Talking Tech - iPhone

Okay, so the big Tech blitz in Vegas is over, and not even a chirp from me? Well...chirp. If anything stole the attention on the average techie and laymen alike, it would be the new Apple iPhone. Er, wait, Cisco already makes a product called the iPhone, so I guess I can't call it Apple's iPhone...wouldn't want to get sued like they are.

Anyways, as I'm in the market to replace my circa 1997; $10 a month analog cell phone with something a bit more modern and all-in-one, the Formally Known as Apple's iPhone (FKAi) caught my eye as a potential purchase. Course, with an FKAi, I'd have to go with the exclusive Cingular provider...er, no wait..that's AT&T now. So goodbye $10/month Alltel.

Okay, so I'll get with the 21st century and pay a little more for some type of phone service. So what do I get with an "all-in-one" device? Everything right? Well, not really:

1) No 3rd party software allowed. That's right Axim programming cult groups, no porting your apps to the FKAi. Sorry doctors and nurses, no medical reference journals for you. Gaming, Lol, sorry.

2) No swappable battery. Hmm, well the iPod has a non-swappable battery, but with some surgery, it can be done without sending it in to Apple. While an all-in-one device can be expected to be on a lot, expect your battery to get taxed way more then any other device. Really, I'm more interesting in watching a movie at the airport, and having an extra battery to swap when I need phone functions. Finding an open socket during air delays is pretty cutthroat, and performing surgery on my $600 device in the airport, I'll pass. Lastly what do I do when I send in the device for the new battery. Voice mail and pen and paper?

3) Speaking of movies, the widescreen isn't really widescreen, but rather 1.5:1. So expect flicks to be a bit warped. Probably can only get the movies exclusivly through iStore anyways.

4) Max 8Gb hard drive. With 8gb, forget about movies anyways. For reference, the iPod for movies has a 80Gb hard drive. What good is all-in-one if you can only fit data for one function?

5) No GPS. Hmm, GPS is a standard option on many hand held devices.

6) Fixed Lens. Many camera phones have a lens that can rotate so you can take pics traditionally, or spin it around to do a video conference. Doesn't matter really since you can't make movies with the device anyways.

7) But how about that ground breaking touch screen interface. Truly cool and unique. Er, wait no. Wasn't there a Youtube video of someone using a touch screen with very similar features last year? Seriously though, no tactile feedback = car accident.

No question, Apple will sell many, and have new versions with more features. But if you advertise doing products the right way, shouldn't you at least, Do it the right way? Guess I'll keep my cell for now ...which doubles as a defensive blackjack.