Apple iPhone Philippine Predictions

I'm far from an industry expert but of course the nature of blogging is that you're able to voice your opinion on just about anything.

Some people like the Apple iPhone, others are skeptical about it. I think one of the problems is that people are expecting Steve Jobs to replicate the the iPod phenomena. Thankfully, Apple's eyeing a more realistic piece of the pie, at least for 2007. One percent market share is a modest goal (but achieving it is no mean feat) and I honestly do think they have a shot at it.

It's just not happening in the Philippines.

The most difficult part about Apple iPhone predictions for this country is that I'm not making one for 2007--I'm making one for 2008. And a lot of things can happen in between that time. In fact the weakest chink in Apple's armor is its delayed release date. Hopefully the FCC gives it approval and perhaps even more hopefully, Apple can enforce its patents. In the meantime, competing brands should step up on their game and innovate.

The Good: OS X. I never thought I'd see OS X as an operating system on a mobile phone. If it's as efficient and reliable as it is running on the Mac Mini I'm using to type this, then it's a winner. Another plus is widgets.

The Bad: Programs. Based from what's been released so far, the Apple iPhone is a glorified iPod Video and a mobile phone. Sure, I have OS X but the question is what applications run on it? Quicktime and iTunes is all and good but an iPod Video does that too. iCal and Address Book is a step in the right direction but what I'm asking are the other applications a PDA is known for. Hopefully Apple manages to throw in a word processor (even if it's something as simple as TextEdit) and I hope to see Preview as an application (so I can browse through PDFs among other things). Just because there's a possibility that there'll be widgets doesn't mean that it'll actually be full of widgets.

The Good: Safari web browser. For me it's far from the best web browser ever but it's certainly good enough for the most part (I wouldn't mind getting stranded on a deserted island with Safari as my only web browser) and is superior to the bundled Internet Explorer in WindowsXP. And based from what was demonstrated, it seems like the Apple iPhone is going to change the way we browse the web on our PDA's and mobile phones (and none of that WAP thing).

The Bad: How do I connect to the Internet? Perhaps if I were in the US, in Singapore, or even in Korea this wouldn't be a problem. But the fact of the matter is, as much as the WiFi hotspots in the country are increasing, will I be able to access the Internet from virtually anywhere? In this, Apple's delayed release date in Asia is a positive note for the Philippines. Hopefully by the time the iPhone is available here, there'll be more venues to connect to the Internet via WiFi. Another problem is which TeleCom Apple will pick when (if?) they export it to the Philippines. Will they be able to provide a reliable Internet connection and at what price?

The Good: Touchscreen, innovative features. If there's anything that'll set the iPhone apart, it's the User Interface. Touch screen is a plus too and is probably the wave of the future.

The Bad: Can it live up to its hype? The question with most technologies isn't how it should work but how it is working. In theory, the Apple iPhone's great. In practice, we have yet to see if Apple manages to deliver what it promises. The other question is how "smart" the Apple iPhone is. Is it really as touch sensitive as they say? Will the on-screen pad disappear when I place the phone to my ear?

The Good: Flash memory. A big plus since it's supposed to be mobile. And none of that "if my battery goes dead I lose all my data" that plagues the O2 PDA-phone hybrids.

The Bad: 8 GB. Not that I blame Apple of course. Current technology limits flash memory to 16 GB at most for something of that size. And it's more memory than most phones have. But if the iPhone is going to be a truly interactive device, it simply needs more memory. 8 GB will seem paltry when you start wanting to have your video collection on the screen (and perhaps the biggest plus of the device is its horizon widescreen), especially when you factor in the fact that you're sharing that space with your mp3s, pictures, and other applications.

The Good: Long battery life. The reason why I'm skeptical about most hybrid phones/PDAs/mp3 players is its battery life. Five hours of video and sixteen hours of music is comparable tot existing mp4 players on the market.

The Bad: Irreplaceable battery. Actually, it's bad if you're the consumer, good if you're Apple since it means that if the battery goes dead, consumers will have to go back to Apple for a replacement... or a new phone. Then again, it's not as bad as some make it out to be. By the time the battery life of your Apple iPhone has shortened to a mere hour, it's probably time to buy a new phone, or the 2nd or 3rd generation Apple iPhone should have been released by then.

The Good: Sleek design and Apple's great marketing arm. Not only does the iPhone look pretty, your socialite friends will agree too. People can underestimate the power of marketing. The one who dominates the market isn't necessarily the one who gives the most value for their products but the one who can promote their products better (and this is especially true in the Philippines).

