vB Easy Archive - "Greener Pastures"

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"Greener Pastures"
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Posted by: davistld01

I have had a major case of flakiness lately. Although I left my trusty BlackBerry Curve (a GREAT smartphone) for the iPhone because I wanted something new and totally different...and because I got such a smokin' deal, and have been pretty much addicted to the iPhone since...I have been back and forth, tempted to go back to the BlackBerry or something different. In fact, I have two ads on HoFo BST looking for a trade right now!!

In fact, I had a deal all set up last night to trade for a brand-new, direct-from-RIM, unlocked/unbranded BlackBerry 8800 + cash from a member in Canada...and backed out at the last minute. Why?? I couldn't part with my iPhone...

.

Yeah...the phone is incomplete, and performs at a lower level (speakerphone & earpiece) than I would like...and it's missing some functional items that I had with BB...but I really like this phone, with all it's frustrations, better than most anything I have ever had. I can't promise that I wouldn't jump ship for the totally right deal...but I doubt it. I am only hoping that a software update will come soon, so that I will have less of an excuse to leave.

Has anyone else been on the fence on whether to keep the iPhone...or go to "greener" pastures?

Posted by: MI_canuck

for me there is no question - the iPhone stays with me... it's the kind of device i have been waiting for... i accept it's minor flaws which i still think are far outweighed by the strengths of this device... the way it handles songs, video (albeit in limited format), web, email (both full html), wifi, is unrivaled at the moment... and the the whole interface, touch, flick, pinch, you name it - the complete user experience - can't put a price on... honestly i don't think the price is all that unfair... especially for something this new and cutting edge...

even the EDGE speed is somewhat of a surprise - as in not bad... i've had three 3G phones (blackjack, 8525, V3xx... and 3G while super fast and the speed is definitely nice and welcome for data transfers... the inconsistency and dropped calls on 3G bothered me, and i'm more pleased with the stability and maturity of EDGE right now (3G will improve, and no doubt it's getting better every day)

when europeans and asians (and canadians

) are clamoring to buy iPhones and trying to find ways to unlock them, you know the device has a level of desirability that very few U.S. exclusive (at least for now) devices can lay claim to...

i know one thing... i'm KEEPING mine

... and when the next iPhone revision comes along (revision to the current design - probably wouldn't go for an iphone "mini") - i will likely be getting one of those if the improvements are worth the upgrade...

peace

Posted by: BIZ54

Quote:

Originally Posted by MI_canuck

for me there is no question - the iPhone stays with me... it's the kind of device i have been waiting for... i accept it's minor flaws which i still think are far outweighed by the strengths of this device... the way it handles songs, video (albeit in limited format), web, email (both full html), wifi, is unrivaled at the moment... and the the whole interface, touch, flick, pinch, you name it - the complete user experience - can't put a price on... honestly i don't think the price is all that unfair... especially for something this new and cutting edge...

even the EDGE speed is somewhat of a surprise - as in not bad... i've had three 3G phones (blackjack, 8525, V3xx... and 3G while super fast and the speed is definitely nice and welcome for data transfers... the inconsistency and dropped calls on 3G bothered me, and i'm more pleased with the stability and maturity of EDGE right now (3G will improve, and no doubt it's getting better every day)

when europeans and asians (and canadians

I agree wholeheartedly with the above!!!!!

Posted by: Anisoul

Nope...it's just the opposite for me. The iPhone has helped to subside my cellular addiction. I HONESTLY don't even think about getting or trying out another cell phone. I had a Nokia N95 for ONE day and gave it up to back to the iPhone. So, in short, the iPhone is my GREENEST pasture.

Posted by: davistld01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anisoul

Nope...it's just the opposite for me. The iPhone has helped to subside my cellular addiction. I HONESTLY don't even think about getting or trying out another cell phone. I had a Nokia N95 for ONE day and gave it up to back to the iPhone. So, in short, the iPhone is my GREENEST pasture.

Frankly, my BlackBerry had me in the same situation...satisfied, and not looking at anything else seriously. It did everything I asked it to. But, when the opportunity came up to jump on the iPhone...I did it instantly, without hesitation (or at least, not much). As a sheer email generator, the BlackBerry has no competition...as a media-ready device, it is sorely lacking...even with the camera and media player tacked on the Curve to appeal to the masses.

Anisoul knows that I have been looking seriously at an N95 (I PM'd him too late...his had sold) but I have come back to the reality that I have had two S60 phones (E50 & E61i) and detested the OS on both. Why would the N95 be any better? Fact: it wouldn't be. So...

...I am content with the iPhone for now. Will some changes make me happier? Absolutely!!Do I still like the phone "as is"? Yes, without a doubt!!

So...I have to agree that the iPhone IS my "Greener Pasture" as well!!

Posted by: cowboy1964

I looked at a lot of phones before deciding on the iPhone. I've still got my eye on some upcoming phones like the HTC Kaiser. But it's going to take a lot to get me to leave iPhone now. I'm so addicted to the screen and web browser and quick interface that pretty much anything else is going to be taking a step backwards. I can live with the limitations for now and hope they get addressed soon (a voice recorder and third party apps. would pretty much satisfy me for awhile).

