Kulang pa rin! Apple said they listened to their customers, but it looks like they ignored the feedback I sent in August last year! Here's a list of basic features the iPhone still lacks:

1. MMS
2. SMS forwarding
3. SMS vCard and vCal support (Business Card)
4. video recording
5. Bluetooth File Exchange

I don't think any of the above is too much to ask for, since none of them require additional hardware.

Still, the iPhone 3G is a fantastic phone.

One other feature I am hoping to see in future iPhones: a pressure sensitive multitouch screen, to give the virtual keyboard a physical tactile feel.

What's on YOUR iPhone 3G wish list?

1. A higher resolution camera

3.2 mp camera with autofocus
zenon flash
640x480 30fps video recorder
better pim functions, similar to palm's

Elbert, I've been reading conflicting reports regarding copy-and-paste functions. What's the word on this? Multitouch with copy-and-paste sounds brilliant.

User-facing secondary camera? Not that I use it much, but it's one of those things that can really use the new 3G speed.

The 5 items you mentioned are indeed very important for most of us. But I'm actually very excited just to see HSDPA on an iPhone and at an excellent price!

although it is just a software update away, a Haptic Keypad to provide a tactile feedback whenever typing things on the iPhone

video calling is lacking too

i think all of the above features will be available via App Store

what the heck, I'll still get one :)

i share elbert's sentiments on the iphone's features.it would be nice to have a higher resolution camera though.

may be all missing features will be address by third party add-ons.

to loko_loko, if it will be available in the app store, it's still a dissappointment, as elbert said its basic, so im hoping that the features come right out of the box. *sigh* apple talaga

1. MMS
2. SMS forwarding
3. SMS vCard and vCal support (Business Card)
4. video recording
5. Bluetooth File Exchange

items 4 and 5 are not added to target the enterprise users (bulk buyers). I remember it was said that 35% of the fortune 500 companies tested it and was happy with the beta-test. These features are also not available for most blackberries -- that's why enterprises that value their corporate trade secrets stick to the BB instead of the most high-tech cellphones. And i think, for a part, this is also why #1 was also not included.

Its really a well thought off trade off -- more high tech embedded? or more sales potential? They stuck with the latter.

items 4 and 5 are not added to target the enterprise users (bulk buyers). I remember it was said that 35% of the fortune 500 companies tested it and was happy with the beta-test. These features are also not available for most blackberries -- that's why enterprises that value their corporate trade secrets stick to the BB instead of the most high-tech cellphones. And i think, for a part, this is also why #1 was also not included.

Its really a well thought off trade off -- more high tech embedded? or more sales potential? They stuck with the latter.

Great assumptions. In that case, they should have offered 2 versions, iphone for the regular citizens and iphone for the enterprise.

call me old-fashioned, but it's just that i really, really like keys. and one-handed operation.

i'm hardly away from my mac anyway. i guess i just want a phone.

We can get that #4 via Installer.app anyway :D

copy and paste. :D

1. A higher resolution camera

At least now it has GPS tagging. :-) Anyway, what camera resolution were you hoping they'd include in the iPhone 3G?

flash for the camera should've been included...

flash for the camera should've been included...

Why do you think it wasn't included?

i agree with DON2003 but wouldn't it be great if they placed a built in isight camera for video calling? they would probably put this on iphone 3.0 next year. anyway, i think the phone is still fantastic and i will surely get one once it arrives in our shores. And i will get the white one because i think the black is more suited for the boys. hehehe

We will all get those features in Iphone 3.0...that means we have to spend more.

i believe Apples focus is on the iPhone roadmap they shared early this year, such as Enterprise support etc. For other features like Elbert mentioned, i think Apple is relying on the SDK or third party developers to develop and rollout to the consumers.

just my thoughts.

it's not indicated in the blueprint...

I didn't hear Steve Jobs mention anything about copy-and-paste functions. IF that's still lacking, then I say we add that to the wish list.

SMS forwarding would have been great as well.

But heck, I still want one! :p

i still want a front facing camera... for camwhoring. haha. XD

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/080609/business/iphone_cda check this out philmugs in Canada! woot woot...

1. MMS
2. SMS forwarding
3. SMS vCard and vCal support (Business Card)
4. video recording
5. Bluetooth File Exchange

i agree with elbert, the question now is, if anybody wants to develop those for the App store, will they be allowed? the only rule that i remember clearly with the SDKs is the they will not allow VoiP Apps... any rules kaya agaist video recording, mms, and sms fwd-ing? i think those 3 are essential... but i'll still buy it =)

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/080609/business/iphone_cda check this out philmugs in Canada! woot woot...

dude,

i don't quite see what this story has to do with this specific thread... anything you wanted to point out here regarding the missing features?

i dont see the front camera in those pictures.

Huwwwaaattt? They didn't include a built in printer? It could be a groundbreaking feature that will fill in the gap of what Polaroid had left us.

items 4 and 5 are not added to target the enterprise users (bulk buyers). I remember it was said that 35% of the fortune 500 companies tested it and was happy with the beta-test. These features are also not available for most blackberries -- that's why enterprises that value their corporate trade secrets stick to the BB instead of the most high-tech cellphones. And i think, for a part, this is also why #1 was also not included.

Its really a well thought off trade off -- more high tech embedded? or more sales potential? They stuck with the latter.

With all due respect, I don't buy this assumption. I've been closely following the iPhone since its release, how it started and how Jobs, at the end of the day, dictated what the telcos and the market will accept. Jobs is not one to be dictated by market trends. If he were, then the iPhone would not be what it is today (read the Wired report on How the iPhone Blew Up the Wireless Industry (http://www.wired.com/gadgets/wireless/magazine/16-02/ff_iphone))

The fact is, to Americans, SMS is not a universal means to communicate. That's why Blackberry is king over there. That's why Apple went with push email as well. And that's why I suspect the exclusion of basic SMS features that we've all gotten used to.

weatherproofing.

without that, i'd have to change jobs if i plan to get one.

may be all missing features will be address by third party add-ons.

yeah, but that's another layer of bloatware. the functions elbertc mentioned should have been written into the iPhone's ROM in the first place at system-level.

maybe to apple, the voice of the enterprise customer is just louder than the consumer's.

At least now it has GPS tagging. :-) Anyway, what camera resolution were you hoping they'd include in the iPhone 3G?

At least 5.0 MP but don't get me wrong, I like the simple phone feature of iPhone already. I've a set on my flickr dedicated to iPhone photos just like you DJ!

I am also thinking of the business strategy why they kept it at 2.0 when mobile phone cam nowadays are packed with 5.0 MP.

The GPS thing is exciting specially now that we have an extensive GPS map. I hope it would integrate very well.

Hardware/software, 3rd party apps or what not, I am still hoping that medical programs can run on the iPhone.

I'd have to agree with elbert's concerns, I mean with regards to us filipino consumers i think its essential for us to have those features especially the ones under the SMS function since we love to text a lot... otherwise maybe the apple people have plans to address these things or maybe they plan to release a version with these functions later on... well, its just me though... i may not make sense... :D but what the heck! a 3G iPhone at a low price??? why not??? ;)

search functions, specially in calendar

While listening to Steve Jobs' keynote address, he actually said that the 3G iphone featured a full plastic back, unlike the first one which had a metal back. The old iphone's rear casing was very resistant to scratches under normal use. We just hope the new iphone's plastic back would be scratch resistant as well. It would've been awesome if apple designed the iPhone to have a rubberized back.

