the LD is now ancient history (introducing the iPhone)

[bulls96]

Palm is in a deep grave now...

the iPhone


http://www.palminfocenter.com/news/9177/apple-announces-the-iphone/

http://www.apple.com/iphone


I don know how they can top or even compete with this. They better have a good idea of what to make this time.

This has it all.... phone, EDGE, wifi, 3.5 inch screen, either 4gig or 8gig storage (my Lifedrive now looks so ancient!), video player, and an iPod! With a sort of "mobile" Mac OSX

And only for around $500!

[dsaroff]

Not until the iPhone has datebk6, splashID, smartlist, wikipedia, tealphone, word, excell, powerpoint, Inspiration, megaclock, Lifedrive mode, dictionaries, encyclopedias, tomeraider, dataview, mobipocket. Frankly, a phone without hardware buttons! Dumb. I predict a big surge then a quick crash.

[Pdaman]

Blah, nothing special. They are playing with technical stuff. LoL!

[LupeValenz]

And that technical stuff looks mighty sweet :)

[_Em]

Not until the iPhone has datebk6, splashID, smartlist, wikipedia, tealphone, word, excell, powerpoint, Inspiration, megaclock, Lifedrive mode, dictionaries, encyclopedias, tomeraider, dataview, mobipocket. Frankly, a phone without hardware buttons! Dumb. I predict a big surge then a quick crash.
datebk6: iCal
splashID: Unknown
smartlist: Unknown
wikipedia: wikipedia
tealphone: iPhone
word: Unkown (Word maybe? it's OS X after all...)
excell: see word
powerpoint: see above, plus keynote
Inspiration: Unknown
Megaclock: c'mon! The thing runs widgets etc! Megaclock does not measure up.
Lifedrive mode: iPod mode
dictionaries: dictionaries (comes with aspell or ispell built in; can't remember which. This adds live spellchecking to all apps on the iPhone)
encyclopedias: web browser (see wikipedia for instance)
tomeraider: um... I'd say iSilo or PalmFiction or Plucker... but anyway: I'm interested in this one. I guess I could make a tomeraider-like widget....
dataview: Unknown
mobipocket: see tomeraider.

See, the neat thing here is that if Apple does open up development, a LOT of stuff that runs on OS X can be ported to the iPhone by simply changing the target in XCode and making sure your app works in 320x480 or 480x320. All the extra UI features like inline spellchecking, window zooming, etc. will be automatically inherited, as they are by cocoa apps on OS X. I'm also curious to see whether the phone supports apple events; considering Steve showed how he could listen to music, talk on the phone, receive an instant message and send a photo by email all at the same time, I'm guessing it does. This means that you can borrow features of apps running on the iPhone in other apps you compile for it.

I'd say this definitely kills the Lifedrive; I think the 680 and TX still have some life as lower end devices than the iPhone, however.

Regarding the "no hardbuttons":
the iPhone also doesn't have a traditional touchscreen. I say: good riddance to both. I've wanted an interface like the iPhone has for YEARS. Something that lets you use multiple fingers, and responds correctly to touch. Of course, I hope they make the surface out of something that doesn't crack/scratch.... oh, and you can say goodbye to touchtyping on the keypad. You won't be able to feel the buttons anymore. I'm sure Apple has found a way around that however (audible feedback, etc.).

[archangel]

The big question is third party software. If we get a big push for software development and all the Palm programs I use are replicated on this device there will be no reason to continue with the Palm OS. I've wanted to leave ever since the death of the Clie and this is the first device that offers that possibility. I need my Mobipocket and eReader though. Considering both already have Mac versions you would think making iPhone version will be a breeze.

If the software is there you will see a ton of Windows Mobile and Palm users jumping ship.

Why would I stick with the bulky, lag ridden, unstable LifeDrive when this device is an option and if it can offer similar PDA funtion. 4GBs on a microdrive or 8GBs of flash. Hmm.

[Joel]

Not until the iPhone has datebk6, splashID, smartlist, wikipedia, tealphone, word, excell, powerpoint, Inspiration, megaclock, Lifedrive mode, dictionaries, encyclopedias, tomeraider, dataview, mobipocket. Frankly, a phone without hardware buttons! Dumb. I predict a big surge then a quick crash.

