Scripting News: I want to divorce my iPhone (Scripting News)
Greg Pyles
· 3 months ago
The iPhone and the App Store are the best things to happen for independent mobile devs ever. There has never been an easier way for the independent developer to get his application in front of millions of users. Are there problems, sure but these can be worked out. Trying to 'save' our 'brother and sister programmers' by not supporting the great applications available for the phone is not the way to do it.
In my opinion. ;-)
dave
· 3 months ago
Can't believe I said "save" in this piece.
It must be there, but I don't see it.
dave
· 3 months ago
Can't believe I said "save" in this piece.
It must be there, but I don't see it.
kcecelia
· 3 months ago
Agree completely.
Very disappointed by Steve Jobs and the whole Apple philosophy. If Apple is proud of their work why won't they compete? It is so strange to see the same phenomenon repeat itself over and over again: little companies proud, brave, independent, and honorable (do no evil) becoming hulking insensitive companies with amnesia about what they hated about the previous behemoths. When I try to reason with folks at the Apple Store I feel as though I am speaking to people who have drunk some very powerful Kool-Aid. (Their eyes are scary pinwheels like Mr. Toad's eyes in the 1949 Disney animated version of The Wind in the Willows.) It is frustrating and EXHAUSTING to try to be a responsible consumer in a stock-holder-profits-uber-alles world.
Katherine
dave
· 3 months ago
I think of the button eyes of the Other Mother and Other Father in Coraline.
Oh geez, you are right. Now I am too scared to go to bed! I saw Coraline alone at a theatre on the Peninsula late one evening and then drove home to SF freaked out. (Okay, I am very impressionable. I admit it.) It was quite real and the best 3D I have ever witnessed. (I am not very experienced with 3D since I tend to see a lot of European art films, but still...) The sewing needle coming right out of the screen at the audience was an impressive beginning. But those eyes...yes, those eyes were of zombie people who have lost all connection with human decency.
BTW, love your comment below, "To everyone who says "Android -- Dave, you'll love Android" -- I feel almost the same about Google as I do about Apple. I read the article about this Sidebar Wiki thing and their product manager said it was just like blogging. I suppose if you have no soul it's just like blogging." Very nice. Reminds me of the "old" days. At least of my "old" days at my first job working for Dan Lynch who oversaw all the main frames at SRI. Lots of people trying to invent amazing things to improve peoples' lives not make a million dollars and/or please a million shareholders.
Wade
· 2 months ago
This is the reason I don't have a Mac. The rabid fanboi-ism turns me right off. Of course, the great thing about the iPhone is that it's made by Apple. Unfortunately, the biggest problem about the iPhone is that it's made by Apple. :-/
BTW, several phones have complete enough Bluetooth stacks that they can do tethering, amongst them Sony Ericsson and Nokia, and I've seen reports of people easily making it work with Samsung and LG phones, too. It can be a bit of process to setup all the software pieces (I do it from a Linux laptop), but once configured, it Just Works.
svanneste
· 3 months ago
Hi Dave,
Why don't you take a look at Nokia phones (E63, E71, etc), Android phones (HTC Dream, etc) or the Palm Pre ?
Regards,
Sam
Brian
· 3 months ago
Nokia's E71 and JoikuSpot is perfect fit. A dream for 3G tethering.
bossplot
· 3 months ago
Yep. Posting this from my Nokia E51 in Jerusalem where I pay about $26 a month for phone and internet access on Orange.
Free yourself Dave.
bijan
· 3 months ago
since web browsing isn't on your list, i would get an Android powered phone.
there are also a ton of new Android based phones coming out in a few months as well.
cori
· 3 months ago
I love my blackberry and verizon service. I don't know what bluetooth tethering is, but it does everything else.
Brian Shotola
· 3 months ago
E71 will suit your top 3 needs just fine and you should be able to drop your bill a bit if you get one unlocked. Except, don't do BT tethering, just open it up as a WiFi hotspot with JoikuSpot.
Have you tried one? I have. And if you've ever used an iPhone and try the N97, I have to say it's a terrible user experience.
The N900 will be what the N97 wanted to be.
newwws
· 3 months ago
Yes, I've tried one. And I'm happy with the way it works. There are not as many apps available as for the iPhone but it does everything I want a smartphone to do. 1) It's a really good phone, 2) It has a 5 megapixel camera that delivers great pics and a 640 x 360 pixel display, which is really helpful when you want to read a website without sideways scrolling and 3) I can use it as a as a Bluetooth (or USB) tethering device. And that is what Dave is looking for ;)
The only thing I don't like is the speed. The processor used is a bit slow for some applications. The new software (V12) made it a faster, but it still is a shame Nokia decided to use this processor. That being said, I don't think the relatively slow processor would make the phone worthless. It would have been a better great smartphone when a more powerful processor had been used, that's all.