However, if you browse through the specs of the 3G iPhone, it's really cool how they included a sim ejector tool.

In the box

http://images.apple.com/iphone/images/specs_box20080609.jpg
iPhone 3G
Stereo Headset with mic
Dock Connector to USB Cable
USB Power Adapter
Documentation
Cleaning/polishing cloth
SIM ejector toolNo more messing with those sharp paper clips. :)

does the new iPhone have A2DP support?

for sms/contact forwarding u can use wetool (iphone app) which i use on mine.

i think apple don't have this complete features to allow third party developer to do it ;)

i think the bluetooth exchange was intentionally left out to prevent piracy of some sorts.
I read in his book "iCon" that he was prohibited to put that function in the ipod for licensing purposes.

The lack of 'SMS Forwarding' feature will definitely not make this as a 'masa' mobile phone. :) Or if it would be a 'masa' phone like Nokia it means no more annoying forwarded/sent-to-all quotes/Spam text messages! Yipee. :)

i agree with guys (surgfish & macychic) ;)

let's wait till the unit becomes available then we will know what's lacking and what's not. I believe there are features that were not presented but will surprisingly be included in the final release. ;)

but the apple SDK is open for the public right? Im sure a dissappointed customer will develop a way to allow MMS, multiple forwarding, COPY PASTE( very important), and video recording. I just hope someone will develop it.

Think swirly. I hope some 3rd party developers would bring us an application like this.

a very compatible-to-other-(common)-headphone headphone hole.. :) can't seem get my own headphones for the deep hole on the iphone..

Will it allow SMS thru your mac? like BluePhoneElite with SE phones? I miss that!

a very compatible-to-other-(common)-headphone headphone hole.. :) can't seem get my own headphones for the deep hole on the iphone..

I think this issue has been addressed already. Jobs showed and mentioned that the iPhone 3G will have a flush headphone socket, making it more compatible with most earphones. I think a lot of people had an issue with this because when Jobs announced it, you can hear a lot of people applauding, hehehe... :)

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/5277/picture6aw2.png

3.2 mp camera with autofocus
zenon flash
640x480 30fps video recorder
better pim functions, similar to palm's

I think apple does not include this feature because it is mainly not their goal, if you are going to watch the iphone 1 introduction in steve's keynote, he said:

A phone, Widescreen iPod, Internet browser. (3x) until the audience have the idea that it's not a separate products but all in one.

scratch proof body... not just the screen.... ::D

front camera for video calling is missing!

While listening to Steve Jobs' keynote address, he actually said that the 3G iphone featured a full plastic back, unlike the first one which had a metal back. The old iphone's rear casing was very resistant to scratches under normal use. We just hope the new iphone's plastic back would be scratch resistant as well. It would've been awesome if apple designed the iPhone to have a rubberized back.

However, if you browse through the specs of the 3G iPhone, it's really cool how they included a sim ejector tool.

In the box

http://images.apple.com/iphone/images/specs_box20080609.jpg
iPhone 3G
Stereo Headset with mic
Dock Connector to USB Cable
USB Power Adapter
Documentation
Cleaning/polishing cloth
SIM ejector toolNo more messing with those sharp paper clips. :)

LOL, the SIM ejector tool. I wonder if it looks like anything like this:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1357/997674912_19f7a5c5e9.jpg?v=0

search functions, specially in calendar

Well, it's a start that they added search functionality to the Contacts list.

I'll just gonna wait for the second gen.. :) or maybe after six months the most.. :D

front camera for video calling is missing!

It would be interesting find out know how many people actually use a mobile webcam beyond novelty (I noticed that majority of the people I Skype with don't bother turning on their video). Front cameras have been in Nokia phones for quite some time now, but the idea just hasn't picked up. I suspect that a secondary camera would have added to the cost, not to mention alter the design of the iPhone. Personally, I prefer this feature to be left out.

better pim functions, similar to palm's

The Palm OS emulator will soon be available (http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/05/30/styletaps-palm-os-emulator-officially-coming-to-iphone-and-ipod/)for the iPhone.

It would be interesting find out know how many people actually use a mobile webcam beyond novelty (I noticed that majority of the people I Skype with don't bother turning on their video). Front cameras have been in Nokia phones for quite some time now, but the idea just hasn't picked up. I suspect that a secondary camera would have added to the cost, not to mention alter the design of the iPhone. Personally, I prefer this feature to be left out.

Not to mention that the background view may be a bit embarrasing (e.g. answering a video call while using the bathroom). I don't think video calling will really take off unlike video chatting/calling on a computer, simply because using your computer is a more deliberate action, whereas a phone call can arrive at most random moments.

does it have memory card expansion?

Check this out:

Pogue's Posts: IPhone 2.0: What Might Have Been (http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/09/iphone-20-looking-at-what-might-have-been/index.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss)

Not to mention that the background view may be a bit embarrasing (e.g. answering a video call while using the bathroom). I don't think video calling will really take off unlike video chatting/calling on a computer, simply because using your computer is a more deliberate action, whereas a phone call can arrive at most random moments.

i actually felt stupid once when i answered a video call while walking in glorietta.

actually, 3G is more for faster data access. video call, well is not really a necessity... yet.. though i'm pretty sure i'll miss all the features that my P1i has

sorry mejo OT:

can we use Back to My Mac with iPhone?

http://www.philmug.ph/forum/images/as3/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.philmug.ph/forum/showthread.php?p=401866#post401866) 3.2 mp camera with autofocus
zenon flash
640x480 30fps video recorder


Better buy a Nokia or a SE instead.

iPhone is a mini-computer than a cam-phone. :)


does it have memory card expansion?

Nope, and it will never will.

iPhone doesn't need any third-party memory. :)

I thought I would feel more excited to get a new one, wala! No feelings at all! They didn't even try hard to make a new model out of scratch. I'll just wait for 3rd incarnation. I don't feel iPhone software 3.0 will be making our current 1st gen anymore. The price is sweet, I'll give you that, but with a plan or IF maybe prepaid from globe? which I bet you will jailbreak, then there's really nothing new about it except well, 3G and GPS.

Kulang pa rin! Apple said they listened to their customers, but it looks like they ignored the feedback I sent in August last year! Here's a list of basic features the iPhone still lacks:

1. MMS
2. SMS forwarding
3. SMS vCard and vCal support (Business Card)
4. video recording
5. Bluetooth File Exchange

I don't think any of the above is too much to ask for, since none of them require additional hardware.

Still, the iPhone 3G is a fantastic phone.

One other feature I am hoping to see in future iPhones: a pressure sensitive multitouch screen, to give the virtual keyboard a physical tactile feel.

What's on YOUR iPhone 3G wish list?

multitap alphanumeric keypad, 5MP cam, Xenon flash, front cam.. just a wish list.

fingerprint scanner

To steve jobs: i dont care if its 2g or 3g, i just need a flash plug-in for safari, copy-paste and a native IM app with webcam viewing capability and VOIP.

So get off your money train, stop working on iphone 4g (with wi-max, holograms and teleporter- launch date july 11 2009) and work on these features.