Can't wait to get Sling Box on the iPhone! Hope it works as well as YouTube over EDGE.

Posted by: blacksrt4guy

The iPhone has helped my phone addiction also! Heres what I suggest. Get another phone that you can justify the price of for those times of weakness and yearning. I picked up a "weekend/party" phone that I use on weekends and when Im going to a bar or a party and dont want every other weirdo fingering my precious. For me, I got a SE slider, I forget which model it is, but I use all weekend and then Moday rolls around and Im ready for the iPhone again. Its kinda new again and I remember how much I liked it. Do this and call me inthe morning.

Posted by: servoisgod

Quote:

Originally Posted by MI_canuck

especially for something this new and cutting edge...

Sorry, what is cutting edge about it? Please do not say the whole touch screen functionality because there really isn't anything that hasn't already been done.

Also, I'm not trying to start anything...i really do want to know what you consider cutting edge with this deivce? Because there isn't anything "new" about this device that I couldn't point back at some software that has been out already.

Thanks,
Aaron

Posted by: cowboy1964

Quote:

Originally Posted by servoisgod

Sorry, what is cutting edge about it? Please do not say the whole touch screen functionality because there really isn't anything that hasn't already been done.

What other phones have the same touchscreen functionality AND have it integrated so well into every app? What other phones in the same size and weight class have the same screen specs. and battery life?

Posted by: hard_core

was there ever a cell phone that could play a movie? visual voicemail?

Posted by: dgb52

Quote:

Originally Posted by hard_core

was there ever a cell phone that could play a movie? visual voicemail?

i curious to know what is so great about watching a movie on a 3 inch screen or having youtube on it?
some one please explain

Posted by: ponda baba

Quote:

Originally Posted by hard_core

was there ever a cell phone that could play a movie? visual voicemail?

there are a ton of phones that can play movies. i've had movies on my dash for a while now (4 full length movies are on it right now as well as some short web clips and a couple albums worth of music). not only that but i can play virtually any format media file on the dash, and i can stream media from the web. wm5 has had full media capability for a quite a while.

Posted by: deanfx

Quote:

Originally Posted by dgb52

i curious to know what is so great about watching a movie on a 3 inch screen or having youtube on it?
some one please explain

In my opinion it has to be the wow factor. I have had other phones that could play movies such as the 8525, but not with the quality the iphone does. And I have never had a phone that plays youtube. Tonight at work for example. coworkers and myself watched a few episodes of unforgivable on youtube with my iphone. It sure did make the time go by faster. I think it all comes down to the "cool! I don't have to have a tv, pc, etc to watch the movie 300. Of course this is just my opinion and they are like you know what's.

Posted by: ponda baba

wm phones can stream youtube using simple third party apps, and not just in the limited iphone format. the iphone only has access to a fraction of youtube's vids. tcpmp is miles ahead of what the iphone offers in media playback, as it includes multiple aspect ratios, rotation, eq, color and contrast adjust, zoom, etc. etc. etc.

Posted by: JerryNY

Quote:

Originally Posted by servoisgod

Sorry, what is cutting edge about it? Please do not say the whole touch screen functionality because there really isn't anything that hasn't already been done.

Multi touch has been around on cell phones before?

Posted by: robanga

Quote:

Originally Posted by servoisgod

As a guy who owns both the Blackjack and the iPhone, let me tell you there is a lot that is cutting edge about the iPhone. Yes the touch screen is amazing because it finally "just works" everything thing is integrated and flows nearly perfectly from the standpoint of the user. What Apple has done to the music player, they've now done to the smart phone.

Also the use of accceleromters and proximity dectectors in a phone is really a first.

Now from a greener pastures standpoint, I was one of the gadget guys that changes phones every six months. I doubt I will be changing again until the iPhone version two hits.

Posted by: robanga

Quote:

Originally Posted by ponda baba

wm phones can stream youtube using simple third party apps, and not just in the limited iphone format. the iphone only has access to a fraction of youtube's vids. tcpmp is miles ahead of what the iphone offers in media playback, as it includes multiple aspect ratios, rotation, eq, color and contrast adjust, zoom, etc. etc. etc.

I am a huge windows mobile fan and love the blackjack. I have colleagues that have the dash and the 8525 and WM is good experience that is getting better....But to compare that experience to the iPhone at least for the masses is not even close to a fair fight.

Sure WM can do amazing things, with a lot of tweaks and third party programs and the knowledge of someone that understands how to install and make it all work, and then also understands multimedia file formats etc. But that just took a large percentage of users away. The out of the box experience with WM is good but the out of box experience of the iPhone is awe inspiring.

Posted by: Standog

Quote:

Originally Posted by servoisgod

-Visual Voicemail
-Multi-Touch
-OSX
-Coverflow
-Real web browsing experience.
-8GB Drive (+++)
-Accelerometer
-Proximity Sensor

This is to name a few. Try adding 5 people to a conference call on your present phone. Or even switching from a call to your home screen to choose another app, look up a contact, whatever and get back to the call. Try dropping one person off of your conference without disconnecting everyone. When was the last time you had Movies, days of music and 1000+ pictures on your phone of family, friends, vacations, etc. As a convergent device it's without peer.

