“As the iPhone countdown continues, I thought I’d chime in with my reflections on Apple’s uber-device and its rivals. I spent some quality time with an iPhone at Macworld Expo in January, and it truly is impressive. Its mobile Web browser alone is worth the price of admission–the touch-based pinch and stretch zoom controls are beautiful. The music, photo, and messaging features are cool as well. But the touch-based keyboard isn’t great for thumb typing, and Apple’s decision to ban third-party apps is a big disappointment,” Eric Dahl writes for PC World.
Dahl writes, “Unfortunately, competition may not arrive for a while: LG’s Prada phone won’t be sold in the States; and Samsung’s neat F700, a touch-screen phone with a slide-out keyboard, may not reach our shores either.”
“Bottom Line: Unless the iPhone can magically get an AT&T signal to my house, I’ll skip it. Too bad Apple locked out third-party solutions–I was all set to take Skype calls over the iPhone’s Wi-Fi,” Dahl writes.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: How much time did Dahl really spend with the iPhone, five minutes like most of the media was allowed? Let’s hear from someone who’s spent more time with the device, Andy Ihnatko of The Chicago Sun-Times, “I had a private briefing the day after Steve Jobs’ keynote and spent about 45 minutes noodling around with the device… I think the iPhone’s virtual keyboard is a huge improvement over the mechanical thumbpads found on the Treo and any other smart phones of its size.”
Full article from Jan 18th here.
@ Jim – TIV
I did, many times actually. Here is one response, verbatim:
We think the fools have been discouraged sufficiently.
We are think having logins would drastically alter the site’s feel.
Thank you,
Uh… yeah. I’ll tell you what, the site is drastically altering my feel.
-c
Now that we have a device that has a keyboard that only exists as software, can we ditch the f@#king QWERTY keyboard already?
The QWERTY is garbage. It was designed to SLOW YOU DOWN! Let’s smarten up and move to the DVORAK, already. At least it was designed around the English language.
Read my typing, I despise the “thumb” keypads found on the Treo and similar devices. In fact, I will not buy one of these phones exactly because of these toy keypad thingys, and since I don’t have ATT service in my neck of the woods, I won’t be buying an iPhone either, [insert explitive].
But, I await Apple’s up coming iPod/PDA which will basically be an iPhone without the phone and a wide screen – yup, that’s what I’m waiting for… Been waiting for it… Still waiting for it… (crickets chirping)…
QWERTY doesn’t slow me down at all. Having to learn DVORAK would really slow me down, however. Perhaps there could be an option to switch back and forth, at will.
DVORAK is illogical, slow and clunky compared to ENDERLE.
“……Apple iPhone’s touch-based keyboard: good or bad?…”
Well .. the only time I can think of where it would be bad … is after polishing off a giant bucket of KFC !!
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ChrissyOne …
Believe it or not, I can mostly tell when its you posting or if its the coward hiding behind your handle …
How ??
Its a question of style …
You have it — and the idiot doesnt !
@ oh my
Why thank you, my friend. I like to think that quality rises to the top.
-c
http://gb.bbs.ws/book.php?book=lolisss /
@ ChrissyOne
Isn’t it sad that some people have to waste their time posting under someone elses name to annoy/harrass that person?
@ the fake C-1
Whatzamatta? Too timid to comment using your own handle? Feel like you have to pick on a commenter here who has more wit in their pinky than you have in your head? Get a life, numbskull!
Such is life, unfortunately…
If one doesn’t have something intelligent to say, then just say something stupid, only louder. Then run and hide. What they don’t seem to grasp is that the insults they write say far more about them than me. Revealing their insecurities, their fears, their prejudices, and failing to recognize the ugly refection staring back at them.
Those of you who are wise enough to see… thank you.
-c
In the dark; poor eyesight–guess what? iPhone wins. iPhone meets real world conditions and challenges.
The whining over the so called lack of 3rd party apps is absurd. Here is one reason all by itself why Apple needs to be the gateway for new apps:
http://www.blackfriarsinc.com/blog/2007/04/why-no-third-party-iphone-apps-at
ChrissyOne
DVORAK is illogical, slow and clunky compared to ENDERLE.
I can find no reference to this ENDERLE you speak of…
And that would be quite a feat, considering that the most used letters in the English language are all on the home row, as opposed to the QWERTY which deliberately spays them irrationally all over the keyboard.
Well, irrationally from a user perspective.
It was a joke… okay, so maybe not the best one. ;P
Apple iPhone’s touch-based keyboard: good or bad?
Duh… Shouldn’t we wait until the iPhone is actually released before we start commenting on how well users like it? This article is just hot air.
I pooped out a zune.
Spent 37 seconds at Expo with the device and I already love it FAR FAR FAR more than my hackberry pearl.
Why do half the comments have to be about typo corrections. Can we just have an email address to shoot typos too, if it’s *really* that important?
Yes grammar and spelling is important, but so is my time. I knew what was meant – I don’t need people doing straight typo corrections, or trying to be witty. Get over it.
“How do you have a prototype floating around?”
One of the secret iPhone features is that it doesn’t require that you carry it. There’s an anti-gravity device inside and all you need to do is tether it to you and it hovers and follows you around.
Does anyone know when the Samsung F700 will be available in the US?
The reason Microsoft has so much FUD and all on the iPhone is that they couldn’t figure out how to use it without a Start Menu or Explorer. Either that or the touchscreen doesn’t work well with prehensile tails.
Oooohh. Loks like the Koolaid drinkers are getting upset about a bad review of vaporware…
Nobody uses the iPhone in the real world except for Jobs and a few other lucky ppl. Nobody can give a real assessment of this thing. Once it is released…we will alll know.
“It’s just practice” – Iverson. 76’ers
Just my $0.02
Ray
Oooohh. Loks like the Koolaid drinkers are getting upset about a bad review of vaporware…
A functional fully developed device that you cannot buy yet is not “vapourware”, dipshiat.
“A functional fully developed device that you cannot buy yet is not “vapourware”, dipshiat.”
Actually that’s the definition of vaporware, something announced, maybe even demonstrated in apparently working form, but not available for sale for whatever reason.
Dictionary
Actually that’s the definition of vaporware, something announced, maybe even demonstrated in apparently working form, but not available for sale for whatever reason.
No, it is not, because even if the iPhone never ships, it was still an actual product. “Vapourware” never exists and cannot ship because it is at best mockups and at worst vague promises. Copland was vapourware, a collection of individual pieces of software and press releases that was never, at any time, a functional product. Various Microsoft “technologies” that never got farther than trade show announcements and press releases are “vapourware”. The iPhone, having been submitted for FCC approval, is real, and not “vapour”, and just because we as consumers cannot hold it in our hands does not mean it can be spun to become a “vaopourware” product. Hardware gets FCC approval, not press releases.
ChrissyOne
It was a joke… okay, so maybe not the best one. ;P
I guess my humour module has malfunctioned. 😀