And one more thing.... Is is too much to ask for a decent MMS feature? :)

My Wishlist:
1. A2DP - bluetooth wireless music streaming
2. Video Calling
3. Bluetooth file transfer
4. Flash for Safari
5. Copy-Paste

Why do you think it wasn't included?
for a future upgrade, they cant make it a perfect phone this soon, otherwise they will run out of things to add in the future...:slanted:


wish list: bt file transfer, sms forwarding

video calls, front mounted cam, higher res camera, higher data storage capacity...sige na nga, more available colors for the unit itself heheh. never the content customer hehe.

This thread points to a good sign; and Apple's future is assured. We want more--a lot more.

After the initial rush yesterday, that I'll be getting one when Globe launches it later this year, my mind is now telling me - NO! Sob......

DivX player, para no need to convert my torrents, hehehe

Here's something that has been sorely missing and I don't think has been resolved yet in the 3G: Tasks (To Do lists)! I may be wrong though, now that there's ActiveSync, but it still seems like it's not there.

apple is so good with reality distortion. and we the consumers are so gullible. Stevie is so charismatic that people would line up/spur rumors etc... just for features that is available in the market for years (3g etc...) when apple announces features that has been in the market for some time (such as 3g) people would think that its revoultionary amazing brilliant! good grief!

anyway, i find it disturbing that apple has proudly announced that their new toy supports MICROSOFT chuva chuva. and if you look at the apple website, there is a logo of "with MICROSOFT chuva chuva". thats odd, after all those commercials against microsoft, apple has the guts to approach them?

what the heck im still buying an iphone 3g. stevie stevie iphone iphone owww...

I don't think it's about Apple having the guts to approach them. Rather it's a fact that with this, they'll be able to make inroads with Businessmen whose IT Depts are Windows-heavy. It opens up markets for them. And as we've seen with the iPod effect, a toehold in a certain market results in exposure to the rest of their product line.

And as for 3G being in the market for years, again, just because something has been available for sometime doesn't mean that the average consumer knows about or uses it.

Also, just because something has been available doesn't mean that current products use it to its full potential. An example of this is with GPS. It's been open for civilian use since 1983 (after the KAL 007 shootdown being attributed to navigation error). It wasn't tapped until the mid-90s with the release of the 1st civilian GPS receivers. And, only recently has there been the proliferation of in-dash or dash-top GPS units that give you street by street real-time directions; ditto with this appearing on mobile phones.

Also, just because something has been available doesn't mean that current products use it to its full potential. An example of this is with GPS. It's been open for civilian use since 1983 (after the KAL 007 shootdown being attributed to navigation error). It wasn't tapped until the mid-90s with the release of the 1st civilian GPS receivers. And, only recently has there been the proliferation of in-dash or dash-top GPS units that give you street by street real-time directions; ditto with this appearing on mobile phones.

but still not revolutionary. THe real revolutionary phone is the iphone classic, much like the ipod revolutionized the music industry. But with the iphone 3g? whats so revolutionary with that? Sure we get the additional hardware features, other than that we get nothing. Its just ashame that apple didn't revamped the current model. People were expecting more, and apple showed less. Apple shares fell 4% after the iPhone announcement, as some investors were left wanting more from the gadget maker. The stock had been up 55% in the past three months on heightened expectations for a radically improved iPhone and the possibility of other product launches.

The lack of 'SMS Forwarding' feature will definitely not make this as a 'masa' mobile phone. :) Or if it would be a 'masa' phone like Nokia it means no more annoying forwarded/sent-to-all quotes/Spam text messages! Yipee. :)

I don't use the SMS Forwarding feature on my phone to forward quotes or spam text messages (honestly, that's so "highschool. no offense to those who actually do it! ;) ) I use this feature to forward reminders and important "announcements" to my colleagues at work. It's quite a crucial feature for me; this is actually among the reasons why I didn't get an iPhone and have no plans on getting the 3g one. The iPhone's just not for me-I'll choose my battered K610i over it any day. :)

]THe real revolutionary phone is the iphone classic, much like the ipod revolutionized the music industry.

I agree with you here.

Its just ashame that apple didn't revamped the current model.

How isn't this considered a revamp?

Apple shares fell 4% after the iPhone announcement, as some investors were left wanting more from the gadget maker. The stock had been up 55% in the past three months on heightened expectations for a radically improved iPhone and the possibility of other product launches.

If you look at the NASDAQ data, the reason the shares fell was due to shareholders selling off and profit-taking. The trading volume jumped 100% to about 67.5 million traded, up from about an average in the 30 millions.

Bottom line, Apple's finally done right by releasing the 3G iPhone. In my opinion, they never should have gone with EDGE. They should have had 3G from the very beginning. And with cheaper pricing, will be more affordable, and will translate into the average person more likely to have one.

Tech speakingly customers of course would not want missing features, but it Biz speakingly just works for Apple (and other companies) to provide an upgrade path for their products, either internally (not publicly sharing) or externally (publicly informing) for it's customers or it's development partners as well. :cool:

We either get sucked-in to the buy now (if we're too gullible) or buy later scenario (if we can hold our horses), or to just wait or maybe wait forever attitude if you could (really)?! :redface:

Come to think of it, it's really just a "put-up or shut-up" poker-faced thinking scenario that seemed to have worked pretty well in favor of Apple lately (unfortunately for the rest of us I know, evidently as a consequence). :o

but still not revolutionary. THe real revolutionary phone is the iphone classic, much like the ipod revolutionized the music industry. But with the iphone 3g? whats so revolutionary with that?

Please note that the word 'revolutionary' came from you; nobody else in this thread. So in effect, you're debunking an idea that you yourself forwarded. The iPhone 3G is A STEP in its progressive evolution and it's not breaking new ground as we speak, nor is it blazing a new frontier. People wanted a zillion new features and instead got a million. What's so bad about that?

Talking about SJ's reality distortion field, it often only works with newbies. For us Apple veterans, we take it with a grain of salt. It's simply ENTERTAINMENT!

Elbert, I've been reading conflicting reports regarding copy-and-paste functions. What's the word on this? Multitouch with copy-and-paste sounds brilliant.

User-facing secondary camera? Not that I use it much, but it's one of those things that can really use the new 3G speed.

The 5 items you mentioned are indeed very important for most of us. But I'm actually very excited just to see HSDPA on an iPhone and at an excellent price!

Apparently, iPhone can't be used as a HSDPA modem.

There are actually a lot. If 5 megapixel cameras are rampant up to date then I think Apple should consider upgrading the iPhone's camera resolution. What's the use of 3G without video calls? I don't quite get it Apple, Wifi is incorporated on the iPhone already and so there would be a lesser need for 3G if hardware specs do not include a secondary camera. Yes, 3G is welcome just in case your out of Wifi coverage but come to think of it, the addition of a front camera could have made the iPhone a tad better. Text forward feature is missing Apple, when will you ever learn? The absence of VIDEO recording is such a disappointment, it only makes the iPhone better in form but not in function. Those are the only things I ask of Apple. Is it really hard to supply the iPhone with the aforementioned? Geeez!

I think Apple is holding out for a better release, this release is more like a 2.5G version of iPhone, they do want to release a feature-packed one, when the time comes. This is just to satisfy some of your 3G itch.

After last year's June release, they did bring out updates in September and in January as well.

With the App Store bringing 3rd Party Apps (which a lot of people seem to not be noticing on the boards here), and Apple's tendency to roll out updates quickly, who knows what's in store by the time iPhone makes it here to the Philippines.

