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iPhonification Rolls On
In a previous post I was discouraged that the iPod Nano was getting "iPhone-ified". I wrote:
I think Apple is going too far with this iPhone thing. The original was and still is a great product. But then they made the iPad - which still just seems like an iPhone for clowns - and now they've made the Nano into an iPhone for dwarves. I don't ( Read more... ) -
Apple's (fomer) Underdog Advantage
Being an underdog an advantage in the diminished expectations department. Your failures are diminished because you're the underdog. You're expected to fail. Your successes are magnified into even bigger successes because you're the underdog. You're beating the big guys at their own game. It's win-win ( Read more... ) -
No-contract iPhones would be good for Apple
A while ago I mentioned that you can avoid telco shenanigans by buying unlocked phones. You get a cheaper plan, you pay less in the long run, and you don't give the company the chance to hit you with early termination fees. Nifer's tweet about her aging iPhone reminded me of another benefit. If you buy an unlocked phone you're not waiting for your ( Read more... ) -
Unlocked iPhones FS (update: not really.)
For a long time one of my complaints about the iPhone is their super-cozy relationship with AT&T. If you want an iPhone you can get one - locked into nothing less than a 2 year contract with AT&T only.
Good news: as of today Apple has started selling unlocked iPhones. Now you can legally purchase an iPhone and use it with any carrier you want, ( Read more... ) -
iPhone v GooglePhone
Apple's iPhone has gotten a lot better than it was when I first talked about it. A year ago I said that " no single company can fill its user's needs as well as the complex SDK/library/developer ecosystem that emerges from a mature development environment" and the App Store has proven this point with a ton of good programs out there including ( ( Read more... ) -
Why I'm still not buying an iPhone.
I own a Sidekick LX and I'm very happy with it although not universally so. The browser doesn't render some pages correctly, especially new Ajaxy Web 2.0 pages. It doesn't support 3G so browsing is slow, and earpiece sound quality is terrible. But even after Apple's 3G iPhone announcement today I'm still not getting an iPhone. Everyone seems to ( Read more... ) -
My iPod Touch
I've been playing with my new iPod Touch for about a while now. Hardware-wise it's an excellent device. The screen is a sharp, high-resolution display, the touchscreen responds exactly the way you'd expect it to, and the graphics system is smooth and responsive in a completely appealing way. The screen seems exactly the right compromise between ( Read more... ) -
New iPod Touch / video compression question
Dear Lazyweb,
Thanks to the generous favors of haineux I am the somewhat proud owner of a new iPod Touch, which I intend to use in my December travels. I expect this to be useful:
- As a handheld web browser to obtain information on short notice from open access points.
- To show photographs to people I meet while traveling. When you are in a foreign ( Read more... )
- As a handheld web browser to obtain information on short notice from open access points.
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Opening up the iPhone
A while ago I wrote two cranky posts about the iPhone, one lamenting the lack of third-party apps and the other lamenting Apple's moves to lock down their hardware with cryptographically signed software, turning them from "DRM-friendly" to "DRM-compulsory" devices.
Well there's some good news here. First, earlier this week, the iPhone Dev Team ( Read more... ) -
Locking down the iPhone
A while ago I wrote a post in defense of Apple's TPM. I defined the bright line between "good DRM" and "bad DRM" as the difference between "optional DRM" and "compulsory DRM". (Some disagreed, and I respect your arguments.) In an optional-DRM system you can use your device however you want. Your can play DRM'ed media if you have a good reason, ( Read more... )