There's so much about the ease of use of the iPhone that you just have to experience. Even switching from output devices (headset, speakerphone, iPhone) is a breeze. I can hook my phone up to my car with an FM transmitter, when a call comes it fades out, I take the call and upon hanging up, the music turns on and back up where I left off. I don't know of a Blackberry that can do that.

Posted by: deanfx

Quote:

Originally Posted by ponda baba

I was using tcmp when the treo 650 first came out, so I know its capabilities. I still had lockups and reboots because of it lol.

Posted by: ponda baba

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeanFX4u

I was using tcmp when the treo 650 first came out, so I know its capabilities. I still had lockups and reboots because of it lol.

I don't think you really do know it's capabilities from the way you're describing it. I'm talking about the core player tcpmp. Maybe on the treo it was bad but on the dash its smooth as butter and I really do not understand all the people who think its so hard to install apps? Its a program you drag to the phone and run, thats it. And since it runs pretty much every format you throw at it, it's much easier to get stuff to run, rather than having to convert everything to one format like with the iPhone.

I'd hate to see some of you have to install an app on the iPhone. Time for the genius bar I guess.

Talking about experiences with the Dash here and it seems the ones I am responding to are using treos and bbs, so I guess thats the confusion. The Dash/HTC Excalibur has worked like a charm for me.

Posted by: Rockky

The which is better arguement gets a little silly doesn't it?
I love both my Wm6 turbo charged 8525 and EQUALLY love my Iphone for very different reasons. I have both cause I appreciate what each can do that the other might not......but.....gotta say....I've spent much more of my time on the Iphone....cause its just freakin' COOL!

Posted by: JerryNY

Well that is the crux of the iPhone argument. If a device is fun to use you can't exactly put that on the spec sheet. Look at the Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360. The Wii on paper is destroyed by the 360 and the PS3 and yet the Wii is turning into a juggernaut. The same goes for the DS vs the PSP. The DS is outclassed by the PSP spec wise but the DS slaughters the PSP anyway in sales. Sure these comparisons here are flawed as the Nintendo products are cheaper but you have 360 and PS3 fanboys who rip the Wii all day long but just don't get that people like the Wii and its fun new interface and no matter how superior the specs of their system of choice is the proof is in the using. Fun to use is not an easily quantifiable feature.

Posted by: cowboy1964

Not only does the iPhone have "fun" factor but it really is so easy and fast to use that you end up using it more often and faster than other phones. On my old phone just to get to the calculator took at least 3 times longer than on the iPhone because of the navigation of menus and buttons. It may not sound like a lot of a few seconds here and a few there just makes it better. Granted, my old phone wasn't a Smartphone but that was just an example. I end up checking weather, email, etc. very often on the iPhone just because its so dang easy.

If the iPhone could be configured to always be unlocked it would be even faster (I carry mine in a case so having to unlock it is just a drag).

Posted by: thetruth1983

Quote:

Originally Posted by Standog

WoW! I never knew that you could hook the iphone to a fm transmitter and use it to take a call in the car. My N95 works a bit different though because it allows me to connect to my car via bluetooth. I can control the music while the phone is in my bag and when a call comes in, the music fades in/out accordingly. After reading your post, I wonder if it is even worth it to use the ancient A2DP on the N95 or should I move over to the innovative iphone so I could use it with a fm transmitter!

Posted by: johncase3

Quote:

Originally Posted by hard_core

was there ever a cell phone that could play a movie?

Well, my Treo 755P can play movies and You Tube out of the box. No 3rd party apps needed. Not only that, I can load media on as many 4GIG mini SD's as I want. I am not limited to the internal memory.

Posted by: JerryNY

Quote:

Originally Posted by thetruth1983

After reading your post, I wonder if it is even worth it to use the ancient A2DP on the N95 or should I move over to the innovative iphone so I could use it with a fm transmitter!

No the A2DP is a newer Bluetooth standard, you should probably stick to that so you can leave it in your purse like you do now. FM transmitters are just common iPod accessories so people like them and can use them even if they have a car not equipped with BT, which is pretty much the majority of them at this point. The iPhone does work with with BT equipped cars however.

Posted by: thetruth1983

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerryNY

Since the iphone works with BT equipped cars, would I be able to control the music on my car stereo or would I have to control it on the iphone?

Posted by: JerryNY

Quote:

Originally Posted by thetruth1983

Since the iphone works with BT equipped cars, would I be able to control the music on my car stereo or would I have to control it on the iphone?

I don't know the answer to that. I have no experience with using the BT on the iPhone other than with a simple headset. I don't think it can stream music over BT currently though.