Gotta agree with alot of folks here that the camera resolution should have been upgraded if it had that I would prolly replace my current iPhone with the new one

built in TV tuner! mini electric fan na din!

The list of 'missing' features is getting longer. Personally, I'm just after the basic set that has become standard in every phone in the market. At the end of the day though, the iPhone has so many features standard phones don't have. It's never going to be perfect (otherwise, we can't look forward to better phone to come out later), but it still remains outstanding and impressive, despite the absence of SOME basic features.

There is no front camera in the new iPhone.

3G is not a compelling reason enough for me to switch from my Treo650 which is still alive and kicking. Maybe when they integrate copy&paste functionality and not require a high costing data plan, I'll consider it.

built in local TV signal tuner!!!!!!

sana magkatotoo na nga to =) although i had a feeling that if apple didnt include this in the new software nor in future updates, a 3rd party would get into it =)

Apple 3G iPhone: MMS, voice dialing and more to come soon

http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/9482.html

korek! hehehe... i agree to that... i will develop those features if ever apple don't include that... especially now sdk is available to the public. that's why its easy to creat apps for iphone... (good for us programmers hehehe...)

sana magkaroon sila ng t9 pad for sms messaging or kahit 3rd party app, sa o2 kasi may option kung qwerty, t9pad or stylus eh

parang ganito po:

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/9040/snap003gx4.jpg

at eto

http://www.mobiletopsoft.com/pocket-pc/newimg/thumbs_keyboard.jpg

try to jailbreak it... but not at all.. because jailbreak is not authorized by the apple... so what for??

i think it'd be cool if the iphone had a front cam.. for skype.. ichat.. and photobooth of course Ü

sana magkaroon sila ng t9 pad for sms messaging or kahit 3rd party app, sa o2 kasi may option kung qwerty, t9pad or stylus eh

parang ganito po:

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/9040/snap003gx4.jpg

at eto

http://www.mobiletopsoft.com/pocket-pc/newimg/thumbs_keyboard.jpg

exactly what i was thinking about today! :cool:

my son reminded me to sell my old and banged up O2 xda mini... adn i recalled the good ol days when i loved it... i really really liked the virtual T9 numeric pad which made me text on a touch screen with a breeze like it was a Nokia with T9 but i didnt have to physical feel the effort of a finger pushing down on a button... if you add up all the key strokes pushing down, believe me you will feel the difference..

so yeah i agree this is one 3rd part app i would pay for! kahit $19.99! sulit to!

Amazing.

Still no A2DP on the 3G iPhone?

State of the Art
For iPhone, the ‘New’ Is Relative

By DAVID POGUE (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/david_pogue/index.html?inline=nyt-per)
Published: July 9, 2008

One year and 11 days ago, our nation was swept by iPhone (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/i/iphone/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier) Mania. TV news coverage was relentless. Hard-core fans camped out to be the first in line. Bloggers referred to Apple (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/apple_computer_inc/index.html?inline=nyt-org)’s new product as the “Jesus phone.”

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/07/09/technology/personaltech/09pogue.2.190.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:pop_me_up2('http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/07/09/technology/personaltech/09pogue.2.ready.html', '09pogue_2_ready', 'width=570,height=595,scrollbars=yes,toolbars=no,r esizable=yes'))
Apple's iPhone 3G will cost much less than the original.

It was a stunning black slab of glass: a cellphone, a brilliant music and video player and the best pocket Internet terminal the world had ever seen. The huge, bright, touch-sensitive screen made it addictive fun to rotate, page through or magnify your photos, videos and Web pages.

Today, the iPhone is in the hands of six million people. Clumsy touch-screen lookalikes from rival phone makers line the shelves.

And Friday is the iPhone’s second coming.

This time, though, when the iPhone 3G goes on sale in AT&T (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/at_and_t/index.html?inline=nyt-org) and Apple stores, iPhone Mania will be considerably more muted. That’s partly because the mystery is gone, partly because the AT&T service costs more and partly because there aren’t many new features in what Apple is calling the iPhone 3G.

The new name hints at the biggest change: this iPhone can bring you the Internet much faster. It can exploit AT&T’s third-generation (3G) cellular network, which brings you Web pages in less than half the time as the old iPhone.

As a handy bonus, 3G means that you can talk on the iPhone and surf the Internet simultaneously, which you couldn’t do before.

There is, however, a catch: you don’t get that speed or those features unless you’re in one of AT&T’s 3G network areas — and there aren’t many of them. The 3G coverage map at wireless.att.com/coverageviewer (http://wireless.att.com/coverageviewer) (zoom in and turn on “View 3G/Mobile Broadband Coverage” below the map) reveals that in 16 states, only three cities or fewer are covered; 10 states have no coverage at all. (Tip: Whenever you’re outside of a 3G area, turning off the iPhone’s 3G feature doubles the battery’s talk time, to 10 hours from 5.)

AT&T hastens to note that its 3G coverage will expand, and also that it will get even faster over time. (3G is a much bigger deal in the 70 other countries where the iPhone will soon be available because 3G is much more common.)

The other drastic change is the iPhone’s price: $200 for the 8-gigabyte model, $300 for the 16-gig. Those are terrific prices for a machine with so much sophistication, utility and power; a year ago, an 8-gig iPhone would have cost you $600.

But the iPhone 3G is not really, as Apple’s Web site puts it, “half the price.” The basic AT&T plan — unlimited Internet and 450 minutes of calling — now costs $70 a month instead of $60 (plus taxes and fees), and comes with no text messages instead of 200. (Adding text messaging costs at least $5 a month more.)

True, iPhone 3G service now matches the plans for AT&T’s other 3G phones; still, by the end of your two-year contract, the iPhone 3G will have cost you more than the old iPhone, not less.

The third improvement is audio quality, which has taken a gigantic step forward. You sound crystal clear to your callers, and they sound crystal clear to you. In fact, few cellphones sound this good.

The other improvements are smaller, but welcome. For example, the new iPhone feels even better in your hand, thanks to a gracefully curved, shiny plastic back. It also has a standard headphone jack — hallelujah! — so no clunky adapter is required for your favorite non-Apple headphones. The power adapter has been shrunk down to a one-inch cube, so it doesn’t hog an extra spot on your power strip.

The new iPhone has true G.P.S. now, too, in addition to the fake G.P.S. of its predecessor — an ingenious system that shows your location on a map by analyzing nearby cellphone towers and Wi-Fi hot spots.

Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do with the G.P.S. According to Apple, the iPhone’s G.P.S. antenna is much too small to emulate the turn-by-turn navigation of a G.P.S. unit for a vehicle, for example.

Instead, all it can do at this point is track your position as you drive along, representing you as a blue dot sliding along the roads of the map. Even then, the metal of a car or the buildings of Manhattan are often enough to block the iPhone’s view of the sky, leaving it just as confused as you are.

There are lots of small software improvements. The four-function calculator now turns into a scientific calculator when you rotate the phone 90 degrees. There’s an address book search box, parental controls and instant language switching. (That feature is made possible by the on-screen keyboard, with keys that change to reflect the language you’ve selected. “That’s really hard to do on your BlackBerry,” says an Apple rep.)
And speaking of the BlackBerry crowd: Apple also says that the iPhone works better with corporate systems, like Microsoft (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/microsoft_corporation/index.html?inline=nyt-org) Exchange and ActiveSync.

