Apple iPhone and related items (cont.)

[editor]

Has Editor written a rant yet about how evil they are for such restrictive practice? Out of curiousity?

I should go look on the G1 thread really shouldn't i?

I have actually although there is a massive difference: T Mobile will happily unlock it after 3 months and they have never threatened users with bricking their handsets.

The OS is also not tied to one company employing restrictive practices and, of course, it doesn't suffer the same power-crazed hierarchy with developers being arbitrarily refused, users unable to chose what apps go on their phones etc etc etc zzzzzzzzzzz

 

[editor]

I've got 3 mates on T-Mobile, half the time they can't even make or answer calls. I wouldn't buy anything on their network - not in Bristol, anyway.

I've been on T Mobile for 10 years and I've had no issues about reception or coverage.

Lots of issues about the twats running the company though....

 

[Gromit]

TBH it does look like the iPhone paved the way but better handsets are following.

Kinda wish I'd waited before getting the 3G but heck I'd still have had to wait 8 months from now before being able to switch phones.

Still at least when my 3G contract expires I should have plenty of interesting handsets to choose from.

Oh and re t-mobile in Wales. I had one once. I noticed that often others would have a signal when i didn't. The moment I went further north of Cardiff than Merthyr i didn't have a hope in hell of getting a signal. That was quite some time ago mind.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I think you just have to get what works best where you live and travel to. I work and travel to areas with poor phone reception, have used most of the main networks. This year I switched from 3 to orange as they are the only people with signal here. Prior to that I was on vodaphone and switched when my mates in the highlands of Scotland got better reception on cheaper contracts.

I just wish there were more network sharing deals going on, but in the meantime, just pick what works for you.

 

[editor]

In my experience, most people seem to agree that Vodafone has the best all round reception.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

T Mobile have been patchy in places for me in North London, when I was on O2 they were excellent. Had Orange years ago and they were terrible...

 

[djbombscare]

This is my last word, if you don't like it then you dont like it.

See you have missed the point. The new feature that seems to have escaped you is usability.

With regard to web browsing, I said genuinely usable. The IE that comes with WM is shit, but if you think its fine, then you will put up with any old shit pushed your way, corporations love people like you. I on the other hand cannot be bothered with 'clunky'. You'll be telling me that Motorola make great phones next.

You also miss understand me when I said 'not a great phone'. What I meant in that context is that its not as fully featured as other phones. It still allows me to make and receive calls pretty well. Changing my ring tone to my own tune and sending MMS's is more a fashion phone thing. I've never felt the need.

For me, and remember that I like my gadgets to work and work flawlessly, this is the greatest phone I have ever used. I would never go back to phones with buttons, T9 and a joystick, illogical and deep submenus etc. Shit. Look at that Sony X1, its got more features than you can shake a stick at. Its got WM6 which is bafflingly bad, super busy screens and clickable things so small you need a stylus. I lose them, I'm not in any general danger of losing my finger.

Another example is my previous phone, the K800i. Its does all the same things but does them so badly (apart from the camera which was great) never got used. There for the marketing department and not for the general public to actually USE, god forbid.

Its each to ther own innit. I just dont find it useable.

I think what we are getting here is like the Nokia v Sony thing. You get used to one method and its hard to pick up the other.

I've got used to windows mobile and this feels odd

I aint missed the point on useability. I have to do useability studies virtually daily. I totally understand that its useable to people that are new to smartphones. I've been using one since me old treo days on the palm os so its all a bit wierd and not as useable to me.

 

[Sunray]

Its the easiest phone in the world to use. The iPhone UI is a master piece of design in my opinion.

I think what you and I understand by the word 'usable' are different? Having loads of options and features you can fiddle about with isn't usability?

 

[djbombscare]

I thought you'd said your last word on the matter

I dont find it that usable cos I'm used to doing it differently thats all.

Its a different logic

 

[editor]

Its the easiest phone in the world to use.

In a limited sense, yes, but it's not so easy if you want to do the things that almost all other smartphones support with ease, like record video, MMS, change ringtones, copy and paste, install TomTom etc etc.

 

[Sunray]

Thats not a usability issue, thats a feature list issue.

If the features were there they would be easy to use.

 

[elbows]

As for "if you dare speak out against us you'll be punished too!", I've not seen any evidence for this yet.

v1.3 was rejected

v1.2 is still available

If v1.2 is withdrawn, then it may be that he's suffering consequences of breaking his agreement, but that has not happened yet. I would not now be too surprised if that transpires, though.

IMO he jumped the gun by not waiting for a response to his questions.

According to the app authors website, v1.3 has now been approved by Apple!

What isnt clear is whether Apple had a complete change of heart, or realised they had erroneously rejected 1.3, or maybe the app author changed something and resubmitted it.

 

[editor]

Thats not a usability issue, thats a feature list issue.

Err, no. You can do most of the above but it involves a whole load of faffing about with jailbreaking.

 

[Pie 1]

Cheating husband tries to blame iphone & gets pwned :

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1786497

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Cheating husband tries to blame iphone & gets pwned :

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1786497

Oh dear

 

[cybertect]

According to the app authors website, v1.3 has now been approved by Apple!

