“As the iPhone countdown continues, I thought I’d chime in with my reflections on Apple’s uber-device and its rivals. I spent some quality time with an iPhone at Macworld Expo in January, and it truly is impressive. Its mobile Web browser alone is worth the price of admission–the touch-based pinch and stretch zoom controls are beautiful. The music, photo, and messaging features are cool as well. But the touch-based keyboard isn’t great for thumb typing, and Apple’s decision to ban third-party apps is a big disappointment,” Eric Dahl writes for PC World.
Dahl writes, “Unfortunately, competition may not arrive for a while: LG’s Prada phone won’t be sold in the States; and Samsung’s neat F700, a touch-screen phone with a slide-out keyboard, may not reach our shores either.”
“Bottom Line: Unless the iPhone can magically get an AT&T signal to my house, I’ll skip it. Too bad Apple locked out third-party solutions–I was all set to take Skype calls over the iPhone’s Wi-Fi,” Dahl writes.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: How much time did Dahl really spend with the iPhone, five minutes like most of the media was allowed? Let’s hear from someone who’s spent more time with the device, Andy Ihnatko of The Chicago Sun-Times, “I had a private briefing the day after Steve Jobs’ keynote and spent about 45 minutes noodling around with the device… I think the iPhone’s virtual keyboard is a huge improvement over the mechanical thumbpads found on the Treo and any other smart phones of its size.”
Full article from Jan 18th here.
I can’t believe this is still being discussed. sheesh.
MDN
“Let’s here from someone who’s spent more time with the device”
hear?
There is a prototype floating around here at Adobe, the alphatouchpad is awesome!
Typo: Let’s here from someone
To: Let’s hear from someone
Jajah!
Am I first? Well I like the iPhone too..
It seems to me that the virtual keyboard is probably more usable as a real keyboard, not just thumbs. After all, thumbs are the least mobile and nimble of our digits. Since the iPhone is flat, I can see putting down on a support (i.e table, etc.) and using both hands to type. Even if the virtual keys are relatively close together, I’ll bet that all-finger typing will be very easy, especially with the predictive algorithms that it supposedly has.
My 2¢ worth
hear, not here
@ Chrissy1
How do you have a prototype floating around?
MDN, did you hear, that here was used incorrectly? I suggest you hear them and correct it here in this blog promptly.
I’m glad most of our readers kno how to spell. Anyone else want to point out the obvious?
Who do you have to sleep with to get a prototype?
I kno that was intentional.
“Let’s here from someone…”
Hear, hear!
MDN: late, as in, “Better late than never.”
I don’t know about this one guy’s opinion.
But overall that keyboard better defy all odds and be the one that puts those negative thoughts about touchscreens behind us. I don’t care that it lacks 3G or a memory card slot but it’s imperative that the basics are covered strongly.
If there’s a learning curve, fine. When it’s all said and done, the use of the iPhone’s keyboard has to be an enjoyable experience.
Most of the M$ crowd won’t be able to use the iPhone – this goes especially for ‘Monkeyboy’ Bullmer.
It’s just a question of evolution.
As Mac users, we’re more highly evolved than they are – we have opposable thumbs.
Bullmer can barely hold a chair to throw it, let alone type…
@ Buster
“Who do you have to sleep with to get a prototype?”
That would appear to be ChrissyOne
We have a prototype over here at Microsoft, and I can’t find the on button.
We have a prototype over here at Redmond, but I can’t find the On-button.
whoops. Thought I was censored.
Blimey — the touch-pad is the feature I want most!
You are right “c” JAJAH is the answer.
its great in some ways, not so good in others, and WELL WORTH IT to get a bigger screen!
its not like little button keyboards are any picnic either.
lets have more details about the third party software.
‘banned’ sounds like complete arse. Apple’s no Nazi, they just don’t want a virus to take down the friggin phone system.
u an typomg this on an uphonw and it is edgu tu us3
ni priblem
Mike above is right. That banned mentality is so “Windows”. Why would I want a thousand software options if 900 of them suck, and could cause a security problem. They just don’t get it, sometimes closed is good. The proof is in the pudding, just look at the hodge-podge of “smart phones” out there. Jobs made this obvious during the keynote. Some people can’t ditch the “geek mentality”.
Apr 26, 07 – 02:23 pm
Not me. Here we go again. I DON’T have a prototype iPhone. Or the patience for this any more.
-c
MW: ‘neither’ (the will nor the interest)
Just like every other “announced but not released” product there is out there, I’ll withhold judement until I can actually hold an iPhone in my own hands and see what the interface is like. Reviews and analysis and every other story about this until then are just pure speculation and incomplete – not even worth the electrons that were inconvenienced in the transmission.
One complaint I’ve heard, that makes sense to me, is the virtual keyboard on the iPhone won’t be as easy to use without looking at it as you type or hit buttons. A lot of people have gotten used to the tactile feedback from keyboards, whether it be on a laptop or a phone. The lack of tactile feedback means people will have to watch what they’re doing, meaning they may pay less attention to other things they’re doing (like driving). I can see a lawsuit looming as soon as the first car accident is blamed on the driver being too busy dialing a phone number and not watching where he’s going. Not that Apple should be held accountable, but Apple has the deep pockets.
