I’m certainly easily amused and it is still early, but that paragraph made my Sunday.
What’s interesting about cut/copy/paste on the iPhone is that Apple didn’t right. I have absolutely no complaints about it, yet for every other touch-based OS it’s either poorly coded and/or only half complete, allowing only certain fields and certain types of data to be cut and copied.
PS: For those that missed my previous posting on this, it’s good to see some comparative tests come out that go beyond the myopic measuring stick known as the Spec List. Below is a test of the touchscreen technology in various phones. I can’t say I’m shocked that Apple is the clear winner…
You know, it's interesting to notice that iPhone users don't generally go in for the "wake me up when (iPhone competitor du jour) can blank, blank, blank" style of belligerence.
I think it's because how things like cut and paste are done on the iPhone, as you mention. It's not a matter features, it's a matter of how they're implemented.
It doesn't make for terse little snarky slogans-- "Wake me up when Android has less clumsy cut and paste" doesn't show up all the time in these conversations-- but the cumulative effect of lots of little UI things like that is why iPhone users are generally indifferent too, if not mystified by, the constant harping on mere technology that seems to be the stock and trade of some.
And for some, this is somehow merely a matter of "style" and evidence of Apple's interest in "form over function." Which is about what you'd expect from a tech happy Asperger's constituency, which is what makes me wonder about the long term prospects of Android. There's certainly a market for a phone OS that is indifferent to nuance and style (that indeed sees fit to advertise some of its iterations as being explicitly hostile to nuance and style), but for the mass market that stuff matters, even if the average user couldn't tell you, exactly, why they like it so much.
The only reason Windows got away with being shitty about that stuff is price, and in the new universe of handheld computing, that price advantage doesn't obtain, because the primary cost is for the cell plans which the handset manufacturers (or Google, for that matter) have no control over. Just look at the runaway success of the iPod Touch to get a sense of the competitive landscape.
Ummm no. Like msft. They have load of cash. Weoking at google is hard as they say it's the best place to work. I wouldn't worry about them, they are going to be fine and believe me, they are not scared dude. They can put up a 200 person USA team in two days if they have to or do like everyone else outsource to India where habacgi changes their name to bob.
For those curious about the fragmentation of the Android out of the gate check out this Wikipage. It has some of the future products listed at CES but not nearly all of them.
Those that can?t see how bad this will get need to reevaluate the situation. Android in and of itself isn?t bad, but this is a problem.
PS: I think the best solution for consumers may be for a mobile HW vendor to make a consistent build of Android across all their devices, in the same vein as Palm, Apple and RiM. Giving it a clearly recognizable and consistent UI on clearly recognizable HW. Perhaps even certifying apps that are designed to run well on their devices which will give the consumer some piece of mind when choosing their product. The source code for the OS would almost become inconsequential to the user. This may mean that certain advancements won?t come as quickly if the vendor has to approve any OS changes and release them all at once, but I think many customers would appreciate that. For better of for worse, I doubt that will happen. \
Following is an example of Android cut and paste done on a HTC Magic, "Google experience" phone (not a Google phone as the Nexus is the first one, apparently).
! Check the official statement of Eric Lin(HTC)"The Magic being sold in most of Asia is not a Google experience phone so we have started to put some of the HTC special sauce into Android. That Magic has started to put some of the HTC special sauce into Android. That Magic has Exchange support, a much more responsive and full featured camera application, a custom dialer application with smart dial and additional widgets as well." custom dialer application with smart dial and additional widgets as well."
This is exactly how a paragraph I cut and pasted into another forum came out using a Magic, I could have fixed it but wanted to leave it as is an example.
The original paragraph was definitely NOT formatted that way.
For those curious about the fragmentation of the Android out of the gate check out this Wikipage. It has some of the future products listed at CES but not nearly all of them.
Those that can?t see how bad this will get need to reevaluate the situation. Android in and of itself isn?t bad, but this is a problem.