Posted by: audiosclie

I would like to add my opinions to this thread as well. My phone list over the last 3 years includes the following:

PDA2K/Windows Mobile
iMate Jam/Windows Mobile
iMate JasJar/Windows Mobile
iMate Jamin/Windows Mobile
Cingular 8125/Windows Mobile
Cingular 8525/Windows Mobile
Cingular 3125/Windows Mobile
Samsung Blackjack/Windows Mobile
Treo 750V/Windows Mobile
Nokia N95/Symbian S60
Nokia E90/Symbian S60
Apple iPhone/Mac OS

I have spend a couple of thousand on software on these phones also. I will give my two cents on the good and bad of these operating systems.

Windows Mobile:
Good-
1.Thousands of 3rd party apps available
2.Great at multitasking
3.Uses familiar Windows interface
4.Easily tweaked and hacked

Bad-
1.Lockups and random reboots
2.Program memory issues
3.Too many different screen orientations may cause problems when upgrading to different model when it comes to transferring programs from one phone to another
4.Call quality is the worst of the 3 systems
5.Touch screens are easily scratched/broken on these devices
6.Easily tweaked and hacked
7.Battery life

Symbian S60
Good-
1.Many 3rd party apps available that are freeware. I spent a total of $100 on software for my Symbian device when it cost me nearly $1000 for the same type of programs on Windows Mobile.
2.Build quality is on par with iPhone
3.Call quality is the best
4.Safari like browser is very nice compared to Pocket Internet Explorer.
5.PC Suite is awesome for syncing media
Bad-
1.Battery life not bad but can be better
2.Different screen orientations can cause incompatibiliy with purchased programs when moving from one phone to another
3.The phone manufacturers are primarily outside of the U.S. making warranty issues a little bit of a pain

Apple iPhone
Good-
1.Very easy to use..VERY EASY! Within a couple of hours you should know all you need to know.
2.Amazing build quality, very classy timeless design
3.8mb of memory available
4.The best media experience to date on a mobile phone
5.Great battery life
6.Great possibilities with software using Mac OS system
Bad-
1.No expandable memory
2.No replaceable battery
3.Terrible external speakers (compared to other systems in my experience)
4.Ringer Volume and in call/speaker phone volume not great
5.No freakin voice recorder for quick audio note taking...I desperately need this

With all this being said, the #1 reason I am going to stick with the iPhone is because of the money I will be saving. With the other two systems, I felt like I would be always having to upgrade to the next phone that offered something new. I can easily justify spending $600 a year on the next iPhone compared to the $5000 or more I spend on upgrading devices using the other system. The #2 reason for me keeping the iPhone is because everything it does it does flawlessly and it never ever freezes...ever! Finally, the #3 reason is because it just LOOKS GOOD!

Posted by: JerryNY

I found this: bmw-3-series-and-iphone-compatibility

Which shows BMW did some impressive integration work for the iPod/iPhone with their own iDrive computer system. The page says it is fully functional with BT but I think this may be more to do with phone functions. It seems that for full musical use and playlists etc. to be displayed on the BMW LCD you need to be plugged into an iPod connector in the armrest. The good thing about this is having the phone plugged in keeps you charged up.

Posted by: Standog

Quote:

Originally Posted by thetruth1983

No funny guy. The whole point of that portion of my post is that it's innovative in that, not only can I store 7GB+ of music on my iPhone and listen to it with headphone, BUT ALSO I can hook it up to my car and listen to music and take calls AT THE SAME TIME. How many other phones can do that? Many people state that they can play a lot of music on their Treo's, BB, etc. But is it fully functional? Or are you carrying around 4 other SD cards (just begging to be lost) that when you add the cost, hmm about $25-30/GB it really is an added cost and when's the last time you hooked a Treo or BB up to your car to play music?

Posted by: thetruth1983

Quote:

Originally Posted by Standog

I fail to see your point of how its innovative though. There are tons of phones that can be hooked up to an car stereo to play music and take calls. Any phone with a audio jack can use a fm transmitter and any phone that supports A2DP/AVRPC can stream music 'better' than a iphone. I would not call it innovative but I would admit that it does do some things better than other phones just like some phones do things better than the iphone. 7GB+ of music is also very cool to have but apple should have still included removeable storage. My boss asked me for a certain album the other day and all I had to do was take my 4GB microsd card out of my phone and just transfer the songs to his computer via a card reader. I would rather have this freedom than to have 7GB+ of non removeable memory anyday.

Posted by: Anisoul

Quote:

Originally Posted by thetruth1983

Have you owned an iPhone?

Posted by: thetruth1983

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anisoul

Have you owned an iPhone?

Actually, I purchased a 8GB Iphone for my wife last month!

Posted by: Anisoul

I mean have you used it personally? If so, what's your feelings after using it?

Posted by: thetruth1983

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anisoul

I mean have you used it personally? If so, what's your feelings after using it?

It's actually a decent phone with quite a few nice features. There's a lot of things that you can't do with it and I think that's holding a lot of people back from buying it. It fits my wife perfectly because all she wants to do is make calls, listen to music, and show off pictures. I think the iphone is really aimed at people that want simplicity and don't want to tweak a phone for hours on end. It's just funny to see people claim that something is innovative when it's already been around for a while. Kudos to apple marketing!

