genuinegirly

Looks like we have a little peek at the iphone that is coming out this summer.
Gizmodo review


Do you like the redesign?
What do you think of its new features?
Will it be a hit?

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Having never used an iphone, I'm not sure I can appreciate all of the subtle changes that come with the new phone. A micro-SD card is appealing, though. Seeing as how I'm considering purchasing an iphone in the next year, I'll be keeping my ear to the ground for reviews.

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"Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq

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ASU2003

Is it coming to Verizon?

I like the concept of the iPhone the best, and OS 4 has some needed improvements, but I like my (no monthly fee) iPod Touch.

PonyPotato

If Sprint gets it, I might find a way to afford one. Ideally, I'd love to have one of those super-durable phones (they have a new one with a full keyboard) like my boyfriend has, but those are only Verizon. I don't want to switch carriers because I'll lose my unlimited broadband.

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Shauk

tbh, the announcement for the 4.0 OS was greatly underwhelming, Apple is the only company that continues to market 5 year old technology as "new"

I mean 1st the MMS issue and now *gasp* multitasking?

Just like the OS the phones aren't anything cutting edge, the competitor phones suffer from being above ground while apple people insist on being an ostrich.

That said, the phone itself doesn't really appeal to me as anything special or unique compared to others already on the market.

this post is obviously tainted with my disdain for Jobs and his "my way is the best way" disrespect towards other market experts who tried unsuccessfully to reason with him on the flash issue.

I couldn't name a single iphone user who would turn down flash capability, except jobs and his venture to push HTML5 for his own gains.

ASU2003

I'm a linux user, and I only put up with Flash because I am forced to. I would love it if websites went to something that would actually work (mkv, mp4, mpeg,...). I'm interested in seeing HTML5 to find out if it is the 'next thing'.

Baraka_Guru

Some commentators claim that the main reason why Jobs is against Flash (that is to say, besides tech & security issues) is because it would allow users access to such things as Hulu,which would be in direct competition with many iTunes products.

In other words, he's essentially protecting his business model. You can't blame a CEO for wanting to make money, and you certainly can't blame a CEO for wanting to protect revenue streams from competitive influences. Either way, it's a sticky issue.

But it will matter less in time, apparently:
Report: Hulu app coming to the iPhone soon | Webware - CNET

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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Leto

ditto. iPod Touch, load up Skype, and you got a decent phone with no monthly fee.

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You held my hand and we walked home the long way
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SecretMethod70

It's an improvement, for the iPhone. Unfortunately, the iPhone has been playing catch-up for awhile now, and it continues to do so. Assuming this is really the next version of the iPhone...

Front-facing cam: Just like the other top new phones this summer.
Expandable memory: Welcome to the party, glad you could join us.
Improved camera: It's still only 5MP, while there are now phones with 8MP cameras capable of 720p HD video.
Higher resolution screen: That's nice, but I'll take a larger screen instead. There are now phones with screens almost an inch larger than the iPhone, and yet the phones themselves are barely bigger because the screen actually goes to the edges rather than wasting space like the iPhone does.

Then there are the features it's missing that are available elsewhere... Super AMOLED screen, kickstand for easy media viewing, HDMI out so you can watch the videos you've taken with your nice HD phone cam on your HDTV... the list goes on.

Finally, there are the software issues. The iPhone is finally getting some sort of multitasking, and yet it will still be the weakest multitasking implementation of all the smartphones. The UI, while intuitive, is getting old and lacking features. Where the iPhone only gives you a list of apps, Android gives you a list of apps but also provides 3-7 screens that you can put widgets on so that you rarely ever have to even open the apps. It is totally customizable, while iPhone allows for almost no customization at all. (I should mention webOS is great too, but since Palm is on the brink of collapse it seems pointless to talk about it right now.)

Just about the only thing I think iPhone has going for it anymore (aside for good marketing and brand recognition) is the app store, and that's looking to change quickly. The Android Market is growing exponentially (though it has just as much crap as the iPhone App Store), and Google is actively recruiting developers of popular iPhone applications, while those same developers complain about the lack of attention and respect Apple gives them.

Basically, the new iPhone is, at best, no better than the alternative options available, and in many ways still one step behind. It will be successful because most people still think that the iPhone is the best option out there and Apple has done a great job injecting the iPhone into the public consciousness. That won't last forever. It's going to take awhile, but Apple is going to have to start innovating again, or else people will slowly begin to realize that there are superior options available.

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PonyPotato: If you're on Sprint and are in the market for a new phone, you should seriously consider the HTC Evo 4G. I'll be switching to Sprint this summer, in part because of that phone. I started my research into the upcoming phones and their carriers with all options open, including possibly getting an iPhone. It didn't take long before I narrowed in on Sprint and the Evo. Since you're already on Sprint, I don't need to go into why I've determined Sprint is actually a good choice for a lot of people, and I'll summarize the Evo by simply saying it looks like it will be the best phone on the market this summer and possibly even into the fall. It's only slightly larger than the iPhone yet its screen is almost an inch larger, it will be capable of recording HD video and will have an HDMI port so you can connect it to an HDTV, it will have a kickstand for when you watch video on the phone so that you don't have to hold it the whole time, and it will have pretty much everything else described in the next iPhone above. It will also be Sprint 4G capable, so when Sprint rolls out their 4G network to your area - very likely before any of the other providers get around to it - you'll already be ready to take advantage of the faster speeds.