The Bad: How fragile is it? Flash memory's all and good for ensuring data stability but if your screen blacks out because you dropped the phone, the Apple iPhone's reduced to a really expensive paperweight. The fact that it's a touch screen also limits the third party protective gear that can be issued to it (you can't block the screen with plastic for example).

Others: Lack of 3G isn't much of a factor in this country. While we do have the "legs" for 3G it's far from the norm. The two megapixel camera might look meager at the end of the year but if it's simply uploading photos on the web (as most phone cameras are used anyway), the Apple iPhone is sufficient. I'm skeptical about how Google Maps can successfully integrate/adapt itself for the Philippines but Google keeps on surprising people. Perhaps my biggest qualm will be how successful the Apple iPhone will synchronize with PCs (or even Windows XP and Vista).

Overall Conclusion: I'm honestly impressed with the phone. For me the biggest drawback is its late release date. Other mobile phone companies can put up a good fight if they can get their act together during this time frame: a lot can happen in one year. The greatest innovation for the product won't necessarily be the features but the user interface, at how it makes communicating much much easier and maybe completely doing away with a numeric keypad is the wave of the future.

Internet Woes

I just switched from my default DNS to OpenDNS… to no apparent advantage. My Internet connection doesn’t feel any faster, and the sites that I previously couldn’t log on to (i.e. all things Google) remains inaccessible (so much for regularly updating my blog).

Yes the beginning of 2007 will forever be immortalized as the post-Taiwan earthquake which paralyzed the Internet connections of Asia. In retrospect, making Taiwan the hub of telecommunication was a bad idea. Actually, any country near the equator belt is a bad idea. Between typhoons and earthquakes, it’s honestly a disaster waiting to happen (and like the old age when it comes to combat, we only need to be unlucky once…).

Believe in all things Google! Except in times of an Internet-crippling earthquake.

Apple's War on Windows

I know Apple didn't intend it but apparently less than 1% of Video iPods came with the RavMonE virus. While it's not detrimental to Mac, it is for Windows-operated computers.

On a related note, McDonalds/Coca-cola branded mp3 players in Japan come with a trojan worm, so viruses preloaded into your mp3 player might be the latest trend in propagating malware.

From: Engadget

Whoa!

Adding to the list of toys, I mean gadgets, that I want is the HR-28 mp4 player. Aside from supporting DivX and Xvid and your standard fare mp3s, what makes it unique is probably its OS. It has a toned-down Winamp and best of all, a NES and Gameboy emulator. The only thing lacking is memory as it only has 1 GB of storage, but you can increase it via its memory card slot.

From Engadget

Pando

One of our photograhers referred to me Pando when he forgot to burn some pictures of our last pictorial. Basically, pando lets you email large files and folders via email, as high as 1 GB. Most email servers have a limit (Yahoo and Google only lets you send up to 10 MB worth of files in a single email) but Pando is a small (no more than 2 MB) P2P program that lets you download large files thanks to an email link (think of it as a .torrent file that gets sent to you via email). Tried it out on our office's Mac OS X and it works terrific, but Windows XP people can enjoy it too (sorry Linux people...).

Beam Me Up Scotty... or Just Your Data

Professor Eugene Polzik and his team from the Copenhagen University in Denmark has managed to teleport light. The implication is that still no Star Trek beaming up, but the practical uses of such a discovery is that data can be shared more efficiently and perhaps more importantly, with better safety measures against leaking it.

You can read more about it from either Scientific American or CNN.

From: Engadget

Hand-Held Translator

Right now I'm basking at the irony of using a web translator to read a webpage about an audio-input translator (scroll down). Just speak into it and the device will translate Japanese into English and vice versa in real time. It's not yet at Star Trek level sophistication, but hey, we're getting there.

From Engadget

I Want!!!

The perfect complement to my Zen Vision: M, Panasonic's Word Gear e-book reader boasts a 5"6 touch screen, and with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. Honestly, that's all you need to know. And I can read my manga and RPG books with it too!

From Engadget

Photokina 2006

During my senior year in college, I actually found lots of free time and decided to sit-in in a class for one whole semester, doing everything from homework to quizzes (except perhaps the final exam). It was the book publishing class being taught by Ramon Sunico, a writer cum book publisher cum book designer cum photographer. Anyway, one of the things he mentioned was that during November of every year, camera prices drop because that's the time when the new models come in and so the older models are sold at cheaper price (here's a hint to those deliberating on buying an iPod here in the Philippines: wait! As soon as the new models come in, those phased-out iPods are going to sell cheap. The new iPod Nanos have already arrived, in fact.).