Posted by: THETRUTH#34

Quote:

Originally Posted by cowboy1964

I looked at a lot of phones before deciding on the iPhone. I've still got my eye on some upcoming phones like the HTC Kaiser. But it's going to take a lot to get me to leave iPhone now. I'm so addicted to the screen and web browser and quick interface that pretty much anything else is going to be taking a step backwards. I can live with the limitations for now and hope they get addressed soon (a voice recorder and third party apps. would pretty much satisfy me for awhile).

Can't wait to get Sling Box on the iPhone! Hope it works as well as YouTube over EDGE.

Its funny you say that cowboy, because i feel the same way about my n95, i couldnt give up all that i have for a pretty screen, and touch screen, so i guess its where u come from, and to where you go that will determine everything. I love loud stereo speakers i have, excellent camera for a cell phone, great video for a cell phone great music and movie playback also, gaming , full bluetooth ect..., yes is the iphone nicer in a few areas yes, but it falls short in many others, so to me it will be a step back.

Posted by: DukeL

Quote:

Originally Posted by THETRUTH#34

For someone that dosen't have an iPhone. You sure are around here alot?

Posted by: davistld01

Quote:

Originally Posted by DukeL

For someone that dosen't have an iPhone. You sure are around here alot?

If I'm not mistaken, THETRUTH#34 has had an iPhone in the past. Am I wrong?

Posted by: JerryNY

There are a few too many "thetruthXXX" name tags around here to keep track of. I don't think #34 is a troll and think he had one in the past but I could be confusing him with someone else.

Posted by: Anisoul

Quote:

Originally Posted by davistld01

If I'm not mistaken, THETRUTH#34 has had an iPhone in the past. Am I wrong?

David, you took the plunge and got an N95?

Posted by: flyingdutchman

I don't own iPhone so I can't speak from experience with it, but I did have a Sprint Mogul for about 3 weeks. The allure of the iPhone is that it seems to actually work. With the Mogul, you have to tweak it right out of the box to get it to work, and even after that it still has issues. Constant freezes and reboots, and annoyances like unresponsiveness. I would hit the talk button and sometimes it would take so long to respond that I missed the call. The UI was incredibly laggy. And this is one of HTC's better phones! I had a similar experience with the Q. Now I am not saying that iPhone is perfect, but I am saying that all I want is smartphone that works out of the box and does not require endless hours of tweaking.

Posted by: davistld01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anisoul

David, you took the plunge and got an N95?

Wonder why so many folks read "davistld01", and call me David? Hmmm...

At any rate...

Yup. Got one from a member in the UK. It's Vodaphone branded, but it'll be flashed with the latest generic FW before I get it. It'll be winging it's way across the Atlantic tomorrow morning...

I really like the iPhone...and just want to do my own iPhone vs. N75 comparison, instead of reading what a bunch of journalists say.

The "winnah" is the keeper!!

Posted by: THETRUTH#34

Quote:

Originally Posted by DukeL

For someone that dosen't have an iPhone. You sure are around here alot?

I am here alot because , im was very interested in it, also i have played with it numerous times( not at the store few of my friends have it) ,Although its has a great ui and very easy to use, it wasnt for me for 2 reasons, 1 was no corporate discount, i would lose my discount completely on my bill, and 2 although i think its an awesome device,I am a letter carrier and i need voice dialing and speed dial when on my route, so for someone like me it was lacking, for others it can be the ultimate. Im never hear to knock it, i let people know about other devices as well as help with the current ones they have. Plus i love the camera option on my phone, and i have grown accustomed to having certain features, does the iphone perform certain functions easier and smoother than my n95, the answer is a resounding yes, but then the n95 does many other things the iphone doesnt. I have a Mac and love it, was considering the iphone alot, but my n95 syncs with itunes as well as isync and iphoto. I would never tell anyone what to buy, but i would give advice when i hear someone asking should i wait for updates or return, to me return you can always buy it again if and when the updates arrive.

p.s. im also hear because of the help i get from the very people that have the iphone and share discoveries and new hacks or fixes to certain features, this way i can share with my friends also.

Posted by: THETRUTH#34

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerryNY

There are a few too many "thetruthXXX" name tags around here to keep track of. I don't think #34 is a troll and think he had one in the past but I could be confusing him with someone else.

Jerry you right there is another one, even i get confused when i see the name thetruth1983, im THETRUTH#34, thanks Jerry for not considering me a troll, i Love devices and i wanna learn as much and help as much as the next guy.

Posted by: dayday6

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyingdutchman

I don't own iPhone so I can't speak from experience with it, but I did have a Sprint Mogul for about 3 weeks. The allure of the iPhone is that it seems to actually work. With the Mogul, you have to tweak it right out of the box to get it to work, and even after that it still has issues. Constant freezes and reboots, and annoyances like unresponsiveness. I would hit the talk button and sometimes it would take so long to respond that I missed the call. The UI was incredibly laggy. And this is one of HTC's better phones! I had a similar experience with the Q. Now I am not saying that iPhone is perfect, but I am saying that all I want is smartphone that works out of the box and does not require endless hours of tweaking.

