Geek Factor

I think it is now becoming a habit for HTC to call for a press meet one month before the launch of iPhone and its revisions. It is a pity that they are still relying on Windows Mobile to deliver their goods. While what we saw with the diamond is no doubt impressive, under the hood HTC still has the grand old Windows Mobile running in all its glory. HTC did a clever thing this time around by making the TouchFlO UI feature rich instead of dropping back the user to Windows Mobile UI for doing even basic things. The new Opera browser is a welcome change from the Pocket Internet Explorer we are used to.

But the whole reason why people use Windows Mobile is because of its powerful PIM capabilities and wide variety of third party application availability. Unfortunately, all these applications will still be using the classic Windows Mobile interface which is generations behind that of current favorites like the iPhone or the upcoming Android. This is where the user will be spending most of the time (rather than the weather applet or the today screen).

Unless the new Windows Mobile version (7 or whatever) starts shipping, there is little to rejoice from these kind of shell enhancements which desperate mobile device vendors are making on top of Windows Mobile. Sony Ericsson’s Xperia is another one that is on the pipeline.

According to Business Standard reports, the iPhone is expected to be launched in India in the first week of September. The expected price point for the 8GB model is around INR 28,000 (Approximately $700). The worst part about the launch is that even at this relatively high price point, the iPhone will be sold locked to the Vodafone network.

Locked mobile phones are almost unheard of in India. 99% of the GSM phones sold in India are offically unlocked and there is no such thing called contract too. The iPhone will be the first major smartphone that will be sold in locked state to the user. The HTC Touch, when it was launched in India about a year back, was also sold locked to Airtel, but the current versions are all unlocked.

Given the premium price point, it is highly unlikely that people will flock Apple/Vodafone stores to buy these things. Even the much more advanced Nokia N95 8GB sells at the same price point as the iPhone. In other markets like the USA and UK, Apple gets a share of Voice and Data revenues coming out of iPhone users. If Apple follows the same business model in India, the iPhone is going to be nothing but a disaster here. Instead of contracts, people use what is called a ‘plan’ and these plans are highly flexible and customizable, when compared to contracts in the USA. Apple iPhone plans are likely to be priced high, which will drive away people from this phone. I feel that Apple needs to come out with a innovative plan for the Indian masses, so that they can still get their share of Voice and Data revenues, but at the same time provide less TCO for the end users.

The iPhone grey market will not be going away anytime soon.

Fring is one indispensible software for people who use VoIP a lot. Previously available only for S60 and Windows Mobile users, Fring now is available for Jailbroken iPhones too!

I tried Skype with a friend of mine. He registered for a new Skype account from his Mac and added me as a buddy, but his name never appeared on my buddy list on Fring. It appears that I have to log on to the Skype desktop client to authenticate him. Another very strange thing both of us noticed was whenever I logged out of Fring from my iPhone, my friend was getting disconnected from his Google Talk account on iChat !! We confirmed this by trying it out several times! This must be one of the bizarre and nasty bugs I have ever encountered on a chat client. Clearly, they mean beta in big bold letters. We could not make a voice call after several attempts and called it a day. Will report back tomorrow if Skype works. Also, voice chat from Google Talk to Fring was also not happening. This was again through iChat that was running on the iMac.

Anyhow, this is an interesting development for Jailbroken iPhones. So far, the applications available through installer where either ports of popular open source software or some basic freeware applications. The scenario has not been very different from what we saw with the PSP homebrew scene for the last few years. But a major application like the Fring being available through the unofficial SDK route is an important breakhrough and establishes credibility for the jailbreak community. I think there will be lot more such applications in the future given the limitations of the official SDK.

You can download the Fring client for your jailbroken iPhone from the installer. More information on the official site.

Yep. I too have the world’s most desired gadget now. I purchased it from one of my online acquaintances. The phone came unactivated with an AT&T sim card. I unlocked it using iPlus 2.0 for Windows and later synced with my Mac.

In my short usage time of about an hour, I am impressed and at the same time disappointed. You can expect a series of articles on this blog about my experiences and comparison of the Apple iPhone 8 GB with my current favorite, the Nokia N95 8GB. I will start off with the browser in the weekend. Stay tuned.