Widescreen iPod Phone

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Apple users everywhere rejoice! Jump around! Do handsprings and cartwheels (go ahead, we’ll wait)! Today, Steve Jobs announced the iPod phone. Notice, I said iPod phone and not iPhone. The iPhone was announced last week by Cisco.

Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs confirmed months of speculation Tuesday by unveiling a new mobile phone that plays and downloads music and a set-top box that allows people to stream video from their computers to their televisions.
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I'm not really a Mac guy but that looks pretty darn nice.

I am, at least, glad I didn't purchase a Treo recently. I'll wait to see how this does. :)
 
"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."

http://www.apple.com/iphone/technology/

noqt_internet20070109.jpg
 
It looks great, it sounds great but it's going to be ugly with all the scratches and fingerprints on the screen. Also, nobody can deny the fact that they somewhat abuse their mobile phone not mentioning that when you talk your face is pressed against the screen and leaves sweat marks... You know women who chitchat for hours will destroy the screen, it's going to be like putting pure acid on it.
 
To me, the dumb thing about this phone is that there is no physcial keyboard such as one on the treo. To me, typing on this thing is going to seem very hokey.
 
ComputerBox34 said:
To me, the dumb thing about this phone is that there is no physcial keyboard such as one on the treo. To me, typing on this thing is going to seem very hokey.
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This is true, all the existing smart phones has a keyboard that slide out or that have them on the front... this is going ot make any kinda surfing or document typing tedious.

There is a long thread going on this, and right now it seems that the feeling is upset and unsatisfied with the new iphone.


I hate the fact that it's exclusive to cingular and the two year contract absolutley kills the deal for me.


They should have supported a variety of carriers, especially the largest ones in the US.
 
Apple is in trial mode right now. They are exploring the possibilities and staying relatively small which makes perfect business sense.
 
Ockie said:
This is true, all the existing smart phones has a keyboard that slide out or that have them on the front... this is going ot make any kinda surfing or document typing tedious.

There is a long thread going on this, and right now it seems that the feeling is upset and unsatisfied with the new iphone.


I hate the fact that it's exclusive to cingular and the two year contract absolutley kills the deal for me.


They should have supported a variety of carriers, especially the largest ones in the US.
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Bluetooth keyboard for the win! Someone will come up with a mini BT Keyboard for sure, the aftermarket accessories for this puppy are going to create industries.
 
Nasty_Savage said:
Bluetooth keyboard for the win! Someone will come up with a mini BT Keyboard for sure, the aftermarket accessories for this puppy are going to create industries.
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It's already there,

but business people and many people do not wish to carry "accessories" with them.
 
Me being a Cingular customer and a happy one, it is curious 2 features are absent. Cingular is moving to a 3g network that has almost broadband speed (edge is so damned slow its pathetic...you're better off using smoke signals) and the PTT (push to talk feature to compete with Nextel)
 
Ockie said:
It's already there,

but business people and many people do not wish to carry "accessories" with them.
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True. I would develop a modular, rugged belt clip/case that can allow it to plug into your car and contain the keyboard. Profit.
 
I think of it more as a "pocket Mac" product that includes phone functionality. I have been a Palm and Pocket PC user for years, and always wondered if Apple would ever step in with some portable device other than the iPods.

Honestly, I pretty much loathe Apple for being such a snobby and classless company, but my more sensible side has to admit that they have come out with some truly innovative and well designed technology, and I can appreciate that. The iPhone definitely intrigues me and looks good.
 
Looks nice (possibly big, but I'm not sure). I'm unsure how the lack of a keypad will play out. 2 things knock me out of the market:
1. It's not on Sprint
2. The price seems high

I realize that it's an 4gb/8gb DAP + phone, but the discounts would have to be pretty high to get me on board.

That said, prices will drop and hopefully this won't remain an AT&T exclusive. I'm no apple fan (though I like the improvements they made to the iPods last Fall), but if none of the Cellphone DAP hybrids are acceptable replacements for a Karma or iPod. Their interfaces are lacking and, AFAIK, none can play back without gaps
 
Well the way I see it this is good news. I like the phone but not everything about it. Here is the deal though.

It not crippled. At least Apple doesn't spin it like it is. Think about all the mid range phones out there with crippled features. The manufacturers built them in and then the carriers ordered the features disabled permanently or unless a special plan is purchased.

Example; Samsung a920, great phone built in MP3 and microSD. However sprint had the following crippled features introduced.

No bluetooth stereo headsets.
No USB data transfer to phone, you must use the micro SD to dolly data back and forth.
No MP3 ringers

And thats just to name a few of the problems, sprint purposely crippled this phone.

So would I buy another, hell no, not if I can get an Apple phone cheap enough. So in the end as long as Apple doesn't bow to cingular and cripple their product unless you buy expensive service options this will be a good Push to get the carriers off their butts and produce powerful feature rich phones instead of hobbled, pay us for every little feature piles of crud.
 
This phone raised the bar (sorry for the pun), but it does. There's nothing quite like it. Have you gone through the demo's on Apple's website? It's pretty amazing. I will certainly be buying one of these. I think the ease of use and feature set is well worth the price. Granted there's room for improvement, but that'll happen within time.

