I've found my new "TH55/E"

[Joel]

After reading about everything at apple.com/iphone I'm proud to say that I've finally found a device that's truly a "TH55/E" replacement. Finally. And it's from Apple to boot. :cool:

[jjesusfreak01]

We knew it had to come some time. Why cant any other companies do that? Seriously, its simply a PDAPhone with a slightly upgraded touchscreen. No one else could come up with it? Well, props to Apple for doing the obvious and making a nice handheld. I'll get one when my plan runs out. Just renewed it though...stinks.

[_Em]

Personally the multi-touch resistive touchscreen is what I'm most drooling over. Well, that and the fact that if it is truely OS X, that means it won't take long to port my favourite OS X apps to the iPhone....

[dragonsgames]

That is the most AMAZING device I have ever seen!!!!
I saw some demo videos... AMAZING!!!!

[philpalm]

Kudos to Apple for inventing the Newton, it also heralded into existance the arm cpu.
Kudos to the original Treo team to keep trying to make a smart phone to function.
Kudos to the boldness to use rechargable Li-ion batteries that recharge ( no one company gets this credit)
Boo hoo! Wi-fi is not as simple as pie, it interferes with the phone company plans to make money, wifi-max is still vapor ware but at least Bluetooth is on the path to total acceptance.
However am I being to Cynical thinking that IPhone is not the promised "Messiah"?

[dragonsgames]

Yes... yes you are... ;)

[Joel]

...
However am I being to Cynical thinking that IPhone is not the promised "Messiah"?
The iPhone is only the beginning.

[archangel]

The first thought I had when seeing the iPhone was the reincarnation of the Clie. Hopefully the iPhone will live up to it, but considering Apple's track record that seems to be a given.

[LupeValenz]

This thing is just amazing consider its just the FIRST iPhone and usually the 1st gen devices kinda suck. The future is looking beatiful. :)

[Joel]

One factor going for the Clie was the "fun" involved in using the device. It's difficult to describe the feeling to non-Clie users (the same feeling incidentally was what made Cliesource thrive). The iPhone woke up that feeling in me again that's why I said this will be my next "TH55/E" because just by looking at the iPhone site, I was already having fun! :D

[Joel]

...I'll get one when my plan runs out. Just renewed it though...stinks.

You know what Apple and Cingular should offer? "Switch" plans.

[dragonsgames]

Ha yes! Some way to get out of Sprint and get this baby.... ;)

[LupeValenz]

You are so right now that I stop shivering from being excited and think about this form factor. It is soo much like the sexy Clie TH55, the front is nothing but the big beatiful screen, very simplistic and a small button near the bottom. Hopefully they carry the Clie torch of easy to use and looks good at the same time :).

EDIT: Also forgot, have to thank Apple for saving me from converting to the darkside. I was lil bored of what Palm been doing and wondering how it would be on Windowmobile. Thankfully there is another wagon I can join and I believe its safe to say I won't be alone in it and not just a Palm user either, seems WM users are wanting to do the same thing :). Nice of apple to make a device that makes Palm and WM users join together in a common cause (Giving Apple all our money!)

[GadgetGuru05]

I am sure that 10.000.000 little Chinese are already working on all new gadgets and accessories for iPhone... Just wait and see...

Where ever Apple goes with his products, market, creativity and lifestyle and ofcoz money goes....

hey, is the sit next to you in the wagon is free? ;-)

[JAmerican]

As always, sick devices have sucky keyboards

BTW, I am getting my new phone soon, its a Samsung T629. I decided to wait until 2009 or later to get a PDA phone.

http://www.mobiletechreview.com/image/phones/samsung_t629.jpg

My decision is largely due to my money situation right now.

JAmerican

[rldunn]

One factor going for the Clie was the "fun" involved in using the device. It's difficult to describe the feeling to non-Clie users (the same feeling incidentally was what made Cliesource thrive). The iPhone woke up that feeling in me again that's why I said this will be my next "TH55/E" because just by looking at the iPhone site, I was already having fun! :DExactly!! This thread is interesting - it's what I thought about yesterday when I saw everything on the iPhone, that we finally had a device that was better than the TH. Good thing too, because my TH is having some charging issues, so I'm not sure how much longer it will last. The iPhone is definitely very sexy and is the first device to make me consider jumping to a smartphone!!

[JAmerican]

Yea I remember the CLIE days when I felt I had my perfect device. Now I wonder if I will ever get a perfect device again. Waiting for the Hawk still, getting this device without Third-party apps and full Mac OS X app support is a risk. It reminds me of the Sidekick. Closed OS. Expensive apps. I've dedicated myself to Palm OS for a little longer.

JAmerican

[archangel]

Even if the iPhone is closed and only has the built in apps it will still replace 80% of what I use my PDA for. Not to mention it does all those things in a much better way.

[JAmerican]

The keyboard looks terrible. If they make a landscape mini-keyboard, that would be smarter. I currently use a landscape keyboard to type on my TX screen because its so huge. Its not comfortable but it works. I think I'll sit out until Crossbow WM 6 comes out. Palm OS II comes out which will hopefully be by 2009.

