digg

Join DiggAbout

Donkeys and Elephants and Delegates,oh my!
Check out the most popular Elections 2008 content on Digg.

The iPhone at two months: It's all about the interface

computerworld.com — "When I first walked into the house the day I bought my iPhone, I had a moment of panic. After six months of media frenzy and amongst all of the excitement, I had lost sight of the fact that the 8GB iPhone I bought at a nearby AT&T store had set me back $600. Not that I hadn't been warned; the price information was everywhere..."

Bury
show profanity settings
expand all
  • fluidfoundation, on 10/12/2007, -20/+105And now ladies and gentlemen, coming direct to you from Digg Comments,
    The iPhone Flamers! Featuring: "My Nokia Does It Better!" and "I've Never Actually Used One But The Battery Life Sucks!" with special guest appearances by: "Jobs iz teh GAY!" and "I love my iPhone".
    • fluidfoundation, on 10/10/2007, -11/+26OK, Kurupttek's Gay comment, CHECK!
      LeSepultura's Nokia comment, CHECK!
      saucercrab's Battery comment, CHECK!
      ericdano's iPhone Love comment, CHECK!

      The gang's all here!
      • darlyn, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2You can stop now ...
      • Samtheman007, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3wow you were right, I scrolled down to find Kurupttek's comment, and guess what it said.

        "gay"
    • SebHughes, on 10/10/2007, -5/+13You replied to your own comment .........
  • fuzzmeister, on 10/10/2007, -6/+31I agree. While the iPhone does have a few extraordinary features (such as the web browser or the iPod), what really sets it apart from other smartphones is the interface. When you compare a WM6 smartphone to the iPhone, the difference is simply night and day.
    • dbz253, on 10/10/2007, -6/+4you can set up a windows mobile phone to have whatever you want on the main screen. the only advantage of the iphone over a windows mobile device from what i can tell is the web browser (and you can argue the iPod feature, but windows media player works fine. and at least you can queue songs there). the advantages of a windows mobile over an iphone however are numerous. most importantly, being able to create programs for it.
      • drlha, on 10/10/2007, -3/+8No the advantage of the iPhone is that it works well as its designed, you don't have to ***** around with it to make it useable like WM6.
        • locojones, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6You mean like having to go through 37 steps just to add ringtones?

          WM6 can't be any easier to use out of the box. Select an icon, and ta-dah, use the program. Give me a break
  • kurupttek, on 10/10/2007, -39/+4gay
    • CraigJ, on 10/10/2007, -1/+15You're sexual orientation is of no importance to us, but thanks for sharing.
  • TannerC, on 10/10/2007, -6/+32People are still writing articles about their first iPhone experience?! I need $600.
  • beatbox32, on 10/10/2007, -15/+3You know how much beer and porn $600 will get you? My friends...tell me that it can get you quite a bit of each.
    • treed, on 10/10/2007, -5/+1Well, it'll buy at least a month of T1, and much porn can be had that way.
    • FunkyWitDaSysTm, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6screw that. all i have to do is whip out my iphone at a bar, and people are buying me drinks and having sex with me. no joke. actually, it's so weird i wish i was kidding, but i'm not.

      you can keep your beer and porn. i'm drinking top-shelf liquor and getting laid (by real people, not right hand)!

      /sure they're mindless idiots, but they're HOT mindless idiots!
      • mushroom, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Good thing you have an iPhone so you can use Google maps to find the closest AIDS/HIV clinic, A women that would have sex with someone cause of a device would have sex with anyone
        • FunkyWitDaSysTm, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1woman? i don't need no stinkin' woman!
  • agann, on 10/10/2007, -14/+5Video: iPhone Magic
    http://www.linkinn.com/_iPhone_Magic
  • cfazzini, on 10/10/2007, -15/+4I wish there was a phone with the iPhone interface with the n95's features.

    I could die happy then.
    • HerrEisenheim, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8You'd probably die of a heart attack when you realised the phone you always wanted is $1499.
  • ericdano, on 10/10/2007, -6/+15Yup. iPhone is gold.
    • 13tongimp, on 10/10/2007, -7/+2For $600 it should damn well be made of gold.
  • LaSepultura, on 10/10/2007, -20/+1I don't see how ease of use is worth $600. The N95's interface is pretty damn easy. How freaking easy do you need it?
    • RainDrizzleFog, on 10/10/2007, -8/+2Apple people need it VERY easy.
      • locojones, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Yes, people who buy apple need to be force fed what to like and how to do things. They can't be bothered with thinking people's technology.
  • f0dder, on 10/10/2007, -19/+3$600 phone that costs ~$220 to make. Apple is not a greedy company unlike the bastards at NBC.
    • fxspec06, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4That's what you get for living in a capitalist country .. you don't like it, don't buy it.
    • KY396, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8...because research and development is free...right?
    • Samtheman007, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2It doesn't cost $220 to make, Its $220 for the parts. Add labor, Research and development, plus many other factors that influence cost.