The iPhone is an iPod (audio and video). It's also a Mac "lite" (Safari, iCal, iChat, Mail, iSync, widgets). No Palm device can do what an iPhone does. There's no full word, excel, powerpoint support for this but I've tried working with "office" products with my PalmOS devices and I've *always* ended up looking for a lap/desk top.

The iPhone fits my needs and I call it "genius."

[Joel]

The big question is third party software. If we get a big push for software development and all the Palm programs I use are replicated on this device there will be no reason to continue with the Palm OS. ...

That'll be widgets. I believe development for these interesting little add-ons will skyrocket. :)

[Dekaritae]

It was mentioned during the keynote that the iPhone is first-party applications only. So, no apps that haven't been approved by Apple.

[bulls96]

Nice point on 3rd party applications...

Thats gonna be Palm's last straw to survival... the fact that its an open source free for others to develop software...

i dont think the iPhone will do that... ipods never had 3rd party apps, i dont see why the iPhone would be any different... i think its part of the identity of apple products, their exclusivity to Apple... thus its more stable and reliable... and they make money out of it because consumers can only put Apple things into Apple products...

I wonder what Palm's next move is... I can definitely see them making the Lifedrive as small and thin as that (given Flash drives)... then include a separate headpiece or something to communicate with the LD as a phone...

Then again, will the rumored Palm OS2 ever integrate a phone and wifi in a single device?

[_Em]

Actually, you make a few good points... the iPhone might actually be Palm's salvation. Apple has forced Cingular to sell a phone that has 802.11 as well as EDGE... this might make getting T-Mobile etc. to allow Palm to do the same, so they can compete with Cingular. And then... the other carriers can advertise the Palm's customizability as a selling point -- something that might not be there on the iPhone. Then again, Palm pushing this selling point might convince Apple to open up the iPhone to third parties.

I wish it had SDIO.

[GadgetGuru05]

pdaman, you scare me a little bit... i am worried for you... lol
I thought as a Palm user you were a progressive and open minded geek.. ;-)
commeon, give up, just admit and say it LOUD... I WANT THIS SEXY HOOCHIPOOCHIE SO BAD....

I am sure that deep inside, you want to touch and caress it and feel loved and in love again...lol

Try heaven, You can always go back to hell...lol

ps,
i read on back of a car "Try jesus, you can always go back to devil." i was laughing my *** off for a week...

[bulls96]

That's the spell Apple's iPods and Macs have on all of us...

We know in terms of utility there are a lot better products out there... but the truth is we and all of the world just want one because its the COOLEST gadget in town... and when we are caught with some OTHER product, the reaction would be "its not an iPod"

do you notice how many times Jobs and the others said "cool" and "awesome" in their keynote? they know thats their selling point :)

[GadgetGuru05]

"cool", "awesome" are typical american words that replace everything else, even if is not the right word. actually they are not use as a word, but as a reaction SOUND. like uhhhhh, wowwwww, shushhhhhh etc...

yes, they know how to drive you crazy and sell. Thats U.S. money talk my friend.

[archangel]

That's the spell Apple's iPods and Macs have on all of us...

We know in terms of utility there are a lot better products out there...
I really can't agree about the iPod. I have tried MP3 players from nearly every brand out there and have yet to find anything close to the combo of the iPod and iTunes. I don't see many phones competing with the iPhone either. Third party support may be a minor salvation to the Palm OS if Apple refuses to open up the iPhone. However, I doubt that influences many consumers that probably don't install third party software on their Treos anyway.

[dsaroff]

datebk6: iCal
splashID: Unknown
smartlist: Unknown
wikipedia: wikipedia
tealphone: iPhone
word: Unkown (Word maybe? it's OS X after all...)
excell: see word
powerpoint: see above, plus keynote
Inspiration: Unknown
Megaclock: c'mon! The thing runs widgets etc! Megaclock does not measure up.
Lifedrive mode: iPod mode
dictionaries: dictionaries (comes with aspell or ispell built in; can't remember which. This adds live spellchecking to all apps on the iPhone)
encyclopedias: web browser (see wikipedia for instance)
tomeraider: um... I'd say iSilo or PalmFiction or Plucker... but anyway: I'm interested in this one. I guess I could make a tomeraider-like widget....
dataview: Unknown
mobipocket: see tomeraider.

.

