On the other hand, I’m anti-iPhone. You simply cannot type on the thing. Imagine abandoning a blackberry for a unit on which you cannot productively type, no matter how much time you put into training yourself. The horizontal keyboard features of the iPhone are very limited — Safari only, and with all autocorrect turned off. There is hope for the iPhone’s text entry capability, if they upgrade the software with a better horizontal keyboard and make it work with all the applications. Also, several iPhone apps (I’ve worked with them all) have an “early alpha” feel about them. I’ve also found the unit quite sluggish at times, and unresponsive for five seconds or longer when I reorient it from horizontal to vertical or back. Further, EDGE is abysmal.

KP’s not so shallow as to be drawn in by a man’s gadget. Or, is she?
BacaDog on July 3, 2007 at 11:48 PM

Hey, if she’s not drawn in by at least on of his gadgets, what’s the point?

RightWinged, it’s still early, but I’ve been trying for the last four days to get an iPhone. Completely sold out in the Puget Sound area here in WA state. It’s a game changing device in many ways. And not just the device, but the whole strategy.

1) Browser doesn’t support Flash yet. So, no Hot Air video viewing on it.

But if HotAir started encoding in H.264, videos would be viewable on iPhone. And it would reduce bandwidth. There are now dedicated hardware encoders out there, that will greatly speed up video encoding, while delivering a much clear and smaller video from the web. H.264 is the future.

2) 14 hr battery life for talking (more or less). More for playing music, less for playing videos.

This is the reality of most smartphones. If you want to do more, you get less battery life. The iPhone is on the better battery life end of the smartphone spectrum. A Treo 680 does not even last a day. Ask me how I know.

3) Battery lasts for 300-400 charging cycles (full discharge/full charge; half discharges/charges don’t count as a cycle). When the battery poops out, you have to send it to Apple for 3 days so they can replace it for 80 bucks.

The reality is that if one keeps the device on the charger when not in use, then battery management circuitry eliminated the deep cycling that depletes Li-Ion batteries, and will extend the life two more than a couple years. That’s way past the warranty, and third party sites will do battery replacement by then for much less than Apple’s price, and with quicker turn-around. It’s not a show stopper.

4) Apple has stated repeatedly that the phone can and will be upgraded with new features by software update. Some people think that this also means a software upgrade to 3G capability since the iPhone is slated to be released in Europe later this year, which is way more 3G in places than the U.S.

I suspect we will know soon as the dissections continue. If the radio is 3G software upgradeable, that would be huge. I doubt that, but all of the other value add software to be delivered via software update is a huge reason that Apple will redefine the smartphone market.

5) Safari browser isn’t Safari 2.0 or Safari 3.0. It’s a hybrid. It displays CSS better than 2.0, but not as well as 3.0. That means your browsing experience may look a little different than it does on a desktop. But, that said, it does display web pages straight off the web. No cell-phone lite versions.

This is simply to account for the small screen and more limited capabilities of a smartphone. That said, it’s by far and away, the best web experience ever on a cell phone. I was at the Apple store yesterday browsing to HotAir, it looks fantastic.

6) Mail doesn’t have mail-push. That means you won’t see mail in your iPhone inbox until you actually do a check mail call.

If you use IMAP, there is a feature in iPhone Mail that supports IMAP IDLE, so while not true push, it is close enough that you won’t know the difference. Treo ChatterEmail IMAP users will already be aware of this. Leopard Mail on the Desktop will also have IMAP IDLE. If you are still using POP based mail, you are in the dark ages.

In general though, good comments. There are caveats to the iPhone, just not as many as the MS controlled tech press will admit.

But how else am I going to impress KP?!

Allahpundit on July 3, 2007 at 8:42 PM

KP’s not so shallow as to be drawn in by a man’s gadget.

Or, is she?

nottakingsides on July 3, 2007 at 10:38 PM

I stand corrected! Thanks!

You’re famous in the blogosphere now. There’s gotta be a way for you to translate that into piles of cash… You know current events, politics and you’re funny… write a funny political book or something!

Sheesh, sometimes I don’t get you guys.

I’m thinking about it, my friends, and I’m thinking about it hard. Can a man with mountains of debt justify a purchase this luxurious? Not really — but if he gets rid of his landline and shifts to an all-iPhone existence, it becomes marginally less foolhardy.

I think we should help Allahpundit get an iPhone so:

a) He will stop talking about it and
b) He can hook up with his fantasy girl, KP

Perhaps if 80 comment buddies send AP $10 via paypal, his dream will come true.

Note: You’ll have to pay for the service though. AT&T isn’t cheap from what I hear.

Apple can’t do a firmware update for 3G. The iPhone would have to have the 3G chip inside already, and it doesn’t.

I read that the talktime is 8hrs, and that is if you aren’t using other features simultaneously.

But how else am I going to impress KP?!

Allahpundit on July 3, 2007 at 8:42 PM

Rumor has it KP already has an iPhone. Maybe I’ll ask her when we got out to dinner Friday night.

>Copy/paste this text:
>I can copy and paste this text as it’s an easy thing to do.
>I dare ya!

Response:

>Who needs copy and paste. I’ll just email it to you and have you copy and paste it back to me.

Spoken like a true mac guy… (again – a good friend – this is all in geek jest)

Yeah. Not there yet.

1) Browser doesn’t support Flash yet. So, no Hot Air video viewing on it.

2) 14 hr battery life for talking (more or less). More for playing music, less for playing videos.

3) Battery lasts for 300-400 charging cycles (full discharge/full charge; half discharges/charges don’t count as a cycle). When the battery poops out, you have to send it to Apple for 3 days so they can replace it for 80 bucks.

4) Apple has stated repeatedly that the phone can and will be upgraded with new features by software update. Some people think that this also means a software upgrade to 3G capability since the iPhone is slated to be released in Europe later this year, which is way more 3G in places than the U.S.

5) Safari browser isn’t Safari 2.0 or Safari 3.0. It’s a hybrid. It displays CSS better than 2.0, but not as well as 3.0. That means your browsing experience may look a little different than it does on a desktop. But, that said, it does display web pages straight off the web. No cell-phone lite versions.

6) Mail doesn’t have mail-push. That means you won’t see mail in your iPhone inbox until you actually do a check mail call.

Can’t deny the iPhone’s sexiness and coolness, but what’s the battery life on a charge…especially after you get done playing on the web and listening to tunes for a while? By the time the phone rings, you’re call is gonna be cut off due to dead battery.

Buy her a $100 steak and put the other $500 in your pocket.

Better yet, buy her a 55-gallon drum of that stuff that Michelle drinks.

But how else am I going to impress KP?!

You’ve already done it dude; when KP said that Michelle blew up shamnesty, she really meant you. You know it, I know it, the American people know it.