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Leto

Secretmethod, do the android phones have the same sort of finger controlled UI touchscreen? I mean can you zoom in & manipulate as you can with the apples? does it turn sideways with the phone?

That's the best part of the apple product that I like, as well as the wifi access. Do Androids have wifi?

That would send me looking at those products. Basically I would like the option to shitcan any kind of monthly plan.

__________________
You said you didn't give a fuck about hockey
And I never saw someone say that before
You held my hand and we walked home the long way
You were loosening my grip on Bobby Orr

http://dune.wikia.com/wiki/Leto_Atreides_I

SecretMethod70

Since Android is open source, there are a variety of options available, but yes there are plenty of Android phones with multi-touch and screen rotation. Every Android phone I've looked at also has WiFi capability.

HTC is the best manufacturer to go with right now, and their modified Android UI, called Sense UI, is the only one that seems like a worthwhile alternative (and, in fact, an improvement) over the stock Android UI that you get on something like Google's Nexus One or the Motorola Droid. Other UI modifications, such as what you'll see on the Samsung Galaxy S, seem lacking. It's all a matter of personal preference though.

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Le temps détruit tout

"Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling

Frosstbyte

Apple has given their reason for why they don't support Flash on their mobile platforms. It's half because the management of Apple and the management of Adobe don't like each other and half because a majority of the reported Safari crashes that get reported to them via mac computers occur because of some Flash thing going haywire. Even so, it's a juvenile pissing contest that does nothing but hurt consumers, no matter what the reason. Flash does way more and is far too ubiquitous to be relegated to "competition with iTunes services."

A little part of me dies every time I open up a website and see the little box on my screen, and any chance there was of me buying an iPad disappeared the instant I found out it wouldn't support flash.

Baraka_Guru

Well of course Apple is going to cite tech and security issues, but the fact remains that Hulu and other content channels use Flash. It would be bad form for Apple to spout that they're against the use of Flash because it will let their users get for free some of the very stuff they sell through iTunes.

I'm not suggesting the content issue is the prime reason; it's just that one should really take that into account when considering the Apple decision to rule Flash out completely.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

SecretMethod70

Baraka: You say that like it makes Apple look better for the decision. It doesn't. It makes them look worse.

If the excuses they give are true, it's a misguided technical decision (I hate flash too, but HTML 5 isn't prolific yet and it's my decision if I want to use flash, not theirs). If the excuse you give is true, it's a draconian measure on par with the feeble attempts of the RIAA/MPAA to maintain a stranglehold on distribution.

__________________
Le temps détruit tout

"Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling

Rekna

It's odd firefox never crashes for me because of flash....

Also, i'll second the EVO 4G. I might switch to sprint for that phone as soon as I'm out of contract. Also if I wanted Verizon i'd look at the HTC incredible as it is very close to the EVO 4G.

SecretMethod70

On the topic of this leaked hardware, it has been 100% confirmed that it is real. It is not clear, though, how close it is to the final version. The leaked hardware was lost in mid-March, so there's still a lot of time for changes.

I don't want to distract this thread too much further from the topic of the potentially leaked new iPhone hardware, but on the other hand I don't know if there's really much to talk about if you try to separate it from other issues with the iPhone and Apple - hence the discussion about flash that has already started.

Flash is a symptom of a larger problem which has already been alluded to in this thread: Apple's nature as a control-freak company. This nature is easier to swallow (still not right, but easier nonetheless) when they're being control freaks about innovative and cutting edge hardware like the iPhone once was, but it becomes more and more ridiculous as the iPhone falls from its pedestal and starts to get serious competition in the marketplace. Lately, this ridiculousness has become even more apparent as Steve Jobs has latched onto "OMG pr0n!" as his main argument against Android phones, rather than actually making an argument for the iPhone on the merits - because he can't.

Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Do No Evil: Steve Jobs on the Moral Superiority of Apple over Android | Android Phone Fans

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Le temps détruit tout

"Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling

Baraka_Guru

That was not my intent. My intent was to be neutral as an outside observer.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

genuinegirly

I enjoy the direction this conversation has traveled. I hope that it will continue to branch outwith additional critiques of the iphone and its competitors.

__________________
"Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq

"violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy

ASU2003

It isn't just about making a 'better' phone, it is about making a simpler way to deal with what you really need a phone to do.

If I have iTunes on Windows or Mac with all my music and podcasts organized, it is obvious that I will need to get a phone that plugs into my computer with one cable and syncs up everything automatically with it. It doesn't really matter what other phones are out there, that trumps everything else for me.* The fact that it does iCal & contacts, photos, movies, etc... is a bonus.

*I don't have an iPhone, but would have to think about it if my current phone dies.

Shauk

Yeah I just don't like how the user experience is so strictly controlled by them, and not by us. You pay hundreds of dollars for freedom of choice, not to be coddled in to paying even more for apps over time to help fit the fleecing model that apple sets up for it's customers. It's the ultimate disrespect in my eyes to tell me what I can and cannot do with something I own.