I would hate that as well. I don't fool around too much with apps on the N95, so mine is very stable haven't had a crash/reboot in a few months. In the beginning learning the phone and before the FW update I had some issues here and there.

Can the iphone really be a smartphone if you can't install 3rd party apps?

If it is, it is the only smartphone I know that can't install apps.

Is the w800 a smart phone, it can install apps and surf the web?

Posted by: JerryNY

The qualifications for what a smartphone is or isn't seem to vary according to who you talk too. I don't believe Apple ever said it was one, when Steve Jobs compared it to some other smart phones he was poking fun at the name "smartphone" and their small overall market share. AT&T's store doesn't list the iPhone as a smartphne/pda either which is probably the right thing to do. Smartphone is a term often associated with business type usage and I think Apple wants to keep the iPhone aimed at consumers. Eventually they could try to penetrate into the business user market but I think it is smart for Apple to try to get a foot hold in the consumer market and they add stuff to make business users happy. I used to think that the N95 wasn't a true smartphone as it doesn't have a qwerty keyboard but the lines seem to blur everyday what is considered to be a smartphone.

Posted by: davistld01

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerryNY

The qualifications for what a smartphone is or isn't seem to vary according to who you talk too. I don't believe Apple ever said it was one, when Steve Jobs compared it to some other smart phones he was poking fun at the name "smartphone" and their small overall market share. AT&T's store doesn't list the iPhone as a smartphne/pda either which is probably the right thing to do. Smartphone is a term often associated with business type usage and I think Apple wants to keep the iPhone aimed at consumers. Eventually they could try to penetrate into the business user market but I think it is smart for Apple to try to get a foot hold in the consumer market and they add stuff to make business users happy. I used to think that the N95 wasn't a true smartphone as it doesn't have a qwerty keyboard but the lines seem to blur everyday what is considered to be a smartphone.

The iPhone is a "fairly intelligent phone"...but maybe not a real smartphone.

Posted by: JerryNY

Quote:

Originally Posted by davistld01

The iPhone is a "fairly intelligent phone"...but maybe not a real smartphone.

Well that is the whole problem with the term "smartphone" it seems to imply that other phones are dumb

Posted by: Standog

Quote:

Originally Posted by THETRUTH#34

I am here alot because , im was very interested in it, also i have played with it numerous times( not at the store few of my friends have it) ,Although its has a great ui and very easy to use, it wasnt for me for 2 reasons, 1 was no corporate discount, i would lose my discount completely on my bill, and 2 although i think its an awesome device,I am a letter carrier and i need voice dialing and speed dial when on my route, so for someone like me it was lacking, for others it can be the ultimate. Im never hear to knock it, i let people know about other devices as well as help with the current ones they have. Plus i love the camera option on my phone, and i have grown accustomed to having certain features, does the iphone perform certain functions easier and smoother than my n95, the answer is a resounding yes, but then the n95 does many other things the iphone doesnt. I have a Mac and love it, was considering the iphone alot, but my n95 syncs with itunes as well as isync and iphoto. I would never tell anyone what to buy, but i would give advice when i hear someone asking should i wait for updates or return, to me return you can always buy it again if and when the updates arrive.

p.s. im also hear because of the help i get from the very people that have the iphone and share discoveries and new hacks or fixes to certain features, this way i can share with my friends also.

You gave two reasons why you didn't get the iPhone. #1 is entirely untrue. I have my corporate discount on my iPhone plan. Also #2 you have favorites on the iPhone, so you don't actually have to remember who 1 and 2 and 6 are but you have access in two touches to all of their numbers, email address, text and address information. You don't have voicedialing, but it would seem to me, the yahoo maps would be invaluable to a postal carrier.

Posted by: THETRUTH#34

hey that is awesome, but everyone i spoke to told me i would lose my discount, so not worth the risk. As for yahoo maps or google maps i have all that plus true gps on my device, i need hands free voice dial, because i always have hands full, and dont want to have to take out my phone every time

Posted by: Standog

When people talk about "smart"phones and don't want t include the iPhone it's almost laughable. The iPhone is the first phone I've seen that will correct your typing and learn from what you type. The interface is easy to use and you don't need a PhD to find the calculator or set the alarm.

Posted by: servoisgod

Quote:

Originally Posted by cowboy1964

Well every Pocket PC phone that been on the market since 2002 and even some plain ol Pocket PC's before 2002 with 3rd party CDMA hardware installed has had integrated touch screen functionality.

As for the screen size and battery life...I guess you can be proud? I personally like a batter that I can remove and not have to pay to have shipped out to fix.

I'm not really big on screen size, not sure why? I guess I just us my phone for what I need it to do which is be a phone. As long as I have no problems looking at it, then I can't really complain. I've had just about every size screen phone that there is and I've never really complained about a screen size other than the old Nokia 6820 because it was this tiny square thing that was hard to read.

Here is a link to a lot of the devices that I have used in the past that have been very good devices with great multimedia experiences if that is what you are really looking for out of your iPhone?
xda-developers

Later,
Aaron

Posted by: servoisgod

Quote:

Originally Posted by hard_core

was there ever a cell phone that could play a movie? visual voicemail?

