Bitching and whining from the unwashed masses aside:
After reading the article from Time I'm left with a thought: Cingular (along with other cell companies - according to this article and the experience I have working with them on a day to god damn day basis) is a type of company that is very rigid about how they do things; there's a set profit model and you do not deviate from their plans. They tell you what you can do with your bluetooth, they dictate how your photos get on and off your phone, they set the rules.
Jobs broke that mold here. He's managed to dictate his terms to a communications giant - and win. Cingular has an average cell phone company reputation (translation: At best they're tolerated, at worst they're loathed with the fire of a thousand suns). The Question remains - can the iPhone change a) the way they do business and b) the way they're perceived.
Because there's no intermediary input device—like a mouse or a keyboard—there's a powerful illusion that you're physically handling data with your fingers. You can pinch an image with two fingers and make it smaller.
The iPod rocked because it was accessible and easy. Cellular carriers are the antithesis of accessible and easy.
Seriously, as cool as this product is and as much as I want it and would buy it in a flash, it's literally not for me. All because I'm tied down with Verizon at the moment and there's really no way for me to get out of it for the next four years.
And god damnit, changing wireless carriers is a pain. Even when I finally get around to ditching Verizon, I'm not looking forward to it. It's such a hassle to switch carriers.
I wish I could just buy the phone, and then tadaaaaaa, everything's settled.
Jesus, that is going to be a bitch to use while driving.
Just saying.
If you're driving while holding a cellphone to your ear, you're a fucking moron. You might as well complain that beer companies don't make the cans driver-friendly.
Because there's no intermediary input device—like a mouse or a keyboard—there's a powerful illusion that you're physically handling data with your fingers. You can pinch an image with two fingers and make it smaller.
this is the raddest thing
See companies are starting to implement Jeff Han's multi-touch technology.
Jesus, that is going to be a bitch to use while driving.
Just saying.
If you're driving while holding a cellphone to your ear, you're a fucking moron. You might as well complain that beer companies don't make the cans driver-friendly.
I'm sure he means navigating the menu/calling someone while driving. Who the hell here still holds the phone with their hand anymore?
victor_c26 on
It's been so long since I've posted here, I've removed my signature since most of what I had here were broken links. Shows over, you can carry on to the next post.
0
syndalisGetting ClassyOn the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Productsregular
Jesus, that is going to be a bitch to use while driving.
Just saying.
If you're driving while holding a cellphone to your ear, you're a fucking moron. You might as well complain that beer companies don't make the cans driver-friendly.
No, even ignore that. Lets say you hear the call waiting beep on the bluetooth earbud. On any normal cell, there is a button you can feel for and push that triggers the event. Same for a merge call, or mute option.
On this, EVERYTHING happens on screen.
syndalis on
SW-4158-3990-6116
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Jesus, that is going to be a bitch to use while driving.
Just saying.
If you're driving while holding a cellphone to your ear, you're a fucking moron. You might as well complain that beer companies don't make the cans driver-friendly.
not to mention, in several countries it's illegal, so you shouldn't even be doing it anyway
Jesus, that is going to be a bitch to use while driving.
Just saying.
If you're driving while holding a cellphone to your ear, you're a fucking moron. You might as well complain that beer companies don't make the cans driver-friendly.
No, even ignore that. Lets say you hear the call waiting beep on the bluetooth earbud. On any normal cell, there is a button you can feel for and push that triggers the event. Same for a merge call, or mute option.
On this, EVERYTHING happens on screen.
Call me crazy, but I'll refrain from bitching about the interface until I've (and I know, this is really fucking out there) actually used the interface.
Jesus, that is going to be a bitch to use while driving.
Just saying.
If you're driving while holding a cellphone to your ear, you're a fucking moron. You might as well complain that beer companies don't make the cans driver-friendly.
No, even ignore that. Lets say you hear the call waiting beep on the bluetooth earbud. On any normal cell, there is a button you can feel for and push that triggers the event. Same for a merge call, or mute option.
Jesus, that is going to be a bitch to use while driving.
Just saying.
If you're driving while holding a cellphone to your ear, you're a fucking moron. You might as well complain that beer companies don't make the cans driver-friendly.