I waited a long time for the ideal pda and this is certainly the ideal pda. It's an iPod, smartphone, camera, multitasking machine.
 
Steve said:
Apple users everywhere rejoice! Jump around! Do handsprings and cartwheels (go ahead, we’ll wait)! Today, Steve Jobs announced the iPod phone. Notice, I said iPod phone and not iPhone. The iPhone was announced last week by Cisco.
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Cisco's iPhone was announced mid-December.

Also Cisco expected a signed agreement with Apple today (the day of the announcment of iPhone, interesting) allowing Apple to use the name.
 
pgwalsh said:
This phone raised the bar (sorry for the pun), but it does. There's nothing quite like it. Have you gone through the demo's on Apple's website? It's pretty amazing. I will certainly be buying one of these. I think the ease of use and feature set is well worth the price. Granted there's room for improvement, but that'll happen within time.

I waited a long time for the ideal pda and this is certainly the ideal pda. It's an iPod, smartphone, camera, multitasking machine.
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It will look like ass after 20 minutes of ownership unless you walk around all day with hanky to keep it clean
 
There are other PDA phones on the market with a touch only screen.. However non with Multi touch screens nor proximity sensors to tell if it is near your face.

Price wise it is a STEAL for such a well equipped PDA phone JUST announced. There is always a premium for new devices.

The major short coming I see is that it is a pure personal device.. I have to wonder if there isn't a Apple PhonePRO in the works, to address the missing corporate email integration, and office apps for viewing documents on the go.

Form factor wise I am amazed..
 
I'm an admitted apple-hater (ever since I was forced to use them in high school), but that phone really does look like a winner. If it can be comfortably and safely put in my front jeans pocket, then I'm interested. Of course, they'd also have to put one out on verizon, since they're the only ones with good enough coverage in my area (even though I absolutely HATE how they neuter their phones :mad: )
 
The owner of my company is a big time Mac guy, and I probably could have sold him on this except for one glaring fault. Being locked to Yahoo! Mail. No IMAP/POP3 support at least? The lack of HSDPA support is fault too.

I will give apple credit in that it looks nice and has some cool features. But at that price point and lack of solid e-mail, 3G, and Office app support, I'll get a Treo 750w, or Cingular 8525 or save a few more bucks with a BlackJack

.
 
wow look its another over-priced hunk of crap coming from apple. im shocked.
 
ComputerBox34 said:
To me, the dumb thing about this phone is that there is no physcial keyboard such as one on the treo. To me, typing on this thing is going to seem very hokey.
Click to expand...

Ockie said:
This is true, all the existing smart phones has a keyboard that slide out or that have them on the front... this is going ot make any kinda surfing or document typing tedious.

There is a long thread going on this, and right now it seems that the feeling is upset and unsatisfied with the new iphone.
Click to expand...


I will take the larger screen over a physical keyboard and deal with the qwerty touchscreen keyboard. The keyboard is there if I need it and gone when i don't, giving me a large screen and compact size.;)
 
bpahrens said:
I will take the larger screen over a physical keyboard and deal with the qwerty touchscreen keyboard. The keyboard is there if I need it and gone when i don't, giving me a large screen and compact size.;)
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I think it depends on what you like to do with your phone. If you're a huge texter who likes to get messages out quickly, this phone may not be the best choice. There are other smartphones that can do this more efficiently.
 
yet another over priced pos from Apple...what did this cost you to make in China mr Jobs....$34? and you sell it here for $500? plz....you can keep it.ill admitt i have have an ipod(it was a gift)...but as soon as MS makes a interface for my car deck...im gonna buy a zune....i cant stand my ipod...and i cant stand itunes even more
 
ComputerBox34 said:
I think it depends on what you like to do with your phone. If you're a huge texter who likes to get messages out quickly, this phone may not be the best choice. There are other smartphones that can do this more efficiently.
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Exactly it's all about what your wants and needs are. From a technical standpoint I'm like wow that's cool but for me I don't need it. All I do with my cell is talk and text message my plain old Razr that I got for free when I renewed my contract works just fine for me.
 
rhexis said:
wow look its another over-priced hunk of crap coming from apple. im shocked.
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Are you kidding? Yes it's expensive, but it's not that much more than any other high end handset. Sanyo's M1 has a MSRP of 399. I think that Samsungs 610 is in that same MSRP range. This phone, will be a phone and a DAP (in theory one with good sound, which can't really be said for most phones). It has a MUCH bigger screen than most phones out there and all of that in a phone that's half as thick as my mm7400, about 1/2 inch wider and maybe .25" longer (if you count the protruding antenna nub on the 7400).

The phone is a bit more than I expected, but not by that much. I'm not getting one until they're on Sprint (or whatever network I'm on in 2 years or so), but as one who's normally very critical of Apple, I have to say that based on what I saw/read today, I'm impressed. It far exceeds my expectations.
 
I think verizon is going to give apple a good run.
 
