Quotes: iPhone/iPod Touch Owners

Idling on the iPhone

Which cites a study here that — why is there any surprise? — people actually do more with their iPhones than any other smartphone.

Oh noes!! How can that be?

I have an expert who came right to this blog and authoritatively stated:

I’m tellin’ you, open source mobile devices are the wave of the future, not closed ones, especially not closed ones apparently designed around the philosophy that, in the interests of “simplicity”. features will be trimmed right down to the nap in order not to complicate the lives of the poor, befuddled users of those devices.

[. . .]

The iPhone’s a footnote. Kinda like the Mac, y’ know? By the time they come out with a 3G version, I’ll be surprised if anyone will care.

Emphasis added by me.

But … but … let’s hear from people who actually own such devices:

Owner 1:

I own iPod-Touch. I also own a Pocket PC from HP. Both have WiFi. But the user experiences of surfing the net from these two devices are day and night different. I even use my Touch more often than my laptop on the net. The key factor for iPhone/Touch becoming so useful on the net is that they can view full web pages instead of mobile only pages, and then multi-touch ability allow me to zoom in and out and pan so easily.

Emphasis added by me.

Owner 2:

JQ brought up a very important point when thinking about the iphone in relation to other mobile devices. It really is the user experience that makes a difference. A lot of people tout the iphone as the first real mobile computer, but if you think about it, the iphone is just a repackaging of the pda which originated years ago. You could also view full web pages on those too, just not the full page on the screen.

I do find it amazing how Apple is able to repackage such items, simplify the user interface, and add some aesthetics to make a popular item. Microsoft definitely needs to take some lessons from apple in this regard.

Emphasis added by me.

But wait! What about all those people who sprung for a Palm Treo? That’s what everyone agrees is a “smartphone,” as opposed to the denigrating label of “featurephone” usually slapped on the iPhone by its detractors. Surely a Palm smartphone must be a great thing to use?

Owner 3:

I didn’t I watch TV and browse sites in my Treo before the iPhone because it was not possible to watch TV and was miserable to browse on. I don’t waste time because of my iPhone on the contrary; I do more productive things because I have a device that is capable of multiple tasks.

Emphasis added by me.

I am shocked! Shocked! Wasn’t it Palm’s own Ed Colligan who was certain Palm would maintain its leadership in smartphones?

Well, maybe ACCESS, which now owns PalmOS will provide a real iPhone challenge?

Let’s see:

I don’t see how. Do you?

My God! The world is doomed by the iPhone! A “featurephone” that an expert claims is a footnote and which has features “trimmed right down to the nap”!

Someone save us from this device that enables people to do more than any other phone!

NPR: Miss Shirley Bassey!

Shirley Bassey: New CD for ‘Goldfinger’ Diva

Weekend Edition Saturday, March 15, 2008 – Dame Shirley Bassey has been belting out hits for a half-century — “Big Spender,” “Kiss Me Honey Honey” and, of course, title themes for Bond — James Bond.

Bassey, the diva from Wales, celebrated her 70th birthday last year by releasing a new CD, Get the Party Started. It broke the top 40 charts in the U.K. and makes its U.S. debut this week.

The new recording sports pumped-up makeovers of some of Bassey’s biggest hits plus a few new tunes, including the title track, a cover of the hit “Get the Party Started,” recorded by the American singer Pink.

Turn. Up. Your. Speakers!

(Thanks again to John Rogers over at Kung Fu Monkey who first alerted me to this video!)

Supplemental:

Her MySpace page
Her website

I’m Getting Creeped Out Now

Ever since I mentioned the victimized Masha Allen, search results have been leading people to this blog.

It wasn’t until just moments ago that it hit me: These people are probably searching the Net for pictures of her.

If you’re one of those people, do the human race a favor: Kill yourself!

Previously here:

More About Masha Allen
Are Schools Just Pedophile Playgrounds Now?
The Franklin Credit Union Sex Scandal
Masha

R.I.P. Writer Arthur C. Clarke

Writer Arthur C. Clarke dies at 90

I’d seen Isaac Asimov in person several times, but never Clarke.

So why is the passing of Clarke like a punch in the gut to me?

It feels like … the future has died.

David Rothman Just Saved Google’s Android OS

Earlier I posted:

[G]iven how many phones at hugely-different price points this still-unshipped and still-unfinished OS will be in, you can bet that software from third parties won’t run on every phone.

Which I still believe.

Except David Rothman has just come up with the one general usage scenario that probably will — and it’s a killer too.

Go read about it here.

Apple better get moving. Google has been told where Apple is most vulnerable!

More On The 1KTF Matter

Rising rap star doesn’t need RIAA

As one of rap music’s fastest rising stars, Rida, 28, is new enough to music success that fans are still precious to him. This is a guy who used to shout out his cell number during performances.

1KTF is the abbreviation of One Thousand True Fans, which I previously posted about.

Writer John Scalzi (thanks, teleread), also weighed in on it from a different perspective than mine. Since Scalzi’s been pouring professional-level words onto the wires for a decade, he has the firsthand knowledge people should learn from.

The particular problem I have with this CNet interview is that the subject seems to have already broken through. I need to see someone at an earlier stage.

Are there any scholars out there who intend to study this issue? I’d really like to see several professionals — separately — scour the Net and pick some people to track over time to see if the 1KTF hypothesis has any merit. Or even what particular steps someone took to reach a level above noise on the Net.

God, please do that before some con artist comes out with a book about the “secrets” of accomplishing it!

– via Techdirt

FriendFeed’s FAIL!

The TechMeme killer or the Google Reader killer?

I read that and figured, hey, he was more than right about Wordwide Telescope, so I went to check it out.

It wants me to register? Ummm … OK, let’s see what that entails.

Wait. This is the 21st Century and a world of Open ID, is it not?

Then why oh why does it want me to devise Yet Another Frikkin Password that I will probably forget?

Why can’t it just accept my Open ID and let me in?

Speedbump, friction, and FAIL!

Next!