No, even ignore that. Lets say you hear the call waiting beep on the bluetooth earbud. On any normal cell, there is a button you can feel for and push that triggers the event. Same for a merge call, or mute option.
On this, EVERYTHING happens on screen.
Call me crazy, but I'll refrain from bitching about the interface until I've (and I know, this is really fucking out there) actually used the interface.
I feel I can bitch because I've used a mobile phone with a virtual keypad without any tactile feedback (and promptly returned it). It really sucks for the way I use my phone.
If it worked like a slider, with a keypad underneath, it would be much more appealing
Mr_Snuffle on
www.eightandahalfbit.com
0
syndalisGetting ClassyOn the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Productsregular
Jesus, that is going to be a bitch to use while driving.
Just saying.
If you're driving while holding a cellphone to your ear, you're a fucking moron. You might as well complain that beer companies don't make the cans driver-friendly.
No, even ignore that. Lets say you hear the call waiting beep on the bluetooth earbud. On any normal cell, there is a button you can feel for and push that triggers the event. Same for a merge call, or mute option.
On this, EVERYTHING happens on screen.
which is essentially a giant button?
As someone who uses touchscreens of this size every day, its not as easy as you seem to think.
Having some hardware buttons for those functions would be nice. Are there any on the sides of this thing, or only that square-shaped one near the bottom?
syndalis on
SW-4158-3990-6116
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Yes, literally and figuratively. The single button on the front could be used for whatever they want, as well as whatever they want to do on screen. That's kind of the point of software replacing hardware isn't it?
All I can think of is that maybe the touchscreen interface turns into one giant button that says "Answer" once somebody calls you.
victor_c26 on
It's been so long since I've posted here, I've removed my signature since most of what I had here were broken links. Shows over, you can carry on to the next post.
What kind of OS X is this going to be running on and how much will it resemble OS X Tiger?
It'll most likely use the base kernel, with the familiar GUI interface.
Think of OSX CE.
victor_c26 on
It's been so long since I've posted here, I've removed my signature since most of what I had here were broken links. Shows over, you can carry on to the next post.
0
syndalisGetting ClassyOn the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Productsregular
Jesus, that is going to be a bitch to use while driving.
Just saying.
If you're driving while holding a cellphone to your ear, you're a fucking moron. You might as well complain that beer companies don't make the cans driver-friendly.
No, even ignore that. Lets say you hear the call waiting beep on the bluetooth earbud. On any normal cell, there is a button you can feel for and push that triggers the event. Same for a merge call, or mute option.
On this, EVERYTHING happens on screen.
which is essentially a giant button?
As someone who uses touchscreens of this size every day, its not as easy as you seem to think.
Having some hardware buttons for those functions would be nice. Are there any on the sides of this thing, or only that square-shaped one near the bottom?
You know, syndalis has a point here.
I mean, it's not that Apple is widely regarded as having some of the most user friendly systems out there.
Nor would we ever acknowledge that their MP3 player is tremendously easy to use.
I'd even wager that they haven't done a single bit of testing on this unit over the past few years.
No, I think it's safe to say that syndalis is right, that everything about the iPhone (from the form factor, to the battery to the cell provider and the interface to the price) is just plain wrong.
Or maybe he could just chill on the phone envy for a bit, cause frankly, fellah, it's coming across as a bit desperate. *shrug* Needless to say, I'm sold.
As someone who uses touchscreens of this size every day, its not as easy as you seem to think.
I actually agree. I had a Windows Mobile smartphone for work, and it was an absolute bitch to use. Trying to use it on a train or a taxi was a nightmare. If the car or train bumped, the stylus would slip over to the wrong button, and would fire up MSN Messenger or something else instead of the address book. Then scrolling through the address book was a nightmare, and ending calls was a matter of finding a tiny button at the bottom of the display. Modal dialog boxes kept popping up too, disabling button access until I pressed "OK".
Apple's UI design will probably be much better, and their touch-screen is pretty innovative; but nothing can replace real, tactile buttons that you can feel the ridges on. Using a touchscreen with fake buttons just feels wrong.
To make a gaming analogy, it's like Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64 vs Mario 64 on the DS.
I have no interest in the phone for myself, but I will be interested to see how Apple have resolved these issues.
