From desktops to laptops… to phones?
When Will Apple Catch Up?
Recently, there has been a lot of buzz about whether smartphones will soon be replacing laptops for those on the go – and eventually, overall.
My personal computer is unbearably slow so I rely heavily on my iPhone to get me through my evenings, but I think one key thing that is missing is a compatible full keyboard.
The MacAlly BTKey mini, a wireless keyboard first seen at the MacWorld Expo, was supposed to be released in March 2008, but obviously, that date has come and gone. There are many reasons why a Bluetooth keyboard hasn’t been released, but if you believe that they eventually will be put into production, you can pre-order one here.
But how about a full keyboard that can fold up and be plugged into the iPhone, similar to the ones that exist for the Blackberry? I think this is an untapped marked with a huge potential! Think of all the add-on sales!
Only once Apple takes my advice (Ha!) and creates a iPhone-compatible keyboard will I really be able to leave my laptop behind…
My Favorite iPhone Apps
David, one of my favorite co-workers who (to oversimplify) sees/cares about things the way I do, has finally made the switch from his Treo to an iPhone. As such, I owe him a list of my favorite iPhone Apps, so I figured I’d share them with everyone at the same time… Enjoy!
- IM+. Pro: You can sign onto all your different Instant Messaging platforms like Google Chat and AIM. Con: It signs you out as soon as you click on something else.
- Pandora. Pro: I have the 8gb iPhone, so space is a factor for me, but with Pandora, I can listen to my favorite music and spice things up a bit. Con: It’s kind of ironic to listen to the radio on an iPhone, isn’t it?
- Sportacular. Pro: Allows you to get updated scores for a variety of sports. You can even set it up to see all your favorite teams in one view. Con: Means that I know right away when my Red Sox and Pats aren’t doing so well. Ignorance is bliss sometimes, my friends.
- Shazam. Pro: Hear a song on the radio, at the gym, during a night out, etc, and don’t know what it is? Shazam will tell you the title/artist and save it for you to view/listen to later. Con: Sometimes it does get stumped. (For example, it didn’t recognize Christina Arguilera’s “Keeps Getting Better”)
- Flashlight. Pro: I use this to help me find my bed once I’ve turned out the lights. Con: At some point your iPhone battery will die, and you’ll be without a flashlight.
- Jott. Pro: Perfect for taking down your to-do list when you don’t have a pen/paper handy and don’t feel like typing anything into your phone. Con: I think the interface isn’t very user-friendly.
- Word Warp. Pro: Finally a game that keeps me challenged! Con: It is web-based, so when you don’t have a signal, you can’t play.
- Twitterfon. Pro: Allows me to update my twitter status from my phone and shows my friends’ statuses. Con: I’m not convinced that it provides any additional functionality that twitter.com is lacking.
- Stanza. Pro: Let’s you read books on your phone. Con: I haven’t used it once, so, what does that say about its relevance?
A great feature of the phone is that you can save bookmarks to the home screens. At times, I’ve found that these bookmarked websites work just as well as, if not better than, the corresponding applications. They are:
- Google Reader. Keeps my RSS subscriptions at my fingertips. What could be better?
- Facebook. Pretty self-explanatory. Seriously, I didn’t find any need to use the app (although I tried it).
- Toodledo. Lets me update my to-do list on the go. (The only thing I’m struggling is the duplication/overlap of features with Jott. I haven’t decided which one to keep and which one to remove.)
- Umbrella Today. One touch lets me know whether to pack an umbrella in my work bag. This one is pure genius.
- Craiglist. Let’s me search for everything I could ever need. Has helped tremendously as I’ve been looking for furniture with which to furnish my apartment.
Have you found iPhone apps you couldn’t live without? I’d be interested in hearing what apps I’ve overlooked!
tonight’s triumph
As someone who is genuinely interested in emerging technology, it was only a matter of time before I procured the latest “it” gadget – the iPhone 3G.
Yes, this little black book has been constantly in the news for some quite some time now, between trying to find some use for the “outdated” version from last year, controversy regarding international ads (although it’s noteworthy that there even are international ads), and with companies of all types and sizes trying to piggyback on the phone’s success.
Well, I had waited patiently, and even though the whole ordeal of upgrading the family’s current AT&T plan, as well as adding my line, took almost two hours, my spirits were as high as Snoop Dog in Half Baked.
As I left the store, I noticed that I wasn’t able to connect to the internet. No worries. When this continued, I called AT&T just too make sure that everything had been set up correctly. As I explained my situation to the woman on the other end of the line, my phone began to work…. everything except Gmail, which I had – unsuccessfully apparently – set up. (I could get to gmail.com through the web browser, but not through the fun little “mail” icon on the home screen).
I tried deleted and recreating the accounts. I tried turning the phone on and off. I tried not touching the phone will the mailbox was loading. You get the idea…
Long story short, (not so short though, I guess), I finally got my lazy self to the computer and did some research. Apparently:
1. You need to set up the Gmail account as “Other”, not as “Gmail”. (Rather backwards, isn’t it?)
2. You need to make sure that in Gmail, “Don’t always use https” is checked under the General Settings Tab.
3. You need to go to some crazy website – http://www.google.com/accounts/DisplayUnlockCaptcha – to “unlock” your account!
The full discussion that saved the day is here. It’s funny how much better I immediately felt knowing that I hadn’t caused the error!
I LOVE the iPod and Google because I feel like they both have changed the way that we live our lives, but it was such as shame that my first experience with brand new iPhone was so negative. It shouldn’t have taken all evening to get e-mail working!