Yes, lot's?

Visual Voicemail...um I guess you got me there. Not sure what is so revolutionary about picking the voicemail you want to listen to, that's just a software integration into the voicemail system. I guess I'm just weird because I listen to my voicemails as I get them.

Speaking a visual, when are you going to be able to do video calling?

Later,
Aaron

Posted by: servoisgod

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerryNY

Multi touch has been around on cell phones before?

I guess you got me there also. Wait a minute...I've never needed it?

Later,
Aaron

Posted by: servoisgod

Quote:

Originally Posted by Standog

That is correct, I don't think a blackberry could do that! They suck ***!

As for my phone,

[Try adding 5 people to a conference call on your present phone.] = Yeah it can do all that multi conferencing items (not sure about 5 people though? Never needed more than 3.)

[Try dropping one person off of your conference without disconnecting everyone.] = Yes unless you are the main point in the conference...but then that's just common since.

[Or even switching from a call to your home screen to choose another app, look up a contact, whatever and get back to the call.] = Yes I do that ALL the time.

You know, Bluetooth is a wonderful thing when it comes to cars and using your phone it them. However, I also have an AUX jack that I can use if needed.

I think they only thing my phone can't do is:

Multi touch = eh?
OSX = but really...what do I lose there?
Coverflow = You mean cover art? I don't really need to look at my cover art to know what I want to listen to.
Real web browsing experience = There are a multitude of internet browsers for lots of phones out there? So what do you consider "real"?
8GB drive = WOW, you got me there. However with the invention of something called flash drives, we to can have that. Already at 4GB.
Accelerometer = A lot of Korean and Japanese manufactures have been doing that since before the iPhone come out. Still not sure I really need this?
Proximity Sensor = That one kind of goes with multi touch and OSX comment.

Don't get me wrong, the iPhone does have its "neatness" to it. I just don't see the need in half the stuff it offers. So in my eyes "neatness" equals to just one thing...a toy.

Later,
Aaron

Posted by: servoisgod

Quote:

Originally Posted by Standog

but it would seem to me, the yahoo maps would be invaluable to a postal carrier.

If it had GPS or LBS in it, then yes.

Posted by: servoisgod

Quote:

Originally Posted by Standog

When people talk about "smart"phones and don't want t include the iPhone it's almost laughable. The iPhone is the first phone I've seen that will correct your typing and learn from what you type. The interface is easy to use and you don't need a PhD to find the calculator or set the alarm.

My phone corrects my spelling? I just turn T9 on and I never misspell anything and it keeps what I type in a dictionary file that I can transfer from phone to phone when I get new ones.

Later,
Aaron

Posted by: Standog

Quote:

Originally Posted by dayday6

If it is, it is the only smartphone I know that can't install apps.

Is the w800 a smart phone, it can install apps and surf the web?

On the one hand you say that your N95 is stable because you don't fool around with the apps which would make your phone unstable. On the other you define a phone as being "smart" if you can install 3rd party apps, which by your explanation could make your phone unstable. It seems like Apple has done it the smart way.

For one thing, the iPhone has a full dictionary built in which can not only correct what you type, but also, predict what you meant to type as well as adapt to things you spell. That seems pretty "smart" if I must say so myself. I think that eventually you will see third party apps that you can buy and install via iTunes which will have been tested to ensure that they don't make the iPhone stable.

Posted by: Standog

Quote:

Originally Posted by servoisgod

My phone corrects my spelling? I just turn T9 on and I never misspell anything and it keeps what I type in a dictionary file that I can transfer from phone to phone when I get new ones.

Later,
Aaron

Cmon Aaron T9 typing is painful and you know it. If you even tried it on an iPhone, you'd know it's in another league from T9 typing and why do you have to turn it on? Why isn't it active all of the time if it's so powerful?

Posted by: Standog

Quote:

Originally Posted by servoisgod

Also Aaron,

Multi touch = eh?
OSX = but really...what do I lose there? You lose the ease of use, security and adaptability. The OS can be changed, much like the keyboard to fit the task, simply by a software update.

Coverflow = You mean cover art? I don't really need to look at my cover art to know what I want to listen to. Try taking a real look at Coverflow. It's much easier to scan to a album, click on it to see what songs you have on and then rank the song or click on one to play it. It's much much more than "art."

Real web browsing experience = There are a multitude of internet browsers for lots of phones out there? So what do you consider "real"? By real, I consider the rendering of a site in the same way that I see it on my computer, not a wap scaled down version. By real, I mean ease of use when entering data into forms, etc. Which is simple on the iPhone.

8GB drive = WOW, you got me there. However with the invention of something called flash drives, we to can have that. Already at 4GB. Does your phone have a 4GB flash drive built into it, or do you mean, yet another addition that you carry in your pocket that can be lost? Remember that 8GB on the iPhone is built in from day 1, no additonal expense and it is flash memory.

