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Apple may think all iPod users are dying to buy an iPhone - but not Jo Best. Here she explains what she really, really wants from a mobile - and why she doesn't think the Mac maker can deliver it.
Like anyone with a thing for gadgets and gossip, I've been following the various twists and turns in the rumoured Apple iPhone saga with excitement. A mobile phone from the makers of the sexy iPod? How could I not? Patents this, domain registrations that - I've read it all.
But there's no way on earth I'll be raiding my piggybank for one when it eventually comes out - and it will come out, despite the lack of confirmation from Cupertino.
Before any of the Apple loyal start hitting their 'flame reporter' key, I'll tell you why. Just think about what Apple does really well and what it does really, really badly.
Like a lot of people, I own an iPod - and it's a pretty foxy beast - but like a lot of people, my iPod has been back to the shop more times than I care to think about. Hardware durability isn't the strong point of Apple's music devices and I worry the same could be true of the iPhone. I can live without my iPod for a few days while it gets fixed - I can't do the same with my phone.
And what of battery life? My iPod needs charging every day to play music for an hour or two. Heaven forbid the same would happen to my mobile. My iPod - admittedly a couple years old - needs more care and attention to get it through the day than should be necessary. Phones need to just work. Will the iPhone be able to deliver that?
Then there's the DRM, or digital rights management for those that aren't up on that acronym. Apple's DRM is, well, awful. I've spent hours of my life convincing iTunes I should be allowed to play songs I either ripped from lawfully bought CDs or purchased from Apple itself on my laptop or my iPod.
Now imagine this attitude toward content protection (Is Apple protecting me from myself? I wish it wouldn't) applied to all the other content on my phone. I'd rather not.
Rumour has it there will be two variants of the iPhone - a straightforward mobile and a smart phone. That smart phone could store music and videos as well as contact info and Excel, Word and PDF files. I know Apple isn't stupid and probably won't put copy protection on my PIM-type content but I do not trust them in this area and would inspect closely their DRM policy on the iPhone before considering a purchase.
Ready to flame me yet? Well, let's take a look at what Apple does really well. Software for one. iTunes is a great advert for Apple's ability to make software and hardware intuitive and easy to use. I'm a big fan of its Spotlight search technology - it's delightfully painless, as tech should be. If a phone could bring me up a text message or contact I was looking for in the same way iTunes helps me find a song, I'd be a happy bunny indeed.
The company's great with media management too - I have a sneaking suspicion Motorola, Nokia et al would be wise to learn from OS X's approach to managing video, photos and suchlike. And let's not forget the design - an iPhone is going to be a beautiful thing. Nokia, Samsung, RIM and many other handset makers may do functionality, but looks? Nah. Some of their phones should have bags on their metaphorical heads.
I suspect Apple's big idea is to sell the iPhone as a single device for phone and music functionality. But I've got an iPod and a mobile and it hasn't bothered me yet, despite the plethora of phones with built-in music players flooding the market. So still, no iPhone for me.
I'd also like to state for the record that if Microsoft created a Phune (a phone and a Zune in one, geddit?), I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole either but that's a different story.
So let me tell you what I would like. Nokia, come over here. Apple, you stand next to Nokia. Now shake hands. (Can you see where I'm going with this?)
I want a Nokia which runs a mobile version of OS X. I'd really like Nokia to make the iPhone - an N Series for the kids, if you will, an E series for the suits. Nokia's durability and battery life, Apple's intuitive software. It's a marriage made in heaven. And maybe, after the post coital cigarette, RIM could get involved too. Hey, it's just an idea.
نه غزه نه لبنان جانم فدای ایران
«در زندگی زخم*هايی هست که مثل خوره روح را آهسته در انزوا می*خورد و می*تراشد.»
Apple iPhone
The Apple iPhone is not just a phone - it is a phone, music player, video player, internet device, and camera all in one. Like its iPod Nano and iPod video cousins, the iPhone is slim and sleek at just 11.6mm thick, 2.4-inches wide, and 4.5-inches tall.
Steve Jobs has such confidence in the new iPhone that he has said he wants to sell over 10 million of them by 2008. I think he's setting his sights a little low, and project that Apple will sell over 10 million iPhones in less than 6 months. With the following that Apple has, and the fact that this device has been rumored about and anticipated for almost four years now, it shouldn't be too far out of the realm of possiblity.
iPod Features:
The Apple iPhone is a widescreen iPod that features touch screen controls that allow you to enjoy all your content, including audiobooks, music, TV shows, and movies. It features an amazing 3.5-inch widescreen display, and allows you to sync content from your iTunes library on your PC or Mac, making that content also accessible with just the touch of a finger.
iPhone users will be able to scroll through songs, artists, albums, and playlists with just a flick of a finger. One cool new feature of this function is the display of album artwork - you can now use Cover Flow to browse your music library by album artwork for the first time on an iPod.
Phone Features:
Using the phone function of the Apple iPhone, you can calls by simply pointing your finger at a name or number in your address book, a favorites list, or a call log. All your contacts from a PC, Mac, or Internet device are also automatically synched, you can select and listen to voicemail messages in whatever order you want — just like email. Calls can easily be merged together with just the touch of a button to create a conference call. Conference calling has never been easier!
SMS Text Messaging:
Using the iPhone, you can send text messages withan SMS application with a predictive QWERTY soft keyboard that prevents and corrects mistakes. This makes it easier and more efficient to use than the small plastic keyboards found on many smartphones.
Camera Function:
The Apple iPhone also features an amazing 2-megapixel camera, as well as a photo management application unlike anything available on a phone today. Users can sync photos from a PC or Mac, browse or email them with just a touch of the screen.
Internet Device:
The iPhone features a rich HTML email client as well as the Safari browser, which automatically syncs bookmarks from a PC or Mac. The Safari browser has built-in Google and Yahoo! search. You can also multi-task by reading a web page while simultaneously downloading your email in the background via WiFi or EDGE. Safari also includes built-in Google and Yahoo! search. You can even display Google Maps as they were meant to be seen, and zoom in to view specific points.
E-mail:
The iPhone is great for multi-tasking, so you can read a web page while downloading your email in the background over Wi-Fi or EDGE. Its e-mail client fetches your email in the background from most POP3 or IMAP mail services, and then displays photos and graphics along with the text.
Widgets:
Extend your iPhone with widgets, small applications that give you helpful information like stock reports, weather reports, and more in real time.
Touchscreen:
The iPhone features an amazing 3.5-inch widescreen display, and has one of the most revolutionary user interfaces since the mouse. The interface is unlike anything you've ever experienced on a phone, with a large multi-touch display and innovate new software that allows you to control everything with the touch of a finger.
Intelligent Keyboard:
The iPhone features a full QWERTY keyboard that allows you to send and receive SMS messages, email, etc. It is predicitive, and therefore prevents and corrects mistakes.
Built-in Sensors:
The iPhone incorporates an accelerometer, which detects when a user switches from holding the phone in landscape to portrait mode, and automatically updates the image on screen to fit the mode. The sensors also detect when you put the iPhone near your phone, and automatically shuts off the display screen until you move it away to save on battery power. An ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the screen's brightness to the appropriate level for the current ambient light, which enhances user experience and also saves on battery power.
Accessories:
As of now, Apple has announced a Bluetooth headset that will work with the iPhone, as well as new headphones that incorporate a small white box in the middle of the cord. This box has a built-in microphone and a switch to answer and hang up phone calls.
The phone is expected to come out in June 2007 in USA, Europe in the fourth QTR and Asia in 2008 and it will be available exclusively on Cingular for $499 on a two-year contract for the 4GB version and $599 for the 8GB version.
نه غزه نه لبنان جانم فدای ایران
«در زندگی زخم*هايی هست که مثل خوره روح را آهسته در انزوا می*خورد و می*تراشد.»
iPhone combines three products — a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device with desktop-class email, web browsing, maps, and searching — into one small and lightweight handheld device. iPhone also introduces an entirely new user interface based on a large multi-touch display and pioneering new software, letting you control everything with just your fingers. So it ushers in an era of software power and sophistication never before seen in a mobile device, completely redefining what you can do on a mobile phone.
iPhone is a widescreen iPod with touch controls that lets you enjoy all your content — including music, audiobooks, videos, TV shows, and movies — on a beautiful 3.5-inch widescreen display. It also lets you sync your content from the iTunes library on your PC or Mac. And then you can access it all with just the touch of a finger.
iPhone is a revolutionary new mobile phone that allows you to make a call by simply pointing your finger at a name or number in your address book, a favorites list, or a call log. It also automatically syncs all your contacts from a PC, Mac, or Internet service. And it lets you select and listen to voicemail messages in whatever order you want — just like email.
iPhone features a rich HTML email client and Safari — the most advanced web browser ever on a portable device — which automatically syncs bookmarks from your PC or Mac. Safari also includes built-in Google and Yahoo! search. iPhone is fully multi-tasking, so you can read a web page while downloading your email in the background over Wi-Fi or EDGE.
Multi-touch
iPhone features the most revolutionary user interface since the mouse. It’s an entirely new interface based on a large multi-touch display and innovative new software that lets you control everything using only your fingers. So you can glide through albums with Cover Flow, flip through photos and email them with a touch, or zoom in and out on a section of a web page — all by simply using iPhone’s multi-touch display.
Intelligent Keyboard
iPhone’s full QWERTY soft keyboard lets you easily send and receive SMS messages in multiple sessions. And the keyboard is predictive, so it prevents and corrects mistakes, making it easier and more efficient to use than the small plastic keyboards on many smartphones.
نه غزه نه لبنان جانم فدای ایران
«در زندگی زخم*هايی هست که مثل خوره روح را آهسته در انزوا می*خورد و می*تراشد.»
iPhone’s accelerometer detects when you rotate the device from portrait to landscape, then automatically changes the contents of the display, so you immediately see the entire width of a web page or a photo in its proper landscape aspect ratio.
The proximity sensor detects when you lift iPhone to your ear and immediately turns off the display to save power and prevent inadvertent touches until iPhone is moved away.
An ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the display’s brightness to the appropriate level for the current ambient light, thereby enhancing the user experience and saving power at the same time.
Wireless
iPhone uses quad-band GSM, the global standard for wireless communications. It also supports Cingular’s EDGE network, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR, which links to Apple’s new, remarkably compact Bluetooth headset.
OS X
All the power and sophistication of the world’s most advanced operating system — OS X — is now available on a small, handheld device that gives you access to true desktop-class applications and software, including rich HTML email, full-featured web browsing, and applications such as widgets, Safari, calendar, text messaging, Notes, and Address Book. iPhone is fully multi-tasking, so you can read a web page while downloading your email in the background. This software completely redefines what you can do with a mobile phone.
نه غزه نه لبنان جانم فدای ایران
«در زندگی زخم*هايی هست که مثل خوره روح را آهسته در انزوا می*خورد و می*تراشد.»
When the iPhone was introduced, I found it tempting ... very, very tempting. But just enough features and capabilities were missing from Apple's initial cell phone offering that I held off on buying one.
In Video: Apple iPhone 3G Launch
I wasn't alone in waiting, but that doesn't mean the first-generation iPhone didn't sell well. In fact, the iPhone moved 6 million units worldwide, well enough to make Apple extremely competitive in the smart-phone market.
Regardless of whether you stood in line on launch day or you chose to sit the first round out, today's announcement probably got your attention. It certainly has tongues wagging everywhere. Apple is once again in the spotlight, and that has everything to do with the iPhone 3G features the company revealed today. Should you queue up when the iPhone 3G becomes available on July 11? Read on.
1. Price
The original iPhone was innovative and groundbreaking. It also was an expensive toy. Sure, around the country both technophiles and the masses lined up to procure the original iPhone, but at $599 and $699 for the 8GB and 16GB models, respectively, the audience remained somewhat limited. As time passed, as the models' prices dropped, and as the device's reputation spread, the iPhone picked up more steam. But even Jobs himself admitted that about 50 percent of people surveyed who didn't buy an iPhone said that they didn't because of price.
With Apple's iPhone price drop, announced today, you pay significantly less money up front at the time of purchase: The 8GB iPhone will sell for $199, just one-third the price that the 4GB iPhone sold for at launch a year ago. The 16GB model will sell for $299.
Those prices put Apple's smart phone into the reach of more consumers than ever before. Only four handsets on our current Top 10 smart phones chart--Palm's Centro ($100 with a Sprint contract, $200 with an AT&T contract), T-Mobile's Shadow ($200 with contract) and Dash ($150 with contract), and RIM's BlackBerry Pearl ($150 with a T-Mobile contract)--cost less than the least expensive iPhone. And the iPhone 3G, with its integrated audio and video player, Web browsing, and GPS, offers far more versatility than any of those competing phones.
2. 3G Browsing Speed
One of the biggest drawbacks of using a mobile phone for Web activities is the lag time. Much as point-and-shoot digital cameras frustrate their users with seemingly interminable shutter lag, cell phone users roll their eyes at how long it can take for a Web page to load.
The first-gen iPhone notably omitted 3G wireless in favor of the more widely available--and significantly slower--EDGE connectivity. A year later, 3G seems even more necessary than before, as Web pages grow more graphically intensive.
Now that a 3G-capable iPhone has been unveiled, it's hard to imagine going back to not having 3G. According to Apple, Web pages will load up to 2.8 times faster. That's a compelling argument: I've waited for what felt like hours for a PC World Shopping price-comparison page to load on my old EDGE-based Treo when I've been shopping in a store, for example. I'd much rather get the information I want sooner, rather than twiddling my thumbs and reaching for a cup of coffee.
Unfortunately, 3G wireless service on AT&T has one catch: AT&T Wireless's service plans for the iPhone 3G will follow the company's standard pricing structure, which means that you'll be paying for whatever pricing plan you choose plus AT&T's unlimited 3G data services ($30 a month for personal use, $45 a month for business use). Individual users will see their iPhone bill jump by $10.
3. Greater International Support
From a multilingual keyboard that you can change out on the fly to a user-removable SIM card (a SIM-card ejector comes with the iPhone 3G), new features in this model make it much more viable for international use. Whether you need to access the Web while overseas, or you want to swap out your SIM card (presumably, after an unspecified period of time, AT&T will let its customers unlock the phone for international use, as the company has allowed with its more standard phones), this model is better than the original.
4. Applications Galore
Based on what I saw at the WWDC Keynote, Apple's approach to application development may pay off in spades. Developing applications appears simple, limited only by the constraints of developers' imaginations. Distributing the software through iTunes is genius--turning to a single repository to procure content is far easier than scouring the Web for random Symbian, Palm, Windows Mobile, or BlackBerry apps you may want to download.
I see tremendous potential for useful--and downright fun--applications to come out of the development process now that the iPhone software developer's kit is available. The potential for future apps, coupled with the iPhone's existing programs--its iPod video and audio capabilities, its photo album, its easy e-mail, its Google Maps and YouTube apps--makes the iPhone 3G a unique offering in the mobile arena.
5. iPhone: Still at the Head of the Class
A funny thing happened in the past year: For all the hoopla, for all the assertions that the iPhone was a game-changer, the truth is, not much has changed in the landscape of the cell phone universe in the past year. It's almost as if Apple is so far ahead in its innovation and thinking that it has a seemingly insurmountable lead over its competitors, and is in a realm of its own as a result.
The reality is, none of the so-called iPhone killers have come close to challenging the iPhone's media handling and ease of use. That could change in the coming months as more cell phone vendors introduce updates to their lines (RIM, for example, is rumored to be working on a touch-screen interface, though its next flagship model, the BlackBerry Bold, does not have a touch screen). In the meantime, however, Apple will just be building on its solid head start.
Admittedly, not everyone will want--or need--to buy an iPhone 3G. For one thing, the much-anticipated iPhone 2.0 software upgrade that will enable the App Store for downloading applications, announced earlier this year, will be free to all first-generation-iPhone owners.
Furthermore, some people may want to hold out for a more substantial hardware upgrade, such as additional storage, a better camera, or other heretofore unimagined hardware bonuses.
I may queue up for an iPhone 3G. Or I may be patient and wait for the next big thing--which for me would be inclusion of features like 32GB of memory.
مایکل اسلیتر اولین خریدار آی فون در لندن بود که گوشی خود را ثبت کرد
فروش نسخه ارتقاء یافته تلفن همراه آی فون (iPhone) از امروز در 22 کشور جهان آغاز شده است.
نسخه جدید این گوشی ارزانتر از نسخه اولیه آن است و علاوه بر برقراری اتصال سریعتر به اینترنت، امکان استفاده از ادوات موقعیت یابی (GPS) را نیز می دهد.
برخی از متقاضیان این دستگاه از روزها قبل مقابل فروشگاه های شرکت اپل، تولید کننده آی فون، صف کشیده بودند تا مطمئن شوند در خرید دستگاه جدید ناکام نمی مانند.
اینطور به نظر می رسد که جانی گلدول در شهر اکلند نیوزیلند اولین خریدار تلفن جدید بوده است و برای خریدن این دستگاه مقابل یک فروشگاه شرکت ارائه دهنده خدمات تلفن موبایل وودافون بیش از 60 ساعت انتظار کشیده است.
تصاویری از استقبال ساکنان لندن از آی فون جدید
او پس از خرید آی فون خود گفت: "می خواهم آن را شارژ کنم، کمی از قابلیتهای مختلف آن استفاده کنم و بعد، یک خواب حسابی و راحت!"
در بریتانیا بسیاری شب را پشت در فروشگاه ها سپری کردند تا وقتی فروش آغاز می شود، اولین نفری باشند که به این تلفن همراه دست پیدا می کنند.
در لندن، در ساعت هشت و دو دقیقه صبح که فروشگاه اپل واقع در خیابان ریجنت، در مرکز شهر، درهای خود را باز کرد حدود 150 نفر منتظر باز شدن در بودند.
علاقه برای حضور در صف به اندازه ای بود که به عنوان مثال دیوید سوئن، که یک دانشجو است، جای خود در صف را از یک متقاضی دیگر از طریق eBay به مبلغ 50 پوند خرید.
او گفت: "من از زمان به بازار آمدن نسخه اولیه آی فون، بخاطر قابلیتهای 3G این گوشی، منتظر به بازار آمدن آن بودم."
در بریتانیا تنها شبکه موبایل O2 این گوشی را ارائه می کند و برای خرید آن تنها باید قرارداد ماهانه با این شرکت بست.
کسانی که در حال حاضر از نسخه قدیمی آی فون استفاده می کنند، می توانند با تمدید قرارداد خود به مدت 18 ماه بدون پرداخت هزینه ای اضافی، تلفن جدید را دریافت کنند.
نسخه جدید آی فون همانند نسخه اولیه، علاوه بر ارائه قابلیتهای یک گوشی تلفن همراه، قابلیت پخش موسیقی و فیلم، اتصال به اینترنت از طریق مرورگر "سافاری" را دارد، و می تواند از شبکه های سریعتر تلفن همراه برای انتقال اطلاعات استفاده کند.
در حال حاضر آی فون در دو نسخه با هشت یا شانزده گیگابایت حافظه عرضه می شود.
از نکات مهم دیگر درباره این گوشی، توانایی آن برای اجرای برنامه های کامپیوتری است که توسط شرکت اپل تولید نشده اند.
هزینه استفاده از آی فون در بریتانیا
گوشی 16 گیگابایتی، اینترنت نامحدود مجانی
30 پوند در ماه برای 75 دقیقه مکالمه و 159 پوند برای گوشی
35 پوند در ماه برای 600 دقیقه مکالمه و 159 پوند برای گوشی
45 پوند در ماه برای 1200 دقیقه مکالمه و 45 پوند برای گوشی
75 پوند در ماه برای 3000 دقیقه مکالمه و گوشی مجانی
شرکت اپل پیش از به بازار فرستادن آی فون جدید، امکان دستیابی عموم به سرویس "فروشگاه برنامه" (App Store) خود را فراهم کرد که در آن کاربران می توانند برنامه های اضافی برای موبایل خود بخرند.
در حال حاضر در این فروشگاه برنامه های مختلفی از جمله بازی، برنامه های اتصال به شبکه های اجتماعی، ارسال و دریافت پیام و شرکت در حراج های اینترنتی برای فروش در دسترس قرار گرفته اند.
دانلود و استفاده از برخی از این برنامه ها مجانی است.
با این حال شرکت اپل در حال حاضر با این انتقاد مواجه شده که در انتخاب نرم افزارهای تهیه شده برای عرضه در App Store، بیشتر از برنامه های تولید شده توسط شرکتهای آمریکایی استقبال می کند.
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