ZuDfunck

Dude Lands iPhone And Pic on NYTimes & USAToday

David Pouge's FAQ on iPhone

Often-Asked iPhone Questions

 

By DAVID POGUE

Published: June 28, 2007

With its new iPhone, Apple pulled off two masterful feats: creating the machine and creating the buzz around it.

Stuart Goldenberg

In Web mode, the iPhone keyboard can fill the length of the screen.   

That machine, and that buzz, have inspired a lot of questions. Just how much of a phone, an iPod and an Internet machine is this thing?

Here are the answers to the most frequently asked iPhone questions. Consider them a companion to my review yesterday, which covered the big points like the touch-screen keyboard (adequate with practice), the AT&T Internet network (painfully slow) and the iPhone’s overall character (fun, powerful, amazing).

Before you dive in, though, a note about the “Does it have...?” questions. Apple has indicated that it intends to add features through free software updates, so the real, secret answer to some of the “no” answers is actually, “Coming soon.” Continued...

NYTimes explains Slow Network for iPhone

Chiefs Defend Slow Network for the iPhone

 

M. Spencer Green/Associated Press

Special hours were posted Thursday at an AT&T store in Chicago.

 

By JOHN MARKOFF

Published: June 29, 2007

 

SAN FRANCISCO, June 28 — On the eve of the Apple iPhone’s sale,  the  top executives of Apple and AT&T defended their decision to rely upon AT&T’s slow Edge wireless data network, rather than a faster network that is less widely available.

       

David Paul Morris/Getty Images

Apple’s chief, Steven P. Jobs, saw the choice of network as a trade-off.

   

Early reviews of the iPhone, while positive, have faulted the slower network because it will limit the palm-size wireless computer’s greatest strength — making the Internet easily accessible on the go.

“It doesn’t concern me,” said Randall L. Stephenson, the new AT&T chief executive, in a joint telephone interview on Thursday along with Steven P. Jobs, Apple’s chief executive.  The fact that the iPhone offers faster Wi-Fi networking would more than make up for the relatively slow 300-kilobit-a-second pace of its cellular data network, he suggested.

The phone goes on sale Friday at 6 p.m. at Apple and AT&T stores.

Both executives said they were not certain what to expect at the stores on Friday evening. Lines have begun to form in some parts of the country, but there is uncertainty whether a $500-to-$600 consumer product can attract millions, rather than tens of thousands, of early customers.

“We’ve certainly built a lot of iPhones, although it may not be enough,” Mr. Jobs said. Changing a forecast in the consumer electronics industry is difficult, he said, because of the long lead times necessary to build components like semiconductors.

Analysis on iPhone Data Plan from Crave/Cnet

iPhone data plans: Cheap or pricey?        

How much will your messaging cost?

(Credit: CNET Networks)

The announcement today of AT&T's iPhone service plans puts one of the last remaining pieces into the Apple puzzle. The data plans, which range in price from $60 per month to $100 per month depending on the number of anytime calling minutes, are unique to the iPhone and will not apply to other AT&T handsets. The number of night weekend minutes will vary as well, but all plans will include visual voice mail access, unlimited e-mail and mobile Web surfing, free mobile-to-mobile minutes, and 200 text messages. Current AT&T customers can add unlimited iPhone data features to their existing account for $20 per month.

So what does this all mean for iPhone buyers? Are these plans cheap, or are they expensive? It's an important question to ask, particularly since iPhone owners will be shelling out $500 or $600 for the handset alone. And remember that those service plans come with a two-year contract and a $36 activation fee.

On the whole, the iPhone data plans aren't a great deal more expensive, nor are they significantly cheaper than plans options with other carriers. But for some consumers, they might be easier to deal with. For example, AT&T's data plans for its other phones include only the data access; calling minutes are purchased through a separate plan. So if you buy a Samsung BlackJack, you can get a PDA Personal Max plan for $44.99 per month. While that will give you unlimited data access and 1,500 messages, you'll need to purchase a calling plan if you want to talk to someone. At the very least, that means an additional $39 per month for 450 anytime minutes. That's a monthly total of $83.99. Options for BlackBerry devices are about the same; a little more expensive, but not much.

