Archive for June, 2008

iPhone s Missing Features

Thursday, June 26th, 2008

Though the Apple iPhone is a great device with many awesome features, it has many deficiencies that need to be brought up. Things like third party support and carrier choice are just some of these. If these deficiencies were corrected, the iPhone would be one amazing device. This, however, is unlikely to happen. Following, though, are some of the Apple iPhone s missing features.

Third Party Support

One of the biggest iPhone features that s missing is third party support. Apple has made the iPhone a walled garden. Third party applications can not be installed. Apple claims that it s for security reasons but it s commonly believed that they ll eventually bow to public pressure and release an SDK and allow certain applications in. There is, even so, always the browser hole .

Browser Plug-Ins

The iPhone has terrible support for browser plug-ins such as flash and javascript. This was kept mum in the early stages of development, but has recently come to light. Better plug-in support for the Safari browser would make for a much more useful device. This is one of iPhone s features that is missing.

Carrier Choice

Being forced to be locked to Cingular with a 2 year contract is a bit of a sad point of the iPhone. Many locations around the nation aren t even supported by Cingular. If Apple allowed for the iPhone to be used with more carriers, it would impress the public greatly. It s just another iPhone feature that s missing.

Phone and Data Price Plans

This iPhone feature that is missing is a common worry for potential buyers. Cingular could easily use phone and data price plans and take advantage of early adopters with crazy, expensive price plans.

Removable Battery

The lack of a removable battery in the iPhone is a huge potential problem in emergency situations and when traveling. The only upside to this situation is that all iPod 30-pin dock connector accessories will work. This, however, is an import iPhone feature that is missing.

Front Facing Camera

Although most people don t really care about the 2 mega-pixel camera on the back of the iPhone, it is disappointing to find out that there isn t a camera on the front. This would be a perfect feature for video chatting, which, although, would be limited by the iPhone s lack of 3G, would work great over WiFi.

Calendar Data Input

Just like on the iPod, the iPhone s calendar is read-only and must be synced from a Mac. The iPhone has a keyboard. So, why doesn t Apple make the calendar accept input?

Over the Air

Over the Air downloads from the iTunes Store. It stands to common reason that Apple would want to sell music over the air. It s underlying knowledge, however, that it s a contractual limitation. Apple must amend their agreements with all of the labels to allow for OTA distribution.

The Necessity and Need for Iphone Extra

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

The iphone remains one of the most radically important new media and communicative items to debut on the consumer marketplace in years. The phone provides a ton of valuable means in which to speed up and facilitate the ability to communicate on a business and personal level with people all over the world. Let s add to that a little bit: the iphone has the ability to communicate with people all over the world instantaneously. This is a huge and colossal expansion of the traditional means of communications and it exists without conditions. Well, there is one condition. No, the condition that exists is not one that is legislative or regulatory in nature. No, it is more earthy than that. Basically, the condition required is that the battery must be charged. Yup, it is pretty much impossible to communicate with anyone if the phone s battery is dead. So, to avoid this problem it is best to invest in a number of functional iphone extras that will ensure that the phone remain reliable and properly work. Of the iphone extras that would prove helpful in keeping the battery charged, a charging adapter and carriage might be a wise investment. In fact, it would be an essential investment.

Iphone Extras Do Not Equate To Luxury Items

First, let it be noted that there are a number of items in the realm of Iphone extras are luxury items. These may include such items as carrying cases and their ilk. Now, there is nothing wrong with these items. In fact, they may very well protect the iphone from any harm such as scratches or damages, etc. So, while there are certain iphone extras that are not necessary for the function of the iphone, there are those that can be helpful for maintaining the safety of the iphone. Then, there are also certain iphone extras that are critical to maintaining the functioning of the iphone. The previous example of the battery adapter is one such example of the critical extra that most require.

The Auction Option

If cost is a concern then perhaps on should check out online auctions for overstock iphone extras. While most assume that all online auction items are used, the reality of the matter is a quite a number of new products are offered at discount prices. As such, it may be wise to peruse a few of these auction sites and see what extras appeal to you and, more importantly, to your budget.

How Much Does The Apple Iphone Cost?

Thursday, June 19th, 2008

When Apple came up with the idea of an iphone, they immediately set to work producing it. From the production cost and then the advertising cost, Apple has invested a lot in this nifty little gadget of theirs. It would stand to reason that they would like to earn back more than they have spent on it.