BTW. I also like the built-in FM transmitter.
John Craft
· 3 months ago
Another vote for Android. I've been very pleased. And T-Mobile's coverage is much better than a year ago - rural areas where my phone was useless last year now have 3G.
ryanh
· 3 months ago
Take a look at an Android phone. Integrated gmail with sync, wifi tethering (after 10 minute rooting), shell access, and an open developer community. In fact, I think the MyTouch is a superior "voice device" to the iPhone. The form factor is perfect. Let me know if you'd like a demo via the web.
cshotton
· 2 months ago
What did you list that you DON'T get with a 30 second rooting of an iPhone? Problem is that with either platform, jailbreaking it doesn't get you any quality software. It gets you a few specific hacks (tethering, file system access) that the cheap geek might be interested in. Otherwise, name a single app that this gains you on any platform that would have mass appeal if it were allowed on a normal, locked phone. Jailbreaking doesn't have an incentivized economy behind it. It's not the answer.
ryanh
· 2 months ago
I don't know the iphone well enough to comment on what jailbreaking can provide. I can only speak about what I know, and what I thought Dave might be interested in.
For me, tethering was a big deal. In fact, Dave specifically mentioned tethering as an important feature. For whatever reason, tmobile seems much less concerned about rooting than AT&T/Apple is with the iPhone. Apple has dropped legal threats in the press about jailbreaking. Maybe Dave doesn't want to "go there" with the iPhone.
Obviously rooting isn't for most people, but it enabled an important feature for me, and may be of interest to Dave.
Chris Rechtsteiner
· 3 months ago
Android.
pjfry
· 3 months ago
get some cool android Phone (not the G1) The OS Rocks, all boundarys come from the carrier, so if you just buy it free, you can do with it, whatever you want. Since your Cantacts are in gmail allready, you'll never have to sync again... Android ist absolutely underestimated, because all Bloggers are Apple Fanboys! None of them ever talks about the ugly Itunes! When they test Android, they never install any cool apps, that's why they think android sucks (that and the G1 device). With Widgets and all, The UI is as sexy and quite more usefull (background apps!!!) than apples eye candy. The devices are unfortunately not that sexy yet ( Since you're Dave Winer, it should be possible for you to get one of those nice "still to come" Android phones...!?) just get an Android Phone, there are millions of reasons... I'll stop fanboy mode now.
Josh Turmel
· 3 months ago
Seems like an Android would fit the bill perfectly... using a Google Ion right now and will probably be adding a HTC Hero to the mix when it lands in a couple weeks.
andrewmueller
· 3 months ago
You will fall for the Motorola CLIQ
And yes I agree the gmail contacts and calendar instant push sync ROCKS on the iPhone. I suspect similar for the CLIQ
disqusbeta
· 3 months ago
Nokia E 63 or E 71 is good for me
Sheldon McGee
· 3 months ago
Any Android is the phone for you! I have one and the only thing that gives me iPhone envy is having podcasts and music all on the same device (right now I have to drag around a 1st gen nano). And Wifi tethering is free if you don't do it too much!
The integration with Google services is really cool (contacts sync and there is nothing to set up!) but it can be a lot of dependance on Google and it's scary to think about sometimes.
TNLNYC
· 3 months ago
jailbreak it, unlock it, and use software that's coming through Cydia instead of the app store.
In terms of contacts, look at the sync Google now provides to sync with them.
As a former palm owner, former windows mobile user, and now jailbroken unlocked iphone owner as well as blackberry owner, I can tell you that no phone is perfect. Even Android and the Pre have their limitations. Your requirements (except for the contact sync) should be met by the vast majority of phones, even the not so mart kind :)
TNL
vitriolix
· 3 months ago
You should really look at the Android devices pretty closely, there's a whole batch of them coming out in the next months. The HTC Hero is coming very soon on Sprint and it looks like it nails your 3 checklist items, plus gets rid of that nasty feeling you get for supporting a toxic platform in the iPhone.
dave
· 3 months ago
To everyone who says "Android -- Dave, you'll love Android" -- I feel almost the same about Google as I do about Apple. I read the article about this Sidebar Wiki thing and their product manager said it was just like blogging. I suppose if you have no soul it's just like blogging.
dave
· 3 months ago
On the other hand, I use a Mac and as long as they don't try to get in the middle between software developers and users I'll keep using it happily. This 13 inch MacBook truly is a delight (but I also love my new Asus with 10.5 hour battery life).