Note, though, that these software tweaks aren’t iPhone 3G features. They’re part of the free software upgrade called iPhone 2.0, which will be available to the six million original iPhones, starting Friday. For $10, even iPod (http://nytimes.com.com/mp3-players/apple-ipod-fifth-generation/4505-6490_7-32069546.html?tag=api&part=nytimes&subj=re&inline=nyt-classifier) Touch owners can get this upgrade.

Unfortunately, most of the standard cellphone features that were missing from the first iPhone are still missing. There’s still no voice dialing, video recording, copy-and-paste, memory-card slot, Bluetooth stereo audio or phone-to-phone photo sending (MMS). And when the battery needs replacement after a couple of years, you’ll still have to pay Apple $86 for a replacement.

Plenty of Appleholics have expressed dismay at how little the handset has changed. They’d gotten their hopes up for the second-generation iPhone: video phone calls! iPhone Nano! 3G hovercraft!

But there is one towering tsunami of a feature that may well shut them up.

It’s the iPhone App Store: a central, complete, drop-dead simple online catalog of new programs for the iPhone. Hundreds will be available when the store opens Friday, with thousands to follow. You browse, download and install new programs directly on the iPhone; they don’t have to be transferred from a computer, and you don’t have to hack the phone to use them. Most of the programs will be free or cheap.

Apple has demonstrated 16 of these programs, including an instant message program, an eBay (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/ebay_inc/index.html?inline=nyt-org) auction tracker, medical references and a touch-sensitive musical keyboard; the best of them exploit the iPhone’s orientation sensor, wireless technologies and other high-tech components.

One coming program, called iCall, will give you free phone calls when you’re in a Wi-Fi hot spot. Another, called G-Park, exploits G.P.S. to help you find where you parked. Yet another, Urbanspoon, is “a cross between a magic eight ball and a slot machine:" you shake the phone, and it randomly displays the name of a good restaurant nearby, using the iPhone’s G.P.S. and motion sensor.

You can also expect to see a time and expense tracker, home-automation remote control, voice recorder, Etch-a-Sketch, a recipe box, tip calculator, currency converter, e-book reader and so on.

Above all, the iPhone is about to become a dazzling hand-held game machine. The games revealed so far feature smooth 3-D graphics and tilt control; in one driving simulator, you turn the iPhone itself like a steering wheel, and your 3-D car on the screen banks accordingly. Other games exploit the multitouch screen, so you and a buddy can sit at opposite ends of the screen and fire at each other.

In short, the iPhone is about to become much more than a phone. And here’s the best part: the App Store is also available to the original iPhones and the iPod Touch.

So the iPhone 3G is a nice upgrade. It more than keeps pace with advancing technology, and new buyers will generally be delighted.

But it’s not so much better that it turns all those original iPhones into has-beens. Indeed, the really big deal is the iPhone 2.0 software and the App Store, neither of which requires buying a new iPhone. That twist may come as a refreshing surprise to planned-obsolescence conspiracy theorists — and everyone who stood in line last year.

E-mail: pogue@nytimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/technology/personaltech/09pogue.html?pagewanted=all

weatherproofing.

without that, i'd have to change jobs if i plan to get one.

I like this idea... water resistant / shock resistant :) Just like my Nokia 5140... perfect for dive trips.

Mossberg Review: Newer, Faster, Cheaper iPhone 3G
Software and Online Store
Will Widen Its Versatility,
But There Are Hidden Costs

The Wall St Journal
July 9, 2008; Page D1

Apple Inc.'s iPhone has been the world's most influential smart phone since its debut a year ago, widely hailed for its beauty and functionality. It was a true hand-held computer that raised the bar for all its competitors. But that first iPhone had two big drawbacks: It was expensive, and it couldn't access the fastest cellular-phone networks.

On Friday, Apple is launching a second-generation iPhone, called the iPhone 3G, which addresses both of those problems, while retaining the look and feel of the first model's hardware and software.

The base version of the new iPhone costs $199 -- half the $399 price of its predecessor; the higher-capacity version is now $299, down from $499. Yet, this new iPhone is much, much faster at fetching data over cellphone networks because it uses a speedy cellular technology called 3G. And it now sports a GPS chip for better location sensing.

The company also is rolling out the second generation of its iPhone operating system, with some nice new features, including wireless synchronization with corporate email, calendars and address books. And there's a new online store for third-party iPhone programs that Apple hopes will make the device usable for a wider variety of tasks, including gaming and productivity applications. This new software and store will also be available on older iPhones, through a free upgrade.

I've been testing the iPhone 3G for a couple of weeks, and have found that it mostly keeps its promises. In particular, I found that doing email and surfing the Internet typically was between three and five times as fast using AT&T's 3G network as it was with the older AT&T network to which the first iPhone was limited.

The iPhone 3G is hardly the first phone to run on 3G networks, and it still costs more than some of its competitors. But overall, I found it to be a more capable version of an already excellent device. And now that it's open to third-party programs, the iPhone has a chance to become a true computing platform with wide versatility.

There are two big hidden costs to the new iPhone's faster speed and lower price tag. First, in my tests, the iPhone 3G's battery was drained much more quickly in a typical day of use than the battery on the original iPhone, due to the higher power demands of 3G networks. This is an especially significant problem because, unlike most other smart phones, the iPhone has a sealed battery that can't be replaced with a spare.

Second, Apple's exclusive carrier in the U.S., AT&T Inc., has effectively negated the iPhone's up-front price cut by jacking up its monthly fee for unlimited data use by $10. Over the course of the two-year contract you must sign to get the lower hardware prices, that adds $240, overwhelming the $200 savings on the phone itself. If you want text messaging, the cost rises further. With the first iPhone, 200 text messages a month came free. Now, 200 messages will cost $5 a month, or another $120 over the two-year contract.

The iPhone 3G still has a couple of features that made the first version unpalatable to some potential buyers. It uses a virtual on-screen keyboard instead of a physical one. While I find the virtual keyboard easy and accurate, not everyone does. Also, in the U.S. and in many other countries, the iPhone is still tied to a single exclusive carrier, whose coverage or rate plans may be unacceptable to some.

Here is a rundown of the changes in the new model.

Design: The new iPhone looks almost exactly like the old one. It is the same length and width, has the same big, vivid screen, and has the same number and layout of buttons. The main difference is the back, which is now plastic instead of mostly metal and curved instead of flat. It's very slightly thicker in the middle, with tapered edges, and weighs a tiny bit less.

Like its predecessor, the iPhone 3G comes in two models distinguished only by storage capacity: 8 gigabytes and 16 gigabytes. The top model is available in black or white.

Apple has greatly improved the audio on the new iPhone. I found the speaker was much louder, for music and for the speakerphone. But the new phone produced an echo when used with the built-in Bluetooth system in my car. Also, the headphone jack is now flush with the case instead of recessed as on the first model, so it can accept any standard stereo earphones.

The camera, however, is still bare-bones. It can't record video and has a resolution of just two megapixels. The power adapter is now tiny, at least in the U.S., but Apple no longer includes a dock for charging, just a cable.

