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2007-01-11
, 10:54
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Posts: 919 |
Thanked: 37 times |
Joined on Aug 2006
@ /dev/null
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#2
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If The iPhone's So Great, Why No Broadband Support?
'Breakthrough Internet communications device' with no bandwidth?
Users in our Mac forum wonder how the iPhone can be called a "breakthrough Internet communications device" by Apple, when the device fails to support Cingular's HSDPA wireless broadband network, instead only working on their slower (around 200kbps) EDGE network. Yes, technically EDGE is broadband -- but only if you work at the FCC. As we just noted, HSDPA is available in 160 markets, and offers speeds up to 400-700kbps, with bursts to 1Mbps.
The decision for the device to be a Cingular only product is also a sore point for some users. "Making this an exclusive launch was a pretty stupid move," laments a user. "They have alienated themselves from so many potential customers. My entire company of IT consultants would have switched to the iPhone if it had high speed connectivity and was available on a CDMA carrier." Other users seem less concerned about spending $600 just to slum it on Cingular's EDGE network, noting that they don't need additional bandwidth.
Some industry folk note that for the device to really "reinvent" the telecom sector as Steve Jobs proclaims, they'd need to offer some gutsy and interesting network connectivity options -- such as making it network agnostic, allowing the Wi-Fi functionality to make VoIP calls, etc. "Apple did NOT reinvent to telecommunications sector even though there is a good chance that it could have done so," opines telecom vet Tom Evslin.
While the device is certainly sleek, calling it "industry changing" is hyperbole when it doesn't even run over the latest and greatest network -- much less try anything particularly inventive when it comes to connectivity.
Update: Apparently Apple has bigger things to worry about, such as securing the rights for a brand name before marketing it.
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2007-01-11
, 11:02
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Posts: 1,463 |
Thanked: 81 times |
Joined on Oct 2005
@ UK
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#3
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2007-01-11
, 20:32
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Posts: 3,401 |
Thanked: 1,255 times |
Joined on Nov 2005
@ London, UK
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#4
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What impressed me the most is that here is a company that has actually paid attention to the design of the applications on the device, including the email client.
A nice difference from a certain Finnish company I could mention.
As far as I can see the email client on the N800 is as bad as the one on the N770 I currently use. Given the amount of discussion on this forum and others about how appalling the email client is, the failure to make significant (or any) improvements is a real let-down.
I'm hoping that Apple's entrance into this market will prompt Nokia and others to start taking email client design for mobile devices seriously.