Posted Mar 11, 2007 at 02:22PM by Enrico S. Listed in: Opinion & Analysis, iPhone, iPhone Tags: 3G, Steve Jobs, iPhone
Ó

The iPhone may have problems with it's limited features - Image 1The iPhone has been generating so much hype over the past few months. Six months before its release, it was announced along with its features. Now this led to some people criticizing this move as a bit rash. They have also been questioning the features, or lack thereof of the iPhone. In the Sys-Security Group, an article stated certain problems that would be inherent to the phone.

"The lack of voice dialing, 3G Internet access, Word or Excel support, the fact it can’t be used as a laptop modem, no support for removable memory, no 3rd party applications, and mostly that its calendar, task, and e-mail will not sync with Microsoft outlook."

Lack of Voice Dialing. Some have questioned the lack of voice dialling in the new iPhone.  Voice Dialing adds a great deal of simplicity to frequently called numbers. To use it, just simply say the name of the person you want to call and the phone will dial it automatically for you.

Lack of 3G Internet Access. 3G, or third generation technology, is often associated with the ability to transfer voice data and non-voice data simultaneously. 3G service allows telephone calls with streaming video (video telephony) and the ability to download files such as music.

No Word or Excel support. This basically means you will not be able to open files with the extensions .doc (Microsoft Word Documents or .xls (Microsoft Excel).

iPhone cannot be used as a laptop modem. Certain smartphones allow you to use it as a modem to connect to the internet. This is an additional service that the user will have to pay for. The advantage though is that the user will never have to look for a hotspot, since you will be able to connect to the internet.

No support for removable memory. Smartphones often have memory slots where memory cards or memory sticks can be inserted to further increase the storage of the phone.

No 3rd party applications. This means that the phone will not support software developed by other companies to increase the functions of the phone.

Calendar, task, and e-mail will not sync with Microsoft outlook. This problem has been addressed by Steve Jobs in his Keynote speech in MacWorld.

If the iPhone comes out, we're sure it will find a niche to fill, although the businessmen and women along with those who have a need for customization might think they're better off with other mobile phones or PDAs that have the mentioned features that the iPhone lacks.


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5 Comments


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   by Tom (Unregistered) - 2007-03-12
 » i didnt want iPhone at first,

now i don't even want it more.

   by tim123 (Unregistered) - 2007-03-12
 » this is stupid

you could say anything lacks anything, the iphone is going to be the best phone out there. You could add almost anything to this list, lasers, a jetpack, a gum dispenser.
What other phones lack-
-a built in ipod
-a 3.5in MULTI-touch screen
-Mac OS X
-Safari
-A touch screen keyboard (only there when you need it)
-Coverflow
-An 8gb Hard Drive
-A 2 MegaPixel camera
-Various other things that I'm not thinking of


   Re: Advertising -


   Re: neok182 - 2007-03-12
 » your stupid.

-90% of all phones have a built in mp3 player
-true, but it's not really needed for conventional use
-***** mac's. Palm/Windows Mobile is better for a smartphone
-Oh wow, Opera works on all phones for full HTML browsing.
-which probably wont work very well. and takes up the same amount of room as a real keyboard
-who cares
-We have 8 GB SD cards now and the next gen smart phones will have 4 GB plus internal.
-All the new smartphones have 2 MP+ cameras.

And oh yea, they cost $300 less and they work with pretty much everything.

So seriously, shut the ***** up unless you can give a real true reason why the iPhone is the best phone out there. It's not. It is a great phone yes, but it is BY NO MEANS the best phone out there.

The best phone would be one that has all the features of a full desktop computer with the ability for business men to use it for everything they need along with the normal consumer and the tech consumer. And be priced at a normal price. Not an astronomically *****ed up price like apple is charging

   Re: KIRBYTIME (Unregistered) - 2007-03-12
 » You're right

iPhone isn't the best phone out there. And although it has some very key innovations (multi-touch... drool). It isn't what you would call the best. It does lack a lot in terms of features (No video camera? Wtf?). The whole grasp of the iphone is one thing. OSX. I'm not saying the operating system itself is awesome (I'm still getting around how to use it). But the fact that you can fit an entire operating system in a mobile device is what sets it apart from most modern cellphones.

