iPhone Owners Really, Really Like iPhones

That is a really, really high percentage of “very satisfied” iPhone owners, so high that I would estimate the overall satisfaction rate to be somewhere in the 90% range. I would love to see the raw numbers - especially the “very dissatisfied” percentages. There is a big difference between “not being very satisfied with Palm,” and “hating Palm with every last breath.”

What kind of phone do you have? And how satisfied are you?

From ChangeWave. Seen on Engadget.

CBS Bringing Free WiFi To Midtown Manhattan

By the end of November, 36 blocks in New York City will be wired for free wireless internet connection courtesy of CBS Corporation (along with help from the MTA and some key advertising partners). From 42nd Street up to Central Park South, 6th Avenue to 8th Avenue, this chunk of prime real estate will be called the CBS Mobile Zone. It’s a pity they aren’t extending this to 5th Avenue, to encompass Rockefeller Center, but it is a sizable start.

This is only a six-month pilot program, but I can’t wait to take advantage of it with my iPhone. If it works out, and CBS is happy, this initiative could serve as a proof-of-concept for other groups considering implementing ubiquitous municipal WiFi. Let’s hope it does, because this is something that a city like New York could definitely benefit from. Next step - wiring the subways.

I know some people aren’t sold on the idea of cell service underground, but how can you argue with being able to watch YouTube and read the (soon-to-be-free) Wall Street Journal online during your morning commute?

Where’s My Gphone?

No such thing But something pretty awesome, anyway.

Despite all of the very interesting speculation over the last few months, we're not announcing a Gphone. However, we think what we are announcing -- the Open Handset Alliance and Android -- is more significant and ambitious than a single phone. In fact, through the joint efforts of the members of the Open Handset Alliance, we hope Android will be the foundation for many new phones and will create an entirely new mobile experience for users, with new applications and new capabilities we can’t imagine today.

Android is the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices. It includes an operating system, user-interface and applications -- all of the software to run a mobile phone, but without the proprietary obstacles that have hindered mobile innovation.

Cool stuff. Can’t wait to get a look at it.

One of the most important things this will do: Accelerate the migration into The Cloud.

BREAKING: Microsoft Rips Off Companies Other Than Apple!

This was the easiest Photoshop job ever.

Microsoft’s slogan for the new Zune 2 is “You Make It You.” The second part of that, which was removed at some point in the committee-run design process, was “We Make It Like Somebody Else.”

This time around, the fabled Redmond Photocopiers (great video by David Pogue here, by the way) turned their lasers on South Korean wireless handset-maker LG Electronics and its popular(?) “Chocolate” mobile phone. If we’re being generous (really generous), we’ll say that Microsoft did this on purpose so that fashion-forward (that term seems so inappropriate here) gadgeteers can purchase a music player that matches their cellphone (that, uh, already plays music). I guess it was too hard for Microsoft to copy the curves of iPhone, even though pretty much everyone else is doing it (check Gizmodo or Engadget for frequent cases of this phenomenon).

Gosh, can no one design their own gadget these days?

Just one more reason not to buy a Zune this Christmas (or EVER).

Special thanks to my one true human love for pointing this out to me last week, and to Microsoft for being exceedingly easy to mock.

Google Phone?

Today at 11a.m. Eastern, Google is supposed to be making an announcement related to its (much-rumored) mobile strategy. According to everyone in the know, it will involve something of a partnership with a long list of major players in the mobile carrier and handset markets.

What is this mystery phone?

How does this affect Apple?

And will I have to choose between my two favorite companies?

More here, after the announcement.

Cell Service Coming To NYC Subways

Much to the chagrin of hypocritical technophobes and stodgy old timers (or idiot young people acting like they’re 100 years old), New York City’s Metropolitan Transit Authority has announced details of a deal with Transit Wireless to wire all of the 277 underground subway stations for cellular service. The city will receive $46.8 million over ten years, and the entire cost of building the network ($100 to $200 million) will be paid by Transit Wireless.

Under the agreement, the first six stations are to be those at 23rd Street and 14th Street on the Eighth Avenue line, 14th Street on the Seventh Avenue line, 14th Street on the Sixth Avenue line, and Eighth Avenue and Sixth Avenue on the L line.

