Cable Forum - View Single Post

Stuart · 15-01-2007, 11:05

Well, here's my view of the iPhone (based on the hype, as I haven't used one yet).

The multi-touch display: Excellent. A real innovation.

The "virtual keyboard": Anyone who has used one of these will have already come to the conclusion they are a bad idea. Apple's is the same as any other, but the keys appear to grow when you touch them. TBH, I can't see how this is any real use, and it may be irritating. A physical keyboard (or keypad) is far better. Virtual keyboards are a major handicap when texting.

Visual voicemail: How much will this *actually* help anyone? It might save you a couple of minutes per call, but how many times do you call your voicemail each day?

Texting: Now, I personally don't think the "Conversation" style of organisation works for email (which is why I don't like Gmail). I really don't see how it will be any better when texting. Also, how often do you have a text "conversation"?

Lack of software: Using the excuse that installing the wrong software will stop you being able to make calls is, in my experience, wrong. Any well designed Phone OS will prevent software you install from stopping you make calls. Also his excuse about it being able to bring down the network is also, in my experience, wrong. If ANY network's security is weak enough that one app can bring it down, then, TBH, they will have other problems, and I don't want to subscribe to that phone company.

The scrolly list thingy. Very pretty, but my phone does a similar job (probably with less effort and a lot more accurately) with a wheel on it's side.

The "Home" button. Admittedly, a lot of phones don't have this, but some get near. Symbian UIQ phones (such as the Sony Ericsson P range) have a row of icons along the top, and Windows Mobile phones have a start menu, Both of which are accessible most of the time. Also, in my experience, pressing the "Hang Up" button usually closes any software you are using.

The Music player: While I like cover art (and have it enabled on both iTunes and my iPod), it is eye candy. The Coverflow feature on iTunes is OK, but in my experience, sometimes mixes tracks from different albums. I suspect the iPhone will do the same. As for organisation, well, the iPhone appears to lack something the iPod also lacks. A decent search system. Admittedly, I haven't seen an MP3 player with a proper search yet (although the Creative Jukebox 3 with the latest firmware comes pretty close).

Also, I'd like to know what music formats the iPhone can use. As phones don't come with hard drives, I try to use the most compact format possible for music on my phone. At the moment, this is OGG. Apple are unlikely to support this on the iPhone.

One final thing I'd like to know: Does the iPhone support memory cards. If not, why not? I personally don't believe a phone is an adequate replacement for a camera, but a lot of people do, and they aren't always going to have access to a computer when their phone memory is full, and they want to take more photos.

15-01-2007, 11:05	#101
Stuart - Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Somewhere Services: Virgin for TV and Internet, BT for phone Posts: 26,546	Re: iPhone Well, here's my view of the iPhone (based on the hype, as I haven't used one yet). The multi-touch display: Excellent. A real innovation. The "virtual keyboard": Anyone who has used one of these will have already come to the conclusion they are a bad idea. Apple's is the same as any other, but the keys appear to grow when you touch them. TBH, I can't see how this is any real use, and it may be irritating. A physical keyboard (or keypad) is far better. Virtual keyboards are a major handicap when texting. Visual voicemail: How much will this actually help anyone? It might save you a couple of minutes per call, but how many times do you call your voicemail each day? Texting: Now, I personally don't think the "Conversation" style of organisation works for email (which is why I don't like Gmail). I really don't see how it will be any better when texting. Also, how often do you have a text "conversation"? Lack of software: Using the excuse that installing the wrong software will stop you being able to make calls is, in my experience, wrong. Any well designed Phone OS will prevent software you install from stopping you make calls. Also his excuse about it being able to bring down the network is also, in my experience, wrong. If ANY network's security is weak enough that one app can bring it down, then, TBH, they will have other problems, and I don't want to subscribe to that phone company. The scrolly list thingy. Very pretty, but my phone does a similar job (probably with less effort and a lot more accurately) with a wheel on it's side. The "Home" button. Admittedly, a lot of phones don't have this, but some get near. Symbian UIQ phones (such as the Sony Ericsson P range) have a row of icons along the top, and Windows Mobile phones have a start menu, Both of which are accessible most of the time. Also, in my experience, pressing the "Hang Up" button usually closes any software you are using. The Music player: While I like cover art (and have it enabled on both iTunes and my iPod), it is eye candy. The Coverflow feature on iTunes is OK, but in my experience, sometimes mixes tracks from different albums. I suspect the iPhone will do the same. As for organisation, well, the iPhone appears to lack something the iPod also lacks. A decent search system. Admittedly, I haven't seen an MP3 player with a proper search yet (although the Creative Jukebox 3 with the latest firmware comes pretty close). Also, I'd like to know what music formats the iPhone can use. As phones don't come with hard drives, I try to use the most compact format possible for music on my phone. At the moment, this is OGG. Apple are unlikely to support this on the iPhone. One final thing I'd like to know: Does the iPhone support memory cards. If not, why not? I personally don't believe a phone is an adequate replacement for a camera, but a lot of people do, and they aren't always going to have access to a computer when their phone memory is full, and they want to take more photos.