Some of T-Mobile's options wind up being a batter bargain than the iPhone's plans. The T-Mobile Sidekick data plan is a reasonable $29 per month for unlimited data, though a calling plan is extra. The cheapest is $29 per month for 300 anytime minutes and unlimited nights and weekends. Its BlackBerry plans are quite a bit more, but they include some calling time. The BlackBerry Minutes and Mail Ultra is $79 for 1,500 anytime minutes and unlimited data and e-mail, while the BlackBerry Minutes and Mail plan is $59 per month for 1,000 anytime minutes and unlimited data and e-mail. No night and weekend minutes are included, but the plans are pretty comparable just the same.

Verizon Wireless has bundled data and calling plans, which also rank relatively well with the iPhone service. The carrier's Core Choice 450 will give you 450 anytime minutes, unlimited nights and weekends, and unlimited data. Or for a bit more, the Extra Choice 1350 plans will give you 1,350 anytime minutes, unlimited nights and weekends, and unlimited data for $109 per month.

NYTimes Blog, BITS Discusses iPhone Pricing

Will the iPhone Get Cheaper?

By Damon Darlin

Tags: Apple, iphone

The Apple iPhone, at $500 and $600, isn’t cheap. Should you wait to buy it?

If it were most any other brand of consumer electronics product, the answer would be yes, of course. You can bet on it dropping in price within six months if not a year. Not so with Apple products.

Apple prices its products at a premium to rival devices and then slowly, and I mean slowly, drops the price. In fact, the price drops so slowly that you are likely to see the product discontinued before you see it discounted.

The one-gigabyte iPod Shuffle at $79 is half the price it was in January 2005. The underlying components fell far faster. For reference, in January 2005, a one-gigabyte flash memory card at retail was slightly less than $200. Today it is about $25.

A 30-gigabyte iPod has dropped a whole 17 percent in almost two years. The 4GB Nano dropped 20 percent in three years.

There are a number of things wrong with the iPhone. There will surely be an updated version with more memory and better features. If history teaches us anything about how Apple thinks, at that point Apple may knock $50 off the price. Maybe $75.

One other thing to think about. There are certain magic price points for electronics; $500 is one. When something is less than $500, it triggers a new segment of buyers. Others are $250 and $100. Apple has laddered iPods that way. It is possible the company will do the same with cell phones once the brand gets established.

Of course, if it sells like the Newton or that flower-stand Mac thing that got splashed on the cover of Time, then yes, you may get one as cheaply as a Motorola Razr.

BNET Intercom Weighs in on iPhone

Seven iPhone Selection Criteria

                   

June 27th, 2007 @ 4:14 am

Categories: News,  Tips,  Technology,  Productivity

                   

Tags: Apple iPhone, Phone, Cell Phone, Andrew Hines

There are only two days left until the iPhone emerges. So are you going to get one or what? I know more than a few people who answered with a courtroom-style No! just a few weeks ago, but as the launch date approaches, at least one has changed his mind. It’s a tough choice that requires either due diligence or unwaivering faith in Apple. With an unproven multi-touch interface, a mandatory 2-year AT&T service contract and a slower data network, the iPhone purchase decision is worthy of at least an informal cost/benefit analysis. Maria Godoy with NPR Technology put together these seven points to consider before this Friday:

• The Cool Factor: As is true for many other Apple products, the iPhone’s biggest “I want that” factor is its sleek styling.
• Multimedia Mojo: It’s a cell phone, it’s a music player, it’s a camera, it’s a Web browser, and more. Ask yourself if you really need all that high-tech bling. (According to Forrester Research, most consumers say that what they want in a cell phone is that it actually work, last long and be easy to use.)
• Interacting With the Office: Then there’s the straight-laced stuff to consider, such as how well you can work on the iPhone. If you’re a Blackberry user who’s always sending e-mails back and forth while away from your desk, getting used to the keyboard-less typing could take some time.
• Internet Ease of Use: Because the touch screen essentially spans the length of the iPhone, users will get a wider viewing area than what the typical Internet-enabled phone offers. Speed is another issue altogether. In wireless hot spots, getting online is a breeze. Otherwise, you’re forced to rely on AT&T’s wireless network – and that can make you “long for the days of a dialup modem,” according to New York Times columnist David Pogue, who’s tested out the über-gadget.
• Cell Phone Carrier: The iPhone can only be used with cell phone service from AT&T, and Pogue says his biggest gripe with the iPhone is AT&T’s wireless cell phone and Internet service, which he calls “not good.”
• Price: The iPhone will set you back $499 for the 4-gigabyte model, and $599 for the 8-gigabyte version. Beyond that, there’s the service plan to consider. AT&T announced this week that its iPhone service plans will start at $59.99 a month, with a minimum two-year contract. There’s also a $36 activation fee.
• Other Options: If you’re ready to spend at least $500 for a cell phone, what else should you consider? In the $500 to $800 range, try the HTC Touch, LG’s Prada-branded or the Noka N95, which has a 5 megapixel camera — 2.5 times larger than the iPhone’s. Sony Ericsson, Motorola, and Nokia also have phones that triple as MP3 players.