Another thing I love is the Internet access on Virgin America -- this comment is coming to you from 35,000 feet somewhere above Nevada.
ryanh
· 3 months ago
Dave, I hear you about Google. I was dismayed by the approach taken with their Android podcast catcher, Google Listen. When I add a podcast subscription, it goes through Google's server, and my subsequent queries for updates of my subscriptions do the same. Podcast updates won't show until the Google backend finds the updates. And if their backend breaks, or they remove the feed from their servers, no podcast! Its a ridiculous design, and I have to wonder about their intentions. They should simply play the role of podcast search engine, and not try to get between me and my podcast sources.
_Mark_
· 2 months ago
Also I'm pretty sure you don't get #3, bluetooth tethering, with Android (even with the "alternate" firmware.) The first two work fine on my G1, though - there are a variety of phonecam->webservice apps, with geotagging.
nilchak
· 3 months ago
Dave, have you considered the soon to release Nokia N900 ? Its a 1) Phone and 2) built for mobile Internet and 3) can tether and connect with any other device (havent tried MiFi).. But point 4) is the best - It is OPEN. Its being built on Maemo platform which is totally open. And also Maemo 5 is sexy (5).
dave
· 3 months ago
Nokia makes ugly awkward inelegant devices.
The idea I like best is keeping the iPhone hardware and jailbreaking it, and joining a pirate community of developers. That sounds like a plan I could go for.
nilchak
· 2 months ago
Dave, I understand the mentality on Nokia - but give this a chance - at least see the reviews. This is a new platform Nokia is betting on - the Maemo platform not Symbian. Secondly its open. Great hardware - yuo cant fault Nokia with hardware quality - maybe you could with the old Symbian software.
Of course its not yet a tried and tested platform (except on the older Nokia tablets N810 etc)
Wes Felter
· 3 months ago
The N900 looks quite interesting, but it's also expensive and bulky.
Joshua_Whalen
· 3 months ago
If you don't mind something a little tough to track down, look for the sharp zaurus linux model on ebay. Neat-o little hand held unix computer, with a hardware keyboard. Totally open, totally programmable.
I just took a look at Cydia, and it looks like it might be neat once they finish it, but right now the app listings don't even tell me what the apps do, so I think I'd probably just write my own jailbreaked iphone apps. It is a great idea: A third party app store with installable third party app store software and commercially supported jail break software is definitely something I can see as having a BIG future, if Apple doesn't crush it. I'm no lawyer, but I actually think that a well-financed vendor in this space might actually have a leg or two to stand on if Apple tried to lock them out or kill them. Anyone know better than I do, perhaps? It is truly a potentially billion dollar idea.
nilchak
· 3 months ago
Joshua, but the Zaurus is totally Unsupported - so with any hardware issues you have no one to fall back on. Plus it does not have built-in Wifi - which is a bummer these days when you want to get online on a flash - with the Zaurus you need to stick in the CF wireless card and then get online - not too convenient for someone coming from the IPhone world.
Frankly the Zaurus is old hardware - as a newer OPEN device, the N900 with Maemo 5 seems very attractive. And the best thing is that the Maemo 6 is going to support app compatibility between Maemo and Symbian - so a much bigger world of apps.
Joshua_Whalen
· 3 months ago
Sorry. Didn't realize it was that dead. I don't know anything about Maemo. Who owns it, if anyone, and is it a unix, or something of it's own genus? I have a very strong open unix prejudice these days. I"ve kind of sworn an oath never to buy anything that doesn't at least have full posix 5 compatibility and support apps written in gcc. It's not that all the apps have to be, or that it can't have its own application model as well, as long as I can write my own and I'm not locked into their tools and API's. Period. Been there, done that, and it's the one hting I'll say for the iPhone is I can write a back-end in any unix language and then call it through either a cocoa or ajax front end. Not with any help from Apple, of course, but I can still do it.
nilchak
· 3 months ago
Maemo is by Nokia and is totally open. The base OS (Linux based) is open sourced. Some components on top by Nokia are closed - but all working components and protocols are open. It is based on GTK and the next version (Maemo 6) will support QT and be based on it. QT is GPL software - so there you go. You can develop apps for it and it is free to boot. (as in open). To learn morre about Maemo go to http://maemo.nokia.com/maemo/
Joshua_Whalen
· 2 months ago
Linux based is what I was looking for. Sounds good, I will take a look and tentatively second your nomination pending that look.
Thanks!
