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DaffyDuck
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AT&T actually has a well-developed 3G network, (well, Cingular does, which the iPhone does not support), so the explanation for lack of 3G support never really made sense.
The official reason given is that 3G is not well developed in the USA, and why support 3G for networks outside the USA when iPhone currently is a USA only phone? The real reason is more mundane - the proper chipset for 3G support was not available in the size factor, or price point, to be integrated and usable, until six months later - which is why iPhone will be revved by the time it ships for Europe and/or Asia (in which case the updated versio may be released as v2.0 in the US, as I also suspect additional features will be added both in hardware and software - like a higher res camera, movie mode, etc... The Asian version should definitely include a second camera, and it may see video conferencing via iChat).
Now, in terms of usability - so far, I have been able to use and experience it solely as a WiFi device (since AT&T does not seem capable of OTA activation from Thailand and/or does not have a roaming partner in Thailand).
Even 'limited' to Wifi, this device rocks, and if it were just a WiFi capable iPod, it would still be worth the price -- the phone capabilities are just a gratuitous bonus. With WiFi being pretty much nearly everywhere (even in Nana), being able to carry my email and browse the web with a *REALY* web browser is worthwhile.
So far, there are very few, if any gripes I have about iPhone, and a few gripes from the peanut gallery that have proven untrue:
- No 'movie' mode for camera. Likely to be fixed by a software upgrade in the future. Considering how the phone was rushed out to meet launch dates, with several features missing, it seems likely that Apple rather provided NO movie feature, than an incomplete or sub-par one.
- No 'Exchange' support - which, I guess, is why one of the tabs on iPhone's email configuration dialog clearly supports configuration for mail on an Exchange server, and why I am able to get all my mail from Disney's Exchange server while here in Thailand. Yeah, so much about 'experts' that are clueless, as usual.
- No stereo speaker support - WTF? I fail to understand why anyone would need 'stereo' support on tiny speakers embedded in a device the size of a phone, which lacks proper separation to make stereo even work. As it stands, there's now even phone manufacturers claiming Dolby-Stereo support on their handsets. Great for Dolby, pointless for end-users. The single speaker on iPhone works adequately well (as well as for speakerphone use), and of course, the headphones are stereo (Duh!)
- Keeps popping up a dialog of 'Can Not Activate EDGE' despite having detected a WiFi connection, and having (obviously) NO SERVICE due to lack of phone services activation. I have a feeling that is a fixable issue, though.
- while browsing can flip along with the phone being turned sideways, email does not allow sideways orientation. Again, bound to be fixed in future upgrades.
- pdf files or quicktime files embedded in emails will not display. Same files embedded in web-pages display and play just fine. Again, one for a future upgrade.
- Web-sites and tools are being made to support the iPhone with alarming speed, which also means that those same sites will then work on Safari browser as well 
- Wordpress - a plugin has been released to make your wordpress site more iPhone compatible, with a custom theme being used when access via iPhone happens. Other CMS/tools are doing the same. It's cool - I just made two of my websites iPhone compatible.
Overall, it's a great start, and once iPhone becomes unlocked (for operator support), it's going to get really cool and neater.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 11:36 pm on July 13, 2007
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nyc boy
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got my hands on a iPhone courtesy of a friend at Apple. joyful thing to play with; issues on unlocking (still awaiting online info) ; my idea its a high priced ipod/multimedia device w/phone capabilities. lets be realistic its much more an iPod and multimedia device than phone.
Excellent report from Daffy... good insight. and hopeful possibilities in the near future...
I look forward to future software updates on the US version and future updates on the Euro/Asia versions. Although I would not be totally surprised with the gossip of a nano-like device with phone capabilities. that would be sweet.
Daffy,
that shop you mention in MBK is that the one with the special import items?? near one of the escalators??
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 5:43 pm on July 14, 2007
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DaffyDuck
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Quote: from nyc boy on 7:37 am on July 15, 2007
that shop you mention in MBK is that the one with the special import items?? near one of the escalators??
Yep, the same.
Quote: from nyc boy on 7:37 am on July 15, 2007
Although I would not be totally surprised with the gossip of a nano-like device with phone capabilities. that would be sweet.
First of all, the idiot analyst (using that term loosely) most likely found himself demoted for the crap he 'speculated' about, and JP Morgan retracted the stupid nano speculation almost immediately.
http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/10/jp-morgan-retracts-iphone-nano-insinuations-hints-at-3g-flavor/
Funny what writing a scathing analysis and sending it directly to JP Morgan management can do.
(Though I am sure I was not the only one to point out the obvious to them).
(at least I would hope so)
As for the original article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19682602/
Analysis:
- Will Apple follow-up the iPhone with a different model? Of course!
- Will future (very future) models drop in price? Of course!
- Will the next model be 'based' on the nano? Nope!
Why?
