PPCGEEKS should expand iPhone coverage

[orangekid]

Originally Posted by zim2323

How about create a big article posted on the front page about "Where are we now", type of information. 3 years ago when the iPhone was released, it was about what it didn't have compared to WinMo and other platforms. You know, the simple stuff like MMS, etc. Now, as the phone, operating syste, and apps have matured, the distance is all but gone, if not eclipsed.

I personally have used WinMo phones for the last 7-8 years. I now own an iPhone 3GS and will have my iPhone 4 picked up by this time tomorrow (hopefully!). That being said, why do I have an iPhone now? Because what made the WinMo phones indespensable as an IT Admin/Consultant 5 years ago, is what has strengthened the iPhone today.

As of iOS 4, I personally can do everything on an iPhone that I could do on a WinMo phone, with far less hassle. There's either an app, or a jailbreak that will allow me to do whatever I need. The big kicker for me was multiple Exchange accounts. I have been so sick and tired of hearing Microsoft's same old "can't do more then one Exchange account" BS. As of a jailbreak, or now natively in iOS 4, I can do MULTIPLE exchange accounts and the system is smart enough to keep all my contacts, calendars and email seperate from each other, AND I can view them all in one place, AND I can see messages in threaded view.

What's my point? It would be informative to take an unbiased approach to comparing what each OS brings to the table. What can they do/not do. Start with a comparison from 3 years ago, through today. Whatever my needs, or someone elses are define which phone we endear ourselves to.

Let's make a list of what's useful, personal or business related, and put together some REAL-WORLD information about what functions, apps, etc. make one phone a choice over another:


SMS
MMS
Camera
Video
Email
Multiple email accounts
Apps (store)
Music
GPS
WiFi
CDMA vs GSM
Carrier vs Carrier
Jailbreak/Unlocked (ROM vs Firmware/Baseband?)
Speakerphone
Bluetooth
Touch screen
Hard buttons
Noise cancelation



That's all I could think of. Personally, I think it's more about people becoming interested in the real world then it ever is about what they read. The majority of people see a phone for a phone. They never visit a site like this to mess with their phone. I think a comparative article of all the things a phone has to offer, side-by-side, would lure people. That is what people are looking for online, "if I buy this phone what funtionality am I going to lose/gain?"

I went with iPhone because I wanted phone, GPS, music, camera, apps, etc., as an all-in-one device. I haven't used my Zune in weeks. I still have a Zune subscription, I just use Audials One (Tunebite) to strip the DRM so I can play it on another device. At $15 a month for unlimited downloads, I'm not trading that for $1.29 per song. If I had paid individually for the 10gb in music I have now, I would be broke. =) Bottom line, I'm not carrying 4 different devices with me anymore (phone, camera, Zune, GPS). I have one simple, easy to use, device.

Anyways, that's what I'd like to see.

why don't you write an editorial backed by some facts/sources and if it looks good I'll publish it on the front page. Lemme know if you wanna do that I'll get into the volunteer newsie forum, you can be our iNewsie

[zim2323]

Originally Posted by orangekid

why don't you write an editorial backed by some facts/sources and if it looks good I'll publish it on the front page.

Hehe...see now...you assume I have the time to do that. LOL j/k =)

Seriously though, I barely get time to visit the site anymore except to get updated news. Driving over an hour to work and back every day, on top of being a new Papa. Besides the book of a post I just wrote over lunch, I honestly don't think I have the expertise other then what was relevant and important to me to get into what has changed between then and now. Honestly, I listed the things that I know have changed, I don't necessarily know how/why. Sometimes change is a bad thing. I could not competantly tell you what those are. For example, the camera on the HD2 is 5mp compared to the 3mp I had on the TP2. Why aren't the pictures any better, only bigger. How come the 3mp camera on the iPhone takes better photos in a poorly lit room, then the 5mp camera on my HD2 did in full light? I have theories and what people have told me, but not the technical expertise to competantly say why.

Now that I've told you all the reasons I can't...LOL...I could compare what I have now, but a lot of it is from a personal perspective. I don't think that's what people want to read. I think they want an unbiased, technically educated (not in thought, but ACTUAL backed up facts), and well planned comparison. There have been lots of comparisons as of the latter. I don't know. Maybe I'll put something together. Would take me some time though, since I don't get much of it.

[nite732]

Originally Posted by zim2323

How about create a big article posted on the front page about "Where are we now", type of information. 3 years ago when the iPhone was released, it was about what it didn't have compared to WinMo and other platforms. You know, the simple stuff like MMS, etc. Now, as the phone, operating syste, and apps have matured, the distance is all but gone, if not eclipsed.

I personally have used WinMo phones for the last 7-8 years. I now own an iPhone 3GS and will have my iPhone 4 picked up by this time tomorrow (hopefully!). That being said, why do I have an iPhone now? Because what made the WinMo phones indespensable as an IT Admin/Consultant 5 years ago, is what has strengthened the iPhone today.

