Topic: Thoughts on the new iPods

[Clark Kent]

I've been waiting for quite some time for a "convergence" device that would fit my needs, and though the new products this year are very cool, they don't seem to quite fit the bill.
the iPhone is great, I'd say worth all the hype, however, I tend to steer away from data plans since I don't use them much at all, certainly not enough to warrant the extra cost. however, with the iPhone, this is all moot- you will get the data plan, so says the AT&T. Ok, so another $20 on top of my plan, maybe... Then, the cool 25% off plan I get through my employer will go bye bye because AT&T gives you the cool tax for owning an iPhone. then there is apple's stance on the matter- Apple will brick your phone if you unlock it to use in the way you want, so says the Apple. Sorry, iPhone is out of the picture, great product, but I don't like what the people who own my iPhone deem is appropriate for it. And no, paying $400 for the iPhone is not proof of ownership when the creator and service company i use it through have that much control over my siny new iPhone, so I guess between all that and the doubling of my monthly rate it seems a safe bet that the iPhone is not the product for me. don't get me wrong, i can see how it would be cool for many, just not me.
So then the iPod touch comes out, another way cool device, but again, I want "convergence" device. i want to be able to edit calendar items, view files, and do other PDA type functions, but the ipod touch doesn't allow for this, at least not out of the box, I guess because Apple doesn't want it to be too "iPhone-like."
So here I sit, looking for a device that will do all of the low level computing things i want to do (internet, email, read files, etc) but without a monthly cool tax that doubles what I already pay, and I'm wondering, is such a thing really out of reach still?

[Commander Maxillius]

I've been waiting for quite some time for a "convergence" device that would fit my needs, and though the new products this year are very cool, they don't seem to quite fit the bill.
the iPhone is great, I'd say worth all the hype, however, I tend to steer away from data plans since I don't use them much at all, certainly not enough to warrant the extra cost. however, with the iPhone, this is all moot- you will get the data plan, so says the AT&T. Ok, so another $20 on top of my plan, maybe... Then, the cool 25% off plan I get through my employer will go bye bye because AT&T gives you the cool tax for owning an iPhone. then there is apple's stance on the matter- Apple will brick your phone if you unlock it to use in the way you want, so says the Apple. Sorry, iPhone is out of the picture, great product, but I don't like what the people who own my iPhone deem is appropriate for it. And no, paying $400 for the iPhone is not proof of ownership when the creator and service company i use it through have that much control over my siny new iPhone, so I guess between all that and the doubling of my monthly rate it seems a safe bet that the iPhone is not the product for me. don't get me wrong, i can see how it would be cool for many, just not me.
So then the iPod touch comes out, another way cool device, but again, I want "convergence" device. i want to be able to edit calendar items, view files, and do other PDA type functions, but the ipod touch doesn't allow for this, at least not out of the box, I guess because Apple doesn't want it to be too "iPhone-like."
So here I sit, looking for a device that will do all of the low level computing things i want to do (internet, email, read files, etc) but without a monthly cool tax that doubles what I already pay, and I'm wondering, is such a thing really out of reach still?

In a word: yup.

As long as capitalism exists as a way to gouge the consumer of every dime, then there will be shuysters who will take advantage.

And what kind o iles do you want to read?  Normal iPods are capable of displaying text files out of the box.

[Death_Merchant]

DM takes a large grain of salt.....and posts a rumor...

Apple Inc, which helped spawn the PDA market with its Newton MessagePad line in the early '90s, plans to give the concept another go with a modern day reincarnation of the old fan favorite based on the company's new mutli-touch technology, AppleInsider has learned

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/09/26/up_next_for_apple_the_return_of_the_newton.html

[Sirgod]

when clark sees this, I will not be responcible for him going into Cardiac arrest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvhVI-D3ivc

Mac computers , asians, and yes hse has bewbies.

BTW, Smallville premiers tonight, Bizzaro and Kara (supergirl ) make there appearance.

stephen

[Clark Kent]

when clark sees this, I will not be responcible for him going into Cardiac arrest. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvhVI-D3ivc

Mac computers , asians, and yes hse has bewbies.

BTW, Smallville premiers tonight, Bizzaro and Kara (supergirl ) make there appearance.

stephen

Yummy.

I caught the rumor you posted late last night DM, would be cool, if it still fits in the pocket and does iTunes.

[Clark Kent]

Been thinking about the whole iPhone firmware situation.    If you haven't been folowing apple gossip, anyone who has hacked their iPhones to add new function Apple left out, applications onto the iPod because web apps aren't useful when not able to connect with AT&T's crappy data service or simply to unlock the phone to use with other cell carriers (legally, companies have to let you unlock a phone you own to use with another carrier) will either lose the added functionality or the phone will be "bricked."
From everything I've read, Apple specifically engineered the firmware update to render your phone completely inoperable if you freed it from AT&T service.  This little unlock also affect people who travel abroad and have hacked their iPhones to shut down the AT&T data servicewhile overseas since AT&T will charge you both arms, both legs and half the limbs of any relatives you have up to twice removed.
Everyone else seems to simply lose what theyve added, and can't get it back, unless they go through an arduous process of trying to downgrade the firmware.  In all cases apple voids your warranty.
then there is the iPod touch- I get the feeling that it was the test grounds for the iPhone update- because as of yet it is unhackable and you can't add functionality that you want/need in the device, and if you do I have no doubt the warranty will be voided.