JimRoepcke
· 3 months ago
Jailbreak your iPhone and use and make whatever software you want on it.
cshotton
· 2 months ago
ding! ding! ding! Well, mostly. Problem is that the "missing" apps that you'd like to have are generally too complicated for the average jailbreak hacker to undertake without the economy of the app store to compensate them. And Apple won't let their apps in the store. So there's a horrible Catch 22. I think at some point Apple has to loosen its grip on the approval process. And maybe they'll wake up and allow Flash and Java and all the other stuff we'd like to have. And, yeah, monkeys are gonna fly out of my butt. Sadly, the alternatives all suck right now.
ryanh
· 2 months ago
What apps are missing on a jailbroken iphone? I'm honestly curious.
cshotton
· 2 months ago
Of course you can. That wasn't my point. Jailbreaking an iPhone (or Android phone for that matter) only gets you 2 things, geek level shell access, etc. (useless to 99.9% of users) and ways to circumvent paying for stuff the carriers would otherwise charge you for (tethering, WiFi restricted apps, etc.) There is no viable economic model for developing jailbreak-only apps, so my point was that there's really no compelling reason beyond free tethering to do it. Specifically, jailbreaking your phone gives maybe a half-dozen extra (quality, useful) apps over the app store. So what?
JimRoepcke
· 2 months ago
You can still use the App Store if your phone is jailbroken. So once you have the freedom to make and use whatever software you want, there's no reason not to use apps from the App Store, except perhaps punitively against Apple. In which case, that's your problem.
Joshua Herzig-Marx
· 3 months ago
I love my Palm Pre. Great messaging, GMail sync, pretty good camera, and Sprint and Palm both seem to be pretty hacker friendly. Developing and installing your own apps is easy now, and the homebrew community even has its own app store. Battery life has gotten a lot better too. And the plans are cheap, and now include unlimited mobile to mobile talking.
The only iPhone feature I'm jealous of is the oleophobic coating on the 3GS's screen.
Joshua Herzig-Marx
· 3 months ago
Of course, if Sprint coverage is your problem...though it roams very nicely onto Verizon, and with some tweaking you can "force" it to Verizon.
JohnO
· 3 months ago
Do you have a carrier preference? Does CMDA (Verizon/Sprint) or GSM (AT&T/T-Mobile) work better in the areas where you spend your time?
If you are a CMDA user, I'd start by looking at the Palm Pre. Really nice looking UI. I think the WebOS will have some legs. If the Pre doesn't do it for you, the various Android phones are probably next in line.
Aximander
· 3 months ago
What's wrong with a Blackberry? The only downside I can think of is that tethering might push you over the $100/month price cap. I don't have tethering on my BB and don't know the details.
I switched from an iPhone to a BB two weeks ago and love it. What I love the most is that the blackberry doesn't force itself to have features that look good in commercials. Examples: iPhone touch screen looks great in commercials, sucks when you want to answer a call while driving or dial an number. Also the iPhone doesn't use the mobile versions of sites, which looks great in commercials but sucks when your data connection is slow.
I like that not only do my blackberry contacts and calendar get auto-synced to google, but that my email and RSS feeds get pushed to the device. Some weather programs can push severe weather alerts to the device as well.
It has a lot to offer as an ugly but functional platform.
Jamie Little
· 3 months ago
I wouldn't recommend the N900 because it hasn't been released yet, but Nokia is probably the company that you want to go with. They are excellent *phones* with great voice quality and reception with excellent battery life. The Nokia phones with Carl Zeiss cameras take great photos that can be easily uploaded to flickr or other sites with the Share Online application.
They also do good tethering because they are unlocked out of the box. JoikuSpot, which has already been mentioned, will turn your Nokia device into a MiFi.
The Ovi Store does not have the selection of apps that the App Store has, but using a Symbian phone means you can just download applications and install them without any mediator.
I can't confirm this because I use T-Mobile, but the unlocked Nokia E71 can supposedly be used with the $15 a month AT&T MediaNet plan for unlimited 3G.
That being said.. John Dvorak and Adam Curry both use the Nokia E71.
anildash
· 3 months ago
You should get an Android phone. It's the right tool for the jobs you've described, and their completely unlocked dev phones aren't terribly expensive. I use one myself. Probably also worth noting, I haven't used it myself but Dan Bricklin told me the Palm Pre is a really, really interesting hacking environment and also very open, so that'd be my second choice.
