Archive for January, 2007
Apple Limited
Well the smoke has cleared and a day on more details have emerged regarding the iPhone.
Firstly its a closed platform like the iPod. I never really understood the rationale behind preventing third party development and making the iPod a closed platform and this makes even less sense on the phone where people are used to adding functionality to smartphones, its the reason they are smart replacements for normal phones, they do more and are extensible.
I hope they rethink this, at least for widgets.
Incidently did you notice there’s space for at least five more widgets on the home page?
Included widgets/applications:
- Text (SMS)
- Calendar
- Photos
- Camera
- Calculator
- Stocks
- Maps
- Weather
- Notes
- Clock
- Settings
Apparently EDGE is slllloooooww
The screen is made of the same polycarbonate that the ipod is made from. Not good, in a pocket with keys or change or anywhere really because the screen stands proud of the unit (i.e. there’s no border to protect it so don’t put it face down on the table either ) its going to get scratched to hell, do they remember the Nano debacle and lawsuits? Also chances are that because of the touch screen layer, you can’t put a screen protector on there either. IMHO it should be a mineral glass to stand any chance, especially on a device this expensive.
Syncing only via the docking connector and a Mac or PC. This is not a device that will run independently of a computer, it is a computer peripheral that also makes phone calls via GSM. That may be why the radio data facilities are less than adequate. It can’t even sync over WiFi.
Conclusion:
There’s loads more but I can’t be arsed frankly.
I am even less enthusiastic about the iPhone today than on launch day. IMHO its too expensive and artificially limited by the company’s control-freak paranoia. It will of course be successful in today’s style over content world, Apple have a midas touch with the iPod and are betting the farm on the phone.
I seem to remember that in the popular version of the myth, things didn’t go that well for King Midas in the long term, lets hope for all our sakes that our fruit company doesn’t suffer a similar fate.
So I’ll be ordering a…..
Blackberry Pearl then!
The iPhone was launched yesterday putting an end to the speculation and arguing.
Its a great looking little thing and I recommend anyone to go over to Apple.com just to watch the movies. Its very cool.
So why the Blackberry then?
A number of reasons; immediacy – I can’t wait another 10 months for the iPhone to reach the UK, Price – like it or not, despite the 2:1 currency conversion rate to the US, Apple products translate at more like 1.5:1 and that means the device is going to cost at least £600 off contract, first generation – never buy a 1.0 from anyone, GSM+EDGE – WTF no 3G?.
There’s much to like about the user interface, the fact that it runs OS X is fantastic. Lots of details missing however like what processor does it use? Is there an extension to XCode for development of new applications, is there a file manager?, what happens when the battery runs out – is there a sleep/hibernate mode?
Speaking of batteries, the one on the iPhone is fixed like the iPod. Better hope those external iPod battery packs work with the device, although that said I have never (well not since the Motorola 8500) had to change the battery on any of my mobiles and do not carry a spare – even the XDA.
So I now have to find the £200 for a pearl on 12Months contract and will await V2 with 3G and a potentially more stable and mature phone OSX
Twas the night before Macworld
‘Twas the night before MacWorld, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a Mighty Mouse;
The tickets were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Jobsey soon would be there;
The techies were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of iPhones danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap,
When out of the keynote there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the sofa to see what was the matter.
Away to the Macintosh I flew like a flash,
Tore open the Safari and threw up the cache.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen show
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature Macintosh, and eight tiny iPods here,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Jobs with a (memory) stick.
More rapid than eagles his courtiers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
“Now, Shiller! now, Ives! now, Campbell (the Vixen!)
On, York! on Gore! on, Schmidt and Levinson!
To the top of the Porche! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the courtiers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Jobsey too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little proof.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Jobsey came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, (artificial of course)
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of gadgets he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes — how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe* he held tight in his teeth, (* from an expensive bottle of french mineral water)
And the reality it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had something to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned into a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the Moscone he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Macworld to all, and to all there’s Just one more thing……..”, its only right.
Mini Ian
Ian tells me that at about 18:30 yesterday (7/1/7) Baby Steven was born weighing 9lb and healthy after putting his mum through (what sounds like) 18hrs of labour hell (corrected from 30-B).
Well done to Tara and Ian and our sincerest congratulations to them both.
