Fruit-Based Portable Computing Devices [NSF Flash]

Abracadaniel

So maybe you've got one of these




Or maybe you've heard about this thing:



Here's a thread to talk about Apple's fancy new devices, as well as offering suggestions on apps and tips on using them.

Maybe you've jailbroken your phone and are running all kinds of crazy stuff with custom themes, or you like the stable, sanitized and safe environment of Apple's 'Walled Garden.' Either way, there's plenty to talk about and speculate on!


Here's what's coming to the iPhone this summer:

Spoiler:

Multitasking: yes! you can finally multitask on the iPhone! Suck it, Android! Actually, the iPhone could already multitask, in a very limited sense, and only with Apple's proprietary apps. Now, third-party apps will be able to run in the background. You can listen to Pandora while you play some Plants Vs. Zombies! Talk on Skype and toot on Twitter. Using some fancy code thingies, apps you love will be able to easily switch back and forth, each one being 'flash frozen' in whatever state you left it in, ready to be brought back into the same state as you left it.

Folders: Now you can organize and store apps within folders. Just drag and drop one app onto another an a folder is created to store them. With folders, an iPhone can now hold over 2,000 apps! Holy fuck that's a lot of fart apps!

New Mail App: The Mail app is getting a few very nice updated, including threaded conversations, as well as a unified inbox, so you no longer have to jump between several inboxes on different email accounts.


Bluetooth Keyboard Support: for when you to take a crack at writing the next War and Peace on your phone. Actually this is pretty great if you want to travel really light but still want to be able to have an extended conversation through email or IM or whathaveyou. Should even include copy & paste functionality.

APIs: goddamn APIs! Over a thousand new ones! Holy fuck that's a lot of APIs! APIS!

Camera ZOOOOOOOM: TIMES FIVE. PLUS, VIDEO TAP-TO-FOCUS. Also apps now have unfettered access to camera APIs and metadata.


iAds: Apple's vision of what mobile advertising should be. As Jobs said it during the keynote "Search isn't where it's at on mobile devices." Created using HTML5, iAds can be immersive, interactive, and can help app developers make some money from their free apps.

A whole bunch of other cool shit!


All of this is awesome, right?

If you own a 3GS or the latest-gen iPod Touch, fuck yes it is! You get all the features of iPhone OS 4. If you own a 3G, you get some of these new features, but you're not getting multitasking, sorry don't have enough RAM to handle all this new multitasking hotness. If you own an original iPhone. . .well. . .your contract should be up for renewal soon, right? The next-gen iPhone is likely right around the corner! If you've got an iPad, you'll have to wait till Fall before you get these new features.

Anyway, if you've got about an hour to kill, check out the actual keynote, it'll help you understand how some of these things work better. Also, learn how Steve Jobs would decorate his imaginary dorm.

Keynote

Apps!

Spoiler:

Motherfucking apps! They're what makes the iPhone such an incredible device. Think about it! One second it's a phone. The next, it's a tiny ebook, the next it's a game system. After that, it's a word processor, then it's a music synthesizer. It's a goddamn shapeshifter, is what it is! So what do you use your iPhone for?

Here are my top five most-used apps (feel free to list your own, and I'll add them to the OP)

Tweetie - the best Twitter client on the iPhone. Award-winning, easy and intuitive, and packed with features while maintaining a clean look, it's great. It's not free, though.

Instapaper - do you wind up finding things online that you don't have time to read at that moment? Maybe you ride the train or want something to read when you're in the doctor's office. Instapaper is a great app for that. Using a nifty bookmarklet in your browser, you can add all kinds of writter works to Instapaper, with all the uncessary crap on a page stripped out, leaving just content.

Reeder - an gorgeous-looking RSS reader, that syncs with your Google Reader. Even has Instapaper functionality.

Evernote - ever want a second brain? Evernote is just that: a place to capture, collect, and organize all the crazy input that comes into our lives. Evernote's iPhone app is wonderful for capturing info so you don't have to keep it in your head. Want to remember that awesome beer you had at that one place? Snap a photo and it'll geotag and upload it to Evernote. Find a neat recipe you want to try on a food blog? Using Evernote extensions or the bookmarklet, you can throw it right into a 'Cooking' notebook to try out later. Evernote on the iPhone makes is super easy to hang on to info.