Note: I have some of the same concerns about Google that you do, but Android is nice in that, if I want to completely sever the device from Google's apps and even Google's influence, I can do that. In fact, the version of the OS I use on my Android is created by an independent developer. (See cyanogenmod.com)
lmorchard
· 2 months ago
I'd second the recommendation for the Palm Pre. I love mine, and have started really digging the OS after releasing two small apps to the homebrew community. The only major downsides might be that 1) Sprint doesn't want you to tether with it, and 2) even if you did use the "forbidden" homebrew tethering app, it's Sprint, and would probably have the same dead spots as your MiFi
dave
· 2 months ago
Esp since my MiFi is Sprint! :-)
Thejesh GN
· 3 months ago
1. Palm Pre 2. Nokia E71
Neil Barnwell
· 3 months ago
D00d, no brainer - get an android phone. Specifically I can recommend the HTC Magic. A friend has it and it solves *exactly* the problems you have. Plus, it's an open platform, and has all the same internal gadgets as iPhone. Apparently there's an HTC Hero out that has an even nicer OS, though is apparently slightly underpowered for what they're making it do. Android all the way, I reckon.
Jon Silk
· 3 months ago
I'm about to do the same thing and switch to a Palm Pre.
David Baker
· 3 months ago
Blackberry. You used to use one, no? Maybe I'm missing something.
sc137
· 3 months ago
Dave, I have to recommend a blackberry. I have an 8900 with a 3.2 megapixel camera and it takes great pictures. It also syncs flawlessly with Google Sync via a blackberry client. Do you have Google Voice? It works perfectly with that as well via an app. I use my device to tether via bluetooth on my Mac and my coworkers do so on Windows.
I have printed 8x10's from my bb camera and they look great!
What is the downside of going with blackberry? The browser is still pretty lame (but it works) and the screen is fairly small.
Sable
edit: I'm surprised that no one else has recommended the blackberry strongly - this is what they are made for. Additionally, they have some app environments, can be installed OTA with no requirement to use the app store...
jimslaughter
· 2 months ago
I've been enjoying the TMobile MyTouch. It integrates well with Gmail and is very snappy. The only problem is the virtual keyboard but you already have that problem with the iPhone.
Vic Javal
· 2 months ago
It cost more here in Manila.You will not be able to buy iphone on any MacStore, but on 2 big network companies. Well you can always buy it in other countries and have it jailbroken here.....the iphone will work for a month... tsk tsk tsk Hahahah I'm enslave in updating my games in my ipod.
kgopal
· 2 months ago
I'm doin the same, trashing the iphone. I have looked at the following.
-- Nokia E71 -- Nokia E63 (great battery life on both) -- Blackberry Storm. -- G1 Android developer (I love the slider thingie)
If you decide on what to get, do let us know.
maxkalehoff
· 1 month ago
Droid via Verizon/Motorolla.
Max Kalehoff Phone: 646.489.4629 AIM/GoogleTalk/Skype: maxkalehoff Blog: www.attentionmax.com
John
· 2 months ago
No company besides Apple and Palm currently "gets" that the phone should be a platform. Nokia N900s and N97s will be dead with no new APIs and platform updates after 6 months. That's exactly what happened to the otherwise excellent N71 (which I would recommend as a backup phone anytime). Until Nokia gets this, don't bother. The same goes for all Blackberries and Android devices. All HTC phones (besides the Motorola "Cliq" the only ones available), have only 384MB of "application memory". That means: you can't install applications outside of these 384MB. It's absolutely ridiculous!
After all is said and done I wouldn't look at any phone that hasn't got a capacitive touchscreen with multitouch or no touchscreen at all. You will want to use a web browser and anybody who has ever used an iPhone will want to gauge their eyes out after using any Android device. The MyTouch browser is so bad that usually only the people who have one can stand it :-).
For using a phone with a web browser, there is simply nothing that beats the iPhone. There will be, someday, but for now each and every other company that makes mobile phones uses either a resistive touchscreen, makes literally _fat_ devices that don't fit in your pocket, doesn't support multitouch and/or they stop supporting it after 6 months. I want to get rid of my iPhone, but there's simply nothing that plays in its league usability-wise.
EwanG
· 2 months ago
Assume everyone who's recommending the Android because it's so "open" have seen the recent article on Google sending a Cease and Desist letter to the Cyanogen folks? I learned my lesson after I developed my first (and only) Android app and found Google changing the rules between when I started and when I was ready to deliver.
As for jailbreaking the iPhone, I have a 3Gs, and I gather those aren't jail-breakable currently.
So, guess I'll just have to keep waiting for a phone that values me as a customer rather than as a monthly check...
ryanh
· 2 months ago
Wow. My message to Google:
Google, I don't understand what you are doing here. This is how you sour the relationship with developers. Guess who runs these roms? Developers do! These are the people you need to write software for your OS.
Google, why don't you kick the lawyers and strategist weenies to the curb and "get real" with developers. You have a nice opportunity to counter Apple through openness, but this isn't the way to getter done.
kricac
· 2 months ago
Get an Android device ...