Software: The basic software is similar. The biggest addition for some users will be full compatibility with Microsoft's widely used Exchange ActiveSync service, which many corporations use. In my tests, I was able to connect the iPhone 3G to my company's Exchange servers in a few minutes, and my corporate email, calendar and contacts were replicated on the phone. Any changes I made on the iPhone were reflected almost instantly in Microsoft Outlook on my company PC, and vice versa. Email was pushed to the phone as soon as it was received on the company's servers.

One drawback: While you can have both personal and Exchange email accounts on the new iPhone, if you synchronize with Exchange calendars and contacts, your personal calendar and contacts are erased.

The new iPhone and upgraded older iPhones also will be able to use a new Apple consumer service, MobileMe, which offers synchronized push email, calendars, photos and contacts.

There are other improvements. You can now delete multiple emails at once, set parental controls and search your contacts. You can also save photos in emails or from Web sites. You can also now open Microsoft PowerPoint files sent as attachments, though I found in my tests that opening larger PowerPoint files crashed the phone.

Some software features missing from the first iPhone are still AWOL on the new one. There's no copy and paste function, no universal search, no instant messaging and no MMS for sending photos quickly between phones.

Network: Like the old iPhone, the new one can perform Internet tasks using either Wi-Fi wireless networking or the cellphone networks. But the addition of 3G cellular capability makes the new model more useful for Web surfing, email and other data tasks when you're not in Wi-Fi range. In my tests, in Washington and New York, I got data speeds mostly ranging between 200 and 500 kilobits per second. By comparison, the original iPhone, tested in the same spots at the same time, mostly got cellular data speeds between 70 and 150 kbps on AT&T's old EDGE network. The new iPhone typically was between three and five times as fast as the old one.

While AT&T now has 3G networks in 280 U.S. cities, and aims to be in 350 by year end, it is converting its cellphone towers gradually, so not all areas of included cities have 3G coverage. The new iPhone falls back to EDGE speeds when 3G isn't present.

One side benefit to 3G is that in some areas, voice coverage improves. At my neighborhood shopping center, where the first iPhone got little or no AT&T service, the iPhone 3G registered strong coverage. But I still found that calls regularly broke up on some major streets. In New York City, riding in a taxi along the Hudson, one important call was dropped three times on the new iPhone. Finally, I borrowed a cheap Verizon phone and got perfect reception.

Battery life: Apple claims that over 3G, the new iPhone can get five hours of talk time, or five hours of Internet use. Talk time is twice as long on the older EDGE network, and Internet time is an hour better with Wi-Fi.

I ran my own battery tests using the phone's 3G capability. Although I left the Wi-Fi function on, I didn't connect it to a network, so the phone had to rely on 3G. In my test of voice calling, I got 4 hours and 27 minutes, short of Apple's maximum claim and nearly three hours less than what I recorded in the same test last year on the original iPhone. In my test of Internet use over 3G, I got 5 hours and 49 minutes, better than Apple's claim, but far short of the nine hours I got using Wi-Fi in last year's tests.

More important, in daily use, I found the battery indicator on the new 3G model slipping below 20% by early afternoon or midafternoon on some days, and it entirely ran out of juice on one day. I overcame this problem by learning to use Wi-Fi instead of 3G whenever possible, turning down the screen brightness and even turning off 3G altogether, which the phone permits.

The iPhone 3G's battery life is comparable to, or better than, that of some other 3G competitors. But they have replaceable batteries. The iPhone doesn't.

Third-party software: If things go as Apple hopes, third-party software could be the biggest attraction to the new iPhone 3G, and to upgraded older iPhones. By some estimates, there will be hundreds of these programs, some free and some paid, almost immediately.

Apple didn't supply me with programs for testing, but I managed to try several on older devices upgraded to the new operating system. I tested a game that used the phone's motion sensors to control the action, and I tested several programs from America Online, including AOL Instant Messenger; AOL Radio, which streams music from the Internet; and AOL's Truveo video search engine. All worked very well.

Among the programs Apple has publicly previewed were a sales automation program from Salesforce.com, a game called Super Monkey Ball from Sega and a program for bidding on eBay. Also made public were a news reader from the Associated Press, a program for following live games from Major League Baseball and several programs for doctors, including the Epocrates drug reference.

Bottom line: If you've been waiting to buy an iPhone until it dropped in price, or ran on faster cell networks, you might want to take the plunge, if you can live with the higher service costs and the weaker battery life. The same goes for those with existing iPhones who love the device but crave faster cellular data speeds. But if you already own an iPhone, and can usually use Wi-Fi for data, you probably should hold off and get the free software upgrade before deciding whether it's worth getting the new hardware.

Find all of Walt Mossberg's columns and videos online, free, at the All Things Digital Web site, walt.allthingsd.com. Email him at mossberg@wsj.com.

i'd like to do more with my bluetooth

- send/receive contacts, vCal
- pair with other devices

i think it'd be cool if the iphone had a front cam.. for skype.. ichat.. and photobooth of course Ü
hoping iphone will have this.....using wifi

send and receive contacts and sms forwarding are the priorities for me.

one day to wait

send and receive contacts and sms forwarding are the priorities for me.

You want these built in? SMS forwarding and sending contacts can already be done through SMSD.

Receiving business cards is still an issue for me, although, I might not updated on new developments.

10 things we'd change on the 3G iPhone

Listen up Steve…

By Natasha Lomas (editorial@silicon.com)
Published: 14 July (http://www.silicon.com/archive/14-Jul-2008.htm)2008 (http://www.silicon.com/archive/#year2008) 14:48 BST

There's plenty that's great about the new iPhone, says Natasha Lomas. But that doesn't mean there aren't a few things for Apple to think about for the next time round.

The 3G iPhone has finally arrived (http://networks.silicon.com/mobile/0,39024665,39258576,00.htm) - a year and a half after CEO Steve Jobs first confirmed rumours Apple would indeed be making one of those fancy mobile phone things (http://networks.silicon.com/mobile/0,39024665,39165049,00.htm).

Since then many iPhone clones have been born - many with fleeting lives - and the mobile industry has done a whole lot of waking up and smelling of coffee.

But we're not about to sit here going gaga over the gadget, sleek though it may be. There are plenty of functions and features where we feel Apple could up its game - so here are 10 things we'd like to change about the 3G iPhone…

1. No keyboard…
The touchscreen is certainly the best on the market but it's never going to be everyone's bag, certainly not if you are a touch-typist. Plenty of mobile bloggers out there would jump at the chance to pair some kind of Bluetooth keyboard (foldable and/or otherwise) with their iPhone.

2. The camera needs more megapixels…
2.0 megapixels is cameraphone 1.0 when you consider there are mobiles out there that are pushing eight megapixels now. And while we don't expect Apple to stretch itself that much we'd like at least three megapixels - and a better lens please.

The camera also has no flash, so photography in low-light conditions is a no-no.

3. Still no cut and paste…
We're children of the internet and life without cut and paste is like living with one arm tied behind the back - especially when it comes to swapping the web's official currency: URLs. Apple is reportedly 'working on the issue' - but it hasn't delivered yet.

4. You can't use the 3G iPhone as a modem…
In an age of miniature laptops (http://www.silicon.com/research/specialreports/travel/0,3800011481,39241253,00.htm) and mobile working in the unlikeliest of places (http://networks.silicon.com/mobile/0,39024665,39256344,00.htm) we think this is a crying shame - and an opportunity missed.