As of iOS 4, I personally can do everything on an iPhone that I could do on a WinMo phone, with far less hassle. There's either an app, or a jailbreak that will allow me to do whatever I need. The big kicker for me was multiple Exchange accounts. I have been so sick and tired of hearing Microsoft's same old "can't do more then one Exchange account" BS. As of a jailbreak, or now natively in iOS 4, I can do MULTIPLE exchange accounts and the system is smart enough to keep all my contacts, calendars and email seperate from each other, AND I can view them all in one place, AND I can see messages in threaded view.

What's my point? It would be informative to take an unbiased approach to comparing what each OS brings to the table. What can they do/not do. Start with a comparison from 3 years ago, through today. Whatever my needs, or someone elses are define which phone we endear ourselves to.

Let's make a list of what's useful, personal or business related, and put together some REAL-WORLD information about what functions, apps, etc. make one phone a choice over another:


SMS
MMS
Camera
Video
Email
Multiple email accounts
Apps (store)
Music
GPS
WiFi
CDMA vs GSM
Carrier vs Carrier
Jailbreak/Unlocked (ROM vs Firmware/Baseband?)
Speakerphone
Bluetooth
Touch screen
Hard buttons
Noise cancelation



That's all I could think of. Personally, I think it's more about people becoming interested in the real world then it ever is about what they read. The majority of people see a phone for a phone. They never visit a site like this to mess with their phone. I think a comparative article of all the things a phone has to offer, side-by-side, would lure people. That is what people are looking for online, "if I buy this phone what funtionality am I going to lose/gain?"

I went with iPhone because I wanted phone, GPS, music, camera, apps, etc., as an all-in-one device. I haven't used my Zune in weeks. I still have a Zune subscription, I just use Audials One (Tunebite) to strip the DRM so I can play it on another device. At $15 a month for unlimited downloads, I'm not trading that for $1.29 per song. If I had paid individually for the 10gb in music I have now, I would be broke. =) Bottom line, I'm not carrying 4 different devices with me anymore (phone, camera, Zune, GPS). I have one simple, easy to use, device.

Anyways, that's what I'd like to see.

I concur.

[NIKKG]

Originally Posted by zim2323

Hehe...see now...you assume I have the time to do that. LOL j/k =)

Seriously though, I barely get time to visit the site anymore except to get updated news. Driving over an hour to work and back every day, on top of being a new Papa. Besides the book of a post I just wrote over lunch, I honestly don't think I have the expertise other then what was relevant and important to me to get into what has changed between then and now. Honestly, I listed the things that I know have changed, I don't necessarily know how/why. Sometimes change is a bad thing. I could not competantly tell you what those are. For example, the camera on the HD2 is 5mp compared to the 3mp I had on the TP2. Why aren't the pictures any better, only bigger. How come the 3mp camera on the iPhone takes better photos in a poorly lit room, then the 5mp camera on my HD2 did in full light? I have theories and what people have told me, but not the technical expertise to competantly say why.

Now that I've told you all the reasons I can't...LOL...I could compare what I have now, but a lot of it is from a personal perspective. I don't think that's what people want to read. I think they want an unbiased, technically educated (not in thought, but ACTUAL backed up facts), and well planned comparison. There have been lots of comparisons as of the latter. I don't know. Maybe I'll put something together. Would take me some time though, since I don't get much of it.

I agree with what you said. The difference is the iphone uses high quality components while HTC uses the cheapest junk they can find. Every HTC phone I've had always falls (4 total) apart after a few months but iphone can go for years.

[orangekid]

well with updating all my threads here, moderating the boards on the site, and writing the news articles I currently am I don't really have time for editorials, and I'd rather have someone else write an iPhone editorial if we're going to have one, so if one of you wants to step up to the plate hit me with a PM and I'll we'll go from there.

All good ideas that's for sure. And if one of you guys wants to do an iPhone 4 review that would be good we could front page that too.

[zim2323]

Originally Posted by NIKKG

I agree with what you said. The difference is the iphone uses high quality components while HTC uses the cheapest junk they can find. Every HTC phone I've had always falls (4 total) apart after a few months but iphone can go for years.

I couldn't agree more. In the last year, I have had 4 different carriers and NO LESS then 10 different phones.

- Last year at this time, Verizon, 4 Touch Pro's for screen failure, and 3 Touch Pro 2's for keyboard and component failure.
- As of the 3rd TP2 failure, I left them for Sprint in October and got a TP2 there as well. Within the first month, I replaced that with another because of keyboard failure.
- In March of this year, left Sprint and joined T-Mobile for the HD2. From the start had problems with Internet cutting off. While voice was awesome, data failed to work at all.
- As of June 3rd, I signed up with AT&T (discount through work) and purchased an iPhone 3GS with the upgrade to iPhone 4.

Obviously, anything can happen, but that's just it, like you said, HTC has HORRIBLE build quality. I went through 10 HTC devices inside of a year. Absolutely ridiculous. I always had to worry about what wasn't going to work.