For me, this service can’t come fast enough, but the real holy grail is to extend cellular signals through the underground tunnels, so riders can use the phone and/or data services while actually riding the subway, not just when they’re on the platform. It’s a great step into the future, and one that’s been a long time coming.

Of course, some people aren’t happy about this, and they are, by and large, the same ones pushing against allowing people to use cell phones on planes. Their arguments couldn’t be more vapid. First, they complain about “rude people talking,” as if being on a cell phone somehow makes rude people more rude, or (The horror! The horror!) gives people more incentive to do the very un-human (practically pre-historic!) thing called “talking.” Could it be that these folks are just upset that they can only hear half of the conversation on which they are eavesdropping?

And then, if that “argument” doesn’t work, they resort to the old-timery, but-why-do-you-have-to? innovation-killer-question.

Some idiot student with a girl’s name (Karol Ledworowski - yes, I am aware it’s the Polish version of Charles, but Charles is also a girl’s name) told the Times, “You can wait until you leave the station to make a phone call or receive a message,” before worrying aloud about terrorists setting off a bomb in the subway using their cell phones.

Now, maybe this is just me, but I don’t think that being unable to detonate explosives with a Razr 2 has anything at all to do with the reasons terrorists aren’t just planting bombs all over the Q Train. I’m sure the evil terrorists have watched just as many spy movies as Karol - enough to know that there are other great ways to set off bombs that don’t involve complex wiring. You know, like strapping them to children

EDIT: Driven By Boredom says pretty much the same thing in a bit more ranty way, and goes on a slightly off-topic but awesome tirade against the exceedingly awful “walkie-talkie” phone.

I don’t get it. Can you (or anyone) provide a logical argument for not doing this, especially when a private company is willing to pay for it?

Windows Users Bring Skype To Its Knees

Last Thursday, popular VoIP application Skype suffered a serious outage, prompting even more serious outrage at the service that has become critical to many small businesses and freelancers. eBay, the company that owns Skype, lost some serious market cap due to the outage, and we were once again reminded of the danger of putting ones eggs in a single basket.

But Skype is back up-and-running (and a pretty awesome service, I must admit), and this morning they have published an official statement about the cause of the outage.

Turns out the problem was “triggered by a massive restart of our users’ computers across the globe within a very short timeframe as they re-booted after receiving a routine set of patches through Windows Update.”

That’s right - Windows broke Skype.

Stupid jerks.

Google Gets Its Way...Sort Of

As I mentioned yesterday, the FCC was set to rule on the, er, rules for the upcoming 700MHz spectrum auction, for which Google made a set of “demands” that would lead to its participation.

Turns out the FCC figured out how to compromise on this issue, and accepted two of Google’s four stipulations - notably, open applications and open devices. This means, more or less, that any cellphone will be able to run any program (like Google Apps, for example) on any network. Translation: Very Good Thing.

The FCC fell short of approving the other two requests (open services and networks), leading Google to say that “The Federal Communications Commission made real, if incomplete, progress for consumers.”

It remains to be seen whether Google will still participate in the auction (and whether they’ll even be able to win if they do), but regardless, with these two rules in place, the wireless industry has made a large step forward into the future.

Thanks, Google.

I Bought An iPhone

I am back from vacation (though it is actually another week and couple days long, there is work to be done) and wouldn’t you know it, somehow I managed to buy an iPhone (8GB model). In fact, without at all intending to (I swear!), I bought it the day after its release in Hartford, Connecticut, at Westfarms Mall (which has an Apple Store - to my surprise and downfall). Rationality abandoned me on Saturday and I made a completely unnecessary and rather expensive purchase. In spite of already paying for cellular service I hardly use, and an iPod Nano that has been collecting dust recently as a result of broken earbuds, I plopped down 634 of my hard-earned dollars on what is without a doubt the most amazing little thing I’ve ever had the pleasure to hold.

The first swipe of my finger to unlock the store model was all I needed to know that the iPhone and I were destined to be together. Truly magic, I tell you. Truly magic.

Was it a frivolous purchase? Yes. Is it worth it? Totally. Down to the last cent.

More on my iPhone in the coming weeks. And more Frivolous Motion starting now.