Accelerometer = A lot of Korean and Japanese manufactures have been doing that since before the iPhone come out. Still not sure I really need this? I'm calling BS on the Korean and Japanese manufacturers that you tout. Please show me, as this is a copyrighted part of the iPhone. It's not necessary, but it's very nice to have a picture that you shot in landscape and be able to look at it in large HD landscape on your screen. As well as webpages enabling you to see more information on the screen in landscape mode.
Proximity Sensor = That one kind of goes with multi touch and OSX comment. No, actually it doesn't. It's another part of the iPhone. When I had a treo, I had to get a third party app that would turn the screen off after a set amount of time. The phone wasn't smart enough to know if it was next to my face or in my pocket. On the iPhone, I get a call and take it screen goes dark, reducing heat and energy consumption. On another phone, it can go off either when a call comes in, after a set time period or if you hit a key. To turn it back on to say get a contact's info or set a date, gee another key click, then another to turn it off.

Posted by: davistld01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Standog

If I had to choose the one thing that I appreciate most...or one of the things that I appreciate most, about the iPhone it would have to be the spelling correction dictionary. Altough the virtual keypad wasn't as unusable after some practice as I had orginally thought...the corrector sure helps when you get a little sloppy.

Not that I ever get sloppy...

Posted by: dayday6

Quote:

Originally Posted by Standog

It is stable because it stays the same, a 3rd party app can make any phone unstable that is the nature.

SE phones exit= close app, on the N95 it does not mean close app. That was something I had to learn, you have to close apps you are not using or the phone will become unstable running all those things in the background.

The N95 is very stable, try again.

Posted by: servoisgod

Quote:

Originally Posted by Standog

WHAT! I love T9 and those 1X robots...wait, different subject.

I've been texting since around 2001 and when they started to include T9 in phone applications I was hooked. There was this one texting booth at a mall here in Dallas and they were doing a texting challenge. They had these qwerty keyboards...before they were around like they are no days, and they were asking people if they thought that they could beat them in a typing test. I took them up and won, if only by a little by just using T9.

Ah yes, but as I get older and slower, it's harder to type fast like that now. Plus I've gotten used to a qwerty keyboard so that is why I use T9 now more for spellchecking more than anything else.

Later,
Aaron

Posted by: servoisgod

Quote:

Originally Posted by Standog

Well I can't make an OSX person think any different when it comes to their OS...It's like telling a Linux person that yeah it's great, but you still just don't see it in them workplace. (We do have them here at my work in the server room and labs.)

Cover art...err I mean flow.

Again, I can just scan through my list of artist for the music I want. If I want, I can turn on settings that let me view by ranking and such but why? I usually have my MP3's set to random anyways.

Real web browsing. Yeah WAP sucks a$$!!! That's why I like all the other options I have for my phone for a web browser. Opera Mobile, Minimo, NetFront...just to name a few.

8GB. Well my phone came with 128MB of RAM from day one, then I bought the additional RAM afterwards. However I had a few 2GB micro SD cards (think I spent $40) that already had all my stuff on them, so I just put them in the compact little slot that locks in and closes so as to not lose it. What's really cool is having so many different options with my setup because I "can".

Accelerometer. OK, maybe they didn't call it that but they are out there. Here is a link to a phone that been out for a while. notice the SV360 has been around since late 2005. Also, please don't bring up the looks of the device, you were asking about functionality.SV360 Also, do you ever go to engadget? They've talked about them in a few stories going back to about 2005-2006ish? I'd have to go digging around for them.

Proximity Sensor. Yeah, it kind of does go with my multi touch and OSX comment of "eh". Again, I don't need it. I agree with the Treo, it's a turd. As for the screen going on and off...mine is set to 1 minute and that's works for me.

So I guess what really is the thing that I've learn most about Apple iPhone people from these devices is that they love the device because of all the neatness that is the iPhone. I guess my reason that I'm just not impressed is because I've been working with cell phones since the mid 90's and a lot of this stuff I've seen in other phones along my time as a cell phone junky.

Maybe if I was just now getting into phone hardware and software I would be more impressed?

Later,
Aaron

Posted by: Standog

Quote:

Originally Posted by dayday6

MS Word, Dreamweaver, WoW, Entourage, Photoshop, are all examples of 3rd party applications. The instability does not come from leaving apps running in the background, otherwise any phone that didn't shut down processes would become unstable with it's own native apps. The problem with 3rd party applications are that normally they are released in what is normally recognized as a beta form. You and your phone are basically beta testers. When you compare them to products offered by corporate entities, the major difference is the amount of testing that is done before it is released to the public to ensure that the bugs are worked out and that it works correctly with the intended hardware and software within which it will be used..

This is why I believe that this is a smart decision by Apple to not allow these sorts of things on the phone, or at least to make it easy. There are sites that have people modding their iPhones in a number of manners, so it's not really a closed system any longer. I'd like to see other apps, like say Quicken, but I'm comfortable with waiting and then have it released through say iTunes and then I know when I buy it, I'm buying a stable application.

Lastly, I never mentioned as to whether the N95 was stable or not, I don't have or want one. No need to try again on that point.