On a positive note, I have not paid for a single ETF or phone out of pocket except for the first Touch Pro. All of the Verizon phones after were free replacements. I sold the last Verizon TP2 (conned a free upgrade, giving me 2) and made enough profit to pay for the Sprint TP2 (and then some), and the second was free replacement. HD2 ended up being free when T-Mobile determined that after 2 months they could not provide me with adequate service and promptly refunded my entire 2 months usage fees and the cost of the phone and all accessories. With what I was refunded from T-Mobile for montly fees and accessories, that paid for the iPhone. No ETF's were paid because I claimed inadequate cell coverage. I work for a company that has offices with bad service in each location from at least one of each of the major carriers. Ends up being an easy out. If they can't provide you service, it's a freebie to leave.

Bottom line, I have had an absolutely horrible experience with HTC phones. I hope I never have to use them again.

[zim2323]

Originally Posted by orangekid

well with updating all my threads here, moderating the boards on the site, and writing the news articles I currently am I don't really have time for editorials, and I'd rather have someone else write an iPhone editorial if we're going to have one, so if one of you wants to step up to the plate hit me with a PM and I'll we'll go from there.

All good ideas that's for sure. And if one of you guys wants to do an iPhone 4 review that would be good we could front page that too.

Completely understand. I'll try to get something together if I have time. I may or may not be able to. We'll see what I can come up with. May take some time. I'll let you know when/if I do.

[Biggzz]

Originally Posted by zim2323

I couldn't agree more. In the last year, I have had 4 different carriers and NO LESS then 10 different phones.

- Last year at this time, Verizon, 4 Touch Pro's for screen failure, and 3 Touch Pro 2's for keyboard and component failure.
- As of the 3rd TP2 failure, I left them for Sprint in October and got a TP2 there as well. Within the first month, I replaced that with another because of keyboard failure.
- In March of this year, left Sprint and joined T-Mobile for the HD2. From the start had problems with Internet cutting off. While voice was awesome, data failed to work at all.
- As of June 3rd, I signed up with AT&T (discount through work) and purchased an iPhone 3GS with the upgrade to iPhone 4.

Obviously, anything can happen, but that's just it, like you said, HTC has HORRIBLE build quality. I went through 10 HTC devices inside of a year. Absolutely ridiculous. I always had to worry about what wasn't going to work.

On a positive note, I have not paid for a single ETF or phone out of pocket except for the first Touch Pro. All of the Verizon phones after were free replacements. I sold the last Verizon TP2 (conned a free upgrade, giving me 2) and made enough profit to pay for the Sprint TP2 (and then some), and the second was free replacement. HD2 ended up being free when T-Mobile determined that after 2 months they could not provide me with adequate service and promptly refunded my entire 2 months usage fees and the cost of the phone and all accessories. With what I was refunded from T-Mobile for montly fees and accessories, that paid for the iPhone. No ETF's were paid because I claimed inadequate cell coverage. I work for a company that has offices with bad service in each location from at least one of each of the major carriers. Ends up being an easy out. If they can't provide you service, it's a freebie to leave.

Bottom line, I have had an absolutely horrible experience with HTC phones. I hope I never have to use them again.

I have had no problems with any of my HTC phones but I am still moving to the iphone.

[zim2323]

Originally Posted by Biggzz

I have had no problems with any of my HTC phones but I am still moving to the iphone.

I'm sure there have been as many people with no issues as there have been with issues. I may very well be a minority. I just know how many I've been through. All of the problems I had were build quality issues, screen seperating from phone, or keyboard buttons stop working, etc. I never put phone in pocket (always in protective case on belt, with screen protector), and the QWERTY keyboard is hidden under phone. I only do 200-300 txt's per month, so I in no way every abused the phone. I don't know why some, like me, kept getting devices that failed (refurb replacements???), but I know I did. The point is, it shouldn't have happened like that at all.

I'm sure that from the iPhone side there are people that have the same complaints. So I'm not saying Apple is going to be any better. Let's face it, any time a company is forced to mass produce to keep up with demand, (aka Packard B(H)ell, Gateway, HTC, etc.) there has always been a downturn in quality resulting in a mass exodus. Personally, I hope there are enough fan boys that refuse to have anything to do with Apple/iPhone that it keeps the demand to a minimum (as much as possible) and quality to a maximum.

For now, I'll enjoy the "peace" that I've had with the iPhone, and not having to worry about the relenting badgering from my wife, "Are you on your phone AGAIN? You have to get ANOTHER phone? Why? What do you mean it broke, AGAIN?" Seriously, since I got my iPhone 2 weeks ago, not a single complaint. I use to hear it daily because of all the crap I had to go through from the hardware and moreso from the software side to keep the HTC WinMo phones working.

*crossing fingers*

[SoFocused504]

ill be happy assist in some of the iphone coverage and news amongst the very few iphone users we have here