Lets not pre-judge the device. It will be different from the iPhone, and the difference might not be bad.

The iPhone, with all of its wonderful interface, is a thin-client phone. With no network connection, the iPhone is a iTouch unless you have hacked the device.

My OLD treo 650 can look up numbers, dial them when displayed on the screen, and is still useful with NO network–apps run ON the phone, not ON the network.

Now, the iPhone is a phem. device. It does what it does well. To say it started all of the “touch” fad is wrong–see Treo. To say it bundled everything in a nice GUI and “intuitive” controls may be correct.

I had one. I like it for what it was, but it was not enough for me. Most of these “opinions” are based on SUBJECTIVE issues. They are, after all, opinions. You don’t have to agree with me, and I don’t think you can change my mind either :)

I travel in areas without GSM coverage. Go 2 days with no network with your iPhone. Will you still find it as “useful” as you do now?

I want a smartphone that runs apps ON the phone rather than on the network. No thin-client phone for me..

Pinch feature aside, the touch screen of the iPhone surpasses all others and is far more responsive. Every other touch screen on ALL Windows mobile type phones, and on the Voyager cannot compare. They do not recognize multiple touches, AND, if if you put too much surface area on the screen at once it does not recognize, or recognize accurately. That is why most people end up using their fingernail or a stylus. The iPhone is perfect in that it recognizes exactly where you touch and is predictably so. I don’t have to worry about putting too much surface area on the screen, and definitely don’t have to use my fingernail or stylus to be accurate with it.

AND, the screen on the iPhone is not soft like everywhere else … it is actually rigid glass, which gives a better feel and lasts longer resisting more scratches. Like the iPhone or hate it, they are the only ones that have done touch screens right, and will be the one people compare other touch screens against. The problem is, nothing else compares yet.

The phones are comparable but not the same, both have pros and cons no one is perfect.

note to self, refrain from comparing any other phone to the iPhone

Yes

“Does anyone have a better way to zoom in?”

Yes, any that works. With the iPhone you frequently have to try multiple times to do it at all, and when you are successful you have no idea how much or little you will get. It’s crap.

“Look at Palm and windows CE/Pocket/whatever version it is at now, their way of doing it is slow and isn’t as fast.”

It’s “slow and isn’t as fast”?

Their way of “doing it”? Thanks for the breakdown ;-)

“Unless this LG does that well, it won’t be the same.”

If LG does it well, it will be better.

“Sorry but the reason iPod is king is because the scroll wheel can’t be beat for the average consumer.”

Then why have they abandoned it on their flagship versions?

“There are better mp3 players out there but the interface is easy to use.”

Apple myth.

“I have professors and people who aren’t tech savy using the iphone and most of the features compared to their PDA or cell phones.”

As long as they don’t look too closely. It takes no effort to enumerate the shortcomings of the iPhone compared to true smartphones.

“I cut my teeth on PC and manage a large scale windows 2k3 network but like derek said, I never had to help my users sync or manage their iphone versus PDAs, blackberries, and junk tech.”

That explains your ignorance. You’re an IT guy and a student.

Why does Apple have to devote so much of its “Genius Bar” time to iPod training if users don’t need to be taught how it works?[/quote]
Have you ever even used an iPhone?

You can argue point by point if you wish, but the most important factor is perception. I perceive my iPhone to be the best integrated phone software and hardware since my Sidekick II. iPhone doesn’t have a wealth of features, but in true Apple style, what it does it does well. What makes iPhone one of the most desired gadgets/phones is not only the hardware and software, but marketing and hype. I doubt we’ll see LG beat Apple in the perception game even IF the hardware or software is even close.

The pinch-and-zoom is a neat way to get a close-up view of what you’re looking at. You certainly don’t have to use that at all (a double-tap of the screen will zoom in as well), but its certainly a creative use of the multi-touch technology and will enable some really interesting new ways to manipulate on screen objects. It doesn’t sound like you’ve ever demoed the iPhone at all the way you talk about pinch-and-zoom not working. The iPhone has a finite zoom level, so pinching-and-zooming will get you to that level, and it goes as fast or slow as you want. Pinch and move your fingers out fast and it does it fast, or pinch and move them slow and it does it slow. What was your problem using it? Works 100% of the time when I use it.

Seriously, go out and use one. You’ll be surprised.

on a side not, if you are defending your choice in phone like someone insulted your mom, or religion. you might need to examine your priorities in life

Yes

“Does anyone have a better way to zoom in?”

Yes, any that works. With the iPhone you frequently have to try multiple times to do it at all, and when you are successful you have no idea how much or little you will get. It’s crap.

“Look at Palm and windows CE/Pocket/whatever version it is at now, their way of doing it is slow and isn’t as fast.”

It’s “slow and isn’t as fast”? Their way of “doing it”? Thanks for the breakdown ;-)

“Unless this LG does that well, it won’t be the same.”

If LG does it well, it will be better.

“Sorry but the reason iPod is king is because the scroll wheel can’t be beat for the average consumer.”

