It Just Works

Earlier today while switching between a few apps on my iPhone 4 something dawned on me.  Something that had been lacking on all the previous smartphone platforms I've used (except maybe WebOS).  It just works.  Say what you will about the closed Apple ecosystem of controlling the hardware and operating systems with tight control over their App Store approval process:  at the end of the day what really matters to most folks is whether or not the expensive piece of shiny technology in their hand works or not.  Certainly that is the case with iOS devices such as the iPhone and iPad.  In all fairness I have "complained" about this closed system at times in the past.  That was before purchasing an iPhone and using it daily.  Using an iPad for most of a year now really doesn't allow one to gauge how much this can impact a person, at least for me as the iPad serves as a consumption/gaming device and not as a utility device such as a cell phone.

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iPhone 4 One Month Later

I've been running with an iPhone 4 on the Verizon network for one month now and that means that it's time for my first month update.  

To be honest here I have to say that I've enjoyed the iPhone 4 much more than I thought I would, and that's saying a lot seeing as how I switched carriers to get this device.  And before someone says, "Typical Apple Fan Boy!" let me say that I've used every single smartphone platform except for the newer Windows Phone 7 and Symbian OS so I have a valid perspective to compare from.  This includes (in order) Windows Mobile 6.1, BlackBerry, WebOS, and Android (1.5-2.2).  Prior to the iPhone I had used another iOS powered device, the original iPad.  This means that I've "been there and done that" before.

Now, let's move on to the iPhone 4 on Verizon

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Thinking Hero

At the moment it doesn't look like Sprint will be bringing anything new on the smartphone front to market before this summer AND I'm at that point in the smartphone cycle where I'm getting bored with my Palm Pre.  It's not that the Pre is a bad phone.  It's a great phone!  However, I do tend to get bored with things after some time and the fact is I've been packing my Pre since June of last year.  It might not sound like a long time but for me this is fairly impressive!  I believe I've mentioned here before just how many smartphones I've gone through in the two years I've been with Sprint, four in two years.  The Motorola Q9c lasted the longest with me at nine months while the Blackberry Curve 8330 lasted all of three months before my frustration with the device forced me to revert to my old HTC Touch Diamond.

With new Windows Phone 7 phones not hitting the market until the holiday shopping season and without anything exciting looking to be coming from the Palm camp any time soon I've pretty much settled on an Android device being my next smartphone.  I got a bit of hands on time with the HTC Hero last year after it first came out for Sprint and I enjoyed many of the features of the device.  The Samsung Moment looks good on paper (or computer screen) but there is just something about that device that just rubs me the wrong way.  It might be the difficulties in updating the device (taking it to a Sprint service center) or the "plain" build of Android that it ships with.  The 800Mhz CPU and AMOLED screen are the only two things about the device I like while everything else leaves me less than impressed.  The hardware itself seems clunky and the layout of the QWERTY keyboard is just too hinky for me.  It's a large plastic slab of a phone.  Call me vain but looks matter in my smartphone devices.

This leaves me thinking about getting the HTC Hero from Sprint with my annual upgrade.  There are a few reasons for my thinking on this one.

• I like the look and feel of the phone in my hand.  Beautiful hardware there!
• It runs the currently shipping version of HTC Sense interface which is rather nice based on my previous experience with the phone.
• It has seven "home" screens rather than the three of regular plain Android.
• In some ways it integrates with social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr better than the Palm Pre.
• The quality of pictures from the Hero is probably the best of all the smartphones I've used.
• This will give me some time to play with Android to better get a "feel" for the OS and determine if that is what I want to use on a longer term basis.

Two things are keeping me from clicking "Buy Now" on the Sprint website though.  First, the WebOS 1.4 update is due any day now from Palm.  Second,I keep thinking I should hold off until at least next month to see what CTIA brings in the way of announcements from Sprint.  However, based on CES and MWC I'm not holding out a whole lot of hope on Sprint making any sort of "big" announcements. 

If I do decide to grab the Hero I'll more than likely hold on to my Pre for at least a couple of months.  With Sprint it's very easy to switch phones (unless one is a Blackberry!) so I can tote the Pre one day and the Hero the next depending on my mood.  Also, by keeping the Pre as a "backup" phone I can do some serious playing with the Hero (rooting the phone, playing with custom ROMS, etc) without worrying about being stuck with a new paper weight.

Okay, who am I really kidding here?  Odds are very good that by the end of today I'll probably end up clicking "Buy Now"...