      2000lbs of steel costs approximately $400, so why aren't there any $400 cars?
  • saucercrab, on 10/10/2007, -9/+15The battery life and replacement woes have me a bit nervous now, but I can't begin to describe the ways this phone has made my life easier. It's my 1st PDA, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I can't imagine a better device in my pocket. I absolutely love it. Best toy I've ever had. I still find myself flipping around Google maps just for the novelty of the touch screen. The internet is a tad slow of course, but it's not annoying. I know there could be improvements, but as it stands today, I feel it really is a revolutionary phone.
    ...This review is coming from a Microsoft fanboy.
    • mtheoryx83, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4If I give you good price, will you please put in pussy magnet?
    • liuping, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I'm not worried about the battery life.

      At the end of each day (autocheck email from 2 account every 15 minutes, light to head surfing, watching the previous days "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart", and a hand full of calls) I usually have about 75% charge left. I charge every night, but since it's only a 1/4 charge, it takes 4 days I use 1 "charging cycle". 400 charge cycle gets me to 80% battery life, which means it will be 3-4 year before I even get to 80%. Honestly, I'll probably have a new model by then....

      Worst case I spend $100 (a 1.5x a regular monthly phone bill) to get a brand new battery good for another 4 years...
  • umbriago, on 10/10/2007, -12/+3I might be wrong, but judging by his review he apparently got an iPhone that gives blow jobs
    • mtheoryx83, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1They all do. That's the "And one more thing..." feature that didn't get publicized.
  • xandifenn, on 10/10/2007, -1/+12its also about iphone apps like http://seeqpod.com/iphone rendering the ipod/itunes unecessary
  • curt082480, on 10/10/2007, -8/+2[author complaining about traditional cellphones]
    "anyone looking to watch movies and video, the screens were almost always too small. "
    lol @ anyone attempting to watch a movie on a phone, even the great iphone or ipod. You are an asshat.



    • fluidfoundation, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1thats the pot calling the kettle black.
  • monkeykit, on 10/10/2007, -4/+4IF you have checked out the work that jailbreaking the iPhone has done, you will see the dock plugin creates a semi circle of applications you can roll over..

    and .. it's actually $399 - $499 if you get it refurbished from Apple, .. you can stop calling it a $600 phone now
    • Zibalingz, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2Here's what he's talking about - http://cre.ations.net/creation/dock
    • Firehed, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Very true. I hacked my iPhone with a single shell command (which has since been transformed to a GUI app, as far as I'm aware) and did the rest through the installer.app program it added to my home screen. It was great out of the box, but as something that now has (locally installed) games, money management, and all the other fun stuff, it's even better. Once they get the ApolloIM app in a usable state, it'll also be a great mobile IM device, at least as far as something with a virtual keyboard as the only input method can be (and I'm quite fond of the virtual keyboard; imperfect, but worth the extra screen space that not having a physical keyboard grants me), etc.

      The hackish third-party software is very impressive given the zero help they've been given from Apple, and still quite good for a platform this new. Some stuff needs work, some is excellent, but considering it's all free so far and in addition to the features I was actually expecting, it's all gravy.
  • FunkyWitDaSysTm, on 10/10/2007, -5/+8"To call the iPhone the best phone I've ever used is the biggest understatement of the decade. It's like saying Jupiter is big, or infinity a long time."

    suck it, haters.
  • magus_melchior, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Okay, did anyone else's inner muse start singing the opening line to Weird Al's "It's All About the Pentiums"?
    "It's all about the interface, baby..."
  • 2gig, on 10/10/2007, -2/+20My son's "Chocolate" phone has space on the screen for six numbers. when you dial the seventh, you get an automatic carriage return so the number you're dialing looks like this

    555-121
    2

    Really. Like no one thought "you know, for many people, their phone numbers are seven digits long". That ESCAPED their notice.
    • anonym41414, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2I can't remember the last time I dialed a number that was only seven digits long. I've tried the phone you're talking about and I think it's a piece of junk, but in all fairness the numbers show up like this:

      202-555
      1212

      Still ludicrous, but not as bad as what you described.
    • Niz1, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4UK numbers 11 digits! your not living on the only country in the world. Either way does it matter most numbers are saved in the phone book.
      • jakebarnes, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Trying to claim that this comment indicated that "we American's think we're the only nation in the world" is a bit of a stretch. She's relating the phone to something that she knows, and that's all. Why is it that people who don't live in the US are so tied up to the fact that people who do live in the US think they are the only people in the world. Who cares if they do. You think some lady whose son has a chocolate has any bearing on any issue to which American's sharing the planet earth is pertinent? Besides, what you construe as American snobbery could also be patriotism (not the word that is thrown around today, I'm talking about the real definition, ie, pride in a country). Patriotism can be shown in ways besides a flag or a bumper sticker.
      • mtheoryx83, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1Not the only country in the world...just the only one that matters.

        Suck it Brits.
      • Niz1, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1lol ok em first of all i diddn't know that 2gig was american when i made my comment, i also diddn't know that people in the UK think that Americans think they're the only country in the world. I said it merely because a manufacturer isnt going to make the phone so all the numbers of a country (cause for my comment) will appear on the first line. Ohh and I don't hate Americans if thats what you think PEACE :)
      • Tetraca, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1With ZIP and ass scratching codes we probably have more numbers in our phone number than you do in the UK.
  • shinelikeitdoes, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7$600 may seem steep, but i am sure, for example, that i am not the only person who was in need of a new cell phone, and was considering an ipod. so...slam dunk. the two seperate devices would have been right around there...oh, and the fact that i paid $500 for the 8gb by buying a refurb directly from apple with the same "as new" warranty.

    i wont bother boring you with all of the details you have heard before about how amazing it really is.
    • Firehed, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3I quite agree. I was skeptical until I demoed one, then bought one on the spot (though of course I was prepared to buy one provided I was satisfied after playing around). It's still an expensive device, but it's a good price for everything it does, how well it does those things, and the simplification of having everything in one device that syncs reliably every time.
    • P373Y, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1400
  • digitalarcanum, on 10/10/2007, -7/+5Digg users really need to shut the hell up about this phone. I mean really we've been listening to the same tripe for months now, give it a rest. You can justify spending 600 bucks or 400 bucks refurbished for your phone all you want, the simple fact of the matter is that the rest of us don't give a *****.

    iphone postings remind me of bad 4-chan trolls "I'M GONNA KEEP POSTING DIS TILL U LIEK IT" The phone is not Jesus. It's not perfect. It has it's flaws, and most importantly, it's a ***** phone. Can we as a community move on?
    • kris33, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Well. People won't shut up before there is an even better phone out. I still enjoy reading about the iPhone, especially the hacks, even though I don't own one.
    • darlyn, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3While I kind of agree with you, its not *just* a phone ...

      The iPhone is a wide screen video iPod, a smart phone, and (though just barely) an external storage device. A video iPod is in the price range of $180-300. Your average smart phone could cost around $200, and it doesn't stack up anywhere near an iPhone. I have no idea what just how costly the new iPods are going to be, but I'm pretty sure they will be way pricier than current video iPods.
  • dansmeek, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1the iphone talk isn't going away. just like the 'linux talk' won't go away.
    it's a new platform. the tech industry has been stagnant in america. the iphone put some enthusiasm into it. people don't use cellphones in the US like they do in Asia. *NOW* they just might. it's not just the iphone, but rather, the phone as a ubiquitous computing device. don't you guys get that?
    i would buy the iphone w/whoever made it. it's amazing asia didn't import some of the models that existed similar to the iphone some 3 years ago. i'd have to buy them on the black market for ridiculous prices, and i know they would have sold well here.

    they pretty much just let apple 'have' the us market. which i think they will take.
    • hansenite44, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Haha that's a joke right? Apple doesn't have anywhere near control over the U.S. market. Even the most generous predictions say 7% at best. And as of right now Apple only makes one phone. So unless 7% is "having" a market, you are badly mistaking.
    • superkendall, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1I would love to see figures on data uses for other smart phones vs. the iPhone. AT&T knows, they have the logs from all phone users...

