Yesterday, I was offered an iPhone, out of the blue. Yea, it's really cool, has an incredible interface, is power-packed with features, and just amazing technological innovations. But... I remain skeptical, I just don't share the enthusiasm that Peter Batty and others are demonstrating. Just a few things I have found thus far:
- Maps, but no GPS. Huh? No apparent map APIs for us technogeeks who would seek to leverage it with other GIS capabilities. I'd just as soon run my mobile navigation software, along with ArcPad and other goodies...
- Runs OSX, but it's not really OSX - It's stripped down and locked down so you can't use OSX software, can't use 3rd-party software, can't develop for it.
- Security - Apple's smug arrogance that they are invulnerable to hacks, viruses and everything really does not sit well with me. It's a function of many things - the "get big evil Micro$oft" syndrome among hackers, market share, accessibility of development tools, and other things, not so much that Apple is in actually any more secure.
- When you're not connected to the internet via WiFi, you get AT&T Edge - at 40kbps, that's slower than dial-up. Granted, they are upgrading to 80kbps...
- And so on...
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Or a Nokia N95, or the forthcoming E90. GPS check, Real OS check, 3G check, (but not in the USA). Fancy Touchscreen no, but who cares anyway. Check what I am doing with my N95 pictearthusa.com
... or wait until October for OpenMoko goodness!
Check out www.carmenta.com, they have APIs for maps.
Oh dear goodness it's just a phone!
I think people should just slow down, take a step back and not critisise every technological advance for what it doesn't have, rather than appreciating what it does have. To be honest, I'm just happy that my recieves calls..
the great surveyors over at Land Surveyors United linked to this..very helpful