Showcasing nearly all the features of the iPhone, including interface, maps, SMS text messages and message conversations, video, photos, iPod and music, weather, and much more, the Apple iPhone guided tour shows it all.
Check out Apple’s official site to see this slick video presentation.
Only a week before the iPhone is released! Here are some last-minute iPhone facts that will hopefully help you to make your purchasing decision before the countdown is over.
1. The iPhone will support IMAP, POP3 and Yahoo Push email. It will automatically recognize phone numbers in email messages and provide one-click access to dialing them. However, it will not support Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), so users won’t be able to send text messages with pictures or video to other mobile phone users. The iPhone will not let users chat with friends directly via instant messaging (IM).
2. When watching a video on the iPhone and a call comes in, the video will automatically pause while you take the call, then resume when you hang up.
3. The iPhone does not offer GPS capability.
4. Third-party applications will be allowed only as web-based applications loaded from the internet on the iPhone’s Safari web browser. Apple will roll out a Windows version of Safari, which should drive support, application development and awareness of the browser to improve the Safari-centric iPhone experience, especially for Windows users.
5. As demonstrated in the latest iPhone ad, featured below, the iPhone will be compatible with Youtube. As earlier reported on iPhoneStuff.org, a spokesman for Apple confirmed Youtube, and yet said that Youtube does not necessarily mean Flash support. The last time I checked, Youtube does require Flash to work, so it seems that the iPhone comes equipped with a specialized version of the Flash player that works only with Youtube, and not in the built-in Safari browser.
This brings me to the next point:
6. The iPhone will not support Flash in it’s Safari browser. Running off the heels of the last iPhone fact, it would appear that the iPhone has a limited version of the Flash player built into it, so it will more than likely be only a matter of time before Apple releases a fully-fledged Flash player for the iPhone’s Safari browser.
7. In order to use an iPhone, buyers will be required to first set up an account with the iTunes store using their credit cards, even if they have no intention of buying anything there. This is in addition to the required carrier contract with AT&T. Current iTunes account holders will be able to use existing accounts.
8. We already knew that iTunes would provide sync capability between iPhone and email, contacts, calendar, photos and other data on both PCs and Macs. We learned this week that the synchronization is automatic when the iPhone is plugged in.
Sources:
The iPhone is a lot of things, including:
This package of features will retail for $499 (4GB) and $599 (8GB) USD and be available in June in the US.
Now let’s switch gears and talk about another touch-sensitive device. The Nintendo DS.
The Nintendo DS is currently the most popular hand held gaming device on the planet. Because of its’ widespread popularity, it also has a massive fan following. Part and parcel nowadays with a fan following, is a modifications following; a group of individuals who seek to unleash the DS for all that it can be. Some of these modifications and newfound abilities the DS has come across make the Nintendo DS:
Here’s a video of the iPod homebrew program running on a DS Lite:
Something of note here, is that in order to be more than just a regular Nintendo DS, one would need to purchase a Nintendo DS storage device. One such storage device is the R4DS which requires no actual modding of the Nintendo DS in order to run homebrew programs.
The Nintendo DS retails for $129.99 USD. The R4DS retails for $44.95, and a 4GB micro SD card with USB adapter for the R4DS retails for $118.99.
The grand totals:
Apple iPhone:
$499 USD (4GB) and $599 USD (8GB).
Nintendo DS Lite + R4DS + 4GB Micro SD card storage:
$293.93 USD.
Of course, the iPhone is made by Apple, and many of the homebrew applications for the DS are made by any regular Joe, so they definitely won’t be as pretty. All told, however, if you don’t absolutely need a new cell phone, and want to save a few bucks, the Nintendo DS is the clear winner for features and price.
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.
