Apple Stiff Arms the competition with iPhone 3.0
Posted by melting on Jun 15, 2009
With the latest HW set to launch, Apple is also gearing up for it’s latest firmware update for its iPhone and iPod touch users. This update is just what Apple needs to keep the competition at bay. There are many new features that are great for usability, should have been in the original software, and help developers make even better apps.
First, the features that should have been there from the start: cut, copy, and paste. Since people are thinking the iPhone is the start of truly mobile computing vs. a smartphone, there is no excuse from not having this capability from the beginning.
There are so many features that will truly make this device even more usable and powerful. The first is the landscape built in apps. Even though the biggest complaint about the iPhone is the lack of a physical keyboard, it is actually pretty easy to type on in landscape mode. Apple has realized this and improved all of their apps to take advantage of this ease. Apple has also added MMS. While their are many features that make the iPhone a multimedia device, “syncing is so nineties”. This is at least one more way to share some of that media without syncing.
Apps will only get better from here with all of the new api’s available to them. The feature with a likely big impact is the push notifications. Apps that talk to services can now leave you logged in to their service and push messages to you. AIM, google talk, yahoo messenger etc., will now be able to let have continuous conversations. Another feature to have a big impact will be the ability for Apps to talk with custom hardware accessories.
On a slightly gloomy note there are a few things that won’t be coming for US users. The coolest feature that won’t be supported by AT&T is tethering. Tethering was created to allow users to connect to the web on their laptops via their iPhone when out in the wilderness of the world.
The upgrade will be free for current iPhone users and $9.95 for iPod touch users.
Read about the iPhone 3Gs
iPHone 3Gs: Time to upgrade?
Posted by melting on Jun 14, 2009
Apple this past week has announced their next iteration to the iPhone. This new phone will be available this week on the 17th of June. While there are a few new features, which I will cover in a future post, there is at least one Apple’s US service partner has left off. That feature is UPGRADE.
This time last year the iPhone 3G came out fixing one of the biggest issues users had to that point, speed. AT&T had pushed to get their initial rollout of their third generation (3G) service. So when Apple announced their phone they claimed it was twice the speed for half the price. That pointed out another feature of that phone a hug subsidy by AT&T. Apple ditched their model of foregoing the phone subsidy for a share of the monthly payment.
This perfect set of conditions let AT&T allow upgrades for current iPhone users. AT&T didn’t have a previous subsidy they had to make up with those users, or in other words, they were already in the black. This year the upgrade is a much harder and more easily predicted model. Many users who upgraded last year won’t get the best price this year. AT&T could very well still be in the red for that customer.
My conclusion here is, it is very easy to understand why AT&T is not giving the subsidy to current users under contract. They are at least giving some reduction in price for signing and new two year agreement. This will likely mean fewer phones sold right of the bat. In my thinking if AT&T did honor the subsidy many people would sell their phones, those phones would likely end up in the hands of users who don’t mind being on AT&T just not on contract. In the long run, while not easy to track I would guess this model would keep current customers happy and let AT&T benefit from being the only providers of iPhones in the US.
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iPhone 3GS
How to get around the upgrade issues
Get On Task Tuesday: Google Calendar
Posted by melting on Jun 9, 2009
As an engineer and computer scientist I am both lazy and exacting. I look to find tool to help me do everything. One tool that I have looked for throughout the years is a great task list or todo list program. I will save what I want in such a program for a different post, but be rest assured that no ordinary task list would suffice.
Today while I was using Google Calendar I noticed a new feature. They tend to pop up at the top menu in red.
TASKS!!!
I know, you say Google has been playing with tasks in GMail and iPhone for awhile now, but it is a completely different concept when they add it to calendar. First it says that this is not just a side project in the labs of GMail just to be ripped away at any moment. Well then again it is Google.
All of your tasks are added to the daily summary at the top of the day and can be checked off individually. Just as expected you can drag them around to any day that they should be completed. Editing is simple and adding is as easy as selecting event or task. If you are already used to the nested tag list in GMail, well it can show up on the right.
As you would expect I have not fallen in love over this new feature either. First all of your list show up as only one calendar to show or hide as needed. My task tool needs to work for home and for work. Well a different way to accomplish this is by select which list from the tasks menu on the right. This might work if you have just one list for work and one list for home but not many for each as I do.
One last issue that doesn’t make sense to me. If you put a due date for an item that has sub-tasks well only the items that have a due date will show up on the calendar. This destroys the whole part of breaking a task into smaller pieces.
Google is now currently in the lead for my favorite task list, but mostly due to convenience. Perhaps it will be replaced by whatever is next in my somewhat weekly post Get On Task Tuesday.
