iPhoneStuff.org

iPhoneMatters.com recently had an interesting poll about why one would opt out of getting an iPhone.

The choices were:

1. Cingular
2. Way too expensive
3. I despise everything Apple, I am a troll
4. The lack of a real keyboard
5. I’m getting one!

…and the results were:

1. 41.66% Way too expensive
2. 25.97% Cingular
3. 21.80% I’m getting one!
4. 6.75% I despise everything Apple, I am a troll
5. 3.81% The lack of a real keyboard

It would appear that most percieve the iPhone’s price to be it’s biggest downfall. Another thing of note is that very few - perhaps only the business types - would say they wouldn’t get an iPhone because it lacks a real keyboard or the ability to use with a real keyboard. As always, there’s lots of angst for Cingular.

What drives your opinion? Will you be getting one? Why? Why not?

Ars Technica got some great information from a well-known professional usability expert, Bruce Tognazzini, including his opinions on whether the iPhone’s touch-screen interface will be the next big thing, or the next big flop. You may find the results surprising.

Naturally, besides a few elite media people, and Steve Jobs himself, no one has really had a good “hands-on” with the iPhone to test it out for usability, however, perceptions and predictions can be formed.

Bruce…

Loves:

Gives ordinary people widespread access to technologies that have otherwise been very limited for public consumption (such as multitouch and whatnot)
Very approachable, even for older folks
Visual, random-access voicemail. “It’s about time.”
Hates:

Five hour battery life, and non-replaceable battery (without a crowbar…). “That’s a bad interface,” Tog says.
Relying on public WiFi (”Public WiFi is a mess”) for Internet access, or expensive cell networks affect fundamental reliability
SMS, e-mail, and voicemail are all separated out as much as possible. “I should not have to visit three different places on my phone every few minutes to see what is happening.”
Widgets are the only add-on path for the iPhone. “I can only hope that changes.”
Needs a keyboard. Touchscreen keyboard is nice and all, but not good for extended use and takes up much of the screen.
Nits:

Desperately needs to be tested for ruggedness (is that a hint for me, Tog?)
SMS should include an interpreter to expand upon common abbreviations
Camera should be higher resolution
Facial recognition “would be a plus”
iPod interface potentially confusing, much more complex than phone interface
Safari browser on iPhone may and may not be forgiving to web pages that are not totally strict on HTML. Forgiving will be much better in the long run than not.
Maps on the iPhone should just “know” where you are and tell you how far, distance and time-wise, you are from appointments that are on your calendar

He did, however, comment on how much of an improvement on current cell phones this phone from Apple really is, saying “Traditional cell phones are dull, limited, and at end-of-life. iPhone is glorious, and it is only the beginning.”

Yes, if we can learn one thing from our technologically and cell-phonically advanced neighbours in Japan, it’s that cell phone innovation has to start somewhere, but where it leads to with competition, is limited only by imagination.

In a recent interview, New York Times reporter John Markoff sat down with Steve Jobs and pointedly asked a few probing questions regarding what the iPhone can, and can’t do.

The following is a transcript of one of Markoff’s questions:

Markoff: “And what are you thinking about Flash and Java?”

Jobs: “Java’s not worth building in. Nobody uses Java anymore. It’s this big heavyweight ball and chain.”

Markoff: “Flash?”

Jobs: “Well, you might see that.”

Markoff: “What about YouTube–”

Jobs: “Yeah, YouTube—of course. But you don’t need to have Flash to show YouTube. All you need to do is deal with YouTube.”

So, Steve Jobs, you “don’t need to have Flash to show YouTube” do you?

The help section off the YouTube homepage has this to say:

The video won’t play—what’s wrong?
All of the videos on YouTube are streamed through a Flash player, so you need to have the latest version of Macromedia Flash installed on your computer. To download it, please visit Adobe.

In other words, if Apple does plan on giving full support to YouTube, then we can expect they will give full support to having a Flash player on the upcoming iPhone.

German Apple enthusiast magazine Macwelt recently drew new details out of Apple Germany, and in this article, discuss a few things the iPhone has, and has not.

Apple has apparently confirmed that the operating system on the iPhone - which is a slimmed down, 500MB version of OS X), will take up part of the hard drive space allotted for iPod songs and videos.

This means that the 4GB version of the iPhone will mean you’ll get 3.5GB of storage, and the 8GB version will get you, the user, 7.5GB of storage.

The question still remains, as to whether Safari’s cache will clear upon exiting, or will it take up even more space from the hard drive? The same could be asked about iPhone contacts, SMS messages, and voicemail messages. Only time will tell.

German Apple enthusiast magazine Macwelt recently drew new details out of Apple Germany, and in this article, discuss a few things the iPhone has, and has not.

One item of note, is that Macwelt discerned from Apple that iPhone users will not be allowed to use their multimedia mobile communications device for VoIP. That means that connecting wirelessly to the internet via WiFi will not get you a free call.

This news is disappointing for users who tie their other mobile devices - like laptops - to their wireless bluetooth headsets. It also comes at a time when many critics have been hitting Apple with bad reviews of anticipation due to a number a recent details about the iPhone’s limitations.

Being 5 months away from production and shipping, Apple surely has some tricks up their sleeve that will make us salivate even more as we get closer to June.