Not About iPhone

Okay, I lied.

Anyone know when they will be available through the Apple Online Store?

That’s all. Goodnight, sirs and madams.

iPhone Available Today (6 p.m. Local Time)

Yes, folks, in case you couldn’t tell from the rest of the internet/news/air, today is the day when the phone to change all phones for all eternity now and forever and ever amen is released into the wild.

Are you buying it?

I’m not. Perhaps only due to circumstances beyond my control. Perhaps out of restraint.

Probably the former.

Apple iPhone Reviews Hot Off The Presses

This morning, a couple of the fancy-schmancy real newspapers (like the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal) released their respective reviews of Apple’s revolutionary iPhone. Of course, these reviews were available online yesterday. But no one reads the Web, right? Print journalism forever!

In any event, both reviews are pretty positive, and both David Pogue and Walter Mossberg lambast the AT&T network as being the main drawback of the iPhone. Nothing previously unknown was revealed, so these reviews didn’t make me say, “Okay, I’m buying it for sure now!” but hearing good stuff from a couple of the “big guys” makes a purchase a bit harder to resist.

Don’t miss David Pogue’s awesome, and pretty hilarious video review.

In other, tangential news, iPhone-related domain names are up for auction on eBay, fetching prices in the tens-of-thousands. Get yours before it’s too late!

iPhone Data Plans Announced

Apple and AT&T announced the voice/data plans for iPhone today. They’re comprehensive, unlimited-data plans at pretty sweet prices - super, super tempting. Also announced - you activate your own iPhone using iTunes. No waiting for an AT&T rep to do it for you. That’ll keep the lines flowing on Friday.

Press releases:

AT&T and Apple Announce Simple, Affordable Service Plans for iPhone

Apple and AT&T Announce iTunes Activation and Sync for iPhone

My Cell Phone Is Toying With My Emotions

This was supposed to be a story about Fate.

And how Fate would lead me to buy an iPhone next Friday against my will.

It had all the right elements - tragedy, depression, desperation, serendipity - but then things kinda got screwed up. And now I can’t use Fate as my excuse for standing in line for hours to purchase a device that I don’t even really need and costs more than my first car. Okay, the word first was unnecessary, I admit.

Here’s the story, anyway. No longer about Fate. But about something important enough for blogging, I guess.

Last night I was talking to my girlfriend on the phone. My Samsung Trace (t519), to be precise. This is typical. She hangs up first and I hear the do-do-do-do arpeggio of disconnection. This is not typical. I usually end the call first, or at least pull the phone away from my ear before hearing that. I press my end key anyway - it’s a reflex - and, well, nothing happens. I don’t mean in the “of course nothing happened because you pressed the end key and it was already ended” kind of way. Pressing the end key always does something - there is feedback. This did nothing. Dread set in. I pressed another key - nothing. Another - nothing. I tried out the key combo to “unlock” the keypad - nothing. I mashed at buttons in disbelief. The screen went black (power-saving function). I freaked out.

Then more things went wrong. I couldn’t find - anywhere - my old phone. My brother’s only spare phone is an unlocked (dammit!) Cingular. I had an idea: why not try to call myself. Luckily we still have a land line, even though it is almost never used, and the call went through. My phone rang. But I couldn’t answer it. Defeated, I ended the call.

I searched online and found one relevant result - a poor soul who experienced the exact problem. He said that he could turn his phone on after removing the battery, but nothing else. I removed the battery, put it back, turned it on (yep, it worked), and then nothing. The buttons still refused to work, and One Missed Call (from “Me”) greeted me like a mean person greets you.

So I did the only sensible thing - I called T-Mobile. Here’s where some magic comes in: I immediately got connected to a real person - a very nice, loud, pleasant, understandable, male voice (who later told me he had friends in the military ages ago who took him to Prospect Park - just down the road from me - how nice!). And he was helpful. I explained to him all the steps I took (making my story seem a little less panicked, of course, and he checked to see if my phone was under warranty. For a second I hoped it wasn’t - an irrational dream of turning this awful experience into something beautiful, an excuse to buy a gorgeous iPhone. But it was covered, and he asked me a few more questions to confirm my eligibility for a replacement (“Is the screen cracked?” “Is there water damage?” etc.), then read some blah blah blah stuff and assured me that by Tuesday I would have my new phone (this is the expedited - $15 shipping option). Good service from T-Mobile. Made a bad night better.