My comment to your comments:
datebk6: iCal ---> Not the same. Frankly, I prefer DB6
splashID: Unknown -----> Major issue
smartlist: Unknown -------> Major Issue
wikipedia: wikipedia ------> I actually have the 1GB file on my Palm
tealphone: iPhone
word: Unkown (Word maybe? it's OS X after all...)--->Big deal
excell: see word --->Big Deal
powerpoint: see above, plus keynote ---->Big Deal
Inspiration: Unknown
Megaclock: c'mon! The thing runs widgets etc! Megaclock does not measure up. --->How do you know Megaclock doesn't measure up? It is extremely powerful. Widgets are...widgets, not meant to be powerful
Lifedrive mode: iPod mode --->I have an iPod, it's iPod mode is now where near as powerful and flexible as LifeDrive mode.
dictionaries: dictionaries (comes with aspell or ispell built in; can't remember which. This adds live spellchecking to all apps on the iPhone) ---> I mean a REAL dictionary, like M-W with 350k, definitions, pronounciations.
encyclopedias: web browser (see wikipedia for instance)
tomeraider: um... I'd say iSilo or PalmFiction or Plucker... but anyway: I'm interested in this one. I guess I could make a tomeraider-like widget....
dataview: Unknown ---> Regarding you making a widget, news reports say that Apple will keep it a CLOSED environment, without 3rd party apps.
mobipocket: see tomeraider.

I also forgot the LAME virtual keyboard.

[Nadie]

My comment to your comments:
datebk6: iCal ---> Not the same. Frankly, I prefer DB6
splashID: Unknown -----> Major issue
smartlist: Unknown -------> Major Issue
wikipedia: wikipedia ------> I actually have the 1GB file on my Palm
tealphone: iPhone
word: Unkown (Word maybe? it's OS X after all...)--->Big deal
excell: see word --->Big Deal
powerpoint: see above, plus keynote ---->Big Deal
Inspiration: Unknown
Megaclock: c'mon! The thing runs widgets etc! Megaclock does not measure up. --->How do you know Megaclock doesn't measure up? It is extremely powerful. Widgets are...widgets, not meant to be powerful
Lifedrive mode: iPod mode --->I have an iPod, it's iPod mode is now where near as powerful and flexible as LifeDrive mode.
dictionaries: dictionaries (comes with aspell or ispell built in; can't remember which. This adds live spellchecking to all apps on the iPhone) ---> I mean a REAL dictionary, like M-W with 350k, definitions, pronounciations.
encyclopedias: web browser (see wikipedia for instance)
tomeraider: um... I'd say iSilo or PalmFiction or Plucker... but anyway: I'm interested in this one. I guess I could make a tomeraider-like widget....
dataview: Unknown ---> Regarding you making a widget, news reports say that Apple will keep it a CLOSED environment, without 3rd party apps.
mobipocket: see tomeraider.


I agree. Palm is a closed market mostly for ppl wich doesnt like to hack or customize their gadgets/oss/etc beyond the simple scripting.

[Nadie]

Err. I mean Apple, not Palm. doh. Sorry.

[_Em]

I take it you mean Apple peripherals, and not the OS X platform ;)

I really do wish that Apple had included SDIO and let things loaded from it run in a protected memory space.

Then again, much of the iPhone software hasn't even been written yet, so we'll see what Apple really has when they start selling in June. Personally, I *never* buy Apple G1 products anyway; they're usually a bit flaky. G2 is more stable, and G3 adds the features that others have requested. So, don't expect the perfect smartPhone until at least 2009/2010. Maybe they'll have added static fields or heatpoints for tactile feedback by then too ;)

[dsaroff]

I take it you mean Apple peripherals, and not the OS X platform ;)

I really do wish that Apple had included SDIO and let things loaded from it run in a protected memory space.

Then again, much of the iPhone software hasn't even been written yet, so we'll see what Apple really has when they start selling in June. Personally, I *never* buy Apple G1 products anyway; they're usually a bit flaky. G2 is more stable, and G3 adds the features that others have requested. So, don't expect the perfect smartPhone until at least 2009/2010. Maybe they'll have added static fields or heatpoints for tactile feedback by then too ;)

Nope. I mean the SOFTWARE. Jobs stated that it would be a closed development environment that would not involve 3rd party apps. Reported in Infoworld and cNect

[archangel]

Nope. I mean the SOFTWARE. Jobs stated that it would be a closed development environment that would not involve 3rd party apps. Reported in Infoworld and cNect
This is a very big deal and may (it will depend on what the final hardware can do) keep me loyal to Palm. However, for the average consumer this is probably a non factor as it will have most of the wanted features built in and you can do a lot with the widgets.