Apple Iphone Cost

The Apple iphone cost has two versions; basically it is differentiated by the memory capacity of the gadget. The 4 Gigabyte version costs $499 while the 8 Gigabyte version costs $599. Many people will opt to get the $599 since $100 American dollars is a small thing to pay to get a bigger memory.

If you take out all the features of the iPhone and sum them all up, you just might get a clear view of the true iphone cost. Take the iPod and see how much an 8 Gigabyte Nano would cost and then subtract it from the iPhone to see the true iphone cost. Other things to subtract from the iphone cost of $599 would be the cost of a digital still camera at 2 mega pixels. Other features are the batteries that are rechargeable and also disposable once they expire. You will have to send the entire mobile phone unit to Apple to have the battery replaced and this will cost you around $79 excluding shipping cost.

Along with the other features of the iPhone, you will also have to calculate the cost of manufacturing these mobile phones and the materials used to produce them. The wide touch screen itself could be one of the more expensive features that the iPhone has along with all the widgets and applications that has been stored in it. Applications are needed to make the mobile phone function well and be able to engage with other devices.

Include the cost of advertising and packaging (box and others) to the total iphone cost and you can see just how much the iPhone really is. There are other things to consider like shipping and handling from the manufacturing plants where the iPhones are made to the stores where they are sold. Of course, the research cost and the many people who studied the features and developed them also have to be considered.

All in all there would be a difference from the market price of the Apple iPhone of approximately $200 from the iphone cost, considering the $599 version.

A Variety of Iphone Cases

Monday, June 16th, 2008

Ever since Apple s iPhone came out many other companies and manufacturers have come out with different case designs to protect and showcase your iPhone. The different kinds of iphone cases may or may not be approved by Apple as a good case for their products.

Kinds of Apple Iphone Cases

One of the more notable of the different iphone cases available for the iPhone is the silicone protection case. The iphone cases made from silicone come in several different colors. They are featured in blue, purple, pink, grey, clear and many other colors to suit the preference of the owner. The iphone cases conform to the body of the gadget and also accommodate the various functions of the gadget. Some of the silicone cases offer an lcd screen protector to ensure that the iPhone is well protected. There are many manufacturers of the silicone iphone cases and you will just have to view all designs for the cases to make the right choice.

Another type of case for the Apple iPhone is the hard crystal plastic case. It can comes in many different colors suited to the iPhone owner s preference and some have integrated belt clips for easy belt mounting. The hard crystal case also comes with an LCD screen protector. Many manufacturers of the iPod cases are the makers of the recently released iphone cases as well.

Another type of case suitable for the iPhone is the leather case. These cases come in many different designs and colors. They are usually made of hard leather and are more bulky than most iphone cases. They come in different kinds of leather and can be flip lid or pouches.

Pocket pouches are also available to protect and hold your iPhones. These is a very handy container of iPhones because it is smaller than most and all you have to do is slide out your iPhone if you want to use it. Other forms of iphone cases are flip-lid cases that protect the iPhone and give users direct access to the screen by just flipping the lid. These cases are bulkier than most and may be difficult to store in your pocket.

Some big names in the fashion industry have also joined the bandwagon and have included in their collections several designs for iphone cases, including Louis Vuitton and Nicole Miller. The fashion industry has found a niche for these specialized gadgets and many of the clients of the big brand names appreciate this.

The IPhone Camera Is A Very Popular Feature Of The Phone

Thursday, June 12th, 2008

One of the most popular applications for cellular phones today is a camera installed into the phone. Many individuals will not purchase a cellular phone that does not have a camera installed, causing many vendors to make the cellular phone camera a standard feature on many of their models. This is also true of the Apple iPhone. The iPhone camera, which comes standard on every iPhone, is considered by some to be a superior quality camera that produces good quality photographs.

IPhone Camera Features

The iPhone camera has 2.0 megapixels and allows users to use the pictures that they had taken as wallpaper, assign them to a contact, or send them via the email feature on the phone. The camera does not allow the user to zoom in for a closer picture or edit the images that they have taken, but the pictures created by the iPhone camera are clear and crisp. Of course, the quality of the images depends on the user of the phone and the subject that they are trying to take an image of, but for most normal uses the iPhone camera delivers pictures of superior quality.