I plugged in my phone to charge overnight for the hell of it.

This morning, it worked. Damn.

Where I’m Getting My iPhone

If I get an iPhone. Yes, it’s still a question.

Pics of the 5th Avenue/47th Street NYC AT&T store follow below. As you can see, the brand switch (from Cingular) is nearly complete (still some orange, but no more Cingular name or logo), and AT&T is really using the release of iPhone as a vehicle for switching over. There’ve been guys working outside this store for weeks now - shining the brass, taping and untaping glass, setting up displays. These pictures are from yesterday, which is when I first noticed the presence of the AT&T logo instead of the Cingular one. Today, there’s a small iPhone display inside the store. Nothing fancy. Just a poster that says they’re getting it on June 29. It was creepy enough for me to be taking pictures yesterday (a guy on a ladder gave me a really weird look), so I decided to hold off until things are completed and/or I’m standing in a line with blue velvet ropes.

Notice the “display” they had up yesterday. If Steve Jobs saw that he’d have a stroke. Hell, I nearly went insane myself over the hyphen - let alone the capital I, which absolutely kills me every time I see it in newspapers and magazines (can’t they figure out how to begin a sentence without using the word “iPhone”?).

Pics, as usual, taken with my Samsung Trace T-519. Creative Commons “Do whatever the heck you want with them” license applies. My generosity overfloweth.





Bonus pics of my roommate (Gregory Polin) looking like a badass because he’s on IMDB, and me attacking a huge piece of meat because that’s what I do (apparently). It was really awesome (Becco).

100 Reasons Not To Buy An iPhone

Yeah, this is painful for me, too.

1. Price - $499 or $599 with a 2-year who-knows-how-much data plan.
2. AT&T - Which wireless company sucks the most? Some say it’s these guys.
3. EDGE - Instead of faster 3G technology. If you don’t have Wi-Fi hotspots, you’re kinda screwed.
4. No Flash - This means it’s not the “real” make-you-have-a-seizure Web.
5. No Java - This has something to do with coffee but I don’t really get it.
6. No iChat - I guess some people still aren’t cool enough to use GMail.
7. iTunes Lock-in - Oh wait, I forgot you don’t pay for your music.
8. No Keyboard - This means it’s hard to type.
9. Screen - It will be hard to see in daylight.
10. No Office - Lack of MSWord makes me cry.
11. No Real Apps - Because I, unlike most people, actually know the difference.
12. Smudges - My fingers are way greasy.
13. Scratches - I can’t keep my keys away.
14. No Games - Well there’s that rumor about Nintendo, but otherwise, what am I supposed to do with this thing?
15. No Song Sharing - You mean the Zune is better than the iPhone?
16. Ugly - I don’t like shiny.
17. No Mirror - Can’t really take emo self-portraits now can I?
18. No Yahoo Maps - Because even though Google Maps is better, where’s the choice? Fascist!
19. aka Jesus Phone - Uh...discrimination against Jews.
    
20. I’m Fat - Okay, I’m not, but what if you are?
21. Only 4 or 8 GB - My por...ahem...my music collection is much too large.
22. Viruses - I can browse to a site that could infect my iPhone, and when I sync it to my PC I’ll get a virus. Sure, I could avoid that site like I do on my home computer, but still!
23. No Wi-Fi Downloads - I absolutely MUST be able to listen to Shakira at a moment’s notice!
24. I Have A Phone - It was only $30 and works just fine.
25. I Have An iPod - It’s an 8GB Nano and works just fine.
26. I Have An Internet - So there.
27. Touch Screen Sucks - No one has ever made a good touchscreen. No reason to think they’d start now.
28. Apple’s Never Made A Phone - WTF do they know? Nokia, Samsung, etc have been making phones for years now and they still suck - how could Apple possibly do better?
29. I Use T-Mobile - Switching to AT&T costs money.
30. No Internet Underground - Taking the subway to work means no online access when I’d most want to use it.
31. Lack Of Tactile Feedback - Means I can’t text while driving. Cause that’s a good idea.
32. Sealed Battery - I can’t change it myself. Lame.
33. Too Big - I like my itty bitty Nano, thank you very much.
34. Ajax Sucks - It is the scourge of the Internet
35. The Zune Is Cooler
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Got any more? I need someone to pull me back. I’m afraid I can’t resist on my own...

