[General] 3G iPhone Announced

Tue Jun 10 11:05:50 +03 2008

Ahmad Al-Ibrahim wrote:
> I was thinking today shall I buy an iPhone 3G and become a slave to 
> whoever is going to jailbreak the iPhone 3G? or wait for the Dream? HTC 
> Dream based on the open source Android Google mobile platform which is 
> going to be released very soon.
> 
> And my choice is definitely an Android based mobile. Watch the Android 
> video and enjoy!
> http://code.google.com/android/

Here are my main opinions/concerns about it:

On the list of OHA members, one name is conspicuously missing: Nokia. 
The number one cellphone maker in the world. Also missing is Symbian 
under software companies, which makes me think that whatever device ends 
up supporting Android, it probably won't be from Nokia, and it probably 
won't be binary compatible with Symbian.

HTC is there, which means you can expect the quality of HTC for whenever 
the Android-based device hits Kuwait; although I doubt it will be a wide 
release considering the large market share that Windows has and I doubt 
with Microsoft's tactics they will make it easy for HTC to manufacture 
devices based on anything other than WinMo; the other major OEM is 
Motorola -- and well, as I'm sure you all know, that company is not 
doing so well.

So I think that what will break the Android is the device.

Android's chief claim is that:

"Android was built from the ground-up to enable developers to create 
compelling mobile applications that take full advantage of all a handset 
has to offer. It is built to be truly open. For example, an application 
could call upon any of the phone's core functionality such as making 
calls, sending text messages, or using the camera, allowing developers 
to create richer and more cohesive experiences for users."

Now what this means to me as a user is that -- there is no sandbox for 
applications. If someone writes a rogue app for Android, it can easily 
start spamming people in my contact list. Not believing this to be true, 
I looked around and then I found this:

"Android has been designed to include a rigorous security model, and 
when phones are available we expect Android to be among the most secure 
mobile operating systems available. However, right now the Android SDK 
is under active development and has not yet been subjected to an 
extensive security review."

This could mean that after this security review, some of the touted 
features of Android could be scrapped, limited, or only available after 
a signing process (ala Symbian).

So Android sounds nice, but really -- is it worth waiting for? What can 
you get from Android (as far as the SDK is concerned) that is not 
available in the Apple SDK for the iphone/ipod?

Meanwhile .... over at Planet Apple in Fruit Universe:

Some interesting things about the new iphone:

1. It will be released July 11.
2. Total list of countries to be released to: 70 (including Qatar, 
Jordan and Egypt -- no Kuwait). Not all countries will get the phone on 
the 11th.
3. No Arabic support.
4. HSDPA/WiFi/A-GPS
5. Base price (in all markets) for the 8GB model = $199. It will most 
probably require a 2 year contract, or may be more expensive if its not 
carrier subsidized as is the case in the Middle East.
6. Improved audio quality.
7. Flush 3.5mm headset jack.
8. Will come with a "SIM ejector" device in the box.
9. Includes ActiveSync, Cisco VPN encryption, and other "enterprise" 
features like remote wipe.
10. Improved SDK which matches that of OSX (including API calls)
11. Unique, third party (Apple) background messaging queue -- which 
prevents apps from hogging memory in the background (ala Windows) and 
pre-FP1 Symbian.
12. Runs the same kernel as OSX (this is not new, but worth mentioning 
in light of Android)
13. It includes 3 sensors: Proximity, Light, Accelerometer -- all have APIs.
14. Games available from independent developers and major publishers 
like SEGA; graphics quality the best I have seen; one even uses the 
accelrometer as a steering wheel for a racing game.
15. Updated software version (2.0) -- free for existing iphones, $9.99 
for ipod touch.
16. Base model is in black, the updated 32GB one is also available in white.

Things that are still missing:

1. No A2DP aka stereo Bluetooth.
2. No front camera for video calling.
3. Same 2MP back camera.
4. No video recording (still).
5. No MMS support.

Things that are "new" for Apple fanatics:

1. Multiple select and delete messages/contacts.
2. Search contacts by name (shocked this wasn't in the default build).

Its a great device as a platform for developing apps, and a great 
browser and media device.

Regards,
--
Burhan Khalid
Signal > Noise

> 
> Burhan Khalid wrote:
>> Apple has just announced the 3G iphone. Get your wallets/purses out!
>>
>> Live audio: 
>> http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wwdc-2008-live-keynote-audio-stream
>>
>>
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