12 Oct 2009

A nitpick on this and other recent SE reviews:

They state that the Contacts list will not allow you to search by last name. Technically, this is untrue.

You can go to Contacts -> Options -> More -> Adanced -> Sort order, and select "By last name".
From now on, you will search by last name, not firstname (also applies to "smart search" in the home screen).

Clearly not as useful as "partial match" searching (like e.g. Nokia S60), but still, needs to be corrected in this and other reviews.

12 Sep 2009

Care to clarify?

baldilocks is spot on BTW. Certainly the case for me.

12 Sep 2009

Hogwash. AT&T has many more customers (like me) who loathe the iPhone.

I'm with AT&T for three reasons:
* Technology/frequency. Only AT&T and T-Mobile use GSMA standards, and only AT&T uses 3G frequencies supported by most top-of-the-line unlocked phones (such as the Nokia N-Series). That of course changes now with the N900...
* Coverage. T-Mobile is pretty spotty, and has no coverage at my home.
* Data plan. Unlimited data at AT&T is $15/month, with T-Mobile it is capped at 1GB for $20.

I'm very intrigued now though that more interesting devices (such as the N900, the Sony Ericsson CS8, the Motorola Cliq) are now destined for T-Mobile -- seems that they are much more up to date with their phones than the others (AT&T and Verizon in particular seem to be stuck in the 1990s). Hopefully this emphasis on faster 3G networks also means that they are interested in expanding overall coverage...

8 Sep 2009

Hmm.. 33% would be sensational news....

According to my calculator (which, granted, runs on a lowly Sony Ericsson C905a dumbphone), 33% is roughly 100 times what was claimed in the article, 0.33%.

Then again, numbers, shmumbers... the iPhone is THE gadget that makes you look really unique, cool, and completely not a sheep in the herd, right?

Right?

Uh..

8 Sep 2009

There is no power consumed for the FM tuner unless it is in use.

I *think* I am in my right mind -- and I frequently use the FM tuner in my phone while jogging/rollerblading. Then again, I listen mainly to public radio (NPR), not commercial radio..

BTW: Love your nick; you sound just about as "Fair & Balanced" as the Real Thing (Fox).

25 Mar 2009

Currently: Nokia N85; in the future: Nokia N97.

If it were only for web browsing (and even e-mail) I might have chosen the iPhone - or certainly something with larger screen than the N85/N95, etc. The problem with the iPhone is that it is too restrictive overall though:
* No multitasking
* Very limited Bluetooth stack (e.g. no stereo audio, keyboard support, file transfer, vCard transfer, tethering, etc. etc.)
* The camera is a joke (e.g. no video recording, flash)
* Applications can only be downloaded from the Apple Store, terms and conditions apply (e.g. no 3rd party web browser, GPS navigation software, etc) -- not even standard mobile MIDP/J2ME applications
* No official unlocking, even after your contract expires. Can't by prepaid SIM while abroad - pay roaming charges to AT&T.
* More expensive data plan compared to unlocked phones ($30/month vs. $15 or $10 for unliimited data, depending on whether you have unlimited messaging as well) -- this adds up to a difference of $360 or $480 over the 2-year lock-in period. (More than enough to offset the cost of an unlocked phone).

To me, the iPhone is little more than a fashion phone - the new RAZR if you will.

6 Oct 2008

There is a GSM/UMTS version of the Storm (9500) coming also. Given the UMTS (3G) bands (850/1900/2100), it seems to be destined for AT&T (plus international).

About Verizon vs. AT&T - I used to have Verizon back in the "dark old days" when I was simply an ignorant consumer. For one thing, the more you know about cellular phones and service, the more likely you are to use a GSM provider (AT&T or T-Mobile); but even before I fully appreciated these differences, I was fed up with various aspects of VZWs operations. For one thing, compare unlimited internet access: With AT&T (using my unlocked Nokia N95) is $15/month; with Verizon it is more like $50. Plus, it is not really the same "internet", since with Verizon you can only use crippled devices that don't allow you to run things like, say, 3rd party applications such as Nokia Internet Radio, Nokia Maps, etc...

Any GSM (+UMTS) network will give you much more freedom than what you have with either Verizon, Alltel, Sprint, etc..

21 May 2008

Still not there in terms of capabilities or openness. Showman Steve may be able to swoon the ignorant masses once more (L00K mama, cell phone, music player, FAST internet device, and now GPS device -- all in one!)

However:
* The Bluetooth stack is still a joke: No tethering of your internet connection with another device (DUN, PAN), no file transfer (OBEX, FTP), no stereo audio (A2DP, AVRCP), no external keyboard/mouse (HID, SPP), etc. See: .

* No (approved) unlocking, even after your 2-year contract expires. In other words, if you take the phone abroad, you are still stuck with your own carrier's roaming charges (AT&T in the case of the US market).

* Likely little or no camera upgrade - still no video recording.

* No real 3rd party application support, not even J2ME. Yes, there is the SDK, but the only way you will be able to get even software that you write yourself onto your phone is to submit it through the iTunes store; Apple retains firm control (for instance, no 3rd party web browser like Opera Mini). This is actually a huge deal, because despite Steve's belief to the contrary, most innovations do not happen at Apple. On my Nokia N95, I run all sorts of amazing 3rd party stuff, such as an Internet Radio application that allows me to listen to live radio from my home country (I am a Norwegian expatriate in the USA), transmit that radio via A2DP to my car stereo, both Nokia Maps and 3rd party voice navigation software, Salling Clicker (to control a computer, e.g. for presentations), Fring (Skype/Google Talk/MSN/VoIP client), NokoMote (use the accelerometer to navigate menus, play games, etc. by tilting the phone), Location Tagger (to automatically embed current GPS coordinates in EXIF information of pictures taken by the phone's camera), HandySafe (to keep personal information such credit card numbers, passport numbers, SSNs, car info, insurance info etc stored in an encrypted and password-protected vault, with matching software for your desktop). All of this is not only not available, but also NOT POSSIBLE on the iPhone.

* If you are a Mac user: The iPhone is actually LESS well integrated with Mac OS X than e.g. your typical Nokia phone; the latter comes with an iSync plugin to synchronize your contacts, calendars, todos; "Nokia Multimedia Transfer" to synchronize iTunes playlists and photos/movies with iPhoto, and of course, when you first pair the phone over Bluetooth, you have the option to "Access the internet through the phone's data plan" -- all of which are not there in the iPhone.


That said, the iPhone clearly has the "eye candy" advantage (w/multitouch patent &all); and the fact that Steve does have better taste than most corporate zombies, and that Apple has by far the best industrial design around, and the fact that the iPhone has only gone through one release/generation as of yet, means that it has a very nice opportunity to really bring some serious competition and innovation in a couple of years. Just not yet.