JAmerican

[billegal]

I can't believe I'm writing this, but I'm not sure about the iPhone yet. Lots of neat possibilities, but how fast will the browsing be on Cingular's network? Will the battery life really stack up? Are there two batteries, i.e. one for phone, one for music? Will there be Bluetooth keyboards (I need my Th55 keyboard)? Will it have a version of Salling clicker on it? It's not the full OS X, so what other OS X apps can it run? Where are the developer kits for phone apps? How open with the HW and SW be? Can I run Fetch or Transmit? Can I run an SSH program, is there a shell? Will it act as a modem for my laptop? Can I run non-iTunes videos and music? Will it import songs via bluetooth or wifi sync or are wifi/bluetooth limited? Also, I'm not sure I need the phone on it. Will the plans be expensive? Existing data prices are high on Cingular. Is the data quality good/fast?

Anyway, I was impressed by the demo, but if Apple is releasing a closed platform, i.e. third party development is limited, I'm not sure I want one of these. Apple hasn't done well when they don't support the developers.

[orpheus]

I've been reading as much as I can about the iPhone, and thinking a lot about it. Until now, I've been hanging out on the low end of the "PDA evolutionary scale": PalmPilot, then Visor, currently Clié SJ-20. And I had just decided to take the plunge upwards and buy a TH55 from DanT. A few days later, Mr. Jobs made his speech.

Interesting timing.

So I've been thinking a lot about all this. No doubt about it, the iPhone is a sexy device. And I'd be reasonably certain that it will do what it's touted to do - and do it well. (Mac fan here! :) ) But, for what it's worth, here are my reservations:

1) Battery life. Especially if it does all those things and anyone wants to really use it.

2) No stylus. I know, one isn't needed with the new touch-screen. But I'm not sold on the idea that one's finger is the best pointer. With big icons, sure. But not with anything smaller. (Of course, all the included applications use big icons....but what about 3rd party apps? Ah yes, there ain't none. See my concern #3, below.) Another thing - it isn't just that the point of a stylus is smaller (and thus, more accurate) than the point of a finger. It's also this: writing is easier and less tiring than fingerpainting. Imagine - or try - doing both for a few minutes. Pencils, pens, paintbrushes, and styli are noble inventions and feel good to use. (A further refinement of this, of course, is how picky and choosy many of us are about our writing implements.)

3) Lack of 3rd party apps. Much discussed already, and I agree - it's a problem. At least it seems so now. We'll see what comes in the next few months (and with the next generation of iPhones).

closely connected is this:

4) Okay, call me weird and antisocial, but I've come to the following conclusion: I don't WANT a phone in my PDA!! :( It's not just the fear of having everything depend on one device (e.g., the "what if it malfunctions" scenario). No, it's more than that. See, what I love about my PDA is not just that it's a "Swiss Army Knife"; no, it's better than that: it's my Swiss Army Knife. Customized by me. My own personal, portable little electro-environment-organizer-library-playground-adventureland. Mine. And when I spend time there, I want to be alone.

This may be entirely irrational, I know. I could always just switch off the phone function on a smartphone. But it's the awareness that it's there...just waiting... :eek:

I do have a cell phone. A basic one. No camera, even. It and my Clié go everywhere with me. I use 'em both a lot. And there's no question which I like better: the Clié. Until now, I never really thought about why. But now it's clear. The obvious thing is that my phone is ugly and rudimentary. But that's not it. No, the real reason I don't like my phone is that it connects me to other people! AAAAAARGH!!

:eek: :eek: :eek:

[LupeValenz]

...but your not getting a PDA with a Phone, what your getting is a phone with multimedia abilities and web too. Well, I consider a PDA as a Personal Digital Assistant and this iPhone is not Personal Assistant but a personal entertainer :). Will this replace my TH55? No way, no clie organizer, no replacement...will it replace my Treo? Oh yeahh!. Love hi-Res+ screens :).

[JAmerican]

Once the price is low enough on eBay, then I'll get it. I never got a UX50 for $700.

[GadgetGuru05]

JAmerican, T629 is a great phone. My wife just got one from T-Mobile. gorgeous screen, video, wonderful menu, animation etc...
You will love it....

[LupeValenz]

Ok another thing been reading alot about is no 3rd party support and frankly, seeing apple products, I'm not too worried about it. Mostly all of Apples application is very nice, especially that iChat, if that comes on a future iPhone model, that would be freakin awesome. This model wouldn't work too good because of the camera in the back but hopefully next model will have one in front for video chat. With Apple, its Quality, not Quanity :)

[DanT]

I've been reading as much as I can about the iPhone, and thinking a lot about it. Until now, I've been hanging out on the low end of the "PDA evolutionary scale": PalmPilot, then Visor, currently Clié SJ-20. And I had just decided to take the plunge upwards and buy a TH55 from DanT. A few days later, Mr. Jobs made his speech.

Interesting timing.