PS: I think the best solution for consumers may be for a mobile HW vendor to make a consistent build of Android across all their devices, in the same vein as Palm, Apple and RiM. Giving it a clearly recognizable and consistent UI on clearly recognizable HW. Perhaps even certifying apps that are designed to run well on their devices which will give the consumer some piece of mind when choosing their product. The source code for the OS would almost become inconsequential to the user. This may mean that certain advancements won?t come as quickly if the vendor has to approve any OS changes and release them all at once, but I think many customers would appreciate that. For better of for worse, I doubt that will happen. \
We had a whole thread with information about Android fragmentation. There's a lot of material in there.
Following is an example of Android cut and paste done on a HTC Magic, "Google experience" phone (not a Google phone as the Nexus is the first one, apparently).
! Check the official statement of Eric Lin(HTC)"The Magic being sold in most of Asia is not a Google experience phone so we have started to put some of the HTC special sauce into Android. That Magic has started to put some of the HTC special sauce into Android. That Magic has Exchange support, a much more responsive and full featured camera application, a custom dialer application with smart dial and additional widgets as well." custom dialer application with smart dial and additional widgets as well."
This is exactly how a paragraph I cut and pasted into another forum came out using a Magic, I could have fixed it but wanted to leave it as is an example.
The original paragraph was definitely NOT formatted that way.
But isn't it bizarre that this goes absolutely unremarked in the tech press, while "Snapdragon" and "multitasking" give people the vapors?
If this is Google's plan-- to continuously advance the platform by adding new "features", while never going back and doing the polish on what's already there, constantly adding to the pile of almost but not quite functionality, then they're building a house of cards that will one day collapse. Again, MS got away with this because they drove prices down and went commodity pretty early on. The cell industry isn't the PC industry, and if two choices are pretty much the same price and one works really really well and the other one works "well enough", that's unlikely to work over the long haul.
Hmm, funny. You don't offer how to make it better. You throw lame, vague comments about editing in there. Edit where? Hmm?
Well, I guess the fact that you didn't spot them (and others echoed the same sentiment) means that it's probably a waste of time for a site like this to worry about complete sentences, proper grammar, and the like. If the readers aren't educated enough to tell the difference, why bother!
If you're looking for objectivity, I'm afraid you're in the wrong forum.
Then what's the point of the article at all? The author could have just written, "Google sucks. Apple rules." and it would have served as much purpose as dragging it out for 20 paragraphs did.
Are you all just here to be made to feel good about you latest hardware purchase? Or the money you invested in Apple stock? Asking for an even vaguely objective article doesn't seem like that much to ask. The article was entitled, "Google Nexus One vs Apple iPhone 3GS" but barely bothered to compare them beyond the biased features table.
It seems pretty pathetic if all you come here for is to have your ego stroked for being an Apple fan.
"Objectivity" does not mean you can't end up taking a side.
And I sense there has been some case of taking the low road rather than a side. But, of course, the bottom may be said to be one of the sides of the whole of any solid. Such as the issues at hand.
I'm not convinced that AT&T is up to snuff as a provider of adequate PHONE service. I think that was well proved at CES. I think it has been proved where I live.
I think, further, the i*Phone has poor voice quality, is difficult to hear, and the glossy keyboard is difficult to see, for purposes of dialign, in bright light.
Hence, the i*Phone* has very basic flaws as a phone. I apologize for having offended you or raised your hackles, and will say no more.
Then what's the point of the article at all? The author could have just written, "Google sucks. Apple rules." and it would have served as much purpose as dragging it out for 20 paragraphs did.
Are you all just here to be made to feel good about you latest hardware purchase? Or the money you invested in Apple stock? Asking for an even vaguely objective article doesn't seem like that much to ask. The article was entitled, "Google Nexus One vs Apple iPhone 3GS" but barely bothered to compare them beyond the biased features table.
It seems pretty pathetic if all you come here for is to have your ego stroked for being an Apple fan.