Marlor on
Mario Kart Wii: 1332-8060-5236 (Aaron)
0
syndalisGetting ClassyOn the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Productsregular
edited January 2007
It's cool to see that asking questions, addressing concerns, and being skeptical are not qualities people look for in an internet forum, especially from someone who has used PDAs and Smartphones for years compared tot he RAZR and iPod heavy forum here.
Never once did I say the product sucks. In fact, it looks like a fine piece of kit. but there are problems I see, and am curious about if there are solutions to them. Telling me that "It's Apple so it will be good" frankly isn't good enough, as they are stepping into territory they are not familiar with.
syndalis on
SW-4158-3990-6116
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Anyways, I can't honestly see it being a big problem for me to, when receiving a call, glance down at my phone quickly, watch the road while I pick it up, and glance down briefly to press a big, prominently displayed button on the screen. Finding names to call someone(if it didn't have voice activation) would be no worse than my "hard" phone right now.
Is there some reason why eyes can never, ever leave the road ever?
Septus on
PSN: Kurahoshi1
0
syndalisGetting ClassyOn the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Productsregular
Anyways, I can't honestly see it being a big problem for me to, when receiving a call, glance down at my phone quickly, watch the road while I pick it up, and glance down briefly to press a big, prominently displayed button on the screen. Finding names to call someone(if it didn't have voice activation) would be no worse than my "hard" phone right now.
Is there some reason why eyes can never, ever leave the road ever?
Anyways, I can't honestly see it being a big problem for me to, when receiving a call, glance down at my phone quickly, watch the road while I pick it up, and glance down briefly to press a big, prominently displayed button on the screen. Finding names to call someone(if it didn't have voice activation) would be no worse than my "hard" phone right now.
Is there some reason why eyes can never, ever leave the road ever?
Yes, and if you don't know that, you shouldn't be driving.
victor_c26 on
It's been so long since I've posted here, I've removed my signature since most of what I had here were broken links. Shows over, you can carry on to the next post.
BongiTrs (23:23:29): in the UK, you're not allowed to be holding a phone while driving
mn Scarlet st (23:23:31): it won't be hard.
mn Scarlet st (23:23:34): ah
mn Scarlet st (23:23:44): yeah, they also announced a bluetooth headset so I'm really not worried
BongiTrs (23:23:45): most companies put buttons on the headset now for picking up phones
BongiTrs (23:24:38): and if you're in a car, you're probably not going to be watching videos, sending e-mails, having conference calls etc., so complex manipulation of the screen probably isn't an issue
BongiTrs (23:25:00): anyone rich enough to be needing to do that
BongiTrs (23:25:08): is probably being chauferred anyway :V
Anyways, I can't honestly see it being a big problem for me to, when receiving a call, glance down at my phone quickly, watch the road while I pick it up, and glance down briefly to press a big, prominently displayed button on the screen. Finding names to call someone(if it didn't have voice activation) would be no worse than my "hard" phone right now.
Is there some reason why eyes can never, ever leave the road ever?
A depressing majority of the people who try to change lanes right into me or pull out 10 feet in front of me are on their phones. Just sayin'.
Anyways, I can't honestly see it being a big problem for me to, when receiving a call, glance down at my phone quickly, watch the road while I pick it up, and glance down briefly to press a big, prominently displayed button on the screen. Finding names to call someone(if it didn't have voice activation) would be no worse than my "hard" phone right now.
Is there some reason why eyes can never, ever leave the road ever?
Anyways, I can't honestly see it being a big problem for me to, when receiving a call, glance down at my phone quickly, watch the road while I pick it up, and glance down briefly to press a big, prominently displayed button on the screen. Finding names to call someone(if it didn't have voice activation) would be no worse than my "hard" phone right now.
Is there some reason why eyes can never, ever leave the road ever?
Well I must applaud you for what I assume to be driving habits that include never speeding , not talking to passengers(THE most dangerous thing about cell phones in cars), always keeping 4-6 seconds between the car in front of you etc. etc.
Look, we all take minor, acceptable risks. Fiddling with names in a cellphone I can give you as questionable, but I don't think the iphone is any worse off there. Looking down for 1-2 seconds to press one button on the phone is not.
Anyways, I can't honestly see it being a big problem for me to, when receiving a call, glance down at my phone quickly, watch the road while I pick it up, and glance down briefly to press a big, prominently displayed button on the screen. Finding names to call someone(if it didn't have voice activation) would be no worse than my "hard" phone right now.