Just got a Samsung Galaxy and it seems nice thus far ...
Steve Jones
· 2 months ago
I thought my G1 was the best phone ever. I used it from Jan - Sep of this year. Things worked well, it was stable, far better than any Windows Mobile device. I don't like Blackberry's as they fundamentally don't work as well for me. It's a UI thing.
I used my iTouch extensively for music and reading. So I switched to an unlocked iPhone on T-Mobile. I think it's much, much better than the G1 because it's more mature. It also gives me convergence of one less device. If you really want to move, I'd consider an Android device.
HOWEVER, I think that all these companies are self-serving. It's the nature of the beast. apple gets more press here, just like Microsoft in the OS space, and Google in the search space, on the things they do wrong. It's an argument that I think you ought to make with the FCC, ICC, and other regulators. Using an iPhone, and having it be a large market, means that it stands out to politicians. If you complain about a Palm VII device, no one cares, because they have no market share.
Andrej Mrevlje
· 2 months ago
If you don't tweet, don't care about the data transmission speed or slownes of gps, that any nokia is a phone you use. i was 10 years on various nokia communicators, which are now too expensive, to slow ( even for simple emailing) and too heavy. so i am tempted by something like iPhone, but enraged by their commercial policy. good luck,
Andrej Mrevlje
· 2 months ago
If you don't tweet, don't care about the data transmission speed or slownes of gps, that any nokia is a phone you use. i was 10 years on various nokia communicators, which are now too expensive, to slow ( even for simple emailing) and too heavy. so i am tempted by something like iPhone, but enraged by their commercial policy. good luck,
Nicolas Martin
· 2 months ago
@ Dave: for option 1, 2 and 3 I'd definitelly recommend you get a Nokia N95, one of Nokia's most versatile mobile phones. It just does as great as the iPhone (and does #2 even better with its 5Mpx camera). Or you can wait for Nokia's N900... Whatever solution you come up with at the end good luck with ur "divorce" ;)
Stanley_Krute
· 2 months ago
Two Android standouts: Sprint HTC Hero or Motorola CLIQ.
Dave, I know this is coming late but I think the Palm Pre could be the right device for you, especially since you're already a Sprint customer. For $70.00 a month, you get EVERYTHING; voice, data, texting, etc...
You and I both like Sony stuff. Perhaps ATT's Sony C905a may be worth considering?
1. Good phone 2. Very good camera (a real one) with GPS tagging - what do you mean by a camera that can communicate? 3. Has bluetooth, and I know my older Sony can bluetooth tether; I would expect this one can, too.
Mike Cane
· 2 months ago
Stop it. You'll never get a divorce. No, really. I'm not being snide or sarcastic, either. You know the device is too damned good. And I understand your spiritual objections. At some point Apple is going to *have* to make iTunes a platform. The pile of crap that's been accumulating at their doorstep will soon become too large for them to deal with. They can make more from the damned iTunes platform software, server sales, and service fees. They don't need the current headaches they're creating -- for themselves, for developers, for users, and for the future. All this was plain to see way back in 2007: http://mikecane.wordpress.com/2007/08/31/should...
All Comments
There has never been an easier way for the independent developer to get his application in front of millions of users.
Are there problems, sure but these can be worked out.
Trying to 'save' our 'brother and sister programmers' by not supporting the great applications available for the phone is not the way to do it.
In my opinion. ;-)
It must be there, but I don't see it.
It must be there, but I don't see it.
Very disappointed by Steve Jobs and the whole Apple philosophy. If Apple is proud of their work why won't they compete? It is so strange to see the same phenomenon repeat itself over and over again: little companies proud, brave, independent, and honorable (do no evil) becoming hulking insensitive companies with amnesia about what they hated about the previous behemoths. When I try to reason with folks at the Apple Store I feel as though I am speaking to people who have drunk some very powerful Kool-Aid. (Their eyes are scary pinwheels like Mr. Toad's eyes in the 1949 Disney animated version of The Wind in the Willows.) It is frustrating and EXHAUSTING to try to be a responsible consumer in a stock-holder-profits-uber-alles world.
Katherine
http://images.scripting.com/archiveScriptingCom...
BTW, love your comment below, "To everyone who says "Android -- Dave, you'll love Android" -- I feel almost the same about Google as I do about Apple. I read the article about this Sidebar Wiki thing and their product manager said it was just like blogging. I suppose if you have no soul it's just like blogging." Very nice. Reminds me of the "old" days. At least of my "old" days at my first job working for Dan Lynch who oversaw all the main frames at SRI. Lots of people trying to invent amazing things to improve peoples' lives not make a million dollars and/or please a million shareholders.