So I've been thinking a lot about all this. No doubt about it, the iPhone is a sexy device. And I'd be reasonably certain that it will do what it's touted to do - and do it well. (Mac fan here! :) ) But, for what it's worth, here are my reservations:

1) Battery life. Especially if it does all those things and anyone wants to really use it.

2) No stylus. I know, one isn't needed with the new touch-screen. But I'm not sold on the idea that one's finger is the best pointer. With big icons, sure. But not with anything smaller. (Of course, all the included applications use big icons....but what about 3rd party apps? Ah yes, there ain't none. See my concern #3, below.) Another thing - it isn't just that the point of a stylus is smaller (and thus, more accurate) than the point of a finger. It's also this: writing is easier and less tiring than fingerpainting. Imagine - or try - doing both for a few minutes. Pencils, pens, paintbrushes, and styli are noble inventions and feel good to use. (A further refinement of this, of course, is how picky and choosy many of us are about our writing implements.)

3) Lack of 3rd party apps. Much discussed already, and I agree - it's a problem. At least it seems so now. We'll see what comes in the next few months (and with the next generation of iPhones).

closely connected is this:

4) Okay, call me weird and antisocial, but I've come to the following conclusion: I don't WANT a phone in my PDA!! :( It's not just the fear of having everything depend on one device (e.g., the "what if it malfunctions" scenario). No, it's more than that. See, what I love about my PDA is not just that it's a "Swiss Army Knife"; no, it's better than that: it's my Swiss Army Knife. Customized by me. My own personal, portable little electro-environment-organizer-library-playground-adventureland. Mine. And when I spend time there, I want to be alone.

This may be entirely irrational, I know. I could always just switch off the phone function on a smartphone. But it's the awareness that it's there...just waiting... :eek:

I do have a cell phone. A basic one. No camera, even. It and my Clié go everywhere with me. I use 'em both a lot. And there's no question which I like better: the Clié. Until now, I never really thought about why. But now it's clear. The obvious thing is that my phone is ugly and rudimentary. But that's not it. No, the real reason I don't like my phone is that it connects me to other people! AAAAAARGH!!

:eek: :eek: :eek:

It'll be interesting to see what kind of 3rd. party apps will come out of this device. I like to read eBook, work on Doc2Go, and have special programmable calculator called MathUPro for my Engineering calculations. They have been very useful in my TH55. Hopefully something like those apps come along or the developers are willing to expand to iPhone.

[JAmerican]

JAmerican, T629 is a great phone. My wife just got one from T-Mobile. gorgeous screen, video, wonderful menu, animation etc...
You will love it....

Thanks, I always worry that the next phone I get may disappoint me. I did a lot of research on this phone and was amazed in its battery life, screen and size. Not to forget the slider. I was going to get a Moto Rizr. But this is much smaller and has an external TransFlash slot. I also like its speed. I saw a video. My T610 lags.

JAmerican

[archangel]

It'll be interesting to see what kind of 3rd. party apps will come out of this device. I like to read eBook, work on Doc2Go, and have special programmable calculator called MathUPro for my Engineering calculations. They have been very useful in my TH55. Hopefully something like those apps come along or the developers are willing to expand to iPhone.
This is the real sticking point. When I first heard it was running a version of OSX I immediately thought that one of its strengths would be the ease of making quality third party apps. Now it seems that this is not the case and Apple plans to complete lock down the OS. If I can't get a version of eReader and Mobipocket for the iPhone I won't be getting one. However, I still feel that this won't be an issue for the majority of potential iPhone customers. I know several people with Treos and none have bought a single third party app for their phones. Two of them had no idea this was even an option. They simply use the built in apps.

[Joel]

...I know several people with Treos and none have bought a single third party app for their phones. Two of them had no idea this was even an option. They simply use the built in apps.

I have two friends who have never installed any third party apps in a Treo 600 and in a Lifedrive. Guess what? Those two devices *never* froze.

That's the point of the iPhone: close the system and let it always work.

If I need to install and play around with OS X apps, I'd always have my MacBook Pro and Mac mini to play around with. :)

[GadgetGuru05]

Thats a good point Joel...
when there is 2 cook in the kitchen soupe will be too salty or no salt at all...
know what you are doing, how and when you do it and you will deliver a great product...
Thats APPLE all about... no nosy 3th party to mess up your original idea. :D

[JAmerican]

You cannot say the same for a Palm TX. LOL. You need to add apps to stablize it. Try using Blazer after a hard reset and no additional apps. See if your device does not crash.

Treo 600 based on RAM (if I am not mistaken). My UX never crashed either when I didn't add apps to it.

As for closing the OS and let it work, that will come at a very expensive price, trust me. Look at Apple software or hardware on their site compared to other sites. Much higher right? Expect that for the iPhone.

JAmerican

[LupeValenz]

Welp I'm willing to pay mroe for higher quality products. Now I am happy to see a better quality keynote on apple. Even though the orignial keynote looked choppy it was nice to see the things in motion. I'd be watching this keynote until the device comes out.