Easy - because the current iPhone *is* the phone based on the Nano. It uses 4gb or 8gb of FLASH based memory, which is the trademark of the iPod Nano.
First of all, it needs to be said that Kevin Chang is Chinese/Taiwanese - everything, so far, that has come out of China were derivative copies/clones, and most analysts (not much different from US analysts, really) can't think an iota beyond the most obvious derivative thought -- despite it being incredibly clear and obvious to those of us having followed iPod development over several years.
After all, the best that Chinese and Taiwanese manufacturers have been able to come up with to compete with the iPod is iPod clones, iPod clones of different sizes, and more iPod clones (and all of them suck in their execution) -- so it makes sense that the best a Taiwanese analyst would come up with, is "a copy of the nano with a phone". No offense.
What lies in the future for Apple's iPods and iPhones?
If you look at the way he iPod evolved, from a pricey, limited devices, comparisons to the iPhone are almost impossible to avoid particularly since Apple has applied the same methodology to other products and product lines).
Initially, since Apple can barely keep the iPhone on shelves (oh, for about 20 minutes after delivery, if that), and it's selling well at $500-$600 price points, there is no reason to rush out a cheaper version, particularly before the end of the year. Can you say "Christmas Shopping Season?"
The current iPhone roadmap includes a version for Europe by November 2007, and an Asian version by mid-2008. Those two versions will be evolutionary versions that include functionality needed for either of these markets (to support those different networks, for example), but will be kept at feature parity to the phone currently available (meaning that any new features will be released to all these). Unless Apple is able to keep price the same and offer more features, it is to be expected that iPhone will remain virtually the same across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
In the future, Apple will be releasing new models - of course they will - but like the iPod, those will mostly stand out by providing more capacity, and possibly more functionality, at the same price points - thus, if European or Asian models include 3G capability, it is likely that Apple will then replace the current US model with this newer model, touting the added features (which they already planned to include before even shipping the present model), and keeping the price the same ("now, with faster 3G capabilities, at the same $499/$599 price!"; "We were able to add a tiny GPS receiver for the same price" "the camera is now 3 megapixel"; "There's now a second camera for video conferencing, which is big in Europe and Asia - Hello, Phil, can you see me...?").
Going at it that way will easily allow them to maintain the existing design and form-factor for the next 5 years (its no accident that Steve Jobs mentions, frequently, how iPhone is 5 years ahead of anything), and they are already hard at work what THAT next big thing is going to be
/TANGENT START/
In addition, Apple's multi-touch touch-screen technology *will* find it's way into, first, the rest of their iPod line, and subsequently into a new form-factor for their laptop line (which may end up becoming a true tablet Mac, using the same 'pinching' and finger pointing interface on iPhone - remember, it's no accident that iPhone runs OS X).
The benefit to updating the iPod line is clear - aside from making the iPod sexy again, it will also hopeless antiquate the click-wheel, and essentially kill (or, rather, make life really, really inconvenient for the Chinese f***tard cloners) the iPod clone market. By reviving the line with multi-touch equiped iPods, and subsequently the new user interface from iPhone's iPod portion, Apple will also cut the cord to the patents/license with Creative for the original hierarchical iPod interface (the one they settled with Creative for 100 million), thus putting that behind themselves. Lastly, you just KNOW how everyone will want to upgrade their existing iPod to a new multi-touch iPod, firing off a new buying frenzy of multi-touch iPods, and resulting in those new models flying off the shelves.
..and then, if we get the same on an Apple laptop -- There's been clamoring (from a very small minority) for an Apple tablet laptop for years (and last year, a third party jumped in, offering the modbook), but Apple arguably stayed out of that market because it was, quite frankly, too small. Tablet PCs sold in the tens of thousands, if that, and while Macs may sell more than that, I would not be enough to make it economically viable.
Enter multi-touch. Imagine the Leopard Finder, with a multi-touch interface. No mouse, no stylus (blech!), just what you were born with -- your fingers ("You were born to use it!"). Knowing Apple, it will end up being a slate, literally, with multi-touch, and the new on-screen keyboard. Look to the design of iPhone to get an idea for the design/visual direction that kind of MacBook evolution may head towards -- and that one WILL sell. Like crazy.
It won't remove the need for a mouse, or other style of precise pointing device for artists who want to take their artwork on the road, but the remaining casual users (students, professionals, travelers, etc..) will have found their new 'it' device. The biggest problem will be, that without a screen to prop up, how can they show the Apple logo on TV show placements.
/TANGENT END/
Only after that wave of evolutionary developments has completed, would Apple start to diversify the iPhone line into more compact models, and more specialized models, with different target markets, just as they have done with the original iPod over the past 5-6 years...