BTW, several phones have complete enough Bluetooth stacks that they can do tethering, amongst them Sony Ericsson and Nokia, and I've seen reports of people easily making it work with Samsung and LG phones, too. It can be a bit of process to setup all the software pieces (I do it from a Linux laptop), but once configured, it Just Works.
Why don't you take a look at Nokia phones (E63, E71, etc), Android phones (HTC Dream, etc) or the Palm Pre ?
Regards,
Sam
Free yourself Dave.
there are also a ton of new Android based phones coming out in a few months as well.
http://www.attentionmax.com/blog/2009/09/love_t...
The N900 will be what the N97 wanted to be.
The only thing I don't like is the speed. The processor used is a bit slow for some applications. The new software (V12) made it a faster, but it still is a shame Nokia decided to use this processor. That being said, I don't think the relatively slow processor would make the phone worthless. It would have been a better great smartphone when a more powerful processor had been used, that's all.
BTW. I also like the built-in FM transmitter.
For me, tethering was a big deal. In fact, Dave specifically mentioned tethering as an important feature. For whatever reason, tmobile seems much less concerned about rooting than AT&T/Apple is with the iPhone. Apple has dropped legal threats in the press about jailbreaking. Maybe Dave doesn't want to "go there" with the iPhone.
Obviously rooting isn't for most people, but it enabled an important feature for me, and may be of interest to Dave.
The OS Rocks, all boundarys come from the carrier, so if you just buy it free, you can do with it, whatever you want.
Since your Cantacts are in gmail allready, you'll never have to sync again...
Android ist absolutely underestimated, because all Bloggers are Apple Fanboys! None of them ever talks about the ugly Itunes! When they test Android, they never install any cool apps, that's why they think android sucks (that and the G1 device).
With Widgets and all, The UI is as sexy and quite more usefull (background apps!!!) than apples eye candy. The devices are unfortunately not that sexy yet ( Since you're Dave Winer, it should be possible for you to get one of those nice "still to come" Android phones...!?) just get an Android Phone, there are millions of reasons... I'll stop fanboy mode now.
And yes I agree the gmail contacts and calendar instant push sync ROCKS on the iPhone. I suspect similar for the CLIQ
The integration with Google services is really cool (contacts sync and there is nothing to set up!) but it can be a lot of dependance on Google and it's scary to think about sometimes.
In terms of contacts, look at the sync Google now provides to sync with them.
As a former palm owner, former windows mobile user, and now jailbroken unlocked iphone owner as well as blackberry owner, I can tell you that no phone is perfect. Even Android and the Pre have their limitations. Your requirements (except for the contact sync) should be met by the vast majority of phones, even the not so mart kind :)
TNL
Another thing I love is the Internet access on Virgin America -- this comment is coming to you from 35,000 feet somewhere above Nevada.
Its a 1) Phone and 2) built for mobile Internet and 3) can tether and connect with any other device (havent tried MiFi).. But point 4) is the best - It is OPEN. Its being built on Maemo platform which is totally open. And also Maemo 5 is sexy (5).
The idea I like best is keeping the iPhone hardware and jailbreaking
it, and joining a pirate community of developers. That sounds like a
plan I could go for.
This is a new platform Nokia is betting on - the Maemo platform not Symbian. Secondly its open. Great hardware - yuo cant fault Nokia with hardware quality - maybe you could with the old Symbian software.
Of course its not yet a tried and tested platform (except on the older Nokia tablets N810 etc)
I just took a look at Cydia, and it looks like it might be neat once they finish it, but right now the app listings don't even tell me what the apps do, so I think I'd probably just write my own jailbreaked iphone apps. It is a great idea: A third party app store with installable third party app store software and commercially supported jail break software is definitely something I can see as having a BIG future, if Apple doesn't crush it. I'm no lawyer, but I actually think that a well-financed vendor in this space might actually have a leg or two to stand on if Apple tried to lock them out or kill them. Anyone know better than I do, perhaps? It is truly a potentially billion dollar idea.
Plus it does not have built-in Wifi - which is a bummer these days when you want to get online on a flash - with the Zaurus you need to stick in the CF wireless card and then get online - not too convenient for someone coming from the IPhone world.
Frankly the Zaurus is old hardware - as a newer OPEN device, the N900 with Maemo 5 seems very attractive.
And the best thing is that the Maemo 6 is going to support app compatibility between Maemo and Symbian - so a much bigger world of apps.
To learn morre about Maemo go to http://maemo.nokia.com/maemo/
Thanks!
