iPhone 4

[toblix]

I have an iPhone [...] and i'm more than happy with it.

That's exactly what Steve Jobs wants.

See?

[Thompson]

There are no icons for the apps but you can see where they'd go.

Main:

QTV:

More details:

I didn't bother adding the rest of the settings just airplane mode.

Quick tab view increases the speed in which simple tasks can be completed and improves the general flow of use.

Any app can be used in quick view provided the developer supports it.

When you open a QT it flips down from the top and extends to mask any possible load times, this can be disabled if it isn't needed or wanted.

The rings can be changed between by pinching and pulling apart your fingers.

I have ideas for the iPod segment too but it'll take some serious time.

I'm also considering changing the color scheme considerably.

I'll need to add some effects to make it look anything like passably decent.

Anyway, the concept is there.

[Nachimir]

YOU'RE DOING EXACTLY WHAT STEVE JOBS WANTS. IT'S A TRAP.

I'm lucky in that I have an iphone through work and an android phone of my own. Which I prefer depends on what mood and circumstances I'm in. If I'm in the mood to tinker with stuff, the iPhone feels like a toy and Android wins hands down. If I'm rushed and want to find something out, for instance when I'm negotiating lots of public transport in strange cities, then the iPhone UI definitely has it.

It all depends on the user. There's no moral righteousness in jailbreaking/rooting, or not.

(Edit. Thompson, question on your UI idea: Why do the blades in the centre rotate? Isn't it more efficient to just jab an icon once? Not criticising, just asking because I don't understand)

Edited June 11, 2010 by Nachimir

[Thompson]

(Edit. Thompson, question on your UI idea: Why do the blades in the centre rotate? Isn't it more efficient to just jab an icon once? Not criticising, just asking because I don't understand)

It's not really a functionality feature but more of a gimmick, I did originally have the idea that you had to rotate the app you wanted to the top mark but then realized that that would be terrible.

[James]

I have an Android phone and am pretty thoroughly sold on it as a platform (I find myself assuming all my future phones will be Android too, without ever having made a deliberate decision on the matter), but I see the appeal of the iPhone and get quite annoyed when people rail against it like it's some great evil. I also get pretty annoyed by the kind of mentality that treats it as a unique class of device completely distinct from everything else and untouchable by competitors. It's like the iPod thing again, when people treated that device as though it was somehow profoundly different than every other MP3 player. I don't mind the devices themselves, but I wish people didn't buy into the branding quite so much. I guess that's what Apple is so good at, anyway.

[toblix]

This new connection thing is just ridiculous, and Jobs' retarded answer didn't help any. I've pretty much decided to get an Android phone now, and just get an iPad or something for the apps. I'm going to wait a bit to see if they come up with a solution or fixed model first, though it seems they're being their usual, smug selves.

[elmuerte]

I like how Apple requires people do buy special stuff for their hardware, and now they will also want you to use special positions to use the hardware.

[Lu]

Haha, WOW. I just read about it. For those that haven't, this is the problem:

-ixIHyEPO5g

This is the response: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8761240.stm

I'm sure they'll quietly change it in the future and pretend it was never a problem to begin with. Smug is right.

[Coldkill]

"Just avoid holding it in that way."

So what... you're not supposed to hold it to your ear? What the fuck is this? They should have realised that people hold phones, gripping on as tightly as they can to avoid the huge waste of money falling from their hands and smashing at their feet.

[James]

So what... you're not supposed to hold it to your ear?

It might help to imagine that the phone is incredibly dirty, or that you are a technophobe terrified of breaking it and yourself. In other words, hold it with your fingertips like you're scared of it.

In fairness, I have no first-hand experience of any of this. It's just a bizarre and amusing recommendation.

[elmuerte]

you could just ducktape it to your head

[Coldkill]

you could just ducktape it to your head

Or you could buy a phone that doesn't suffer from this nonsensical issue.

[Erkki]

Haha. I love it that "integrated antennae" was advertised as one of the exciting features about the phone.

I'm liking the iOS 4 on my 3GS, though, but I will likely switch to Android when my contract expires (one year left).

[Coldkill]

Haha. I love it that "integrated antennae" was advertised as one of the exciting features about the phone.

Really? They advertised it like it was a modern, life changing piece of technology that has never been used before the 1980s?

[ThunderPeel2001]

Buying an iPad for the Apps, Toblix? What Apps are there that are worth buying a new piece of technology for? I'm still skeptical of "apps" in general and how "amazing" they supposedly are.

[toblix]

Buying an iPad for the Apps, Toblix? What Apps are there that are worth buying a new piece of technology for? I'm still skeptical of "apps" in general and how "amazing" they supposedly are.

What? That's like being skeptical of software, or web sites...

[ThunderPeel2001]

What? That's like being skeptical of software, or web sites...

Hmm... :-/ So what apps are you specifically looking forward to using?

[toblix]

Hmm... :-/ So what apps are you specifically looking forward to using?

Okay, to me that's just a strange question. Do you usually ask people what software they look forward to using on their computer or game console? An "app" is just a piece of software, nothing more, but, importantly, nothing less. Most new technology I buy, I buy so that I can run software on it.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Okay, to me that's just a strange question. Do you usually ask people what software they look forward to using on their computer or game console? An "app" is just a piece of software, nothing more, but, importantly, nothing less. Most new technology I buy, I buy so that I can run software on it.