Anyway, the big camera event of this year is Photokina 2006 and starts today. You can read the reports at Photokina 2006 Report to be up-to-date on the latest cameras you'll never be able to afford... at least until next year's Photokina.

RSS for Dummies

Here's a link on How to Explain RSS the Oprah Way

From Tech Digest

160 Megapixel Camera

Boy is that a huge camera. But it can shoot photos up to 160 Megapixels, and promises a 6 x 17 cm image. Unfortunately, it has a price tag that would even discourage the professional photographers here.

From Engadget

1 GB USB Flash Drive Bracelet

Finally, a flash drive that's portable, fashionable, and 1 GB to boot.

From Engadget

Tech Updates

Looking at my recent posts, if I posted more individual tech posts, it'll make reading this blog unwieldly (as if it wasn't already). Anyway, here are your tech updates for the first half of the week:

The iPod Nano + Wallet from Gizmodo - Well, it saves up on pocket space.

Slide vs Stairs - Well, corporate life would certainly be a lot less boring...

Plastic Batteries from Gizmodo - Anything to save the environment. I'm also sure it'll be made fashionable somehow.

Google Uses its Powers for Good from Gizmodo - Al Gore actuallly runs Google behind the scenes.

Submarine Yacht from Gizmodo - You might as well go all the way if you're going seafaring.

X Torrent Beta from The Unofficial Apple Weblog - Another torrent program for Mac users. You do know you're just using it because it's shiny.

Artificial Gills from Tech Digest - Hello Waterworld!

Microsoft Joins the Fray

So we got new iPods and the Nintendo Wii this week. What else are techies all over the world anticipating? Well, apparently, it's Microsoft's Zune, the company's answer to the iPod. Is there anything spectacular about it aside from being an iPod clone (or should I say Creative clone?) and it originating from Microsoft? Well, it has wi-fi access, presumably making transferring of data much much easier.

From Engadget

Bionic Commando?

Having done my fair share of TV and movie references, I'll try old NES games this time. What's unique about this bionic arm is that it's controlled by the mind. It's nimble enough to peel a banana.

From Engadget

Watch Everything... From Your Car

If there's a reason why I bought Creative's Zen Vision: M instead of an iPod video aside from my healthy wariness at anything Apple (it's overhyped), it's the fact that I'd be doing a lot less video converting with the former than the latter.

In the same vein, the Sarotech AviX DVP-370Vx seems to be like a godsend, as it can play everything from DivX to Xvid files. It even has a built-in TV transmitter. There's just one catch for me: it's for your car.

From Gizmodo

Nintendo Shocks the World

Well, Nintendo has finally given a release date and price for the Nintendo Wii. Apparently, they had a couple of surprises.

1) The US will get their Wii's on November 19th, while Japan on December 2nd. I think this is the first time in video game history that the US got something first before Japan.

2) $250 retail price. Apparently, the Europeans are getting their Wii's cheaper. Converted to pesos, that's somewhere around P12,500. Japan will be getting theirs at Y25,000. Again, roughly P12,500.

3) The good news is that you can play your NES, SNES, and N64 games on it. My only question is how, considering the Wii (at least from the photo) doesn't have enough buttons to support the multiple button requirements of certain SNES and N64 games. At least Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will be released at the same time the console is shipping.

From Engadget

The Tuxedo

This reference being a bit more recent, while it doesn't enable you to do kung fu moves like Jackie Chan, Bagir's iPod Suit lets you navigate through your iPod without actually taking it out thanks to fabric touchpad technology. Oh, and it's wrinkle-resistant too.

From Tech Digest

It's no KIT

I wonder if there's anyone old enough to remember my Knight Rider reference? (And I'm not talking about the 90's remakes.) Anyway, China has unleashed the first autopilot car. It's been tested at 37 mph, but theoretically can drive itself at almost thrice that speed (although I probably wouldn't want to be in it).

Maybe we can install a voice box that'll greet you "Hello Michael?"


From SCI FI Tech

Disposable Mobile Phone Charger

Now the Emergency Mobile Phone Battery idea might actually catch on in the Philippines. At least I hope so. Either that or the mobile phone companies should actually think about extending the lifespan of their batteries. I mean we get mp3 players that lasts as long as 24 hours. Why can't mobile phones do it?

From Tech Digest