by jaganath on June 10, 2008
This is probably the first time Apple is offering a product at a significantly lower cost than its rivals. The new iPhone, which will compete with the likes of Nokia N96 and several other 3G Windows Mobile phones which sport equally good features, applications and hardware capabilities. Compare Apple’s $199 iPhone 3G to an unlocked N95 8GB, which sells for $600 upwards. Some people may point out to the contract involved, but even if you go with another device, an unlimited data plan will still cost you almost as much as an iPhone data plan.
This will definitely make the iPhone a mass market device. As more carriers are picking it up, it will likely to become as ubiquitous as the iPod. Apple surely is on its way to achieve the target of 10 million phones this year. My guess is that they will handsomely overshoot this target.
Now, what does this mean for other mobile phone makers? Surely, just imitating iPhone is not sufficient anymore. They need to reduce prices and that too in a big way. This will definitely put pressure on the already wafer thin margins that many mobile phone vendors are operating on. The AppStore is likely to be an instant hit with tons of games and applications, which is another nice distribution model that will be difficult to emulate by others. Mobile vendors will now be banking on volumes to derive profits from Smartphone sales too. This is going to be interesting as smartphones will be available at attractive prices for the masses who had to be content with feature phones earlier.
I feel that there will be a new class of phones which could be called ‘Smarter Phones’ which will feature cutting edge technologies, staying ahead in the race. Expect such phones to come from Nokia and the Windows Mobile stable in the next few quarters.
by jaganath on May 15, 2008
Hmmm… Everyone has their whishlist for the most rumoured product in the world today. Here is mine.
- A GPS chip please. A smart phone without GPS in 2008 is almost passe. For those poor souls who carry the first version of iPhone, please modify the bluetooth stack to support external GPS receivers. You know, these things have become so tiny these days that you can carry them in your keychain.
- A2DP. Need this badly for a music phone.
- Access to file system. Any power user will need this. Accidental deletion of System files can be avoided by making such files protected. Exposing the file system is not a risk - we have seen this working for Win Mo and Symbian for several years now.
- Stand alone application(s) for viewing/editing office documents and pdf. Today, I have to carry all my documents as email attachments. I would prefer to have a OS X’s Preview like application on my handset to conveniently view documents. Editing capability will be a bonus, but not a necessity for most people.
- Better bluetooth stack. Today, there is no way I can transfer a file (photo, video clips etc.,) from my iPhone to my friends who carry lowly phones from Nokia and Sony Ericsson. Can Apple fix that useless BT stack which does not do anything other than connecting to a headset? We need internet tethering support too, considering the 3G speeds we are going to get (hopefully it will have HSDPA and not just the basic 3G support).
- iChat. Yah, a sorely missing feature on the iPhone. And please please, add that front facing camera too.
- Video Recording. Its a shame that we don’t have this on the first revision. And a better camera will be a welcome change.
- General Software Improvements. Todo List, Notes Sync, Contacts search.
- Better battery life. iPhone probably has the best battery life among all other PDA phones I have ever used. But the 3G could seriously hamper the battery life on the phone. Hopefully, Apple has a solution for this.
These are what I think will improve the iPhone as a great digital companion. How does your list look like?
by jaganath on May 6, 2008
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.
by jaganath on April 16, 2008
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.
by jaganath on April 15, 2008
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.
by jaganath on April 10, 2008
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.
by jaganath on April 7, 2008
If you are like me, probably you are not a fan of the new iMovie ‘08 editor. While it is a great tool for beginneers, users accustomed with editing on iMovie HD will be missing a lot of bells and whistles. Apple even offers the iMovie HD as a free download if you have purchased iLife 08. This is to satisfy the users who were disappointed with the latest version.
Coming to the point, the only feature I miss in iMovie 08 is the ability to import video from the modern DVD and HD based camcorders. So how do you edit the videos you have captured with these devices on iMovie HD? The solution is simple. Use iMovie 08 to import your videos from your HD or DVD based camcorder. Once you have imported, you will be able to see the video clips at your ‘iMovie Events’ folder. The import process simply converts your DVD vob files into quicktime video clips. When you want to edit a movie, close iMovie 08 and fire up iMovie HD. Drag and drop your clips into the edit window and create your masterpiece from here!
Image credits: Apple Inc.,
by jaganath on April 4, 2008
HDR photography has become a popular hobby and craze among many digital photography enthusiasts in the recent times. It is not that you need a high end Digital SLR to shoot these kind of pictures. Mobile phones with high quality cameras like the Nokia N95/N82 can help in creating some amazing HDR photographs. TheNokiaBlog has published a how to on HDR Imaging with n series phones. Worth checking out if you carry one of these phones.
[via All About Symbian]
by jaganath on March 16, 2008
When I went to purchase a carrying case for my N95 8GB this weekend at a leading mobile phone retail chain in Bangalore, I was in for a surprise. I noticed them selling an Apple iPhone to a consumer there! For a moment, I thought I should have got temporarily sunk in a time warp when Apple released the iPhone in India. On further questioning, I was told that they are selling the piece without warranty. That explains clearly that it is a grey market unlocked handset. Seeing the demand for the iPhone from the customers, they have started selling these in the show room. The price was quoted at Rs 26,500 for the 8GB model, which means $200 premium over the AT&T version in US. This makes it pretty clear that it is high time that Apple officially released this in India.
Till the official release is made in India, there are several ways to purchase the iPhone. If you live in Chennai, you can get it from Burma Bazaar where the current going price is about Rs 25 to 26K for the 8GB model. Don’t pay more, as they are found in abundance here. Similarly in Bangalore, you can purchase iPhones from the Burma Bazaar near Majestic. You will find many shops selling these around Tiribhuvan theatre. The prices are similar to Chennai’s. You could also buy it from the retail chain, Sangeetha, who has shops all around Bangalore.
I do not know about other cities, but there is an easier way to get it if you live in a small city: Online. There are some online shops like Gadgets.in and GadgetsGuru.com which sell iPhone in the price range of 25 to 26K. I have seen some iPhones being sold at shopping.rediff.com also. Of course there is eBay.in too, but be extra careful as many sellers have single digit feedback. Always pay through paisapay if you are purchasing from eBay India.
Disclaimer: I am not endorsing any of the above sites or shops. The above post should be treated of informational value only and please apply common sense and and extra vigilance when buying products in grey.
by jaganath on March 6, 2008
Yes, the iPhone as we know of is dead. A fully loaded feature phone with a fancy UI which could only do what Apple wanted to it to do is officially dead.
Come June, the firmware 2.0 will make the iPhone a smart phone. You can enhance the functionality of your existing phone with 3rd party applications, which will be innovative and will make you more productive. From Adium to Quicksilver, you will find all of them running on the iPhone.
To me, more than the SDK, the biggest announcement from yesterday’s event is the support for Microsoft Activesync on the iPhone. Now you can get your corporate emails delivered on your iPhone instantly. No need to use a Windows Mobile or a Blackberry phone anymore. This will help iPhone move beyond the consumers to the enterprises. No doubt, this will help Apple get bulk orders, which will make it possible to achieve the 10 million mark by the end of the year.