Question For iPhone Naysayers

Will an iPhone naysayer explain to me how this device won’t completely change the face of the mobile market when a model is released next year (or the year after) that:

• Is pink
• Is $200

iPhone Apps Already Hitting The Web

Pete Mortensen of Wired (and Digg, and many other websites) are reporting the very first applications being developed for iPhone. There is an alternative interface for reading Digg, a glorified grocery list called OneTrip, and, of course, a Twitter app called iTweetr.

Fifteen days before the launch of this product - a mere three days after the WWDC keynote - and we are already beginning to see innovative and hot-looking programs being written for a device that pretty much no one has ever touched. I stand firmly behind this post and this post. What an exciting time to be a web designer/developer.

Apple WWDC07, Safari For Windows, iPhone Dreams

Steve Jobs’ keynote address this morning at WWDC2007 either delighted or disappointed, depending on one’s expectations. Jobs announced several major changes to the OSX user interface, including updates to the Finder, which has many Mac fans saying, “finally.”

You can see all the cool stuff (and believe me, it looks cool) on Apple’s redesigned site, but there’s one thing I want to comment on:

Apple released a version (still very much Beta) of its Safari web browser for Windows.

While ostensibly about extending its market-share, this release is huge for one reason: cross-platform iPhone development. While traditional desktop application developers will no doubt be furious at the insistence that anything running in a web browser is an application, and they will fiercely deny the possibility of web-based apps being the future - well, they are and it is and the announcement today that folks will be able to code full-fledged programs to run in Safari for iPhone just as they do for the regular old web is a major catalyst for this future.

Think of what Google and 37 Signals and all of the great web developers will be able to do with the iPhone. Think about what it would mean to run real GMail, real Google Docs and Spreadsheets, Basecamp, Campfire, Facebook, Twitter, internet video and TV. While local, downloaded (or installed) apps would be a swell addition - I won’t deny that - there is really precious little they can do that can’t be done with the tools we’ve been given. And not having to install programs leaves more space for data - like photos, movies, music, and...well, this is where my personal wishful thinking comes in...stuff you download from the web using Google Gears.

It hasn’t been mentioned, but Google Gears could be the thing that bridges the gap and ushers in a new age of programming, in which it won’t matter what’s in the cloud and what’s on the device, or when or where or how you are or are not connected to the Internet.

Think of the possibilities that iPhone opens up. Think of the things that this device could do with no more than an innocuous software update.

Think of the future. Indeed, it has already begun.

iPhone To Be Released June 29

Apple has confirmed a June 29th release date for iPhone. This means you have about a month to save up or move out of the country in order to resist the perhaps irrational and uncontrollable urge to purchase one. I’m not entirely sure which of the two will be true in my case. On one hand, I really, really, want one - primarily because I’d like to be increasingly connected without carrying around my laptop and looking for wi-fi. Additionally, one thing I’ve really wanted to do for quite awhile is have some way to read the hundreds of PDF books I’ve accumulated while on the subway to and from work. The Sony Reader seemed like a great option, but it isn’t so compatible with Macs, and iPhone could do this and far more - including save me from carrying multiple devices. I could also get a lot of functionality out of it for my web design business, and even write off the purchase when I do my taxes if I use it exclusively for work.

However, I have a great voice plan on T-mobile and use hardly any of my allotted minutes (and have absolutely no plans to cancel this service), so a big factor will be weighing the cost of a data plan with Cingular/AT&T with the amount of regular use I would get out of the device. Once the various plans/prices are announced I’ll have a better idea, but it gets harder and harder to resist, particularly since I have a huge Cingular store right across the street from my office (on 5th Avenue).

In other news, Apple has posted three really great video advertisements on its (their?) website. They’re extremely clean, stylish and focused and do an amazing job demonstrating not only what iPhone is capable of, but also how to use it, and why it is so damn cool. Check them out here.