. Nokia calls it Safari (webkit) based, but the interface is miles away from the iPhone
Yes my Nokia E90 has it bright spots. For example I bring it along on my travels because of it's GPS and its SIP client. Additionally the keyboard makes it nice using ssh to check problems with servers and etc. And it's really nice to have 3.5G Internet access. But since it's awful to use as a day to day phone it's mostly left at home.
BTW: I live in Oslo, the main capital of Norway. An area with very good 3G and 3.5G coverage. So I know what I'm missing with just the EDGE network.
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By the dark side you're referring to that force that's is causing your ridiculous whining, right?
How does the world's greatest multimedia phone do without supporting the oldest and most basic multimedia functionality again? Is MMS really that hard for Apple?
Re:Why does iPhone succeed? (Score:5, Insightful)
Apple appear to be taking advantage that many people are unaware how almost every phone (even cheap ones) can do Internet access as standard, so they are able to promote it as a new and wonderful thing (even on Slashdot, I see this happening).
(And it's not clear it has "succeeded" apart from in the sense of not flopping? Sure it's succeeded, but so has the Treo and many other phones, but if you mean been a success above all others, that's not clear at all to me.)
Re:Why does iPhone succeed? (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm sure they're also attracting the people that have tried out the browsers on their phones, and found them so painful to use that they've just given up. I'm one of them - I never use the browser on my Samsung Z560 unless I really have to. In contrast, I'll browse the web on my iPod Touch quite happily - it's not as good as a desktop browser, but it's not that far off.
In fact, I was ranting to my boss just now about the fact that my phone browser forgets cookies when the browser is closed (which happens every time you close the clamshell, annoyingly). It's particularly apparent when using PayPal Mobile, which shows you a regular login page by default. You can opt to log in using your mobile number and a PIN, and if you've got the cookie you'll be automatically redirected. Mine, unfortunately, forgets the cookie.
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You're already modded 5 but I just wanted to echo the sentiment.
I've used other smart phones and mobiles and, for my taste, the iPhone's UI is simply the best. Browsing is much easier and more intuitive, and although it does lack a few nice features like voice dialing, the standard phone functions are better laid out and more intuitive than most other mobiles.
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Apple appear to be taking advantage that many people are unaware how almost every phone (even cheap ones) can do Internet access as standard, so they are able to promote it as a new and wonderful thing
No, Apple are taking advantage of the fact that every smartphone out there has interfaces and browsers that suck, while the iPhone's is somewhat decent. Same for about a dozen other features of the iPhone: other products claim to have them, but they are so painful to use that few people can stand them.
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Not only that, but the iPhone is free of all the crap that the networks insist on putting on your phone.
T-Mobile UK have intentionally made my Samsung Z560 more annoying to use. The most infuriating example is the web browser's bookmarks list. At the top of the list are two bookmarks for 'T-Mobile Favourites' and 't-zones'. You can't delete them, or even move them to another position on the list. The worst part is that the phone only shows three bookmarks on the screen at a time, you have to scroll to
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I'll definitely be getting a 2nd gen...
** Because it's sexy...and cool (Score:3, Insightful)
Someone mentioned that the iPhone is essentially a sexed-up Treo.
Re:Why does iPhone succeed? (Score:4, Insightful)
The Treo concept remains a desirable one so you answered your own question. The company that does the best job with this type of device will succeed. Right now it is Apple (among others).
Very true, Palm's game to lose (Score:3, Insightful)
But Palm never shipped that phone - Apple did. And so now I am an iPhone user. Palm abandoned the core of what made them great, lost
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I know a guy whose work got him a Blackberry. He was showing it to me, complained a bit about how the interface was a bit difficult. When he saw my iPod Touch he went out and bought himself an iPhone, pre-hacked to work in Canada. He's middle aged, not really subject to the coolness factor.
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you don't have to reboot it 5 times a day and it doesn't have interface lag switching between networks.
Oh the web browser is actually useable.
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I have the palm version of the Treo. It is complete shite.
Form factor first, it is heavy and the antenna sticks out. The stylus fell out of the pocket long ago and they charge Apple prices for a replacement - $20 for three pointy sticks. I am now on my third replacement in two years. Some people I know have been through six.
The browser is crud. It
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Cost. The thing is already $400-$500. Imagine if you added all of those "features"...
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Think of it like code. You designed your app one way, adding x, y, and z features to a codebase that never anticipated doing such could very well be more e
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Using standard headphones is something that a lot of people would think natural for the world's greatest iPod. Not that many people care about taking phone calls while listening to music. That's for the excuse though.
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Or, you can peel back the rubber sleeve on the iPod buds and it fits nicely. But yeah, Steve. Nice try. Next time quit obsessing about a extra millimeter of space and make the area around the jack just a tiny bit bigger.
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1) 3G high-speed data download support through HSDPA (which AT&T is implementing in major metropolitan areas).
2) Maximum flash memory increased to 32 GB, the same as the top-line iPod Touch.
3) Improved onboard camera with 4-5 megapixel capability.
4) Bigger capacity battery (though this will increase the thickness of the iPhone about 2-3 mm).
5) Improved transceiving antenna, very necessary for HSDPA connections.
6) Optional sof
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-Yes! I do have one 16GB iPhone right here... But it's still not as useful as an old SonyEricsson 810 I also have (right here).
Options I would like to see added:
-being able to be -EASILY- used as a modem for a portable computer via USB/BlueTooth (especially with the added 3G support)
-register as USB portable unit in Finder / Explorer
-drag & drop files to the unit from USB / BlueTooth
-same functionality as my iPod. Play music from i
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So, you want to be able to tether it, taking advantage of the free broadband, despite the fact that they sell that feature for other devices at an entirely different price structure? Not familiar with the issue users have had with this plan on every other carrier?
"-same functionality as my iPod. Play music from iTunes on any computer you connect the iPhone too."
Your grammar
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You'll find that most mobile phone contracts explicitly forbid the use of the data service with a PC. The O2 iPhone contract doesn't, however it does explicitly forbid the use of the SIM card in any device other than your iPhone.
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I thought Apple was innovative. The only thing innovative is people's excuses.