Is there some reason why eyes can never, ever leave the road ever?
Well I must applaud you for what I assume to be driving habits that include never speeding , not talking to passengers(THE most dangerous thing about cell phones in cars), always keeping 4-6 seconds between the car in front of you etc. etc.
Look, we all take minor, acceptable risks. Fiddling with names in a cellphone I can give you as questionable, but I don't think the iphone is any worse off there. Looking down for 1-2 seconds to press one button on the phone is not.
A depressing majority of the people who try to change lanes right into me or pull out 10 feet in front of me are on their phones. Just sayin'.
Right, because talking is the most dangerous part of cell phone use in cars, not the actual manipulation of them.
One second is a bit much, two seconds is madness while driving a 2000 pound hunk of metal. I hope you don't do that on the freeway/expressway.
victor_c26 on
It's been so long since I've posted here, I've removed my signature since most of what I had here were broken links. Shows over, you can carry on to the next post.
Anyways, I can't honestly see it being a big problem for me to, when receiving a call, glance down at my phone quickly, watch the road while I pick it up, and glance down briefly to press a big, prominently displayed button on the screen. Finding names to call someone(if it didn't have voice activation) would be no worse than my "hard" phone right now.
Is there some reason why eyes can never, ever leave the road ever?
Yes, and if you don't know that, you shouldn't be driving.
Honestly guys, if you think no one looks at their phone while they're driving and just feels around the keys you're incredibly naive. Not to make an excuse for Apple, but people already look at their phones when they're driving, so don't count this off against just the iPhone.
fireside on
0
syndalisGetting ClassyOn the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Productsregular
Right, because talking is the most dangerous part of cell phone use in cars, not the actual manipulation of them.
No.
Not keeping your eyes on the road is the most dangerous part of a cellphone conversation, or driving with one hand or "hunched" so tthat the phone is pressed between your ear or shoulder.
Bluetooth headsets fix half of the problem here... mappable hardware buttons for shit like call waiting/merge call would fix the rest.
syndalis on
SW-4158-3990-6116
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
WHy are you all attacking Syndalis for raising some very valid points he'd like to discuss with you?
Apple can do wrong, has done things wrong, and will do things wrong. Crazy I know. But there's no reason for attacking him for wanting to discuss things.
Anyway. I really like the multi-touch hstuff. That is sex. Otherwise, I think it's an interesting new take on something that's been done before, but upon release we may well find it's been done better with this. We can't really comment until then.
Anyways, I can't honestly see it being a big problem for me to, when receiving a call, glance down at my phone quickly, watch the road while I pick it up, and glance down briefly to press a big, prominently displayed button on the screen. Finding names to call someone(if it didn't have voice activation) would be no worse than my "hard" phone right now.
Is there some reason why eyes can never, ever leave the road ever?
Yes, and if you don't know that, you shouldn't be driving.
Honestly guys, if you think no one looks at their phone while they're driving and just feels around the keys you're incredibly naive. Not to make an excuse for Apple, but people already look at their phones when they're driving, so don't count this off against just the iPhone.
I'm not, I'm counting this against people who do this regardless of what phone they use. You shouldn't take your eyes off the fucking road, that's my point.
victor_c26 on
It's been so long since I've posted here, I've removed my signature since most of what I had here were broken links. Shows over, you can carry on to the next post.
I've just been thinking about why I hate touch-screen smartphones so much, and I think I've pinned down one of the main reasons...
On phones with real buttons, you slide your fingers over the buttons, and feel the ridges to get an indication of where your fingers are. Then when you want to press a button, you just push down.
With touchscreen-button phones, you have to look at where the buttons are on the screen, then keep your finger/stylus off the screen until you want to press. Your finger isn't sliding across the buttons, it is hovering above the screen.
Add to this the fact that there are no ridges to give tactile feedback, and the fact that your finger/hand partially obscures the view of the screen, and it really isn't a comfortable input method at all.
Marlor on
Mario Kart Wii: 1332-8060-5236 (Aaron)
0
syndalisGetting ClassyOn the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Productsregular
Anyways, I can't honestly see it being a big problem for me to, when receiving a call, glance down at my phone quickly, watch the road while I pick it up, and glance down briefly to press a big, prominently displayed button on the screen. Finding names to call someone(if it didn't have voice activation) would be no worse than my "hard" phone right now.