I'm kind of torn on this one, apple is not specifically forcing you to update the phone, but they are explicitly telling you thatby simply forking over several hundred dollars to "own" one of these little "marvels" apple reserves the right to tell you want you can and can't do with it on a very micro level, and they won't even leave an avenue for you to go back to factory specs and start fresh.  Seems kinda malicious.

I remember once, years ago i said  that apple was really no better than microsoft, and if they were ever in a position to gouge customers and play legal dances screwing over their own customer base whenever they pleased that they would.  I said it, but there was this little loyal apple user in the back of my mind saying "that would never happen, it couldn't," but here we go.  I can tell you that i've seen a transformation happen over the last few years with apple and their culture towards customers, and I've watched it with a certain amount of trepidation.  I'm not sure if Apple has crossed the line from licensing their customer base to creative unlocking to the very image they depicted in that famous "1984" superbowl add.  What I am sure about is that Apple is walking a legal tightrope intentionally in a bid of micromanagement of their customers, and even more certainly, that this is a deliberate f***ing a$$hole move on the part of Apple. 

I wish Vista hadn't turned out to be such a disappointment.

[Death_Merchant]

Apple cut a deal with AT&T that the others declined to do.
The limiting of the iPhone (for 2 years) to AT&T was part of the deal, as was some the network changes for the visual voicemail and other features.

Now that the iPhone seems to be a success (sales wise). I'm sure after 2 years there will be better networks to chose from, and different versions of iPhone with different feature sets.

Personally, I like the iPhone but not AT&T or the lack of MS Exchange support: So I didn't buy.
I can wait. I can wait for what I want.
No one was forced to buy an iPhone.

[GE-Raven]

Proud Motorola Q owner.  Windows Mobile 5 works great and sure I don't have the lovely clicky touch screen, and the extended battery is a must.  But the fact is this thing is exactly what I want as a PDA, Phone, and can even serve as a MP3 player with purchase of a 4 gig Mini SD card. (Cheap).

Just my $.02

GE-Raven

[Elvis]

The problem with "convergence devices".

I've actually thought about this since a couple of days after you first posted. I'm a new owner of an Att8525, which on the end is more costly(monthly_ than the Iphone because I can play on their 3G network. My whole family is on a plan(4 phones) at a little over $130, plus extras which includes my data plan($35). Maybe I should have waited for the Tilt, the ATT successor to the 8525 which includes gps, which I suppose makes it more convergent than my 8525. But through ATT it would cost extra monthly to have access to the mapping software reallly needed to make it go out of the box. And by out of the box I mean easily, I could search the internet and find a program that is being written that would combine my gps signal and google maps, not sure if there is a program yet for WM5. Or I could by another vendors software package, like Garmin and supply my own gps signal. neither one of those options I favor all that much. Everyone has their hand out when dealing with a convergent device at the present time. So I suppose that nothing is free but right now its too expensive for me to consider or its really not all that user friendly.

The other thing is the jack of all trades mentality ie, I do a little bit of everything but not quite as good if I just focused on one thing. I've noticed this with my 8525 over my Razer with my bluetooth headset, the razer was a snap turn on my headset a coulple of seconds later my phone would acknowledge that it was attached to my headset. I then could press a button on my headset and say a name and the phone would dial. My 8525 is far superior in processing power and memory but it does not support AFAIK voice dialing prompted from a headset. Maybe I need to go find a program. 

[Lloyd007]

From what I know of the iPhone bricking is that the software unlocks took advantage of a buffer overrun error that made the phone very vulnerable to hackers. The hardware unlock still works though you void your warranty obviously.

[KOTH-KieranXC, Ret.]

Crap like this is precisely why I never have and never will own an Apple product. (Well, 5 years ago it was my rejection of the whole iPod 'cool factor' and my disdain for Macs, but now that I've read this, I feel even more justified.)

[Clark Kent]

Huh, I thought this thread was dead.  Several things have changed since even the last post.  The iPod touch has been given the capabilities that I was upset it was missing, and a software development kit is in development so 3rd party software can be installed on an iPod touch or an iPhone.  Apple's stance seems to be that it planned to allow at least the latter for quite some time now, which, though I can't fully confirm it, seem plausible, since the security issues they mentioned that held back an immediate SDK do indeed seem to be credible concern. 
Also, apparently, I had jumped the gun on the data plan thing, because sources I've heard and read say that while you do have to initialize the data plan, you can opt out of it immediately.
In short, the list of complaints I had has been whittled down to only a couple for the iPhone, and I hreally have none for the iPod touch anymore.

[KOTH-KieranXC, Ret.]

Sorry, didn't look at the date on it

I don't know much about the iPod Touch, but from what I do know, it's the one thing that might induce me to break my self-imposed Apple boycott.

As for the iPhone, most of the stuff I heard is from right when it came out. I hadn't heard anything new, so I assumed it hadn't really changed. Good to know people aren't getting screwed as badly.

[Clark Kent]

Sorry, didn't look at the date on it

I don't know much about the iPod Touch, but from what I do know, it's the one thing that might induce me to break my self-imposed Apple boycott.

As for the iPhone, most of the stuff I heard is from right when it came out. I hadn't heard anything new, so I assumed it hadn't really changed. Good to know people aren't getting screwed as badly.

they have a winning product, and they know it.  To be honest, I don't like some of the things they're doing with the iPhone, but I think a good part of it has to do with AT&T.

[Just plain old Punisher]

Iphone review:

=)

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=iphone