What isnt clear is whether Apple had a complete change of heart, or realised they had erroneously rejected 1.3, or maybe the app author changed something and resubmitted it.

The Register's take

return7 CEO Amro Mousa tells The Reg the app was resubmitted with "minor cosmetic changes." But the core code was unchanged. "I think it might just have been a mixup on their end and I'm glad they came through for us," Mouse says. "It sets a positive precedent."

 

[boskysquelch]

 

[dogmatique]

Now I could be wrong - but the Google Mobile App for iPhone with the voice search still isn't available in the UK, yes?

So how did the Telegraph come up with this garbage story about it?

ETA: Oops, not explicitly there in the app store, but there as an update on the phone...

I take it back... it is very comical... I tried the name of my company, and it came up with Near Memphis, which isn't even closely related.

Nearest Pizza Restaurant? New Pizza restaurant - not bad, but not local, and i don't really like pizza anyway.

Lots more faffing around, trying american accents, lots of strange replies, then started to get silly...

Just tried "nearest prostitute" (my girlfriend wasn't amused, but hey, it's in the interests of "science") - got, wait for it...

"Marital Property Tax"

Excellent.

 

[Sunray]

You knew that was going to fail didn't you?

 

[dogmatique]

Yep, but it's fun. At least 3 minutes of entertainment...

Try it.

 

[editor]

There was a voice recognition thing that came with the Centro. That lasted even less than 3 minutes, but then it was even more shit.

 

[sim667]

Cheating husband tries to blame iphone & gets pwned :

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1786497

what an idiot!

Can castcatcher open .m3u's from a website, or is it just stuff broadcast on their servers?

 

[djbombscare]

Ok now I have anothre question.

I like having qwerty keyboards cos it gets away form that arse wanky fiddle fiddle on a button to get a specific letter.

It usually means there's no stupid predictive dictionary thing on it.

except there is on this thing.
Usually thats not a problem. But rather than select it if I want to use the word it suggests, I have to pick it if I DONT want the word it suggests Thats just fucking stupid and faffy.

So how do it fucking turn it off .

I've just asked Fizz if she wants me to pick up a couple of pastors for tea on me way home.

 

[dogmatique]

I don't think you can...

 

[Gromit]

I don't think you can...

Not that I'm aware of.

Its a double edged sword. Sometimes its great at saving me typing by knowing what I wanted to type. Sometime it corrects my shit spelling. But sometimes its a pain in the arse.

It does learn mind. So the more often you type pasty (?) the more likely it is to realise thats the word you wanted.

 

[djbombscare]

I fucking hope you can...mind you I've had a good look and cant find a way of turning it off. . . Its fucking tripe.

FFS usebability my fucking arse. Useable for people that cant count to 2 without using their fingers.

I dont need a fucking machine to input what it THINKS i'm trying to write, If you want to spell check everything WAIT UNTIL I've finished dont sit there doing it on nigh on every fucking word.

This phone currently has a live expectatancy of less then a week... At which point it will meet its end...

And no you cant have it cos I will enjoy smashing the shit out of it.

No fucking simpel way of setting MP3's to ringtones?
No fucking picture text messages?
and no abiltiy to turn some fucking piece of shit dictionary fucker off?


Thats not a phone thats an insult

 

[djbombscare]

Not that I'm aware of.

Its a double edged sword. Sometimes its great at saving me typing by knowing what I wanted to type. Sometime it corrects my shit spelling. But sometimes its a pain in the arse.

It does learn mind. So the more often you type pasty (?) the more likely it is to realise thats the word you wanted.

ITS JUST A PAIN IN THE ARSE.

I dont want it to learn I want it to leave my fucking typing alone.
It second guessing jsut makes my typing with abroken hand doubley difficult cos now I haqv eto go back through and doubel check that it hasn't done it.

And no cursor buttons means that either you spend twica as long fecking abotu tryingto get it in the right place OR like me you got to the end of word delete it all the way back put the right letter sin and retype it ONLY for it to secodn guess you again. And this time you have to hit the little x so that it doesn't fill it in for ya

Yeah by all means chip in with suggestions at the end when its all done. But n the middle of writing. . .

thats about as useable as re-ineventing the wheel with a triangle

 

[editor]

I fucking hope you can...mind you I've had a good look and cant find a way of turning it off. . . Its fucking tripe.

FFS usebability my fucking arse. Useable for people that cant count to 2 without using their fingers.

Next time, get yourself a phone with a proper hardware QWERTY keyboard. Problem solved!

 

[djbombscare]

Next time, get yourself a phone with a proper hardware QWERTY keyboard. Problem solved!

I've just come from an XDA, but work are now swapping them over for these bloody things and the new blackberries.

I dont get a say unfortunatley grrrrrr

However it is for development purposes. We've built plug-ins for our software that work on WindowsMe, We have done all the encryption stuff for the Nokia ones. And now we are developing plugins for blackberry and the iphone. Hence why I've got one of these for a while.

 

[Iam]

The problem I have with the keyboard is the key size. I don't see how a hardware keyboard would be any different, though. It's no better on the TYTN, which has a full QWERTY keyboard. Oh, and I have smallish fingers.

Evidently, it's a co-ordination issue.