      My guess would be that you are correct, people use the iPhone far more often for data use than other smart phones.
  • jabberwolf, on 10/10/2007, -6/+4Um the iphone concept isnt going away, but the iphone is.
    The interface is AWESOME but when you get down to the functionality, it sucks!
    Yeah other interfaces need to catch up but they are heads and shoulders above the iphone in their abilities to do just about anything without needing to be online to view a webpage to perform an application.
    Reality sucks sometimes for mactards, maybe we shouldnt be so hard on them. They are out 600 bucks ya know.
    • th3wiz4rd, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2I dugg your post because you are mostly right. I agree that modern phones have an interface that I could have topped in my high school programming class using turbo pascal, and iPhone's interface is better and more user ("mactard") friendly. 'Functionality'-wise though, the iPhone sucks... and at the risk of being dugg down (go ahead and do it, I really don't give a f--k) I guarantee Google's phone will be 1000% better in that department. I expect a bit more (actually a ***** more) for $600.
    • deadbaby, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2"Yeah other interfaces need to catch up but they are heads and shoulders above the iphone in their abilities to do just about anything without needing to be online"

      I'm curious what sort of offline apps I would want to run on my phone? It is, after all, a communications device? Taking it offline is analogous to taking your car for a drive in the river. Any task more involved than a quick e-mail is something I use a laptop for. Since just about every person I know owns both a cell phone and a computer I think this paradigm is dominate in the minds of people who use technology on a daily basis.
    • superkendall, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Name one app you actually use every day on another phone that doesn't simply replace the poor built in email or web browser.

      Being able to make up for horrible UI buy purchasing an installing aplications that have a slightly less horrible UI, does not make for a better usage scenario than a device that works great out of the gate.
  • LeeSoong, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1iphone, needs work.
    • sflore8, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0After shelling out 600, i expected it to do my homework. Nonetheless, I'm happy.
  • RadiatedAnt, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2makes me wish i never shelled out the 700 i paid for the motorola ming a year ago... this is "cheaper"
  • nartvq, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2There will never be peace between people who want things to "just work" and people who love to "tinker and customize". It's kind of like the preferences some people have in buying their cars. Some people want to drive a refined and luxurious BMW. Some people want to drive a heavily modded street car with a sub-10 second quarter mile (400m for you euro folks). But I digress.

    From reading dozens of posts here, I think most of the people who buy into the whole iPhone craze really just want a phone with a few extra features in a slick package. They're not really concerned about modding the iPhone to increase it's functionality. This runs counter to the mindset of most people who use a phone with windows mobile. Sure, the interface is sloppy. But that's not what matters. What matters is utility. Windows Mobile users are used to being able to add a wide variety of applications and hardware to customize and personalize their phone. Giving that up is simply out of the question. The iPhone hacks you see on the web, although well advertised, are just for a small minority who want the best of both worlds, have some technical savvy and don't mind hosing their warranties.

    Personally, I have an HTC X7501. I run GPS software, Skype VOIP, a file encryption app, a TI-89 emulator, stream music via TCPMP and a bunch of other apps that makes my setup much different from the next Windows Mobile user. As it is now, the iPhone really cannot compete in this area. And I doubt it ever will, given Apple's history of keeping things proprietary.
    • mrBitch, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0@ nartvq : " ... given Apple's history of keeping things proprietary. "

      Now THAT statement shows you have no knowledge of OSX and Apple's history of heavily supporting open architectures.
      OSX itself is BSD Unix with Apple's Aqua GUI doing what the Linux world is now emulating via Beryl ...

      If you had bothered to compare OSX Server ( using open and non-proprietary protocols for mail server, for directory services, etc. ) versus Microsoft's Windows Server offerings ( using proprietary Exchange mail, Active Directory services, etc. ) then you would realise that Microsoft and " proprietary " go hand in hand - where-as Apple and " open source " go together far better than you obviously have any knowledge of.
      • nartvq, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1@ mrBitch
        Irrelevant. I was only speaking about the ability to write applications for Smartphones, Pocket PCs, iPhones and Video iPods. You can try to spin it any way you like, but Apple doesn't allow you to add applications like you can in a WM device.
  • Plndrm, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0SeeqPod and Beejive make the iPhone that much better. As I was telling my friend yesterday, "Having an iPhone is kind of like having a second dick." That is how it makes me feel.
  • donna1234, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Six months of media frenzy and amongst all of the excitement
    http://www.t7000.info
  •  

    Login or register to add a comment

    Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.


© Digg Inc. 2008 — Content posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain.
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.