I’d be willing to deal with the lack of a keyboard, but not being able to load 3rd party apps will prevent me from getting an iPhone. Once Apple opens it up a bit and allows other developers on board, I’ll get in line to buy one.
MDN – Could you pull the IP address of the post at 2:23 pm and post it here for all of us to see? I think that would be interesting.
@ Mike
“‘banned’ sounds like complete arse. Apple’s no Nazi, they just don’t want a virus to take down the friggin phone system.”
Um, there have been smartphones that are open to third party apps on the market for years. To my knowledge, no third party Palm or Windows CE app has ever “taken down the phone system”. A poorly coded app may have crashed the phone itself, but the hogwash that was spewed during Macworld about a third party app being able to take down AT&T’s cellular grid was simply FUD, Apple-style.
C1, are you trying to assemble a blanket party? I’ll bring the nine irons.
ChrissyOne if you work for Adobe… how about making CS3 available overseas at prices that aren’t a total rip off? I was dying to get hold of the Production Suite, but will have to stick with my Photoshop/Illustrator CS1 and Final Cut Studio 2 instead. I’ll dream on about Intel native version of Adobe stuff.
@Adam
Perhaps, but why open it up to the possibility of crapware?
“A poorly coded app may have crashed the phone itself”
That sounds pretty freakin’ bad to me. Just sayin’
2 months to go and we’ll be all set.
— The lack of tactile feedback means people will have to watch what they’re doing, meaning they may pay less attention to other things they’re doing (like driving).
To Shiva:
Someone using a phone while driving deserves the resulting smash-up just for being a complete cretin!
That’s why Apple have made a bluetooth headset to accessorise the iPhone!
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Going with AT&T is a killer! Sprint doesn’t offer service in our area.
While I always enjoy Andy Ihnatko’s writings, he is a major-league Mac fanboy.
That said, I think that we’ll really have to wait and see regarding the keyboard. I’ve heard from people who love “virtual keyboards” and people who hate them. In regards to the people who hate them, it may be an implementation detail on the touch-screen keyboard or a general dislike of touch screens. I know I’m not a big fan of them, but my dealings with them have mostly been limited to kiosk-type arrangements (eg ATMs).
And, again, I think you’ll find people who love the iPhone’s keyboard and people who hate it.
My only concern with the iPhone’s keyboard is that it will require people to look at it. I’m waiting for some idiot to clip me on my bike because they just had to enter that address right now while driving 60 on PCH…
Let’s hear from the hare over here.
@ Brain Fart
Yeah, cause you know I work in the Ripoff Pricing Department. I’ll get right on it. ;P
“There is a prototype floating around here at Adobe,”
This thread is about the iPhone, not the Zune.
The Adobe jackass was impersonating ChrissyOne, can’t you folks understand that? GEEEZ.
“This thread is about the iPhone, not the Zune.”
That was pretty funny though. Flush the floater! Ha!
Seriously, MDN, I’m getting tired of this.
Doesn’t everyone look at the keyboard while typing?
Does everyone type while driving? How the hell do you light your smoke, drink coffee and eat your donut if you’re going to type while driving? Fusking multitaskers.
Big Al,
Don’t forget putting on makeup (I’m a professional clown) and looking at porn (I have no excuse for that one)!
Once MDN gets password-protected handles this place is gonna be a snore.
whoo-hoo!
sarcastic
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Are there people that still dial numbers into their phone? I guess I htought most phones had this, but I just say the contact name or the digits of the phone number on my Motorola and it dials.
Chrissy – contact MDN directly about the issue @ http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/contact/
They responded pretty fast the other day when we had another incident of this.
Shiva, but I do not think you speak for the majority of people, just a small minority. I do not believe that there are more than a few people that have the dexterity to use the QWERTY keyboards on handhelds without looking.
Then the whole driving thing? I know people are stupid and do, in fact, try to use such devices while driving, but are you seriously saying that physical keyboards allow one to use one without ever looking at the device? Do the other devices send the txt/email/IM to your brain directly? Even if you are able to type without looking, would you seriously send whatever you looking at what you so typed? Oh, yeah, you STILL have to LOOK at the SCREEN!
This whole “you can type without looking on physical keyboards, so you can drive (or other activity during which you should not be doing email/txt/IM)” argument is beyond silly.
@ Jim – TIV
I did, many times actually. Here is one response, verbatim:
We think the fools have been discouraged sufficiently.
We are think having logins would drastically alter the site’s feel.
Thank you,
Uh… yeah. I’ll tell you what, the site is drastically altering my feel.
-c
Now that we have a device that has a keyboard that only exists as software, can we ditch the f@#king QWERTY keyboard already?
The QWERTY is garbage. It was designed to SLOW YOU DOWN! Let’s smarten up and move to the DVORAK, already. At least it was designed around the English language.
Read my typing, I despise the “thumb” keypads found on the Treo and similar devices. In fact, I will not buy one of these phones exactly because of these toy keypad thingys, and since I don’t have ATT service in my neck of the woods, I won’t be buying an iPhone either, [insert explitive].