Is there some reason why eyes can never, ever leave the road ever?
Yes, and if you don't know that, you shouldn't be driving.
Honestly guys, if you think no one looks at their phone while they're driving and just feels around the keys you're incredibly naive. Not to make an excuse for Apple, but people already look at their phones when they're driving, so don't count this off against just the iPhone.
And you are right, lots of people do it, regardless of the phone.
But the fact that there isn't a tactile response for most of the buttons on the iPhone means that doing anything beyond picking up the phone will require you looking at the screen.
edit: Marlor: Right on the fucking money. You guys are not thinking about dialing a number on the road, either. Something everyone can do on a real numpad, but have to look at the a screen to accomplish.
syndalis on
SW-4158-3990-6116
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Anyways, I can't honestly see it being a big problem for me to, when receiving a call, glance down at my phone quickly, watch the road while I pick it up, and glance down briefly to press a big, prominently displayed button on the screen. Finding names to call someone(if it didn't have voice activation) would be no worse than my "hard" phone right now.
Is there some reason why eyes can never, ever leave the road ever?
Yes, and if you don't know that, you shouldn't be driving.
Honestly guys, if you think no one looks at their phone while they're driving and just feels around the keys you're incredibly naive. Not to make an excuse for Apple, but people already look at their phones when they're driving, so don't count this off against just the iPhone.
And you are right, lots of people do it, regardless of the phone.
But the fact that there isn't a tactile response for most of the buttons on the iPhone means that doing anything beyond picking up the phone will require you looking at the screen.
edit: Marlor: Right on the fucking money. You guys are not thinking about dialing a number on the road, either. Something everyone can do on a real numpad, but have to look at the a screen to accomplish.
I can't even dial a number without looking at the screen in case I screw up. You guys must be godly with your cell phones.
Posts
But if you think that you will be able to just grab OSX firefox's universal binary and click to run it, you may be in for a bit of a surprise.
Windows NT ran xbox 1, but it wasn't the same thing.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
After reading the article from Time I'm left with a thought: Cingular (along with other cell companies - according to this article and the experience I have working with them on a day to god damn day basis) is a type of company that is very rigid about how they do things; there's a set profit model and you do not deviate from their plans. They tell you what you can do with your bluetooth, they dictate how your photos get on and off your phone, they set the rules.
Jobs broke that mold here. He's managed to dictate his terms to a communications giant - and win. Cingular has an average cell phone company reputation (translation: At best they're tolerated, at worst they're loathed with the fire of a thousand suns). The Question remains - can the iPhone change a) the way they do business and b) the way they're perceived.
Seriously, as cool as this product is and as much as I want it and would buy it in a flash, it's literally not for me. All because I'm tied down with Verizon at the moment and there's really no way for me to get out of it for the next four years.
And god damnit, changing wireless carriers is a pain. Even when I finally get around to ditching Verizon, I'm not looking forward to it. It's such a hassle to switch carriers.
I wish I could just buy the phone, and then tadaaaaaa, everything's settled.
See companies are starting to implement Jeff Han's multi-touch technology.
I'm sure he means navigating the menu/calling someone while driving. Who the hell here still holds the phone with their hand anymore?
On this, EVERYTHING happens on screen.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
which is essentially a giant button?
muh.
Yes. Apple are releasing a One Button Phone.
I feel I can bitch because I've used a mobile phone with a virtual keypad without any tactile feedback (and promptly returned it). It really sucks for the way I use my phone.
If it worked like a slider, with a keypad underneath, it would be much more appealing
Having some hardware buttons for those functions would be nice. Are there any on the sides of this thing, or only that square-shaped one near the bottom?
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Yes, literally and figuratively. The single button on the front could be used for whatever they want, as well as whatever they want to do on screen. That's kind of the point of software replacing hardware isn't it?
muh.
It'll most likely use the base kernel, with the familiar GUI interface.
Think of OSX CE.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
You know, syndalis has a point here.
I mean, it's not that Apple is widely regarded as having some of the most user friendly systems out there.
Nor would we ever acknowledge that their MP3 player is tremendously easy to use.