Incredible.
Surprising that the Apple touch screen patent and accompanying gossip would be that of the forthcoming iPhone and not of the much rumored forthcoming 6th gen iPod.
The product is fantastic and the immediate 8% increase in Apple stock is surely indicative of Wall Street’s confidence in Steve Jobs. Can you believe Apple’s stock increased 8% by an announcement of a product with an expected availability of June 2007? Perhaps the early announcement of the iPhone was an attempt to re-gain shareholder confidence due to the recent controversy between Apple and Steve Jobs compensation.
However, I am surprised with the decision to go with Singular in lieu of Verizon. It is not surprising that Singular has a reputation of poor customer service. Nonetheless, the iPhone has just turned the mobile “phone” industry upside-down. The suits at Motorola must be pulling their hair out!
 
DieU said:
Nonetheless, the iPhone has just turned the mobile “phone” industry upside-down. The suits at Motorola must be pulling their hair out!
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I doubt it will turn the mobile "phone" industry upside-down. The iPhone's special features are mostly hardware-oriented. There isn't any special services that makes you want to buy the iPhone. ITunes gave the Ipod the edge over other mp3 players which were cheaper and had better features. Xbox Live, HD-DVD movie downloads, XNA and soon IPTV does the same for the Xbox 360.

I'm sure it will change but right now, the iPhone is like an expensive Nintendo Wii with sub-par launch game titles. Red Steel may have made use of the Wii's innovative controls but it still isn't good enough to make a person buy a Wii console. The iPhone maybe a piece of innovative hardware but the services it provides are similar or inferior to those already in the market. Furthermore, we still do not know how easy it is to be able to develop 3rd party software for the phone.

But on the other hand, mp3 players and phones are somewhat different in that they are also viewed as a fashion accessory. So yeah perhaps the iPhone will have an edge there but functional-wise, there really isn't anything revolutionary.
 
syntx said:
It looks great, it sounds great but it's going to be ugly with all the scratches and fingerprints on the screen. Also, nobody can deny the fact that they somewhat abuse their mobile phone not mentioning that when you talk your face is pressed against the screen and leaves sweat marks... You know women who chitchat for hours will destroy the screen, it's going to be like putting pure acid on it.
Click to expand...
I have no doubt that the people at ShieldZone (InvisibleShield) will develop a version for this new phone. Since it's all touch-screen, it's perfect for a skin.
ComputerBox34 said:
To me, the dumb thing about this phone is that there is no physcial keyboard such as one on the treo. To me, typing on this thing is going to seem very hokey.
Click to expand...
Why is it worse than an actual keyboard? You need that depression to feel satisfied that your letter was taken? A real keyboard would either be really small or cause the phone to have to be bigger.
 
bpahrens said:
I will take the larger screen over a physical keyboard and deal with the qwerty touchscreen keyboard. The keyboard is there if I need it and gone when i don't, giving me a large screen and compact size.;)
Click to expand...

Umm do you know how smartphones work? The keyboard usually slides out, thus it does not intrude upon screen realestate.
 
I just can't get excited about this product.I would absolutely hate having to press my face up against the screen of the thing, nevermind having fingerprints all over it from use.That mat sound trivial, but product design is 50% of it's potential succes and imo, this product is poorly designed and overpriced.Somebody else will do it better and cheaper soon enough and with a choice of providers.
 
I really wish it had an FM radio too.

Seeing the size I initially assumed it had a 30/60/80gb hard drive inside, but only flash memory?

meh :rolleyes:
 
Ockie said:
Umm do you know how smartphones work? The keyboard usually slides out, thus it does not intrude upon screen realestate.
Click to expand...

Adding a slide out keyboard makes the unit MUCH thicker and heavier. The ONLY Smartphone on the market with a simmilar slim profile is the Moto Q which has half the screen space and a exposed keyboard.

I have a HTC based PDA phone with a slide out keyboard, my phone is 4X as thick as the new iPhone and I have looked at the other HTC built PDA phones, they are all almost 2X as thick or more than the iPhone.

iPhone has the largest screen with the thinnest body on the market. Larger screen = larger softkeys. The size of the on screen buttons is one of the factors in how well the on screen keyboard works.
 
[LYL]Homer;1030470646 said:
I really wish it had an FM radio too.

Seeing the size I initially assumed it had a 30/60/80gb hard drive inside, but only flash memory?

meh :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I don't know. The LxW dimensions aren't that much bigger than a regular clamshell phone (if you count the nub of the antenna in the L number)

I think the big issue is going to be price. I thought the price was before discounts, but those prices are after signing the 2 year contract. I guess if you were in the market for a Nano and a relatively high end phone, that's not an issue. I've seen some people say they're disapointed about the lack of broadband (EVDO or whatever is used by Cingular) support.

But for those that buy high end phones, this may not be a hinderance to making the purchase. Apple is only expecting to get 1% of the handset market, which is fairly small.

OTOH, according to the WSJ, high end handsets make up only 5% of the market, so Apple is expecting to take 20% of that market. That seems ambitious, but if I was in the market for a high end phone and it was available on my carrier, I'd strongly consider the phone (despite the lack of broadband support).
 
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