[jamesgraylx]

Third Party Apps is why I have had a palm for years. (I work in the film industry) all the calculators, depth of field charts etc make a palm very handy.

What ever your trade someone has made a programme for it. This open source is what makes palm special - so the iphone might rock but everyone wants different apps.

Just chect out the ammount of available software for different devices. Palm aint dead yet!

My gripe with ALL of them apart from say Blackberry is standardising charging and data transfer.
How annoying is it when you laeve a charger behind or need a datacable - bluetooth helps but why not mini usb? and standard headphone jacks{yes you sony erricson) and motorola using mini usb with a chip in it so you have to use theirs!

Anyway a little off topic!!

[Dekaritae]

I think the killer app for the iPhone may be the browser. Suppose all third-party applications come in a browser-based form. Not just gmail.com or popcap.com, but full-on environments like goowy and netvibes.

[dmitrygr]

http://www.tuaw.com/2007/01/13/nbc-and-npr-feature-iphone-humor/

[hgradeca]

Hi!
Today I had the chance to see an Iphone...
I was not impressed by it at all.
First of all, its screen gets dirty,because there is no stylus and I don't like this at all.
Although it is much smaller than my dear LifeDrive, it doesn't offer that many functions - in fact the only things that my LD doesn't have is the phone in it and the camera, but since I prefer quality images, this is not a concern for me and my mobile phone is adequate for making calls! :)
The biggest disappointment for me was the lack of third party applications! :( There are so many ways to customize the Palm, but on this thing, I cannot change a thing! That is a big drawback, if you ask me!
Well, I have to admit that its launcher looks nice, but that is all to say - it just looks nice. Palm user interface is much better designed and easier to use.
The only program which was superior to the one on Palm is the browser, but that is also not a problem to me, because Xiino uses much less bandwidth, and that is what matters to me! :)
One of the most annoying things was the automatic turning of the screen between portrait and landscape modes - I want to be the boss, I want to tell when the screen turns and when not! ;) And now serious - it can be quite inconvenient - my camera has the same option and I turned off, because it turned the picture exactly when it was inconvenient. I prefer the good old button here! ;)
So, overall it is not that much more advanced than my LifeDrive at all, although it is 2 years newer! That was the biggest thing that disappointed me - besides its size, look and touchscreen which allows multiple presses at once, it offers absolutely nothing new.
So, until Palm makes something that is going to be a big step forwars and leave this thing a looong way behind, I will just use my trusty LifeDrive and wait until history repeats - until the Iphone ends like Newton, forgotten and buried by Palm's simplicity and quality! :)

[ssulux]

at this moment i am quite happy with the iPhone.
can add apps even though cant really compete with POS' apps.
can skin the interface.

so i think that this platform will have quite promising future to compete with POS.
especially there are developers are playing around with this platform and so many beta apps in the net.
and i believe that steve jobs will talk something with the apple developers in the coming weeks, in which one of the topic would be the iPhone platform?

some of the function can be replaced by iPhone current beta apps.
splashid --- lockbox
pdfreader.
ebook reader --- haven't checked yet the format acceptable?
doc, xls and pdf can be read by safari and in full function --- landscape, zoom in and out by pinching and spreading 2 fingers.

basic pda function such as contacts, calendar, notes and to do.
notepad --- sketches.
VNotes for voice recording.
weDict --- dictionary engine with so many dictionary available such as merriam webster and longman.
chat apps --- for aol, msn, .mac, yahoo, gmail, and icq.
some games, such as sudoku, tetris, 5 dice (yahtzee?), minesweeper, blackjack, etc.
iDoom is in the progress?

customize the user interface just like zlauncher:
--- smbprefs, customize (incl rSBT), dock, etc.

there would be a lot of contradictive opinion in this iPhone but i am happy with it and i really think that my iPhone looks gorgeous (hardware and software).
maybe some great POS developers such as dmitry and zztech are in the observation stage to provide future iPhone apps.

[zackepceo]

I had an iPhone (got rid of it because there was no signal at home) and the third party applications were so much better than Palm OS third party applications it's downright embarassing, especially considering iPhone app development isn't even 4 months old.