Then why have they abandoned it on their flagship versions?

“There are better mp3 players out there but the interface is easy to use.”

Apple myth.

“I have professors and people who aren’t tech savy using the iphone and most of the features compared to their PDA or cell phones.”

As long as they don’t look too closely. It takes no effort to enumerate the shortcomings of the iPhone compared to true smartphones.

“I cut my teeth on PC and manage a large scale windows 2k3 network but like derek said, I never had to help my users sync or manage their iphone versus PDAs, blackberries, and junk tech.”

That explains your ignorance. You’re an IT guy and a student.

Why does Apple have to devote so much of its “Genius Bar” time to iPod training if users don’t need to be taught how it works?

I disagree. The reason Apple won was that it was a major name in an emerging market filled with 2nd tier companies much the same as IBM won with the PC. With the iPhone, Apple is not in that position.

“Apple’s hardware is okay, but its software is unparalleled.
Unless LG, or Nokia, or whoever wants to get into really *designing* software, none of their phones will be *real* competitors for the iPhone.
Phones are 50% form, and 50% software.”

I agree with that, but some phones have underlying software that is likely the equal or superior of OS X for the job at hand. The problem is that phone makers do a terrible job with stability and UI. Frankly, the iPhone isn’t stable either. The iPhone has a nice screen, a nice form factor, the best soft keyboard ever (but still not as good as the real thing), and mediocre software that’s better than competitive phones. It could easily be rendered obsolete.

“Even if people can copy the look of iPhone, it will, as Apple has said, take them at least 5 years to copy the software the iPhone is running today.”

I disagree with that. The iPhone apps could be duplicated in virtually no time. Mail sucks, the SMS app is a poor ripoff of existing SMS apps, there’s no IM, no MMS, no special web browser. The remaining widgets are a joke except for the one developed by 3rd parties. Frankly, duplicating the iPhone software would be relatively easy. It didn’t take “5 years” for Apple to do it in the first place.

“In the meantime, iPhone will be continuously upgrading its software, making it better and better.”

Right. ;-) We’ve seen evidence of continuous updates but none making it better and better.

“Good luck catching up.”

Same could be said to Apple. Now that Apple has “upgraded” us with the ability to buy crap from their store and have us pay $2 for the world’s crappiest quality ringtones, perhaps they could get busy “catching up” and offer us an IM app. If Steve Jobs had actually ever used a cellphone before he “reinvented” it for us, he’d realize that people don’t use email exclusively, they like SMS, MMS, and IM as much if not more. How about letting us choose our main screen apps and offer innovative companies a chance to compete on the platform. Apple doesn’t allow 3rd party apps because it’s afraid of the competition and wants all the profits for themselves. Apple is the one that has the catching up to do.

I cut my teeth on PC and manage a large scale windows 2k3 network but like derek said, I never had to help my users sync or manage their iphone versus PDAs, blackberries, and junk tech. By being transparent, Apple doesn’t bother me to get on my disapprove list and I won’t bother them…

Seriously, Apple’s software is it’s weakest point, by far. I think what you mean is that it streamlines simple stuff for “stupid” people assuming that most people can screw up an upgrade etc. The software itself is generally buggy, flawed, inconsistant, or just plain bad.

Their UIs are pretty nice though. Most people equate software with interface, and as a software developer nothing could be further from the truth.

Don’t be so quick to judge. The iPhone’s implementation lacks scroll bars but it sacrifices the ability to implement drag and drop, cut and paste, etc. It’s easy to be elegant when you don’t get much right. The fact that Apple claims it’s a real web experience is a joke. The configuration page on my personal home page doesn’t even work.

Just because Apple does it different doesn’t mean they do it better. The iPhone’s scroll solution is backwards from every web browser ever made.

“Or the egregious waste of space in the Dashboard (or whatever it’s called).”

Like the iPhone doesn’t do exactly the same. You don’t know the screen dimensions on this devices or what it’s state of development is.

“The interface doesn’t look polished.”

“That’s not to say the phone wouldn’t do well; most users aren’t sophisticated enough to appreciate the difference.”

After all, the iPhone has done well for exactly that reason.

“But I would guess anyone who’s actually handled an iPhone, and then used this, would find the difference significant.”

How would you know? This phone doesn’t even exist.

Nice to see you’ve passed judgement on a device that you know nothing about. If only “thoughtful interface” extended to fanboys.

And finally:

“we’ll need to see screenshots of multi-touch…”

What is a screenshot of multitouch? Do you mean the pinch zoom feature? That’s that crappiest, most poorly functioning feature of the entire device. If only Apple didn’t rely on such gimmicks.

That’s not to say the phone wouldn’t do well; most users aren’t sophisticated enough to appreciate the difference. But I would guess anyone who’s actually handled an iPhone, and then used this, would find the difference significant.

we’ll need to see screenshots of multi-touch, music/video functionality, visual voicemail, automatic screen orientation, youtube, and wifi before those kinds of claims can be made

Wayne Bienek
http://www.humblebrain.com (Podcast)