The iPhone camera features single button access for the camera, making this feature extremely simple to use. The user activates the camera by tapping an icon on the menu screen and then using a single button to take pictures with the phone. The ease of use for the iPhone camera makes this feature a favorite among many iPhone users. The simplicity of using the camera is made even simpler by the photo management software created by Apple for use with the iPhone. This software allows users to export images from their phone to their home computer, arrange pictures by subject, and easily send the images to individuals in your contact list.

The images taken by the iPhone camera turn out best if they are taken in ample lighting. There is no flash feature available on the camera, so any images taken in substandard lighting will turn out too dark or will be a completely black image. The camera works best in the outdoors in full sunlight, but good images can also be obtained in enclosed areas with plenty of direct light. The issue with the lighting for the iPhone camera is typical to many cellular phone cameras as most cameras located within cellular phones do not include a flash.

It Is Better To Test Iphone Battery Before Committing To Purchasing Your Next Iphone

Sunday, June 8th, 2008

Testing the iphone battery is something that requires expertise that the ordinary user of iphones may not have, which means that one is then dependent on needing to read up reviews of how well or badly does the iphone battery work. It certainly pays to do some legwork before buying your iPhone as you do not want to end up with something that is going to fall short of your expectations and which may cause you disappointment as well. Thus, before you actually purchase your iPhone makes sure to check out the many reviews that are available regarding the working of the iphone battery among other features.

Not Close To Specifications

No doubt, the specs will show a usage time that is supposed to be excellent though only actual testing will reveal the true picture about how the iphone battery functions while talking and browsing with your iPhone. Sometimes, you may find that the life of the iphone battery is not even close to the specifications mentioned in the manual.

According to experts that have checked out the Apple iphone battery life, they found that far from giving 5.5 hours of voice, it actually only did four hours and three minutes of voice, and just three hours and eleven minutes when browsing. This is well below the stated 5.5 hours and so you need to take that into account before considering your iPhone purchase.

A possible reason why the iphone battery life falls far short of its listed times could be the heavy amount of power that is consumed by its giant screen though it could also be because of improper charging of the battery and also because the batteries them are faulty. In any case, it pays to find out these things well before the actual purchase.

There is no doubting the fact that iPhone testers were less than impressed with the Apple iphone battery life, and instead of a promised eight hours of talking and six of internet use, according to tests these times were greatly exaggerated and actual battery life was no more than four to five hours, which is what you could expect from smartphones. This is a reason to be concerned because four to five hours of battery light would not serve you if you happened to be on an international journey and were in the air for ten plus hours and needed to talk to someone during the flight. It would also not be very good for watching videos that are sure to drain the iphone battery sooner than expected.

iPhone Availability Tracker

Wednesday, June 4th, 2008

Apple has launched a small web application that will let customers check up on iPhone availability at its 164 national retail stores. The Apple retail availability tracker allows iPhone seekers to select their state of residence and then will display a list of Apple retail stores with iPhone availability indicators. If there is a green dot next to your local Apple store, then iPhones are in stock. A red dot indicates that iPhone availability is negative. This simple system is a great way to see iPhone availability without trouble. It is an incredibly user-friendly system that can be used by almost anyone.

Unfortunately, however, Apple plans only to update the tracker system on a nightly basis. This, therefore, means that shoppers might want to supplement the information available on the site by placing a call to the local Apple store just before making the trip. This will ensure iPhone availability and save time and hassle.

A separate section of the Apple retail availability tracker website also informs the iPhone shoppers on how to get the most out of the iPhone, offering lists of free workshops that cover the basics of the iPhone and beyond. In addition, the Cupertino-based company notes that its One to One members will have easy access to private tutorials on everything from how to sync their iPhone with iTunes, to receiving and sending email and surfing the web. Reservations for these One to One tutorials can be made up to 14 days in advance.

The iPhone retail availability tracker is a great tool made by apple. Informing all potential shoppers on where your product is available is a great idea. Shoppers will be more much more willing to buy products if they know that when they go to buy the product, it will be available.

Availability Itself

IPhone availability, though, has not been a huge concern. IPhones have been widely available for all buyers. It has not been too difficult for a desiring customer to find a store with iPhone availability. The quantity of phones available has stayed relatively the same since the release of the iPhone. Also, buyers have not been incredibly fast in purchasing iPhones. It seems that many are willing to wait for the price to drop and for the bugs to be worked out. Therefore, Apple doesn t plan on raising the output of iPhones in the very near future. IPhone availability is good, and buyers are happy. Shortages have not been a concern at all.