So it's like a really complicated algebra equation on whether you should buy it or not.

Opinion + Popularity + innovation - lack of features x simplicity/complexity
   by iWillPhone (Unregistered) - 2007-04-11
 » This article IS stupid

Voice Dialing -- never used it, cuz it don't work, and it's too complicated to set up (because current "smart" phone OS interfaces suck big). I'd much prefer to know that all my contact information will sync properly so that I have on my phone exactly what I have on my computer. With iPhone, I'll get that. With Palm, Nokia, Motorola, or WinMo I won't.

Lack of 3G Internet Access. Uh yeah. I really want to be streaming broadband content on to the thumb-sized screens that the current batch of "smart" phones sport. Pffft.

No Word or Excel Support -- Ugh, I wouldn't want that. I quit Word and Excel several years ago and am quite proud of it. I'm now healthier, breathe better, and feel a lot younger. Microsoft is just a nasty habit. PDF is much healthier for you. It keeps you regular.

Laptop Modem -- I'll be satisfied with web-browsing in Safari on my iPhone. If I need a cellular internet connection to my notebook I'll get a cellular modem.

Removable Memory -- 8 gigs is way more than enough for me. It's not a computer f**k-head, it's a phone. If I want to do a photo-journal, I'm going to use my 11-megapixel camera, and my notebook, not my 2-megapixel phone camera. If I want to video my dog's birthday party, I'm going to use my digital camcorder, not my 2-megapixel phone. If I want to store my personal terrabyte of internet-porn, I'm going to use my computer, not my 2-megapixel phone. Getting the picture? And if you HAVE to use your phone as a RW storage device ... guess you've never heard of WIFI filesharing.

3rd party apps -- again, phone ... computer ... learn the difference. If I wanted a portable general purpose computing device ... wait I already have one ... MacBook Pro. No, I want a smart phone that's easy to use, syncs perfectly with my computer, and just plain works. Palm OS? UI sucks, slow, doesn't sync well. WinCE? Hell, no. If I find Windows annoying on my desktop, I'm NOT carrying it around with me. Symbian? Who in their right mind? As if Java wasn't deterent enough.

Outlook -- pfft. Outlook doesn't sync with my Apple Mail, Address Book, or Calendar. It's a useless, bloated, cumbersome corporate app which is the primary source of headache and heartburn for many an IT professional. Yeah, I really want to be carrying around in my pocket a contact application that requires a team to operate properly.

And in response to tim123:
- I don't want just any mp3 player. iPods are just superior. The market bears me out
- uh, not until u get carpal tunnel syndrome (but I guess u just don't use computers much, do ya?)
- **** Palm/WinMobile -- bad/worse
- seriously, Opera? You must be a masochist.
- a real keyboard on a smartphone can't be hidden, moron ... AND doesn't work that well for anyone who has THUMBS, and is basically for people who don't have enough neurons to learn a gesture or two
- Coverflow da *****, baby. You wanna be scrolling thru all your media and contacts with cursor buttons? Fine, YOU get a Palm or Nokia, smartass
- iPhone memory is flash, not hard-disk based -- and as for the next gen smart phones ... right, are you using Longhorn?
- oh, great, more crappy grainy photos on myspace, woohoo

And oh yea, smart phones DON'T work with my Mac.

What I DO want in a smart phone? Smarts. I want a phone that will sync with my computer and allow me to access my contacts with ease. iPhone does this. I want a phone that will allow me to manage my calls with a simple and directly tactile UI. iPhone has this. I want a mobile internet device that will allow me to surf without aggrevating my carpal tunnel syndrome because I have to press the cursor buttons a zillion times to scroll around a microscopic screen, or hold a cheezy, needle-thin sylus that gets lost. iPhone is the solution. I want a phone that has a set of basic apps that are well integrated and present a well-designed and uniform UI. iPhone provides this. I want a smart phone that doesn't try and fail miserably to be a computer. Again, iPhone. And I want a phone that understands my Mac. iPhone is



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