I enjoy talking about Apple stuff on a forum of like minded people, because it's an interest of mine. You know about that? Enjoying shared interests? I sometimes read the articles on the main site, sometimes not.
How about you? You like hanging around with people you think are assholes. What was that about pathetic?
I live in Australia, home of the highest skin cancer rates on Earth due in part to the brightness of our sunshine, and have no issues with seeing the keyboard on an iPhone in direct sunlight especially as the 3GS with it's oleo-phobic coating is slightly matte.
Any reports on how Verizon phones held up at CES?
You see we have good networks here and don't have the issues that some AT&T customers complain of, however in places like central Sydney on New Years Eve (crowd of one and a half million) all the networks suffer from congestion issues at midnight.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fjpoblam
And I sense there has been some case of taking the low road rather than a side. But, of course, the bottom may be said to be one of the sides of the whole of any solid. Such as the issues at hand.
I'm not convinced that AT&T is up to snuff as a provider of adequate PHONE service. I think that was well proved at CES. I think it has been proved where I live.
I think, further, the i*Phone has poor voice quality, is difficult to hear, and the glossy keyboard is difficult to see, for purposes of dialign, in bright light.
Hence, the i*Phone* has very basic flaws as a phone. I apologize for having offended you or raised your hackles, and will say no more.
I live in Australia, home of the highest skin cancer rates on Earth due in part to the brightness of our sunshine, and have no issues with seeing the keyboard on an iPhone in direct sunlight especially as the 3GS with it's oleo-phobic coating is slightly matte.
NZ has slighly higher rates than Aussie, and it isn't the brightness causing it, it is the UV levels, exposure, and population type.
I enjoy talking about Apple stuff on a forum of like minded people, because it's an interest of mine. You know about that? Enjoying shared interests? I sometimes read the articles on the main site, sometimes not.
How about you? You like hanging around with people you think are assholes. What was that about pathetic?
Addabox, it's simpler than you might think. "Leveraging Google Voice" just means using it and to your own advantage. It's integrated so you don't know it's there. Without a corp discount, my plan is $54; not a huge difference, but still considerable over 2 years.
The ability to use GV is left out of the comparison, which skews things. Without it, Verizon and ATT are equally priced, but in fact they are not at all.
No managing calls, not any more than you would manage yours on ATT. Sounds like there may be some confusion about rotating phones. All I'm saying is, when a call comes in, you can pick up whatever phone is convenient. If you have a headset at work and cordless phones all over the house, you could pick them up instead of your cell. There's value in this for me, having this option.
Even the smallest companies can get a discounted rate. It's not reserved for a large corporations. Anyone not on a corp discount should talk to their employer and make it happen, whether it's ATT or Verizon or the others.
I know quite a few people paying $80-110/mo for a phone with ATT and they are sometimes surprised to hear what Verizon has for much less after adding up SMS, navigation and a high-minute or unlimited-minute plan.
Don't get me wrong, the iPhone as a device is spectacular, but the other parts I described are not. I hope Android will bring enough to the table to make Apple rethink their strategy and become more user friendly. Forbidding their users from taking advantage of certain apps seems crazy to me. It should be a basic liberty. I have a feeling a lot of things will change this summer.
Cheers!
Quote:
Originally Posted by addabox
That is some pretty damn strenuous math to get your massive savings over AT&T and the iPhone.
You asked "Show me an iphone with multitasking, tethering, and premium Google apps on Verizon where I can continue paying $50/mo for unlimited everything and I'll be first in line", but to get to the "$50/mo for unlimited everything" figure you have to "leverage Google Voice", get some kind of corporate discount, manage your incoming calls, and apparently rotated phones in and out of the mix.
On Verizon's site they list the 1400 minute family plan as going for $120/mo. That's the point of comparison, not whatever $50/mo deal you may be getting via whatever discounts are available to you. The rest is just hand waving. At 1400 minutes I'll wager for most people GV doesn't even enter into it, you just use your minutes.
