The iPhone is a Feature Phone

Image by Florin Hatmanu via Flickr

•  

Broken Points:

• The iPhone is a Feature Phone

• It is a closed hardware and software ecosystem

• It is not a bad thing

In a recent post I called the iPhone a Feature Phone, and alluded that it was really a good thing, and it meant that it didn’t need to continue the battle with Google and Microsoft and their Smartphones.  This may be a funny thing to say, because many would argue that the iPhone is one of the most successful Smartphones to date, and in fact may have put the Smartphone on the map for many of the non-geek mobile phone users.  I don’t doubt that, but if you look at the iPhone with the mold of the Feature Phone in mind, the whole Apple strategy make more sense.

What is a Feature Phone? When you think Feature Phone or Dumb phone, you think of a hardware driven device with sturdy but limited software.  There maybe some expansion, but it is purely at the discretion of the manufacturer.  It is locked down, and has its own ecosystem that is controlled by the manufacturer.

What is a Smartphone? The smartphone is supposed to be opposite of the above.  Within reason there are some limits, but they don’t normally extend to the OS or the software you can run on them.  There is a amount of freedom to experiment and modify, and the features of the device tend only to be the processing power, RAM, and radios.  One of the big early features of the smartphone was Internet and e-mail, and the ability to edit a few documents.  And let’s not forget the addition of the Touchscreen and Stylus.

These are of course broad definitions.  Another way to think about it would be to say that mobile OS’s like Android, Windows Mobile 6, and Windows Phone 7 are smartphones, and Symbian and the like are Feature phones.  Now that most phones can access e-mail and Internet, the difference comes back to the manufacturer and their philosophy.

Nokia, the largest mobile phone manufacturer, makes mainly Feature phones.  Yes, some of these phone can surf the web and receive e-mail, but they are locked into the Nokia ecosystem, and thus don’t allow for the freedom needed for a true Smartphone.

Now look at the Android platform.   Google has created the platform to transcend the hardware and work within the freedom of the OS.  It is almost as if your Android phone is the Linux testing box, or your PC that is there to be tweaked and modded.  Oh and yes, you can get a full web, and computing experience to the limit of your hardware.

Now look at the iPhone again.  Apple controls both the hardware and software, like Nokia.  Apple controls the ecosystem and the software, like Nokia.  There is a set amount of features (albeit a lot of features) for each phone, which Apple controls.  And even though the iPhone did add a number of new and important features to the Feature Phone set, in many ways it just made them usable.

What I’m trying to say is that we shouldn’t be jumping up and down over Apple’s closedness and dictator like actions over its own mobile products.  There has never been any intention that the iPhone is supposed to be a open Smartphone; it was just supposed to redefine the mobile phone market.  To which I would have to say it has succeeded.

Jason Remnant

…if the isn’t Broken, there aren’t enough features.

Apple did stuff, again

Image by PUWANART via Flickr

It is going to be a while before Apple can grab my attention like they did with the iMac’s, laptops, and iPhone.  Despite making some of the most desirable devices known to a consuming society, they seem to have reached the point where they can no-longer surprise. 

I’m not sure if it is the Microsoft thing - “we are too big, and have too many users to be radical”, or if it is just Apple’s own version of it.  Maybe it is more like the music artist’s problem of the next album needing to be better than the last one.  Whatever it is, today's announcements had more to do with fulfilling the rumours, updating software, and refreshing product lines.

One interesting thing is the introduction of Ping, a social network for music within iTunes.  The pundits on Twitter have been bagging it all day, but you can’t ignore the potential if Apple can get it to catch on.  One more thing that Apple is providing to Artists and fans that cuts out the record label middle men.

Jason Remnant

...if it isn’t Broken, just make innovation and design boring.

5 Good features of iOS4 so far....

Image by Roman Reisenberger via Flickr

I have been traditionally distracted by the Football (Soccer) World Cup over the the last couple of weeks, and of course a new job.  So that is why there has been a lack of posts on TBL.  And how bad is the timing with all the tech news going on at the moment. You have to admit that I have done a good job to ignore it all, but it may just be the lack of sleep.

One thing that I could not ignore was the release of iOS4 for the iPhone 3GS.  Now I was a little late to the party in getting it, but that just meant that I didn't have to compete with the rest of the world to get the uber-large download.  So Now that I have had a few weeks working with the new OS, here are 5 things that I like.

1. The Camera

If you have used the iPhone's camera app, you know that it could get a bit slow.  Slow in the way that once you hit the button it seem to take an age for the shutter animation.  Well, they have fixed that in iOS4, plus they have given 3GS Zoom.  The first time I took a photo after the update, I missed it.  They have sped up the speed of taking a photo considerably which improves the app, and the camera no end.

This is one of those smallish things that Apple seem to do just to try and improve the user experience.  The previous camera app worked well, but in a way that so many phone makers don't, Apple shows that they are focused on the platform rather than the money.  If the platform seems more up to-date and punchy then stick with it, and the money follows.  Most of the old school mobile phone manufacturers would use such a update as a feature on new hardware.