Dragon Dictation - a startlingly smart dictation app for the iPhone. Speak, and it figures out what you said, more or less. Copy that text to the clipboard, or send it as an email. Very handy when you're driving.

iPad

Spoiler:

It's just a big iPod Touch! Goddamn right it is! A 9.7-inch multi-touch wireless tablet computer! How damn cool is that? Already several competitors have their own tablets in the pipeline, but the iPad is already selling strong, with over 450,000 sold as of last weekend's launch. Already over 3,500 iPad apps are available. You can even run your iPhone apps on it (they they look pretty weird, since they don't scale properly to the iPad.)

There's two versions of iPad, right now. the iPad and the iPad 3G (available at the end of April) the iPad has WiFi, great for keeping at home, or bringing with you to the coffee shop. The iPad 3G has wireless too, but if you wanna be connected anywhere* (*within AT&T's 3G network) the iPad 3G can handle it. This kind of connectivity doesn't come free, though. For $15 a month, you get 250MB of data (light web browsing, email, that kind of stuff.) If you're a heavy data user, you can sign up for unlimited data at $30 a month. Aw man, another contract to sign, another two years of your life owed to AT&T. Wrong! Data on the iPad 3G is without contract! If you find yourself using it where you don't have Wifi, you can just buy a month's worth of 3G access right from the iPad!


Both iPads come in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB flavors. Vanilla iPad rings in at $499, $599, and $699 for each, while the iPad 3G comes up to $629, $729, and $829. Gotta shell out a little more for that 3G antenna hardware.

Abracadaniel

Whoa.

Dang. Tweetie just got bought by Twitter. It's gonna be their official Twitter client on the iPhone. How's that for a stamp of approval?

Weaver

Hey you know a couple of years ago when I had a windows mobile six phone I could run like eight applications at once with an actual button qwerty pad?

then I got a mobile seven phone and it worked even better

redhead

wait, the iphone wasn't able to multitask this whole time? that's, like, the main advantage i assumed it had over my stinky buttphone

what the hell

MKR

We've had multitasking for decades. What is Apple's reasoning for not putting it in the iPad and iPhone?

Weaver

MKR wrote: »

We've had multitasking for decades. What is Apple's reasoning for not putting it in the iPad and iPhone?

This is the company that decades late to the party ran a huge ad campaign about their brand new two-button mouse.

When PCs already had tilting scroll wheels and side-buttons.

jwalk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UciKe5EbjqQ&feature=player_embedded

Weaver

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl8DYW18UVY

spono

Weaver wrote: »

MKR wrote: »

We've had multitasking for decades. What is Apple's reasoning for not putting it in the iPad and iPhone?

This is the company that decades late to the party ran a huge ad campaign about their brand new two-button mouse.

When PCs already had tilting scroll wheels and side-buttons.

about ten years ago I was in a bookstore with my dad, and the clerk was looking up a book on the computer

my dad casually mentioned how it must be weird to use a mouse with one button, and the clerk said, "no, it works really well. You just double click a lot."

"what the fuck"

Weaver

spono wrote: »

Weaver wrote: »

MKR wrote: »

We've had multitasking for decades. What is Apple's reasoning for not putting it in the iPad and iPhone?

This is the company that decades late to the party ran a huge ad campaign about their brand new two-button mouse.

When PCs already had tilting scroll wheels and side-buttons.

about ten years ago I was in a bookstore with my dad, and the clerk was looking up a book on the computer

my dad casually mentioned how it must be weird to use a mouse with one button, and the clerk said, "no, it works really well. You just double click a lot."

"what the fuck"

We're going to SO get yelled at later when the "OOH SHINIES" folk come by.

Kusuguttai

so my 2006 macbook just fried my fourth charger

awesome!

lucky for me, i bought a third party one for 1/3rd of the price that comes with a 3 year warranty

so every time my piece of shit laptop overheats and melts through plastic and wire i get a new charger!

this is cool because i am buying a new macbook pro this year

Weaver

what

Kusu what

"This product has been frying hardware for years. Can't wait to get the new version!"

What?