I also just idly wonder what bullet point the anti-Apple crowd will add to their little lists when Apple includes multi-tasking in 4.0? It's a constantly evolving thing, the stuff that reflexively and mindlessly gets included in each and every anti-iPhone screed. Used to be cut and paste and video, now its tethering and multi-tasking. After that I imagine it will be OLED, resolution and some new thing, because you always have to have at least three things in your list to be "serious."
That has nothing directly to do with mobile carrier pricing, you simply aren't using your minutes. You could do this on the iPhone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bstring
By leveraging Google Voice (GV), no SMS plan is required. Text all you want over the data channel, which we pay $30/mo for.
With GV, all outbound calls are Friends & Family calls and therefore unlimited. I say 'essentially' because inbound calls during peak hours not from Friends/family or other Verizon callers would count against 1400 minutes. However, if you start to run out, you can quickly and temporarily change GV to show your GV number on caller ID so that inbound calls do not count against 1400 minutes. Even with 5 chatty people on my Verizon plan, I've never gone over 400 minutes used.
Not sure I understand you. Yes, you can try to use GV for inbound calls, but for outbound it is awkward and impractical without the integrated app. It just doesn't work and that's just the way Apple wants it.
Secondly, there is no Friends/family calling option on ATT to use in conjunction with GV. This is where the savings comes from allowing you not to use minutes. All outbound calls go through GV (transparent when using the standard dialer/phonebook), which is a F&F number.
Lastly, there is no GV app to allow you to skip the SMS plan.
So, no you can't do this on the iphone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TenoBell
That has nothing directly to do with mobile carrier pricing, you simply aren't using your minutes. You could do this on the iPhone.
The iPhone represents a certain standard in the complete User Experience. This includes service and support, which is just as important as what happens from the time the user picks up the device to the time they execute an action on it. Apple pays close attention to both of these factors. If the competition can't live up to Apple's standards in these areas, they've got a big problem. And having a slight edge in raw specs is just not going to cut it.
I wouldn't call it complete. It has too many limitations to be considered complete, though, what it does offer is quite nice (which is why I still have it). Most disappointing thing is that limitations are not enforced by phone design (except, maybe, poor reception) but by Apple's philosophy...
Comments
What’s interesting about cut/copy/paste on the iPhone is that Apple didn’t right. I have absolutely no complaints about it, yet for every other touch-based OS it’s either poorly coded and/or only half complete, allowing only certain fields and certain types of data to be cut and copied.
A Boy Genius article from yesterday about the Nexus One…
PS: For those that missed my previous posting on this, it’s good to see some comparative tests come out that go beyond the myopic measuring stick known as the Spec List. Below is a test of the touchscreen technology in various phones. I can’t say I’m shocked that Apple is the clear winner…
You know, it's interesting to notice that iPhone users don't generally go in for the "wake me up when (iPhone competitor du jour) can blank, blank, blank" style of belligerence.
I think it's because how things like cut and paste are done on the iPhone, as you mention. It's not a matter features, it's a matter of how they're implemented.
It doesn't make for terse little snarky slogans-- "Wake me up when Android has less clumsy cut and paste" doesn't show up all the time in these conversations-- but the cumulative effect of lots of little UI things like that is why iPhone users are generally indifferent too, if not mystified by, the constant harping on mere technology that seems to be the stock and trade of some.
And for some, this is somehow merely a matter of "style" and evidence of Apple's interest in "form over function." Which is about what you'd expect from a tech happy Asperger's constituency, which is what makes me wonder about the long term prospects of Android. There's certainly a market for a phone OS that is indifferent to nuance and style (that indeed sees fit to advertise some of its iterations as being explicitly hostile to nuance and style), but for the mass market that stuff matters, even if the average user couldn't tell you, exactly, why they like it so much.
The only reason Windows got away with being shitty about that stuff is price, and in the new universe of handheld computing, that price advantage doesn't obtain, because the primary cost is for the cell plans which the handset manufacturers (or Google, for that matter) have no control over. Just look at the runaway success of the iPod Touch to get a sense of the competitive landscape.