One of the top results when searching for the Apple iPhone is the Linksys iPhone. One might wonder what the Linksys iPhone is, and why have I never heard of it? The official Linksys iPhone web site gives this description of their product (bold is ours):

iPhone is about a new age of communications, with voice applications at the core. An age that is about more than just dialing a phone number and waiting to see if someone on the other end answers. Devices in this new age are expected to deliver more than just a connection to friends, loved ones, and colleagues. They now must deliver on the promise of particular types of content tailored to your specific needs.

The variety of features available on Linksys iPhones will change the way you communicate with friends and family. iPhone products offer compelling internet services using popular clients like Skype and Yahoo! Messenger with Voice that display real-time contact list and presence information letting you know if the party you want to call is available. Enjoy access to personal content like music, photos, and live video cameras from sources on the Internet. In short, Linksys iPhones give you the ability to do more with your phone than talk!

Basically, summarized, the Linksys iPhone is cordless home phone with access to Skype and Yahoo! Messenger, and other capabilities as well.

Of course, the Linksys iPhone is not a cell phone, nor a mobile solution like the Apple iPhone is, however, the patent for the Linksys iPhone covers mobile technologies and is the very root of their recent lawsuit again Apple Inc.

Earlier reports had assumed that Apple would rename the iPhone due to this naming conflict, however at Macworld last week Apple shattered these assumptions with its’ bold iPhone design.

Both products have their benefits, and can be used for different purposes. What if one wanted to have both products active in tandem? Things might get confusing, but more than likely, one would refer to their Linksys iPhone as their “phone” and their Apple iPhone as their “cell phone” or “PDA.”

Many people, myself included, have been worrying about the inescapable attachment to a sub-par GSM provider. In the US, of course, this provider has been named as Cingular, but for the rest of the world, it has not been decided yet.

This begs the question: Can I buy an iPhone and NOT have to use it as a cell phone? In other words, do I need a cell phone providers’ SIM card to make it function, or can I just use the iPhone as a standalone iPod, WiFi internet browser, photo viewer, 2 Mega pixel camera, calendar, etc.? The simple answer is: probably not.

In a recent article about frequently asked iPhone questions, David Pogue for the New York Times writes concerning the issue:

“Will the iPhone work without a SIM card installed? i.e., will it be able to surf the web/email?” –Very doubtful.

This also lends itself to another question: If the iPhone needs to be tied to a service provider to be purchased, what happens when the service contract is up? Obviously the contract would be renewable, but what if one chose not to renew for a couple of months? Would it still function as normal just without phone capabilities.

All these questions surely in time will be answered by Apple, who tout their new iPhone as the reinvention of the cell phone. If it truly is as good as they say, they surely have looked into all these issues and are making headway to resolve them before their launch in June.

Apple has been using the same typeface for all its’ iPod products for years now, and it seems they’ve carried this same marketing over to the iPhone.

To replicate exactly what this looks like, for any personal reasons, simply use the font Myriad Pro, Semibold, at its’ default kerning.

You can notice by my image comparison that the official logo seems to be a modified version of Myriad Pro, somewhat elongated on the height scale. This is especially noticeable in the “o.”

In this recent post from The Consumerist, they outline how to cancel your current Cingular contract without those pesky cancellation fees.

If you are currently on a plan with Cingular, and want to get an iPhone when it comes out in June, you may wish to use this cancellation trick in order not to overlap any remaining contract when you want to get the iPhone. The details of the iPhone Cingular contract have not been released yet, but it is safe to assume that any cell phone plan you may have had previously, will not be transferrable.

If you have a cell phone contract that reaches beyond June from a different service provider, you may be up the river without a paddle on this one. Current Cingular customers may have an advantage and an opportunity.

Plan ahead, there’s only 5 months to go before the iPhone is released!

With power comes great responsibility. With a thin, sleek, sexy, expensive little piece of technology comes many dangers.

If history teaches us anything, it’s that Apple makes great products, but usually the first generation are more suseptable to damage, scratches, cracks, and failure than future generations.

Thousands of slobbering Apple fanatics will be counting down to the day in June when they can get their hot little hands on this latest piece of touch-screen goodness, but this will not go unnoticed by the public, and the public’s not always the nicest people. Just as when products like the Playstation 3 or Nintendo Wii were released last year, remember to be extrememly cautious as you leave the Apple store, or Best Buy, or mall parking lot. There are the shady types that will view the new robust cell phone as a few quick bucks more than respect you for having the foreknowledge that you have the newest and best thing from Apple.

Having said that, don’t walk around in fear with your new iPhone. Daily many people with iPods out in plain sight take the bus through rough areas of town and don’t live in fear. Just choose wisely who you show it off to first, and where.

The iPhone will more than likely have some accessories, both bundled with it and sold by Apple and third party retailers for exorbitant prices. One of the must-haves with the iPhone is a carrying case. The fact that the whole thing is a touch screen is one indication of how dirty it might get. Fingerprints will love this thing. Try to keep that screen away from loose change or your keys in your pocket too. Showing off the product of your surplus can only impress so much when it has large grooves of scrape on it.

It is unknown at this time whether or not Apple will, through Cingular, impliment some sort of security and GPS tracking, but bank on that not being included. Don’t lose this thing! Cell phones come cheap, and if you lose one, you might regret it, but if you lost your iPhone, not only will you hate yourself for a long time, but it may be a while before you can get a replacement. Apple anticipates that their iPhone is going to be a phenomenal success, and supplies will more than likely be limited.