Kusuguttai

apparently it was only a huge problem in the gen i bought

also i paid 1099 for the basic of the basic macbook

for that same price today i can go and buy a pro

what the fuck apple


i do love my mac though

Tossrock

jwalk wrote: »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UciKe5EbjqQ&feature=player_embedded

This is so annoying

Cogliostro

Don't forget to put "Also coming to the iPhone: Unwanted advertisements!

Kusuguttai

also i dont know if this is true around the globe but the apple support guys in walnut creek are all silly geese

the last time i went in there was because of my charger which still had a year warranty on it from the LAST time this happened

i show the dude the obvious fucking melting on my cable and he's like

oh no dude you tore this. this is tearing. you ripped it too hard out of the socket

that douche tried to not give me a replacement because the obviously melted plastic looked like it was torn. nevermind the scorch marks all over it

i was like okay let me see your manager then because this is bullshit

and he was like well i'm not supposed to do this but i'm gonna give you a new one

and i was like well yes you are supposed to do that

that is your job


also one guy told me it would cost 1200 to fix my computer when the a/v cable just disconnected from inside of it

Weaver

Kusuguttai wrote: »

also i dont know if this is true around the globe but the apple support guys in walnut creek are all silly geese

the last time i went in there was because of my charger which still had a year warranty on it from the LAST time this happened

i show the dude the obvious fucking melting on my cable and he's like

oh no dude you tore this. this is tearing. you ripped it too hard out of the socket

that douche tried to not give me a replacement because the obviously melted plastic looked like it was torn. nevermind the scorch marks all over it

i was like okay let me see your manager then because this is bullshit

and he was like well i'm not supposed to do this but i'm gonna give you a new one

and i was like well yes you are supposed to do that

that is your job


also one guy told me it would cost 1200 to fix my computer when the a/v cable just disconnected from inside of it

ugh this shit

if you know what you're doing, you can crack open a laptop, take out a bad controller or whatnot, solder in a new one, the part cost like, a dollar plus shipping, it takes you half an hour, and BOOM, back in business

Goatmon

MKR wrote: »

We've had multitasking for decades. What is Apple's reasoning for not putting it in the iPad and iPhone?

Because they always hold back standard features for the "Better" versions of their products, years after the original release.

It's been this way since the iPod, and, sadly, it seems to be a fairly successful business strategy for them.

Cogliostro

Goatmon wrote: »

MKR wrote: »

We've had multitasking for decades. What is Apple's reasoning for not putting it in the iPad and iPhone?

Because they always hold back standard features for the "Better" versions of their products, years after the original release.

It's been this way since the iPod, and, sadly, it seems to be a fairly successful business strategy for them.

This is why I avoid apple at all costs. I've decided that the iPad will do damn near everything I want sans multi-tasking and flash... but I'm waiting for something else and I'm willing to pay more money if necessary for a company that is NOT apple.

Am I petty? Yes. Am I a jerk? Yes.

Abracadaniel

Cogliostro wrote: »

Don't forget to put "Also coming to the iPhone: Unwanted advertisements!

You mean like the ads that were already included in many many apps


is that what you meant

Kusuguttai

Weaver wrote: »

Kusuguttai wrote: »

also i dont know if this is true around the globe but the apple support guys in walnut creek are all silly geese

the last time i went in there was because of my charger which still had a year warranty on it from the LAST time this happened

i show the dude the obvious fucking melting on my cable and he's like

oh no dude you tore this. this is tearing. you ripped it too hard out of the socket

that douche tried to not give me a replacement because the obviously melted plastic looked like it was torn. nevermind the scorch marks all over it

i was like okay let me see your manager then because this is bullshit

and he was like well i'm not supposed to do this but i'm gonna give you a new one

and i was like well yes you are supposed to do that

that is your job


also one guy told me it would cost 1200 to fix my computer when the a/v cable just disconnected from inside of it

ugh this shit

if you know what you're doing, you can crack open a laptop, take out a bad controller or whatnot, solder in a new one, the part cost like, a dollar plus shipping, it takes you half an hour, and BOOM, back in business

i wonder if my dad could do that
probably not he only did radio work
hmm

well anyway my dad has saved that laptop so many times
it is frankenlaptop and i will not see it quit on me now

Kusuguttai

Cogliostro wrote: »

but I'm waiting for something else and I'm willing to pay more money if necessary for a company that is NOT apple.

hahahahhahaha
like you'd ever pay more money for something that isn't an apple product

Cogliostro

Smart Hero wrote: »

Cogliostro wrote: »

Don't forget to put "Also coming to the iPhone: Unwanted advertisements!