Ummm no. Like msft. They have load of cash. Weoking at google is hard as they say it's the best place to work. I wouldn't worry about them, they are going to be fine and believe me, they are not scared dude. They can put up a 200 person USA team in two days if they have to or do like everyone else outsource to India where habacgi changes their name to bob.
i wish google the best
they don;t do anything that special
so we;ll re talk next yr and see whats what
time will tell
PS: I think the best solution for consumers may be for a mobile HW vendor to make a consistent build of Android across all their devices, in the same vein as Palm, Apple and RiM. Giving it a clearly recognizable and consistent UI on clearly recognizable HW. Perhaps even certifying apps that are designed to run well on their devices which will give the consumer some piece of mind when choosing their product. The source code for the OS would almost become inconsequential to the user. This may mean that certain advancements won?t come as quickly if the vendor has to approve any OS changes and release them all at once, but I think many customers would appreciate that. For better of for worse, I doubt that will happen.
! Check the official statement of Eric Lin(HTC)"The Magic being sold in most of Asia is not a Google experience phone so we have started to put some of the HTC special sauce into Android. That Magic has started to put some of the HTC special sauce into Android. That Magic has Exchange support, a much more responsive and full featured camera application, a custom dialer application with smart dial and additional widgets as well." custom dialer application with smart dial and additional widgets as well."
This is exactly how a paragraph I cut and pasted into another forum came out using a Magic, I could have fixed it but wanted to leave it as is an example.
The original paragraph was definitely NOT formatted that way.
Can you hear me now?
For those curious about the fragmentation of the Android out of the gate check out this Wikipage. It has some of the future products listed at CES but not nearly all of them.Those that can?t see how bad this will get need to reevaluate the situation. Android in and of itself isn?t bad, but this is a problem.
PS: I think the best solution for consumers may be for a mobile HW vendor to make a consistent build of Android across all their devices, in the same vein as Palm, Apple and RiM. Giving it a clearly recognizable and consistent UI on clearly recognizable HW. Perhaps even certifying apps that are designed to run well on their devices which will give the consumer some piece of mind when choosing their product. The source code for the OS would almost become inconsequential to the user. This may mean that certain advancements won?t come as quickly if the vendor has to approve any OS changes and release them all at once, but I think many customers would appreciate that. For better of for worse, I doubt that will happen.
We had a whole thread with information about Android fragmentation. There's a lot of material in there.
Following is an example of Android cut and paste done on a HTC Magic, "Google experience" phone (not a Google phone as the Nexus is the first one, apparently).
! Check the official statement of Eric Lin(HTC)"The Magic being sold in most of Asia is not a Google experience phone so we have started to put some of the HTC special sauce into Android. That Magic has started to put some of the HTC special sauce into Android. That Magic has Exchange support, a much more responsive and full featured camera application, a custom dialer application with smart dial and additional widgets as well." custom dialer application with smart dial and additional widgets as well."
This is exactly how a paragraph I cut and pasted into another forum came out using a Magic, I could have fixed it but wanted to leave it as is an example.
The original paragraph was definitely NOT formatted that way.
But isn't it bizarre that this goes absolutely unremarked in the tech press, while "Snapdragon" and "multitasking" give people the vapors?
If this is Google's plan-- to continuously advance the platform by adding new "features", while never going back and doing the polish on what's already there, constantly adding to the pile of almost but not quite functionality, then they're building a house of cards that will one day collapse. Again, MS got away with this because they drove prices down and went commodity pretty early on. The cell industry isn't the PC industry, and if two choices are pretty much the same price and one works really really well and the other one works "well enough", that's unlikely to work over the long haul.
Hmm, funny. You don't offer how to make it better. You throw lame, vague comments about editing in there. Edit where? Hmm?