As for Kevin Chang - try again, Mr. 'analyst' (no accident, though that MSnbc would print an article that tries to give potential buyers pause to wait for the next model - but, sadly for these kids, the 'Osborne Effect' does not work in a directed fashion, though I doubt that Chang, or MSNbc even know what the 'Osborne Effect' is.)
In summary - one thing we can be certain of, that We Live in Interesting Times -- and the next Five Years are going to be a lot of fun for all of us.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 10:32 pm on July 14, 2007
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DaffyDuck
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Why did Apple pick AT&T and the slower EDGE network?
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jul2007/tc20070711_336357.htm?sub=techmaven
iPhone's Network Hang-Up
Apple's decision about its exclusive arrangement and network says plenty about the confusing state of the U.S. wireless industry
by Stephen H. Wildstrom
In the glowing reviews that have greeted Apple's iPhone, two questions keep coming up. Why did Apple (AAPL) sign a long-term exclusive arrangement with AT&T, which gets low marks in customer service from both Consumers Union and J.D. Power & Associates (MHP), BusinessWeek's sister company? And why did Apple choose AT&T's (T) relatively slow EDGE network rather than the much faster Mobile Broadband, a third-generation (3G) service fast enough for snappy Web page downloads and smooth video streaming?
Apple isn't talking, but the decisions aren't as mysterious as they might appear. And they say a lot about the confused and confusing state of the U.S. wireless industry.
In designing the iPhone, Apple had to make a fundamental choice between the two different technology camps into which U.S. wireless service is divided. AT&T and T-Mobile use a European-developed standard called GSM. Verizon Wireless and Sprint rely on Qualcomm's (QCOM) CDMA technology. (Sprint's Nextel (S) unit uses an oddball technology all its own.)
WHY NOT VERIZON?
Because of its pervasive coverage in the Northeast and California, Verizon (VZ) would have been a logical partner, but Verizon officials have told me they would never give any handset maker the kind of authority over hardware and software design Apple demanded from AT&T. Besides, from a global perspective, Apple's choice of GSM was a no-brainer. GSM is the standard throughout Europe and nearly everywhere in Asia. The GSM iPhone could eventually be sold in nearly all major countries.
Apple says it decided to ignore AT&T's Mobile Broadband because 3G networks draw more power, making it harder to hit iPhone's ambitious battery-life goals. This explanation is not entirely convincing, since Wi-Fi, the iPhone's high-speed option, also is a notorious power hog. I suspect Apple was worried about the dismal state of 3G service on GSM networks in the U.S.
The fact is, AT&T's 3G service lags far behind its CDMA competitors. The technology used by Verizon and Sprint is capable of sustained downloads of 1 megabit per second, although the actual wireless speed varies greatly with the strength of the signal and the number of users competing for the bandwidth. AT&T's speediest service runs about half as fast, although still three to four times faster than its EDGE network.
NOT EASY CHOICES
Coverage is an even bigger issue. Consider the most densely populated part of the U.S., the coastal plain from Washington to Boston. AT&T's coverage maps show big gaps in 3G service in Maryland, New York's Westchester County, and most of Long Island and Connecticut. Sprint and Verizon show 3G coverage along all the major transportation routes of the Northeast corridor. T-Mobile, the other big GSM carrier, has not yet turned on a 3G network.
Apple has designed the iPhone to be improved through software updates, but software can do only so much. In order to get true 3G service, you're eventually going to need a different phone with a new radio. This redesign will happen, but it's not clear when U.S. users will get their hands on it. In Europe, which has ubiquitous and underutilized 3G coverage, carriers are clamoring for a 3G iPhone, and Apple will probably introduce one before the end of the year.
Given the muddled state of 3G networks in the U.S., Apple's decision to go with slower technology in the first edition of the iPhone was understandable. But right now we are stuck having to choose between the iPhone, with a good browser and a painful network, and rivals such as the Palm Treo 700p (PALM) from Verizon or the HTC Mogul from Sprint, with fast networks and lousy browsers. Apple and AT&T have their work cut out for them.
Wildstrom is Technology & You columnist for BusinessWeek. You can contact him at techandyou@businessweek.com.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 11:39 pm on July 14, 2007
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DaffyDuck
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You are, of course, missing the best of the series - "will it return", when they tried to return a thoroughly blended camcorder at the local BestBuy, and handily confused the customer service rep.
(Best Buy forced them to remove the video since then, proving Best Buy lacks totally in sense of humor (like all large corporate entities).
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 3:34 am on July 16, 2007
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ThaidUp
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Apple is laughing a the way to the bank and will meet their sales targets by people buying these phones and taking them apart to find out what parts are inside of them. Well at least they will not have to experience the slow EDGE rates.
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Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 4:11 am on July 16, 2007
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jumpinjack
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after all the detailed info just one question...perhaps already answered.
If somebody brings a new iphone from the US to Bangkok can I unlock or somehow make the phone function in Thailand via sim card?
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 5:30 am on July 16, 2007
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