But, I await Apple’s up coming iPod/PDA which will basically be an iPhone without the phone and a wide screen – yup, that’s what I’m waiting for… Been waiting for it… Still waiting for it… (crickets chirping)…
QWERTY doesn’t slow me down at all. Having to learn DVORAK would really slow me down, however. Perhaps there could be an option to switch back and forth, at will.
DVORAK is illogical, slow and clunky compared to ENDERLE.
“……Apple iPhone’s touch-based keyboard: good or bad?…”
Well .. the only time I can think of where it would be bad … is after polishing off a giant bucket of KFC !!
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ChrissyOne …
Believe it or not, I can mostly tell when its you posting or if its the coward hiding behind your handle …
How ??
Its a question of style …
You have it — and the idiot doesnt !
@ oh my
Why thank you, my friend. I like to think that quality rises to the top.
-c
http://gb.bbs.ws/book.php?book=lolisss /
@ ChrissyOne
Isn’t it sad that some people have to waste their time posting under someone elses name to annoy/harrass that person?
@ the fake C-1
Whatzamatta? Too timid to comment using your own handle? Feel like you have to pick on a commenter here who has more wit in their pinky than you have in your head? Get a life, numbskull!
Such is life, unfortunately…
If one doesn’t have something intelligent to say, then just say something stupid, only louder. Then run and hide. What they don’t seem to grasp is that the insults they write say far more about them than me. Revealing their insecurities, their fears, their prejudices, and failing to recognize the ugly refection staring back at them.
Those of you who are wise enough to see… thank you.
-c
In the dark; poor eyesight–guess what? iPhone wins. iPhone meets real world conditions and challenges.
The whining over the so called lack of 3rd party apps is absurd. Here is one reason all by itself why Apple needs to be the gateway for new apps:
http://www.blackfriarsinc.com/blog/2007/04/why-no-third-party-iphone-apps-at
ChrissyOne
DVORAK is illogical, slow and clunky compared to ENDERLE.
I can find no reference to this ENDERLE you speak of…
And that would be quite a feat, considering that the most used letters in the English language are all on the home row, as opposed to the QWERTY which deliberately spays them irrationally all over the keyboard.
Well, irrationally from a user perspective.
It was a joke… okay, so maybe not the best one. ;P
Apple iPhone’s touch-based keyboard: good or bad?
Duh… Shouldn’t we wait until the iPhone is actually released before we start commenting on how well users like it? This article is just hot air.
I pooped out a zune.
Spent 37 seconds at Expo with the device and I already love it FAR FAR FAR more than my hackberry pearl.
Why do half the comments have to be about typo corrections. Can we just have an email address to shoot typos too, if it’s *really* that important?
Yes grammar and spelling is important, but so is my time. I knew what was meant – I don’t need people doing straight typo corrections, or trying to be witty. Get over it.
“How do you have a prototype floating around?”
One of the secret iPhone features is that it doesn’t require that you carry it. There’s an anti-gravity device inside and all you need to do is tether it to you and it hovers and follows you around.
Does anyone know when the Samsung F700 will be available in the US?
The reason Microsoft has so much FUD and all on the iPhone is that they couldn’t figure out how to use it without a Start Menu or Explorer. Either that or the touchscreen doesn’t work well with prehensile tails.
Oooohh. Loks like the Koolaid drinkers are getting upset about a bad review of vaporware…
Nobody uses the iPhone in the real world except for Jobs and a few other lucky ppl. Nobody can give a real assessment of this thing. Once it is released…we will alll know.
“It’s just practice” – Iverson. 76’ers
Just my $0.02
Ray
Oooohh. Loks like the Koolaid drinkers are getting upset about a bad review of vaporware…
A functional fully developed device that you cannot buy yet is not “vapourware”, dipshiat.
“A functional fully developed device that you cannot buy yet is not “vapourware”, dipshiat.”
Actually that’s the definition of vaporware, something announced, maybe even demonstrated in apparently working form, but not available for sale for whatever reason.
Dictionary
Actually that’s the definition of vaporware, something announced, maybe even demonstrated in apparently working form, but not available for sale for whatever reason.
No, it is not, because even if the iPhone never ships, it was still an actual product. “Vapourware” never exists and cannot ship because it is at best mockups and at worst vague promises. Copland was vapourware, a collection of individual pieces of software and press releases that was never, at any time, a functional product. Various Microsoft “technologies” that never got farther than trade show announcements and press releases are “vapourware”. The iPhone, having been submitted for FCC approval, is real, and not “vapour”, and just because we as consumers cannot hold it in our hands does not mean it can be spun to become a “vaopourware” product. Hardware gets FCC approval, not press releases.
ChrissyOne
It was a joke… okay, so maybe not the best one. ;P
I guess my humour module has malfunctioned. 😀
“No, it is not, because even if the iPhone never ships, it was still an actual product”
Most Vaporware products reach some level of development before being delayed or cancelled. The biggest hurdle is going from an “almost complete” “fully functional” product to an actually shipping one. Therefore the only clean dividing line is when the product actually ships and can be purchased by consumers.