Well, I guess the fact that you didn't spot them (and others echoed the same sentiment) means that it's probably a waste of time for a site like this to worry about complete sentences, proper grammar, and the like. If the readers aren't educated enough to tell the difference, why bother!
If you're looking for objectivity, I'm afraid you're in the wrong forum.
Then what's the point of the article at all? The author could have just written, "Google sucks. Apple rules." and it would have served as much purpose as dragging it out for 20 paragraphs did.
Are you all just here to be made to feel good about you latest hardware purchase? Or the money you invested in Apple stock? Asking for an even vaguely objective article doesn't seem like that much to ask. The article was entitled, "Google Nexus One vs Apple iPhone 3GS" but barely bothered to compare them beyond the biased features table.
It seems pretty pathetic if all you come here for is to have your ego stroked for being an Apple fan.
If you're looking for objectivity, I'm afraid you're in the wrong forum.
"Objectivity" does not mean you can't end up taking a side.
"Objectivity" does not mean you can't end up taking a side.
And I sense there has been some case of taking the low road rather than a side. But, of course, the bottom may be said to be one of the sides of the whole of any solid. Such as the issues at hand.
I'm not convinced that AT&T is up to snuff as a provider of adequate PHONE service. I think that was well proved at CES. I think it has been proved where I live.
I think, further, the i*Phone has poor voice quality, is difficult to hear, and the glossy keyboard is difficult to see, for purposes of dialign, in bright light.
Hence, the i*Phone* has very basic flaws as a phone. I apologize for having offended you or raised your hackles, and will say no more.
Then what's the point of the article at all? The author could have just written, "Google sucks. Apple rules." and it would have served as much purpose as dragging it out for 20 paragraphs did.
Are you all just here to be made to feel good about you latest hardware purchase? Or the money you invested in Apple stock? Asking for an even vaguely objective article doesn't seem like that much to ask. The article was entitled, "Google Nexus One vs Apple iPhone 3GS" but barely bothered to compare them beyond the biased features table.
It seems pretty pathetic if all you come here for is to have your ego stroked for being an Apple fan.
I enjoy talking about Apple stuff on a forum of like minded people, because it's an interest of mine. You know about that? Enjoying shared interests? I sometimes read the articles on the main site, sometimes not.
How about you? You like hanging around with people you think are assholes. What was that about pathetic?
I live in Australia, home of the highest skin cancer rates on Earth due in part to the brightness of our sunshine, and have no issues with seeing the keyboard on an iPhone in direct sunlight especially as the 3GS with it's oleo-phobic coating is slightly matte.
Any reports on how Verizon phones held up at CES?
You see we have good networks here and don't have the issues that some AT&T customers complain of, however in places like central Sydney on New Years Eve (crowd of one and a half million) all the networks suffer from congestion issues at midnight.
And I sense there has been some case of taking the low road rather than a side. But, of course, the bottom may be said to be one of the sides of the whole of any solid. Such as the issues at hand.
I'm not convinced that AT&T is up to snuff as a provider of adequate PHONE service. I think that was well proved at CES. I think it has been proved where I live.
I think, further, the i*Phone has poor voice quality, is difficult to hear, and the glossy keyboard is difficult to see, for purposes of dialign, in bright light.
Hence, the i*Phone* has very basic flaws as a phone. I apologize for having offended you or raised your hackles, and will say no more.
I live in Australia, home of the highest skin cancer rates on Earth due in part to the brightness of our sunshine, and have no issues with seeing the keyboard on an iPhone in direct sunlight especially as the 3GS with it's oleo-phobic coating is slightly matte.
NZ has slighly higher rates than Aussie, and it isn't the brightness causing it, it is the UV levels, exposure, and population type.
I enjoy talking about Apple stuff on a forum of like minded people, because it's an interest of mine. You know about that? Enjoying shared interests? I sometimes read the articles on the main site, sometimes not.