I'd even wager that they haven't done a single bit of testing on this unit over the past few years.
No, I think it's safe to say that syndalis is right, that everything about the iPhone (from the form factor, to the battery to the cell provider and the interface to the price) is just plain wrong.
Or maybe he could just chill on the phone envy for a bit, cause frankly, fellah, it's coming across as a bit desperate. *shrug* Needless to say, I'm sold.
I actually agree. I had a Windows Mobile smartphone for work, and it was an absolute bitch to use. Trying to use it on a train or a taxi was a nightmare. If the car or train bumped, the stylus would slip over to the wrong button, and would fire up MSN Messenger or something else instead of the address book. Then scrolling through the address book was a nightmare, and ending calls was a matter of finding a tiny button at the bottom of the display. Modal dialog boxes kept popping up too, disabling button access until I pressed "OK".
Apple's UI design will probably be much better, and their touch-screen is pretty innovative; but nothing can replace real, tactile buttons that you can feel the ridges on. Using a touchscreen with fake buttons just feels wrong.
To make a gaming analogy, it's like Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64 vs Mario 64 on the DS.
I have no interest in the phone for myself, but I will be interested to see how Apple have resolved these issues.
Never once did I say the product sucks. In fact, it looks like a fine piece of kit. but there are problems I see, and am curious about if there are solutions to them. Telling me that "It's Apple so it will be good" frankly isn't good enough, as they are stepping into territory they are not familiar with.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Anyways, I can't honestly see it being a big problem for me to, when receiving a call, glance down at my phone quickly, watch the road while I pick it up, and glance down briefly to press a big, prominently displayed button on the screen. Finding names to call someone(if it didn't have voice activation) would be no worse than my "hard" phone right now.
Is there some reason why eyes can never, ever leave the road ever?
yes
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Yes, and if you don't know that, you shouldn't be driving.
A depressing majority of the people who try to change lanes right into me or pull out 10 feet in front of me are on their phones. Just sayin'.
See, that's just hilarious.
muh.
Well I must applaud you for what I assume to be driving habits that include never speeding , not talking to passengers(THE most dangerous thing about cell phones in cars), always keeping 4-6 seconds between the car in front of you etc. etc.
Look, we all take minor, acceptable risks. Fiddling with names in a cellphone I can give you as questionable, but I don't think the iphone is any worse off there. Looking down for 1-2 seconds to press one button on the phone is not.
Edit:
Right, because talking is the most dangerous part of cell phone use in cars, not the actual manipulation of them.
One second is a bit much, two seconds is madness while driving a 2000 pound hunk of metal. I hope you don't do that on the freeway/expressway.
Not keeping your eyes on the road is the most dangerous part of a cellphone conversation, or driving with one hand or "hunched" so tthat the phone is pressed between your ear or shoulder.
Bluetooth headsets fix half of the problem here... mappable hardware buttons for shit like call waiting/merge call would fix the rest.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Apple can do wrong, has done things wrong, and will do things wrong. Crazy I know. But there's no reason for attacking him for wanting to discuss things.
Anyway. I really like the multi-touch hstuff. That is sex. Otherwise, I think it's an interesting new take on something that's been done before, but upon release we may well find it's been done better with this. We can't really comment until then.
I'm not, I'm counting this against people who do this regardless of what phone they use. You shouldn't take your eyes off the fucking road, that's my point.
On phones with real buttons, you slide your fingers over the buttons, and feel the ridges to get an indication of where your fingers are. Then when you want to press a button, you just push down.
With touchscreen-button phones, you have to look at where the buttons are on the screen, then keep your finger/stylus off the screen until you want to press. Your finger isn't sliding across the buttons, it is hovering above the screen.
Add to this the fact that there are no ridges to give tactile feedback, and the fact that your finger/hand partially obscures the view of the screen, and it really isn't a comfortable input method at all.
But the fact that there isn't a tactile response for most of the buttons on the iPhone means that doing anything beyond picking up the phone will require you looking at the screen.
edit: Marlor: Right on the fucking money. You guys are not thinking about dialing a number on the road, either. Something everyone can do on a real numpad, but have to look at the a screen to accomplish.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
WTH does that have to do with cellphone use? At least link to the twat who crossed four lanes and killed a pedestrian while trying to use her phone.