2. Folders

I have read a few negative things about the Folders feature on iOS4, but as I haven't had access or used a Folders feature on phone, for Apps, I was coming into this with fresh eyes.  I kind of like it.  Once I worked out how to use it, and really I was looking for a more complicated implementation, I had one of those "why didn't they do this in the first place" moments.

I have cut my 9 pages down to 2 and found the Apps side of the iPhone usable again.  I have to admit that I was losing the Apps vs organisation war.  Now though I can find or at least organise my "organise your life Apps".  The restriction on the number of Apps per folder is kind of silly, but I guess it would be just as annoying if I had to scroll to find Apps, so I'll give them that one. Also it would be nice to just make folders, rather than having to have 2 spare Apps to rub together.  But I guess the process makes folders a bit more straight forward for the non-techie, which is the iPhone's market.

3. Wallpapers

This may just be the theme geek in me but one of the things that always annoyed me about the iPhone is the lack of customisation of the interface.  Now to be fair, the interface has always been part of the success of the iPhone.  But I like a change every now and again, and simple things like the wallpaper and colours shouldn't be a big deal right?

Well I get half my wish, because as we know, Apple knows best.  I can now have a wallpaper or photo on my unlock screen, and a different, or same, wallpaper or photo on my home screen.  It may not sound like much, but it is a step in the right direction.

4. SMS Counter

This is just a small thing but often the most useful things are, and that is a ability to turn on a counter to track the length of SMS's.  Settings -> Messages -> Turn on "Character Count", and after a 20 or 50 characters you will get a count down.  It is one way to get that stressful Twitter feeling while messaging.

5. Performance

Now you may take this next feature or leave it.  I wasn't going to put it in, but it has been such a noticeable part of my iOS4 experience so far that it had to be mentioned.  You may wonder why I'm not talking about Multi-tasking in this post.  That is because I have talked about my feelings on Multi-tasking here.  And really there hasn't yet been any good Multi-tasking Apps, for Australia at least.  So as the Multi-tasking has been a bit of a non-event, the performance change I have noticed is worth talking about.

It may be just the fact that it has been freshly installed that gives my iPhone 3GS a boost, but I have to say that the whole phone has felt much sharper.  Even with the new transitions, multi-tasking, and the older hardware, I find the iOS4 experience to be a lot better than I was expecting.  In this day and age, getting a good experience on older hardware is a plus.

The overall here is that Apple has continued to move forward with their new way of doing the mobile device/phone platform.  Even though the older hardware has fallen by the wayside, Apple has proved once again that simplifying and standardizing their offerings is the way to success.

And maybe Microsoft have woken up to this with their recent axing of the Kin.

I think it has to be said that the iPhone, iOS and Android platform are proof that we are moving away from the one device, short term mobile market.  And shifting to a "Long tail" strategy where the platforms and even the devices need to be seen as evolving, instead of through away.  This is something that Apple seems to have right, but Android may need to settle down its install base to perfect.  Android can take iOS if only it can give the consumer confidence that they can get the best version, and be supported.

Jason Remnant

...if it isn't Broken, speed up the camera App.

iPhone and 64-bit Windows - a hate story...

Image via Wikipedia

I don't normally discuss technical problems unless I have an answer, but I am going to bring up the issue that is brewing over the iPhone working with 64-bit Windows 7, because I'm having that problem myself.

The problem is that on 64-bit versions of Windows 7 running iTunes 9, on P55 chip-sets are unable to see connected iPhone's.  Now I'm running an older system, and just upgraded from 32-bit Win 7 RC with iTunes 8, to 64-bit Windows 7 Retail, and iTunes 9.  The problem I have is that iTunes can see and sync the iPhone 3GS fine, but Windows 7 has trouble seeing the iPhone so I can't get the photo off into Picasa.

I have a fix in the sense of plugging the iPhone into a USB hub rather than into one of the on-board USB ports.  For some reason Windows 7 doesn't have a problem with that, and will play nice. But as I had everything working fine before with the 32-bit Windows 7, and iTunes 8, why am I having the problem now?

Most likely something to do with the on-board USB and Windows 7, so maybe some work on the Motherboards firmware might be in order.  But as I read through the comments on the boards and Lifehacker.com post I think I might need to wait for a patch or two.

For more information on the problem there is the Apple Support Forum.

Let me know if you have the same problem, or hopefully a solution!

Jason Remnant

...if it isn't Broken, then it isn't to do with market-share.

Mashables iPhone Apps Reviews wrap-up

Image via CrunchBase

I avoid going to the iPhone App store for two reasons:

1) It is my "Facebook" when it comes to time sinks, and…

2) It costs me money. 

The “time wasting” is because the Apps store is so full that navigating it with any success is nearly impossible.  The spending money is due to poor impulse control and my need to find "The App for that".

Because there is too much choice, the App store is Broken, regardless of the complaints about Apple's heavy handed approval system, there is just too many Apps in the store, and too many of them are crap.  To top that, there is no real way to sort the crap from the useful, so what are we to do?  Well I like to look for independent reviews away from the ecosystem.

Mashable.com have compiled a great list of Apps in their "iPhone Apps List 2010: 700+ Apps Reviewed by Category" post.  Just to help us spend more money, but with less time wasting, well, one out of two ain't bad.

Jason

...If it ain't Broken, make a list.