How about you? You like hanging around with people you think are assholes. What was that about pathetic?
i wish i could speak so fine
great post
you nailed this dude to the floor
peace
9
The ability to use GV is left out of the comparison, which skews things. Without it, Verizon and ATT are equally priced, but in fact they are not at all.
No managing calls, not any more than you would manage yours on ATT. Sounds like there may be some confusion about rotating phones. All I'm saying is, when a call comes in, you can pick up whatever phone is convenient. If you have a headset at work and cordless phones all over the house, you could pick them up instead of your cell. There's value in this for me, having this option.
Even the smallest companies can get a discounted rate. It's not reserved for a large corporations. Anyone not on a corp discount should talk to their employer and make it happen, whether it's ATT or Verizon or the others.
I know quite a few people paying $80-110/mo for a phone with ATT and they are sometimes surprised to hear what Verizon has for much less after adding up SMS, navigation and a high-minute or unlimited-minute plan.
Don't get me wrong, the iPhone as a device is spectacular, but the other parts I described are not. I hope Android will bring enough to the table to make Apple rethink their strategy and become more user friendly. Forbidding their users from taking advantage of certain apps seems crazy to me. It should be a basic liberty. I have a feeling a lot of things will change this summer.
Cheers!
That is some pretty damn strenuous math to get your massive savings over AT&T and the iPhone.
You asked "Show me an iphone with multitasking, tethering, and premium Google apps on Verizon where I can continue paying $50/mo for unlimited everything and I'll be first in line", but to get to the "$50/mo for unlimited everything" figure you have to "leverage Google Voice", get some kind of corporate discount, manage your incoming calls, and apparently rotated phones in and out of the mix.
On Verizon's site they list the 1400 minute family plan as going for $120/mo. That's the point of comparison, not whatever $50/mo deal you may be getting via whatever discounts are available to you. The rest is just hand waving. At 1400 minutes I'll wager for most people GV doesn't even enter into it, you just use your minutes.
I also just idly wonder what bullet point the anti-Apple crowd will add to their little lists when Apple includes multi-tasking in 4.0? It's a constantly evolving thing, the stuff that reflexively and mindlessly gets included in each and every anti-iPhone screed. Used to be cut and paste and video, now its tethering and multi-tasking. After that I imagine it will be OLED, resolution and some new thing, because you always have to have at least three things in your list to be "serious."
By leveraging Google Voice (GV), no SMS plan is required. Text all you want over the data channel, which we pay $30/mo for.
With GV, all outbound calls are Friends & Family calls and therefore unlimited. I say 'essentially' because inbound calls during peak hours not from Friends/family or other Verizon callers would count against 1400 minutes. However, if you start to run out, you can quickly and temporarily change GV to show your GV number on caller ID so that inbound calls do not count against 1400 minutes. Even with 5 chatty people on my Verizon plan, I've never gone over 400 minutes used.
So, essentially, minutes are unlimited.
Secondly, there is no Friends/family calling option on ATT to use in conjunction with GV. This is where the savings comes from allowing you not to use minutes. All outbound calls go through GV (transparent when using the standard dialer/phonebook), which is a F&F number.
Lastly, there is no GV app to allow you to skip the SMS plan.
So, no you can't do this on the iphone.
That has nothing directly to do with mobile carrier pricing, you simply aren't using your minutes. You could do this on the iPhone.
I thought it was very objective, and spot on as well (as Prince McLean / Daniel Eran Dilger's articles usually are).
WTF!? Prince's articles are always strongly biased.
The iPhone represents a certain standard in the complete User Experience. This includes service and support, which is just as important as what happens from the time the user picks up the device to the time they execute an action on it. Apple pays close attention to both of these factors. If the competition can't live up to Apple's standards in these areas, they've got a big problem. And having a slight edge in raw specs is just not going to cut it.
I wouldn't call it complete. It has too many limitations to be considered complete, though, what it does offer is quite nice (which is why I still have it). Most disappointing thing is that limitations are not enforced by phone design (except, maybe, poor reception) but by Apple's philosophy...