5. SMS/MMS…
Clunky texting is a frequent gripe with the iPhone: one person who was planning on buying Apple but has gone for the Samsung Tocco instead, points out: "For those who text a lot, the iPhone does not really stand out as a suitable option."

So a better text client is on our wish list - "designed by a European instead of a backward US perspective", in the words of silicon.com columnist Peter Cochrane.

Being able to use a wider version of the virtual keyboard - by turning the phone on its side - would also improve the texting experience, yet this is not currently possible. You can use the wider keyboard when web browsing but not, bizarrely, when texting. The phone also does not do MMS - so double thumbs down on the messaging front.

6. Where's the video record?…
With such a nice screen it's a crying shame the iPhone can only be used to watch videos not to record them too. This is the age of user-generated content, you know.

7. Non-removable battery…
We're not happy the battery is welded into the iPhone and can only be removed by qualified Apple engineers at remote locations - and, when out of warranty, for a fee. Not least because it would be nice to be able to carry a spare in case we run out of juice in the middle of watching Lego Star Wars videos on YouTube.

8. No pay-as-you-go iPhone - yet…
It is on the way but we can't get it yet - and may well have to wait until Christmas - Christmas!. We also don't know how much it will cost. And considering the iPhone pay-monthly tariffs are still on the steep side - £30 is the entry-level consumer plan - and the phone is only available from one UK operator, it would be nice to have another way to be an iPhone owner.

9. No built-in VoIP client…
Getting voice over IP calls to work on iPhone 1.0 has been a story of messy workarounds, complicated bypasses and remote use of third-party VoIP clients running on a PC. Not ideal. Face it Steve, people want to use VoIP and trying to stop them is a pain.

10. Give us more colours - and more storage…
It's back to black for the 8GB iPhone - with the addition of white to the range for those shelling out for 16GBs. No green, blue or red to jazz up our mobile computing experience. No pink either - so presumably Apple is not interested in selling to women . But we suppose Steve needs to have something up his sleeve to brighten his keynote at the next Macworld.

And while we're at it, there's a 32GB iPod Touch but only 8GB and 16GB iPhones... Where's the super-sized 32GB iPhone?

http://networks.silicon.com/mobile/0,39024665,39258577,00.htm?r=1

Why do you think it wasn't included?

could it be that it (flash) is another battery-draining feature?

me? I'd settle for bluetooth that's a2dp (to pair with wireless
stereo headsets), a pilot light on top of the unit that flashes
when you have a missed call or an unread SMS/mms/email,
and a much longer battery life! (or a user replaceable
battery).

You want these built in? SMS forwarding and sending contacts can already be done through SMSD.

Receiving business cards is still an issue for me, although, I might not updated on new developments.

no business cards yet. so I always ask the sender to send contact details via text.

hoping iphone will have this.....using wifi

if you're desperate, use skype then videotalk.......in front of a mirror.
not an elegant solution but a useable one I think....

An Apple executive shed some light on some of the iPhone 3G's missing features, saying that "copy-and-paste" and a more advanced GPS application may well be on the way...

Link here (http://www.macworld.co.uk/ipod-itunes/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=22037) but full text of the report follows...

Apple has clarified some outstanding questions as regards the feature-set of the iPhone.

The company's head of iPod and iPhone marketing, Greg Joswiak told Extreme Tech that cut-&-paste isn't yet supported in the mobile because Apple just wasn't able to accomplish it in time for release, the company "judged other things to be more important".


Joswiak also denied claims the GPS unit used in the iPhone 3G isn't capable of delivering driving directions, the product chief explained some complex issues to be holding up development of driving control applications, observing: "It will evolve. I think our developers will amaze us."

Finally, Joswiak had little to say as to any plans for any third party developer to introduce an Office suite for the iPhone, but did point out that lack of a cross-application file structure on iPhone could bedevil development of such solutions.

even bigger screen.

it's a long shot but hey, that could ease the typing a little bit

even bigger screen.

it's a long shot but hey, that could ease the typing a little bit

a bigger screen means a bigger footprint for the iPhone?? That would make it ugly imho.

wouldn't it be better if we can type our SMS in landscape mode?

In landscape mode, the keys are more widely spaced, affording the fat-fingered
iphoneusers a more accurate input. also, why not zoom for sms for visually
challenged iphone users. I have NO IDEA why apple did not do that.

a bigger screen means a bigger footprint for the iPhone?? That would make it ugly imho.

wouldn't it be better if we can type our SMS in landscape mode?

In landscape mode, the keys are more widely spaced, affording the fat-fingered
iphoneusers a more accurate input. also, why not zoom for sms for visually
challenged iphone users. I have NO IDEA why apple did not do that.

i agree with you, it would have been sooooo much better if we can type in landscape mode, the phone would be bigger and the letters well spaced..so much comfortable and accurate.

Fans drool over iPhone, but ask for more
By Sinead Carew
Thu Jul 17, 2008 5:04pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Enthusiastic new iPhone owners are starting to sound like the cast of long-running stage musical: "I Love you, You're Perfect, Now Change."

Only days after snapping up the latest iPhone, they still glow over their purchase -- but already are brainstorming ideas Steve Jobs could use for Apple Inc's next iPhone.

In comparison to last year's model, the latest iPhone's snappier Web speeds, better sound quality, location-aware navigation, and third-party application store left new owners with no doubts that waiting in line for hours was worth it.

But even the happiest among them offered tips for improvements for the iPhone -- at heart a powerful computer and communications device -- as well as reasons why it won't completely replace other gear such as BlackBerrys or laptops.

Some of the gripes appeared easy to fix, while others may take a bit more work by Apple engineers.

A common one was about the inability to copy and paste text on the iPhone. Users of the Research in Motion BlackBerry or Palm Inc's Treo can easily copy numbers or text from an e-mail and send them to a friend on the go.

"I'm still very confused why they don't let you copy and paste on the phone," said Nick Divers, 22, of New York, an aspiring filmmaker who traded his Treo for an iPhone. "I've upgraded to a better product that can't do one simple thing."

Shervin Pishevar, 34, head of Social Gaming Network, said the lack of copy and paste was a reason why he stopped using the first iPhone about three months after he bought it.

Still, Pishevar and his son camped out in Palo Alto, California, to buy the new iPhone. He lauded new applications from the "silly" PhoneSaber, which mimics the sound of a "Star Wars" light saber when the iPhone is waved around, to the "inspirational" Star Finder that shows information on the night sky, depending on the user's location.

But Pishevar's got a new pet peeve. While Apple's iTunes pauses a song during a call and starts playing where it left off afterward, third-party applications such as Pandora's music service quit when Pishevar used other iPhone features.

"Applications should not stop working when you go away," he said. "For a game, you shouldn't lose where you are."

WHERE'S THE VIDEO?
Rob Biederman, 21, who works at an investment bank, gave up his BlackBerry for an iPhone, but was upset to find he could only buy songs from iTunes when his device is linked to Wi-Fi -- short-range wireless networks found in places like cafes.

"That was a big disappointment because I expected to be able to download songs from iTunes," said Biederman, who wants to be able to buy new music right after a cool new song catches his attention in a shop or on the street.

Many other phones sold by U.S. iPhone provider AT&T Inc and its rivals Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel can downloads music from other music services over cell links.

Ben Gersch, 31, loves his new iPhone but was disappointed that it lacks the ability to record video or the option to turn the camera to the front for video conferencing.