You mean like the ads that were already included in many many apps


is that what you meant

The only ones I've noticed are in the free aps.

Abracadaniel

Cogliostro wrote: »

Smart Hero wrote: »

Cogliostro wrote: »

Don't forget to put "Also coming to the iPhone: Unwanted advertisements!

You mean like the ads that were already included in many many apps


is that what you meant

The only ones I've noticed are in the free aps.

Surprise!

That's what they're gonna do with iAds too.

Jobs even says "We want to keep the free apps free, and this way, developers can have these really slick and compelling ads in their free apps, so they can make some money off of them.

Kusuguttai

free apps have advertising??

PERISH THE THOUGHT

MKR

I could see Apple being appealing if you liked shiny things, didn't know how to maintain a computer, or had some application you had to have that only ran on OS X.

Kusuguttai

for me that application is adium

mensch-o-matic

So is there any word on Flash for iPhones orrrrr

Abracadaniel

Also, Tweetie is going to be free once it becomes Twitter for iPhone, so none of you will have any excuse not to use it.

MKR

Kusuguttai wrote: »

for me that application is adium

What distinguishes adium from pidgin? I can't see any difference from screenshots.

Abracadaniel

mensch-o-matic wrote: »

So is there any word on Flash for iPhones orrrrr

Nope never ever ever.

Apple basically included a big 'Fuck You' to Adobe in their developer agreement for iPhone OS 4. It basically says "you can only use these coding languages for making apps," which sucks for Adobe since they'd recently come up with a neat way for Flash developers to make an app in Flash like they always do, then run it through this packager thing and it would convert it into an iPhone app.

Cogliostro

Jobs says it's a memory hog and unsecure.

Kusuguttai

MKR wrote: »

Kusuguttai wrote: »

for me that application is adium

What distinguishes adium from pidgin? I can't see any difference from screenshots.

i could not figure out pidgin, at all

plus look at my glorious desktop

Fallout

ipad lmao

MKR

That's rather homosexual.

jwalk

If they allow Flash, they give up the stranglehold they have on apps.

Can't have that.


But I don't think this thread needs to turn into a big shit-on-Apple fest. If you like their products, good for you. I have an old iPod Nano, and I like it, though I wish the battery lasted longer than about 45 minutes now.... (ooops there I go again).

Abracadaniel

kusu that is a neat desktop

also I am sad I am not on your buddy list

Abracadaniel

jwalk wrote: »

If they allow Flash, they give up the stranglehold they have on apps.

Can't have that.


But I don't think this thread needs to turn into a big shit-on-Apple fest. If you like their products, good for you. I have an old iPod Nano, and I like it, though I wish the battery lasted longer than about 45 minutes now.... (ooops there I go again).

but the battery isn't really their problem, that's just an issue with current battery technology in general, unless you wanted, what, replaceable ones that you'd have to buy?

mensch-o-matic

Smart Hero wrote: »

mensch-o-matic wrote: »

So is there any word on Flash for iPhones orrrrr

Nope never ever ever.

Apple basically included a big 'Fuck You' to Adobe in their developer agreement for iPhone OS 4. It basically says "you can only use these coding languages for making apps," which sucks for Adobe since they'd recently come up with a neat way for Flash developers to make an app in Flash like they always do, then run it through this packager thing and it would convert it into an iPhone app.

oh hey cool thanks apple

ive been needing a new phone for a while now and your horeseshit tech-politics has really slimmed down my options!

Kusuguttai

Smart Hero wrote: »

kusu that is a neat desktop

also I am sad I am not on your buddy list

you are

i set it so that only people online show up so it's not a huge 200 people long list

Cogliostro

jwalk wrote: »

If they allow Flash, they give up the stranglehold they have on apps.

Can't have that.


But I don't think this thread needs to turn into a big shit-on-Apple fest. If you like their products, good for you. I have an old iPod Nano, and I like it, though I wish the battery lasted longer than about 45 minutes now.... (ooops there I go again).

It's more along the lines of their business practices/decisions I don't like.


Because... apparently an iPod nano needs a camera but the fucking iPad doesn't??