If you haven’t made up your mind by Thursday, you’re probably better off just waiting for an early-adopter friend-type figure to buy an iPhone so you can play with it first-hand. In fact, people in New York are already lining up for the device, so waiting for the frenzy to die down is likely a smart choice even if you do decide to take the iPlunge.

(Image of iPhone by Apple)

By Andrew Hines

IP & Democracy quotes Mossberg on iPhone

Mossberg:  iPhone is a Breakthrough, Sets New Bar

Well, Apple and Fake Steve Jobs (along with the real Steve Jobs, obviously) can breathe a little easier now that the sultan of consumer tech reporters, the WSJ’s Walt Mossberg, has weighed in on the iPhone and found the hotly awaited device to be a winner.  (The review is also posted without a firewall on the AllThingsD blog here.)

Our verdict is that, despite some flaws and feature omissions, the iPhone is, on balance, a beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer. Its software, especially, sets a new bar for the smart-phone industry, and its clever finger-touch interface, which dispenses with a stylus and most buttons, works well, though it sometimes adds steps to common functions.

Surprisingly, Mossberg finds the touch-screen keypad to be a “non-issue.” The biggest drawback is, not surprisingly, AT&T’s pokey EDGE network, which is partly compensated for by the iPhone’s built-in Wi-Fi capability, according to Mossberg.

The iPhone compensates by being one of the few smart phones that can also use Wi-Fi wireless networks. When you have access to Wi-Fi, the iPhone flies on the Web. Not only that, but the iPhone automatically switches from EDGE to known Wi-Fi networks when it finds them, and pops up a list of new Wi-Fi networks it encounters as you move.

In terms of looks, “The iPhone is simply beautiful,” he says.  Other raves in Mossberg’s review: 

Visual Special Effects Blog Debuts: VFXHack

If, like ZuD, you are always curious as to how some of the Movie Magic gets done and what the tricks of the trade are, visit this fascinating glimpse filled blog. His intro post is below...

Welcome to VFXHack

What is VFXHack?

Here’s the deal…

All the other vfx sites (vfx pro, cg channel etc.) lack that certain something. Visually they are jumbled, they tend to shill shamelessly for the big studios and the galleries are filled with same old ogres and big tittied chicks with metal bikinis that we’ve all seen 1,000 times. And honestly, after over a decade kicking around this crazy industry I’m sick of it. What I want to do in an in the trenches, real-life, counter-culture VFX blog. Stuff that’s cool that you might not know about cuz it’s not from the majors. Along with “real” tips from the folks on the ground like you and me. There is also a huge sense of VFX history that is missing from the vfx community at this point. Kids are more concerned about how fast they can re-config there maya hot-keys than how all this stuff got started in the first place. So many kids I work with are like “Slit Scan?”, “Motion Control?” . The point is not to be preachy but just to put all the cool/funny/annoying stuff out there and you the reader let everyone know what you think about it.

Happy Reading,

Andrew

iPhone Video from the Brilliant David Pouge

iPhone Rate Plan Announced

Might be able to justify it after all...

iPhone goes on sale at 6:00 p.m. (local time) on Friday, June 29 and will be sold in the US through Apple’s retail and online stores and AT&T retail stores. iPhone will be available in a 4GB model for $499 (US) and an 8GB model for $599 (US), and will work with either a PC or Mac®. All iPhone monthly service plans are available for individuals and families and are based on a new two-year service agreement with AT&T. Individual plans are priced at $59.99 for 450 minutes, $79.99 for 900 minutes and $99.99 for 1,350 minutes. All plans include unlimited data (email and web), Visual Voicemail, 200 SMS text messages, roll over minutes and unlimited mobile-to-mobile and a one-time activation fee of $36. Family plans are also available.