"Looking right at the phone and talking to people would be interesting," said the New York-based portrait painter. "The technology is there. It's an easy jump."

Rival phones from Nokia, Samsung Electronics Co, Motorola Inc and LG Electronics record video. AT&T has a video share service where customers can transmit video live to compatible phones, but it does not have two-way video conferencing.

Apple did not reply to e-mails or calls requesting comment.

Keith White, an entertainment lawyer who manages singer-songwriter Wynter Gordon, bought his iPhone for its media features. He has used it to play music files and approve a segment sent from the recording studio while he was in his car.

But White is keeping his BlackBerry -- he uses its keypad to type long e-mails rather than the iPhone's "virtual touchscreen" keyboard. Moreover, he prefers his laptop's Web browsing speed over that of the iPhone.

"It's obviously not going to be fiber-optic fast," he said. "If I have my laptop that would be my first choice."

http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN1741863720080717?pageNumber=3&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true

should have a bigger memory like 32gb or 64gb coz am fan of video recording... =)

camera with autofocus at least 5 megapixels, stereo speakers, front camera for video conferencing,and above all.. Solarcells underneath its 3.5" screen..
sms forwarding,mms,copy and paste- i think it will be available on the next firmware upgrade.. 2.0 palang yan! One thing pa pla, when you turn your iphone in orientation mode ( or landscape mode) all icons @ the bottom..- macbook style!

to loko_loko, if it will be available in the app store, it's still a dissappointment, as elbert said its basic, so im hoping that the features come right out of the box. *sigh* apple talaga


hehehe sir pero sige padin kayo buy apple products

should have a bigger memory like 32gb or 64gb coz am fan of video recording... =)

It's going to happen when prices fall down & be more profitable (for Apple to eventually mass produce). ;)

Besides it's part of the incremental upgrade plan, so it's really inevitable & I'm waiting for that to occur as well. :cool:

My other favorite missing iPhone feature would be bluetooth pairing w/a portable bluetooth keyboard.

Since the iPhone does have bluetooth already (but it's use isn't fully maximized just yet), why not just make it work (as an alternative) w/existing 3rd party portable bluetooth keyboards that's already available in the market, or just create an Apple bluetooth portable keyboard (if they don't want 3rd party support) instead.

This would at least give others (i.e. Palm users & other PDA users that switched to the iPhone recently) to at least have the opportunity to do something more productive w/the iPhone.

The iPhone was quite probably the most desirable gadget when it launched but to me it's funny that a lot of Pinoys find enough reason not to want one just because "it's so hard to use for texting".

I finally got mine just this January (which seemed like an eternity since I'm the biggest Apple products fan in my family, and friends have been showing off their iPhones for months now) as a replacement to my aging Treo. I love it and the kids love borrowing it just to play with all the free games I've downloaded from the App Store. But somehow, I really, really still miss my Treo... The last firmware update fell a bit short of expectations - here's hoping the next one would be a bit more substantial....

Ok, so I wish my iphone could...

1. Have a better To-Do list. Sure, the iTunes App Store has thousands of apps but I just need decent, basic smartphone features to begin with! Give me a decent to-do list with categories! It came standard on my other smartphone, why do I have to buy one for 9.99?!

2. have a more accurate keypad. A tactile, slide-out / flip-out keypad is probably wishful thinking because Apple wants us to get used to the touchscreen. (remember how we still wanted a floppy drive on the then-new iMac G3?) Fine, but I still need a better way to SMS.

3. take better pictures. 2MP camera? Yech...

4. have Message forwarding and Copy-Paste

5. Auto import the Notes / Comments I had with my previous contacts (doctor's schedules, business hours, price of products someone is selling...)

6. have categories for Notes

7. answer me when I call out its name hehe so I wouldn't have to use my landline to make it ring whenever I misplace it. Or did someone already come up with a program in the App Store?

8. display the company name or some other data if my contact entry only has a first name. Unfortunately, I have several old duplicate 'Paul', 'Rey' and 'Tina' entries.

9. allow me to search my contacts without having to scroll. After all, typing 'D-Y' is faster than scrolling from 'Da..' right?

...be cheaper. so that I can get one. hahaha!

I think everything is fine with iPhone except the most coveted copy-paste and sms forwarding function.

8. display the company name or some other data if my contact entry only has a first name. Unfortunately, I have several old duplicate 'Paul', 'Rey' and 'Tina' entries.

Can we not do this already with the current iPhone?

Adding labels to a contact (e.g. company name, position..)

I don't know but this is not a problem to me.
It's just a matter of detailed description for your contacts. :rolleyes:

Congratulations with your new toy nre!

I always encounter people being apprehensive typing on the iPhone's touch screen, they want to buy one but they are afraid that they will always mess up typing on it.

There are 2 useful tips that I always give out to new users of the iPhone:

1. You don't have to tap dead center on the letters, tapping on the lower part of the letter does the trick, this way you can see which letter you're tapping into. Apple was very smart in designing this if you ask me.

2. When I'm walking or at a stop light, what I usually do is to tap and hold my finger on the screen, this way I can just slide my finger or thumb to the next correct letter that I'm aiming at.

I'm sure that after some time you will be an expert on typing on your iPhone.

Hope this helps. :-)

PS. I'm also frustrated at Apple for not listening to the clamor of its customers.

all i'm clamoring for is badge numbering for my notes in the Notes app. why aren't there anyway? fufufu.

9. allow me to search my contacts without having to scroll. After all, typing 'D-Y' is faster than scrolling from 'Da..' right?

But you can do this. tap on contacts, put your finger on the right side of the screen and scroll to the very top to see the search box. I'm suprised a lot of people don't know this.

edit: ah ok, I get what you mean. Like searching in Treo

But coming from a Treo 680, I have to say the iPhone searching is far better. With the Treo, although you can get to a contact by typing the the initial of the first and last name, if you're looking for a company name, there are instances where it doesn't come out and have to resort to using the find command

I hope with the next firmware, they finally have copy/paste across all apps and landscape keyboard for sms, and sms forwarding. that pretty much sums up my wish list

After about a month of making my iPhone as my main phone, I can say that I've gotten pretty good at typing. I thought I would miss my Treo's keyboard, but I don't.

I've merged this thread with a previous one with the same subject.

I also renamed the thread title since the word 'wish' is omitted during searches. I know, 'wishlist' is not a word, but how else will we be able to find this thread again?

i wish for an inter-changeable keyboard / generic phone keypad

I've merged this thread with a previous one with the same subject.

I also renamed the thread title since the word 'wish' is omitted during searches. I know, 'wishlist' is not a word, but how else will we be able to find this thread again?


Ah, here we go... yes I made an initial attempt to search for a similar thread before posting mine. My bad I couldn't get myself to really look through all the older pages / different search parameter. Thanks!

smaller size.... iPhone nano :) i wish it becomes a reality soon :)

I've merged this thread with a previous one with the same subject.

I also renamed the thread title since the word 'wish' is omitted during searches. I know, 'wishlist' is not a word, but how else will we be able to find this thread again?

its ok sir elbert :) hopefully this time apple will hear us..

my wishlist:

1. sms forwarding
2. video recording
3. voice generated call
4. mms
5. finger scan unlocking
6. video call
7. I wish I could just dictate my messages and iPhone will just type it for me then I will just click send :cool: