iPhone envy?
Personally I’m not interested in owning an iPhone (I have so far successfully avoided getting a cell phone at all) even though it is the slickest thing I’ve seen anywhere, but a $200 iPod touch might lure me in (there’s talk that Sept will bring about such a thing). The capacity is still too low though. I want it to be able to hold my entire music collection which only the biggest one does right now which is currently $500! No removable battery is a big downside for me having had similar problems in the past with Palm. And no flash support? I’m not a big fan of flash, but it is everywhere on the web! Thats a serious limitation. I do like the iPod/iPhone interface a lot, it’s too much like an appliance for me (kinda like Palm pilots were), although the new ability for third party apps should bring about a much more interesting mix of abilities.
If the hardware ran something totally configurable (more like Linux than OSX) I’d be more gaa gaa over it, and I don’t like the whole ’syncing with iTunes’ garbage. I really don’t want to be tied to Apple’s advertising engine at all. (on a side note: I found a cool python program which allows me to copy files directly to my iPod shuffle, then play them in whatever order I set up and copy them off again on another computer all without iTunes. They’re working on one for the iPod, which would be a deal maker for me possibly.)
I’m also very interested in what comes out of the Android, Openmoko, and LiMo projects. Interested enough that I am willing to hold off on purchasing something in fear that my ideal device is just around the corner.
I read alot about this kind of stuff, but very rarely buy any of these shiny gadgets. I don’t ever have to have the latest and greatest of anything. In fact, I always tend to think that the older it is, the better it is even if that obviously isn’t always true - it’s a prejudice. A lot of times I will actually get hand me downs of old gizmos from the boss or other people who are upgrading, so I’m usually a few years behind in actually playing with any of it. I still use an old G4 powerbook most of the time.
Comment posted on 8-28-2008
(warning… fan-boy propaganda to follows)
Dude, get an iPhone. Don’t try to keep your entire music collection on a portable, it isn’t necessary. The web will be at your fingertips, the app’s being released are sometimes fabulous, having google maps in your pocket means you can find a gaming store around the corner while you’re visiting Portland. It is truly a little laptop in your pocket. Configurable? It runs OSX (under the hood) and you could even write your own applications if you cared to. Hardware support for OpenGL! Flash is on the way too, as they chose not to implement some cheesy mini-flash.
Real web browsing, Google Maps, YouTube, Gmail, GPS, Multi-touch, camera, tons of capacity for music… my wife and I have them and we play with them a lot every day. Hell, I have an awesome eBook reader (free) that has wireless downloading of thousands and thousands of public domain books. The thing is awesome. And it works great. This thing is the ultimate tech toy, and it’s useful.
Buy two, because your wife WILL BE JEALOUS!
Comment posted on 8-28-2008
HAHA! Yeah, I’ve messed with them a little bit, and they really are very close to what I was dreaming about all those years ago when I was busy being frustrated by the inadequacies of my various palm pilots. It’s a true Star Trek PAD device.
That said, I don’t really need one. The only two places I travel that I might consider needing a cell phone, they don’t work. I can’t really justify needing it for a short commute to and from work (its against the law to use a phone while driving anyway
I don’t go out on the town, and I don’t shop, and frankly, I’ve never had a desire to diddle with a cell phone when I am out someplace. Besides, I already have a phone at work and one at home. If I need a cell phone at all, I need a bullet proof piece of steel like a Motorola Razr. The ONLY time I take my wife’s phone is when I’m going out on a 2-3 hour bike ride in the woods (in case I crash). I’m certainly not going to be watching youtube videos while riding, and IF I DO crash, that thing better be working when I need it, not smashed in a zillion pieces!
Most of the things you mentioned are better done on my laptop anyway - except maybe ebook reading, Google maps, and maybe a decent planetarium program like Stellarium. If I get a (non phone) portable, I want it to store my entire music collection (period), as well as a bunch of ISO images I need all the time, and digital pictures I want to show the folks, and a bunch of files I’m working on as well. I want it to be able to run ssh. I want to be able to run Remote Desktop, I want a music player that doesn’t require iTunes or to be docked to a specific computer to exchange music files, I want wifi and bluetooth, I want an sftp client, cvs and subversion clients, qGo would be nice, IRC client… hmmm, sounds like I’m describing a Linux device. I also don’t want a keypad device or an on-screen version of a keypad - I want my damn Palm Pilot stylus so I can write like a human being on the thing, and DRAW - it’s like they have completely missed the point here. I can’t believe I am the only one in the world who thinks that this finger tapping BS is a non-intuitive input method! With a pointy stylus you can actually write like you were taught in school (remember having to write stuff!?) and you can draw pictures quickly. I used to doodle on the palm (most recently on my Tungsten T) all the time. You just can’t do that with your fingertips! The device I really want still isn’t here I’m afraid.
Oh, and screw that $40/month phone plan garbage! That’s over $480 a year for a phone I don’t really need? We pay just a little more than $100 a year with the pay as you go plan (tied to a credit card - not the stupid “phone cards” crap). I’ll leave the iPhones to those lucky folks with enough disposable income to waste on them, and I’ll use the money I save on not having one for gas to get to work
Comment posted on 8-28-2008
it’s $60/mo each not $40. Lose your land line phone. XXXX (old phone number) die! We lost ours a few years back. Yeah, it’s some money to be sure, but don’t underestimate the fun factor on a daily basis. I’ve struggled hard against the forces of being purely utilitarian, and treating one’s self responsibly on occasion makes all of the work a lot easier! (plus, my job bought my phone.
If I had to cut a bunch of things back it’d be one of the last things to go, based on the usage we have gotten out of them over the last 7 months and the fun factor. Also, once you get used to the touch keyboard — which does take a bit to get used to — you’d never go back to a palm. It’s way faster with less correcting. It’s auto correcting and the touch zones per key “grow” based on anticipation. Neat little laptop. It even supports (reading?) Google documents and fully supports .pdf attachments in emails. The next leap will truly be something to behold for sure!
Comment posted on 8-29-2008
You don’t address any of my concerns and it costs even *more* money than I thought! Aak! It’s not a question of “responsibility” its like saying I should buy a really cool xbox360 when I don’t play video games - I have no need for it at all. However (I repeat), I *might* get an iPod Touch which is basically the same thing without the phone (new ones due out next month).
On the topic of land lines - I like having a phone that works even when the power goes out. I like having a phone that works even when the cells are down (usually when you need the phone, like during Sept 11 or before a hurricane). I like having a phone that can dial 911 reliably (we’ve gotten 911 in other states on our AT&T cell phone in the past)… and yes, I like having my old phone number (you can port it to a cell phone in most cases though if you’re willing to wait a couple days).
Comment posted on 8-29-2008
“Personally I’m not interested in owning an iPhone”
De-nile ain’t just a river in Egypt!
Yeah, if you really can’t use a phone then the Touch is a pretty good substitute. It has no camera, no internet w/o wifi, *NO SPEAKER*, and I’m not sure about the GPS. It is one cool device though. I gave up on wanting to carry my entire music collection around with me long ago. I’d much rather pick 20+ albums that I’m currently interested and leave the rest at home.