Here at the iPhoneNewsBlog, we all agree that the iPhone is a great device. We see its potential and feel that it represents an emerging class of "Internet communication" devices that are always connected and integrated to data services on the Internet. Other requirements would be a physically small form factor (ie. smaller than a laptop) and being a sort of convergence (cell phone, email, Internet, etc.) appliance.
Some of the early "forerunners" in this category are the Treos, Blackberries and UMPCs. The Treos and Blackberries are definitely always connected, but I feel that they don't quite get the convergence aspect right. UMPCs may also be a good example as they feature a full-fledged operating system, but tend to be a bit on the bulky side. My cousin has a UMPC and to tell you the truth, I don't think you'd want to wear one of those on your hip, well, maybe some people may, but I sure won't.
In any case, back to the iPhone...as many sites have suggested, the iPhone is not a perfect product and to be fair, not many products are when they are first introduced, BUT we do feel that the iPhone comes pretty close. In this article, I will give a few examples of how the iPhone delivers what I would like to call a next generation experience.
Many industry analysts and observers alike have criticized the iPhone for not including 3G access, but because Steve Jobs felt that battery life and coverage would suffer, he chose to stick with the slower, wider coverage EDGE technology. It was a gamble that I think paid off because always being able to access the Internet as it is meant to be rendered is why the iPhone is such an important piece of technology.
One example of how the iPhone changed my life was when my wife gave birth. With the EDGE Internet access and an almost feature complete browser (no Flash or Java VM), I was pretty much able to live tweet my wife's pregnancy, blow by blow. To be able to post updates to Twitter from the labor/birthing room and share our experiences with the Internet community was just amazing. Not only did my friends get to feel as if they were there in the room with us, but I also have a record of what we went through that night (as it was a 16 - 17 hour ordeal).
In addition to twittering the laboring process, I was able to upload photos of our child to my Flickr account pretty much as soon as he had been delivered. A few weeks earlier, a relative also had delivered their baby and they sent photos the old way, via email. Let me tell you, even with a high speed connection, downloading three to four 3 Mb files or larger is not fun for anyone. After I saw that, I decided that I wouldn't put anyone through that again. So, I took a lot of pictures, uploaded them to my Flickr account and used the iPhone's mail client to notify all of our friends and relatives that the baby had arrived safe and sound. There would absolutely be no way for anyone to do something like this with a laptop or a "traditional" smartphone device (Treos and Blackberries).
These were just two of my experiences with the iPhone and how I used it's unique blend of technologies to do things never before possible with any other internet connected device. And, with the Software Development Kit coming sometime in February, the iPhone will once again allow users to do things they've never even thought possible.
In the meantime, if you have any stories you'd like to share, send us an email and we will consider publishing your story here at the iPhoneNewsBlog.
Some of the early "forerunners" in this category are the Treos, Blackberries and UMPCs. The Treos and Blackberries are definitely always connected, but I feel that they don't quite get the convergence aspect right. UMPCs may also be a good example as they feature a full-fledged operating system, but tend to be a bit on the bulky side. My cousin has a UMPC and to tell you the truth, I don't think you'd want to wear one of those on your hip, well, maybe some people may, but I sure won't.
In any case, back to the iPhone...as many sites have suggested, the iPhone is not a perfect product and to be fair, not many products are when they are first introduced, BUT we do feel that the iPhone comes pretty close. In this article, I will give a few examples of how the iPhone delivers what I would like to call a next generation experience.
Many industry analysts and observers alike have criticized the iPhone for not including 3G access, but because Steve Jobs felt that battery life and coverage would suffer, he chose to stick with the slower, wider coverage EDGE technology. It was a gamble that I think paid off because always being able to access the Internet as it is meant to be rendered is why the iPhone is such an important piece of technology.
One example of how the iPhone changed my life was when my wife gave birth. With the EDGE Internet access and an almost feature complete browser (no Flash or Java VM), I was pretty much able to live tweet my wife's pregnancy, blow by blow. To be able to post updates to Twitter from the labor/birthing room and share our experiences with the Internet community was just amazing. Not only did my friends get to feel as if they were there in the room with us, but I also have a record of what we went through that night (as it was a 16 - 17 hour ordeal).
In addition to twittering the laboring process, I was able to upload photos of our child to my Flickr account pretty much as soon as he had been delivered. A few weeks earlier, a relative also had delivered their baby and they sent photos the old way, via email. Let me tell you, even with a high speed connection, downloading three to four 3 Mb files or larger is not fun for anyone. After I saw that, I decided that I wouldn't put anyone through that again. So, I took a lot of pictures, uploaded them to my Flickr account and used the iPhone's mail client to notify all of our friends and relatives that the baby had arrived safe and sound. There would absolutely be no way for anyone to do something like this with a laptop or a "traditional" smartphone device (Treos and Blackberries).
These were just two of my experiences with the iPhone and how I used it's unique blend of technologies to do things never before possible with any other internet connected device. And, with the Software Development Kit coming sometime in February, the iPhone will once again allow users to do things they've never even thought possible.
In the meantime, if you have any stories you'd like to share, send us an email and we will consider publishing your story here at the iPhoneNewsBlog.
Congrats on the baby! Did you use the iPhone to take pictures of the baby? What is your twitter user name?