My kids were never that small! I only remember them with size 4 feet and above.
Silver lining (from a nuclear reactor)
The Apple Phone rumour mill describes it as being made of Zirconium, I have only ever seen this material (the cubic variety) in cheap jewelry so I don’t know what that will be like.
WikiPedia describes the material as ” a chemical element in the modern periodic table that is assigned the symbol Zr and has the atomic number 40. A lustrous gray-white, strong transition metal that resembles titanium, zirconium is obtained chiefly from zircon and is very corrosion resistant. Zirconium is primarily used in nuclear reactors due to its resistance to corrosion and low neutron cross-section.
Notable characteristics:
It is a grayish-white metal, lustrous and exceptionally corrosion resistant. Zirconium is lighter than steel and its hardness is similar to copper. When it is finely divided, the metal can spontaneously ignite in air, especially at high temperatures (it is much more difficult to ignite the solid metal). Zirconium zinc aloy becomes magnetic at temperatures below 35 K. Oxidation state of zirconium is usually +4, although +3 and +2 can also be obtained. Zirconium is an element.”
Los Alamos Labs also say:
“Uses
It is used extensively by the chemical industry where corrosive agents are employed. Zirconium is used as a getter in vacuum tubes, as an alloying agent in steel, in surgical appliances, photoflash bulbs, explosive primers, rayon spinnerets, lamp filaments, etc. It is used in poison ivy lotions in the form of the carbonate as it combines with urushiol. With niobium, zirconium is superconductive at low temperatures and is used to make superconductive magnets, which offer hope of direct large-scale generation of electric power. Zirconium oxide (zircon) has a high index of refraction and is used as a gem material. The impure oxide, zirconia, is used for laboratory crucibles that will withstand heat shock, for linings of metallurgical furnaces, and by the glass and ceramic industries as a refractory material. Its use as a refractory material accounts for a large share of all zirconium consumed.
Cost:
Zirconium of about 99.6% purity is available at a cost of about $150/kg.”
I think it is more likely that an alloy of Zironium will be used if any, for example Zalium which in the past has been made into watches and other trinkets.
I am curious to know what manufacturing process they will use however as, Zalium at least, has to be machined from a solid block.
Zirconium is very reaticve and spontaneously combusts when in sufficiently small particles.
Hmm radiation transparent, self combusting – I want to put thing near my ear because?
All over but the..
Well that’s Xmas over.
The old addage about time flying is quite accurate. I am sitting at my desk at work feeling like I have never left.
The Holiday was largely successful, the sproglets recieved most if not all their requested trinkets from the Jolly fat guy with a beard (do they mean me?). The two meals we cooked for the family to enjoy were delicious thanks to wifeys superiour culinary skills and a good time was had by all.
Personally, I ate far too much, exercised far too little and managed to achieve not one of the tasks I set myself for the weeks holiday. This is perhaps why the holiday has left me feeling a little unfulfilled. My loft work room is still as untidy as ever and needs to be gutted over a weekend at least. The garage doubly so. My server isn’t up and although my Dad has his new sparkling iMac which I lovingly crafted the loadset for, we still are not able to video conference because his service provider is unwilling to participate in the process.
I have a seemingly endless list of to-do’s and want’s but not the energy, time or money, all required before the items are ticked off the list.
The wait for the Apple Phone thing is also depressing me a little. Stuck with this PoS XDA IIi, I am desperate for a new phone. All the time I see the endless speculation on the blog sphere by monkeys who know less than I do about the subject (I know nothing by the way), rattling on about “its going to cost this much”, “they are doing a deal with this provider” and there is nothing from Apple, announce for goodness sake and I can get on with planning my purchases.
Roll on the Keynote. I suspect they won’t announce anything at MWSF and it will be a special event for later in the month/quarter. It really sucks.
If there is nothing at MWSF then I am ordering a new phone regardless, either a Nokia E61 or a crackberry pearl. I can’t wait any longer. I am leaning toward the pearl now. Althogh theres no WiFi, I rarely use it on my XDA, in part due to battery issues and also because I don’t need it.
The pearl looks very nice and feels good in the hand, you know, it feels right. The iPod has that feel too. the tactile experience that makes you go “oooh, want one of these..”, I didn’t get that from the E61 it just felt like a lump of plastic.