Comments on: Mac-friendly alternatives to Apple's 1G iPhone

By: Bruce

Bruce — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:53:16 +0000

Thanks Ryan; this post is 13 months old, and a lot has happened in that time. I actually have the original iPhone, which might at first seem at odds with the above analysis. However, two important things happened:

O2 slashed the price by £100 in prep for iPhone 3G;
I worked out how to sync tasks and notes offline using Address Book, and was gifted a copy of 1Password—this took care of the "critical" iPhone deficiencies.

So I chose to purchase, knowing also that native apps were coming and that the iPhone 2.0 software would be available to original iPhones too. The above chart now has less red in it ;-) I'm very happy with iPhone and particularly excited by some of the commendable third-party software we have (and will shortly have) access to, especially Things, FileMagnet, and 1Password (native, not encrypted bookmark sync). As for updating the article, I may compare the iPhone in the above chart to the situation in a month or two (when the App Store paint has dried), but not against other devices. There are no other devices I would consider ;-)

By: Ryan Sandridge

Ryan Sandridge — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:27:04 +0000

Hi Bruce,

Very nice analysis of Mac-friendly alternatives to the iPhone 1G. Now that the new iPhone is available (ha! if you can find a store with it in stock), I'm curious if you have any interest in updating your excellent article? Are there new convergence devices available today which you'd consider?

Cheers,
Ryan

By: Bruce

Bruce — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:54:03 +0000

Thanks Richard; as I commented on your post in-camera geotagging and WiFi uploading is very cool. The SDK should address most of my concerns about the iPhone but it's still unclear whether or not data logging will be possible due to Apple's restrictions on background processes. An iPhone + D70 and a Bluetooth data logger would still be closer to the ideal for me than a GPS + D70 + PDA + iPod + N82.

By: Richard Akerman

Richard Akerman — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:12:03 +0000

Although the N95 is more popular, the N82 has a better location for the internal GPS and a better camera (xenon flash).

By: Bruce

Bruce — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 08:37:02 +0000

Did you ever get an iPhone?

No Kate, I didn't. But I'm not spending any more money on Palm (or Missing Sync) either. There are a few reasons I've held off:

Functionality: Both the iPhone/ iPod touch as of Feb 08 lack basic PDA functionality that was present on my very first monochrome Palm. They need to support to-do/ task lists and notes that sync to iCal and/or Mail. As for syncing secure data, the other missing critical feature on my list, I'm happy that 1Password has that covered;
Cost: £330 for a 16GB iPhone + £630 over 18 months to use it. This doesn't compare well with £330 for a 32GB iPod touch + £30 pay-as-you-go credit on Vodafone over the same period. The third option is £330 for a 16GB iPhone and unlocking + jail-breaking it, and using my £30 per 18/12 Vodafone SIM. This is clearly the best value-for-money option, but I have reservations on several levels about jail-breaking;
Ethics: I object in principle to O2's use of the word "unlimited" when their T&C state this is subject to an excessive usage policy; no business use; no streaming video; no VOIP. Why would anyone lock themselves into that on a network with inferior local coverage?

On a positive note I have to say it's good to see Apple improving the product by adding features. Palm never did that for any of my devices despite extolling the virtues of flashable ROM; Palm owners were lucky if they got a bug fix. Release of the iPhone/ iPod touch SDK is imminent; I will re-assess in the wake of its impact.

By: Kate

Kate — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 06:35:33 +0000

Well? Did you ever get an iPhone? I am loath to give up my beloved Palm, which I've used since 1997 (I think I'm on #5). But as the battery on my little Z22 or whatever I've got no longer holds its charge for more than a day and a half, and I really need a device to check work e-mails from Outlook for the Web (requires a browser), I took the plunge.

My friend tells me he bought software to sync his Palm. I pray it will be OK. I'm worried about life without my Palm, but Palm is starting to feel like an endangered species. I don't want to be the last person on earth with one, trying to make it sync in a world of new-fangled devices...

RIP Palm

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:49:04 +0000

Using an Iphone here in Canada. Its more of a Cell phone with great multimedia possibilities.. in terms of a phone you cant do a lot of things normal cell phones can.. ie. Txt msg multiple people, voice dial, picture (mms) message, Sync to-do notes etc etc.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 13:49:48 +0000

Good to hear someone's happy Freda. It won't be long now before iPhone is available in the UK, so I'll soon get the chance to try out that much debated touch keyboard for myself. I've been quite happy using a stylus for input on the touchscreen of my Palm; have you actually tried using an ordinary stylus with your iPhone? Does this work, or is the keypad configured to sense softer contact?

By: freda

freda — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 23:19:34 +0000

emm I love my iphone it exceeds all of my expectations so far!!The ease of use overcomes any of its faults.
Now...that said one improvement would be a stylus it COULD be done ~~it is heat activated and if the stylus were lite metal (think of those ice cream scoops that after you hold them a moment allow you to dip right through the hardest ice cream the heat in your hand transfers to the metal not sure how~~) maybe someone will work on that

By: jsk

jsk — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 00:58:35 +0000

Technically speaking, the iPhone is NOT unique in it's ability to use iTunes Music Store DRM'ed content. Several models of Motorola GSM phones can as well (not just the ROKR), just not with the iPhone's ease of use.

I'm with you, the iPhone has a long way to go before it replaces my 5G iPod and my Tungsten E2 (with GPS navigation software/hardware). I have a lot of video files on my iPod, so 8GB just isn't going to cut it; and I can't live without my Palm's GPS, speadsheet programs, and the host of other 3rd party software I use all the time.

The iPhone's abilities are just too limited to suit my needs.