I think it's a perfectly reasonable question. Note: I'm not having a go at you or anything, I'm just genuinely interested. If someone was going to buy a 360 or a PS3, I do think it's very normal for people to have an idea of what good stuff is available for it, and specific games they want to play.

If they're just picking up a console because they trust that there are good games available for it, then fair enough. But that just takes me back to my original question: What's so useful about these apps from the Apple store? And with the iPad, aren't they all just available in a different form on a normal PC?

I own an Android phone and I'm just absolutely baffled that anybody can get excited about apps in general. I regularly ask people who are excited by them to tell me an app that they consider essential. Remember: Apps are sold as something useful (e.g. Want to scratch your backside? There's an app for that, etc.).

Most people just say "Google Maps" or "Google Mail", both of which are installed by default on Android phones, yet people often say how "amazing" the Apple app store is because it's got 200,000 apps. So, which are the genuinely useful ones?!

I'd love for someone to be able to explain to me which apps I'm missing out on, because aside from the two I've mentioned, I don't use any other maps regularly.

And since you said you were considering buying an iPad just so you could use apps from the Apple store on it, I thought you might be able to answer this question I've had for months.

It's ok to not have an answer.

[Thompson]

I think it's a perfectly reasonable question. Note: I'm not having a go at you or anything, I'm just genuinely interested. If someone was going to buy a 360 or a PS3, I do think it's very normal for people to have an idea of what good stuff is available for it, and specific games they want to play.

If they're just picking up a console because they trust that there are good games available for it, then fair enough. But that just takes me back to my original question: What's so useful about these apps from the Apple store? And with the iPad, aren't they all just available in a different form on a normal PC?

I own an Android phone and I'm just absolutely baffled that anybody can get excited about apps in general. I regularly ask people who are excited by them to tell me an app that they consider essential. Remember: Apps are sold as something useful (e.g. Want to scratch your backside? There's an app for that, etc.).

Most people just say "Google Maps" or "Google Mail", both of which are installed by default on Android phones, yet people often say how "amazing" the Apple app store is because it's got 200,000 apps. So, which are the genuinely useful ones?!

I'd love for someone to be able to explain to me which apps I'm missing out on, because aside from the two I've mentioned, I don't use any other maps regularly.

And since you said you were considering buying an iPad just so you could use apps from the Apple store on it, I thought you might be able to answer this question I've had for months.

It's ok to not have an answer.

Apps don't advertise their existence and the way you find out about them means that you can't be like 'I'm buying an iPad so I can get shazam' and frankly, if you did buy an iProduct for one or two apps you'd be an alabaster retard.

I got my iPhone not really knowing about apps but the over time i've had it I have accumulated what I consider to be the cream of the crop of iPhone apps. That's where games and apps are different, do you buy a computer and then buy and delete games until you have what you consider to be the best computer games installed on your computer so that you can then play them at any given time? Probably not.

/rant

[ThunderPeel2001]

So, Thompson... what are these "cream of the crop" apps? That's all I'm asking.

And my cyncism of apps comes from commercials like this:

szrsfeyLzyg

As someone who is now in the wonderful world of (Android) apps, I have to ask: What's all the big fuss about apps? So far, they pretty much suck and are nowhere near as useful as they're being sold as. The idea of someone buying an iPad just to be able to use these (apparently pointless and oversold) apps seems baffling to me.

I just want to know: What's so great about apps?

[toblix]

What's so useful about these apps from the Apple store?

On the useful side, there's things like Twitter clients, notification apps, unit converters, photo uploaders, music identifiers, Spotify, Ebay, etc. To be fair, most of these only replace stuff you can do on the web, but they're usually faster to load, easier to use and much, much slicker. On the useless side there's stuff like a million games, musical instruments, sound recorders, drum roll generators, etc.

And with the iPad, aren't they all just available in a different form on a normal PC?

Replacing my iPhone with an iPad still wouldn't give me the portability, so some apps would be useless (like Twitter). However, I would still be able to play all the games. And no, all apps are not available on a normal PC. This matters more for games, obviously.

I own an Android phone and I'm just absolutely baffled that anybody can get excited about apps in general

This is why I'm loathe to convert to Android just yet. From what I've seen they're more rubbish, though it's been a while. The openness of the API is appealing, though.

I'd love for someone to be able to explain to me which apps I'm missing out on.

There's a thread for that.

I think you may be reading too much into the term app. Mostly, it's the games, not the useful stuff.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Thanks, toblix I'm still not totally convinced. My phone has unit conversions, already (I think). I don't use Twitter, etc, etc. I wish there was actually apps that were useful to me. Not that fussed about playing games on my phone, really -- but then again, maybe I don't know the good ones.

Most recently I've been impressed by Google Sky (damned impressive, if not actually useful) and Yelp -- which failed to find the place I was looking for. Bah.

[Patters]

Thanks, toblix I'm still not totally convinced. My phone has unit conversions, already (I think). I don't use Twitter, etc, etc. I wish there was actually apps that were useful to me. Not that fussed about playing games on my phone, really -- but then again, maybe I don't know the good ones.

Most recently I've been impressed by Google Sky (damned impressive, if not actually useful) and Yelp -- which failed to find the place I was looking for. Bah.

http://www.tested.com/news/10-essential-android-apps-for-new-htc-incredible-owners/220/ may be some stuff which is good for you.

[toblix]

I would kill a puppy for Locale on the iPhone.