Whole New Microsoft

Based on what was shown and said today at the Mobile World Congress by Microsoft I am left with only one conclusion:  Microsoft is back and better than ever!  (You can click this link for a recap)

Windows Phone 7 looks to be one of the best phone operating systems to be coming out to market over the next twelve months and if I was Palm, RIM, Apple, Google, or Nokia I'd be very, very concerned right about now.  It looks like Microsoft has gotten its collective act together as far as how smartphones, the mobile internet, social networking, and productivity are starting to mesh together.  Further, it seems they are leveraging their experiences with the Zune hardware/software platforms to bring forth this new mobile OS.  Personally I am having more than a hard time believing that this is the same company who for years seemed stuck in the mud as far as innovation goes.

First we have Windows 7 which is a mighty fine PC operating system that for the first time seriously gives Mac OS X a run for its money.  Next up is the Zune platform that they launched just over three years ago which up until the latest version of the Zune software and Zune HD hardware were pretty lackluster.  Finally we have the third piece of the puzzle in place with Windows Phone 7.

Stating straight away that unlike in the past where hardware manufacturers could, and often did, run wild as far as the wide range of hardware specs now they would have to stick to very strict standards.  Further, no fancy rebranding of the user interfaces we've seen in the past (if you've ever used a version of Windows Mobile before today you'd understand just why this rebranding was a good thing).  This strict hardware specifications list will make the job of developers A LOT easier and could actually bring down costs for consumers in the long run.  The list of partners on both the hardware and carrier side is impressive and shows a degree of seriousness that may have been lacking before by the crew in Redmond.

Three things at the announcement stuck out in my mind.

Every Windows Phone 7 will also be a Zune, complete with FM radio option (I presume HD radio).  This should really make Apple more than a bit nervous considering that with Zune you can do a $14.95 per month all you can listen to subscription service.  Make no mistake about it, this will probably end up being the biggest "thing" as far as the new Windows Phone 7 goes.  Very big!

The degree of social network integration is probably the best I've seen so far and will compete with WebOS and devices from Palm.  However, until we see some more from Microsoft and actually see the first smartphones running the new OS we'll have to wait to find out if it will be better.  If it's anywhere near as good as implied today Palm should be nervous.

The last thing that stuck out in my mind was the personal productivity capabilities of the new OS.  The way it will integrate with Office 2010 as well as manage your information flow is impressive to say the least.

For a run down and more links be sure to check the Engadget website!

Here's a link to a video walk through of the new mobile OS.

Palm's Big Opportunity (Tablet Edition)

The recently announced iPad from Apple got me to thinking about user interfaces on mobile devices such as tablets and touch screen smartphones.  Hands down the WebOS operating system that Palm has created for their new generation of devices (the Palm Pre and Pixie only so far) is heads and shoulders above anything else on the market today.  It just works, and works well.

To recap, the UI of WebOS is "card" based in that multi-tasking apps appear in their own card when minimized from full-screen.  While in this minimized card state the apps are still running, not just hidden in the background.  When you want to switch between apps it's a matter of going to card view, swiping around to the open app you want to bring to the front and just tap it.  Want to rearrange the order of cards?  Just hold your finger on a card and move it.  When you are done using an app you just swipe it up and off the screen.  It's that easy.

Further, WebOS brings two things that I have come to rely on almost daily.  The first is Synergy which brings in all your contact information from various sources (Gmail contact, Yahoo! contacts, Facebook contact information for your friends, and more) and unifies them under one easy to use contact management solution.  This is where the other thing I use all the time comes into play, Universal Search.  When you start typing on the keyboard Universal Search starts bringing up information from your device as well as options to search Google, Wikipedia, or Twitter for outside information.  For instance, if you start typing "Blue" WebOS will list any application or contacts on your phone that have "Blue" as part of its name (Bluetooth app for instance) as well as buttons to tap for an outside search.  I use Universal Search if I'm looking for a business phone number which is very handy considering it's also integrated with the built in A-GPS features of the device which means if I tap the Google option I get the phone numbers for the closest locations as well as mapping options.  If I'm looking for a contact I can tap the name of the person and am presented with options to call (mobile, home, work, etc), SMS or MMS, email, and instant messaging options.  Other platforms are starting to do this but Palm did it right first.

Now that the iPad is announced I'm already planning to buy one, it's just a matter of waiting a couple of months and deciding which options I want (3g or no 3g, 16GB or 32GB). 

One thing would make me stop in my tracks and possibly reconsider this and that would be a tablet from Palm running WebOS.  The beauty of a WebOS running tablet would me the minimum programming changes needed to run on a larger touch screen.  Being based on web programming standards there would be no "upscaling" required as on the iPad and the interface itself is just begging for a larger screened device.

I have to wonder if somewhere in Sunnyvale at Palm HQ if someone, somewhere isn't already working on such a device.  It's a no-brainer!