The only iPhone feature I'm jealous of is the oleophobic coating on the 3GS's screen.
If you are a CMDA user, I'd start by looking at the Palm Pre. Really nice looking UI. I think the WebOS will have some legs. If the Pre doesn't do it for you, the various Android phones are probably next in line.
I switched from an iPhone to a BB two weeks ago and love it. What I love the most is that the blackberry doesn't force itself to have features that look good in commercials. Examples: iPhone touch screen looks great in commercials, sucks when you want to answer a call while driving or dial an number. Also the iPhone doesn't use the mobile versions of sites, which looks great in commercials but sucks when your data connection is slow.
I like that not only do my blackberry contacts and calendar get auto-synced to google, but that my email and RSS feeds get pushed to the device. Some weather programs can push severe weather alerts to the device as well.
It has a lot to offer as an ugly but functional platform.
They also do good tethering because they are unlocked out of the box. JoikuSpot, which has already been mentioned, will turn your Nokia device into a MiFi.
The Ovi Store does not have the selection of apps that the App Store has, but using a Symbian phone means you can just download applications and install them without any mediator.
I can't confirm this because I use T-Mobile, but the unlocked Nokia E71 can supposedly be used with the $15 a month AT&T MediaNet plan for unlimited 3G.
That being said.. John Dvorak and Adam Curry both use the Nokia E71.
Note: I have some of the same concerns about Google that you do, but Android is nice in that, if I want to completely sever the device from Google's apps and even Google's influence, I can do that. In fact, the version of the OS I use on my Android is created by an independent developer. (See cyanogenmod.com)
2. Nokia E71
I have printed 8x10's from my bb camera and they look great!
What is the downside of going with blackberry? The browser is still pretty lame (but it works) and the screen is fairly small.
Sable
edit: I'm surprised that no one else has recommended the blackberry strongly - this is what they are made for. Additionally, they have some app environments, can be installed OTA with no requirement to use the app store...
-- Nokia E71
-- Nokia E63 (great battery life on both)
-- Blackberry Storm.
-- G1 Android developer (I love the slider thingie)
If you decide on what to get, do let us know.
Max Kalehoff
Phone: 646.489.4629
AIM/GoogleTalk/Skype: maxkalehoff
Blog: www.attentionmax.com
After all is said and done I wouldn't look at any phone that hasn't got a capacitive touchscreen with multitouch or no touchscreen at all. You will want to use a web browser and anybody who has ever used an iPhone will want to gauge their eyes out after using any Android device. The MyTouch browser is so bad that usually only the people who have one can stand it :-).
For using a phone with a web browser, there is simply nothing that beats the iPhone. There will be, someday, but for now each and every other company that makes mobile phones uses either a resistive touchscreen, makes literally _fat_ devices that don't fit in your pocket, doesn't support multitouch and/or they stop supporting it after 6 months. I want to get rid of my iPhone, but there's simply nothing that plays in its league usability-wise.
As for jailbreaking the iPhone, I have a 3Gs, and I gather those aren't jail-breakable currently.
So, guess I'll just have to keep waiting for a phone that values me as a customer rather than as a monthly check...
Google, I don't understand what you are doing here. This is how you sour the relationship with developers. Guess who runs these roms? Developers do! These are the people you need to write software for your OS.
Google, why don't you kick the lawyers and strategist weenies to the curb and "get real" with developers. You have a nice opportunity to counter Apple through openness, but this isn't the way to getter done.
Just got a Samsung Galaxy and it seems nice thus far ...
I used my iTouch extensively for music and reading. So I switched to an unlocked iPhone on T-Mobile. I think it's much, much better than the G1 because it's more mature. It also gives me convergence of one less device. If you really want to move, I'd consider an Android device.
HOWEVER, I think that all these companies are self-serving. It's the nature of the beast. apple gets more press here, just like Microsoft in the OS space, and Google in the search space, on the things they do wrong. It's an argument that I think you ought to make with the FCC, ICC, and other regulators. Using an iPhone, and having it be a large market, means that it stands out to politicians. If you complain about a Palm VII device, no one cares, because they have no market share.
Some links to Hero reviews: http://phandroid.com/2009/09/17/sprint-htc-hero...
Early hands-on look at a CLIQ: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2352749,00...
<http://anymobileanytime.sprint.com/?INTCID=CM:A...>
1. Good phone
2. Very good camera (a real one) with GPS tagging - what do you mean by a camera that can communicate?
3. Has bluetooth, and I know my older Sony can bluetooth tether; I would expect this one can, too.
http://mikecane.wordpress.com/2007/08/31/should...