[feefer]

Quote:

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7.) iTunes Radio streaming when using WiFi

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Yes, the ability to play streaming audio from the iPhone browser (Safari) would be nice, especially since the iPhone lacks an AM/FM radio. I was a bit bummed to realize I couldn't stream an AM radio program via Wi-Fi that I could get on my laptop, especially because it should be possible, even over EDGE (only a 34kbps stream). Seems as if Apple and AT&T are willing to support streaming video from YouTube, without concerns over the burdens placed on the network, then supporting streaming audio at lower bandwidth should be a no-brainer.
Speaking of AT&T's EDGE, it provides pretty reasonable speed in my area. I checked it via 2wire.com and EDGE clocked in with speeds around 180 kbps. Obviously, my Verizon EVDO is much faster (900 kbps, on average, with peaks up to 2 mbps), but EDGE is certainly respectable for most light browsing/e-mail.
Here's an interesting finding:
I tried to send a small PDF to my iPhone via e-mail from my PowerBook, and found the document failed to display on my iPhone UNLESS I sent the PDF as a "Windows-Friendly Attachment". How embarrassing, as Windows is not in the equation: I was sending a PDF from an Apple PowerBook to an Apple iPhone!
Even with that proviso, the iPhone failed to display PDFs that were larger: I could see the iPhone product info guide PDF (140kB), but not the iPhone User Guide (9.6MB). Kind of a drag, as I wanted the User Guide available ON the iPhone, so I wouldn't need to reload it via Safari every time I wanted to look up something. Now THAT'S a big drain on EDGE network, as a total waste of bandwidth to re-load 10MB every time a user wants to look in the manual....

[AlFeldzamen]

Certainly voice dialing would be a most desirable app for the iPhone, but take it one step further for the true KILLER APP for this high priced device, with many shortcomings. That application would be, most obviously, DICTATION SOFTWARE -- that would let a user dictate an Email message or text to go into a simple word processor, like TextEdit, for later transfer to a Mac, or a printer.
Now THAT would take this device to a new revolutionary breakthrough level, would it not?

[clwilla]

I would definitely like to see the ability to stream music wirelessly to an airport express when using wi-fi. At parties the ability to use the phone as a jukebox/ remote which plays through hi-fi would rule.

[whitedog]

If you live in a Mac centric world then iChat would be great on the iPhone. But if, like most of us, a majority of your contacts are with people using Windows PCs, iChat is next to useless. What would be far more powerful is a VoIP app like Skype. It is platform agnostic and would make good use of the iPhone's WiFi capability. Other service providers are beginning to offer this functionality - the ability to slide smoothly from a phone call to VoIP as soon as a WiFi network is detected. While AT&T may have their own reasons for resisting this addition, it seems to me like the killer app to make the iPhone truly top notch.

[Dan Frakes]

Quote:

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If you live in a Mac centric world then iChat would be great on the iPhone. But if, like most of us, a majority of your contacts are with people using Windows PCs, iChat is next to useless.

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iChat uses the AIM protocol, which is cross-platform and, as I recall, the most popular IM system in the world.

[DJRizzo]

In order to replace my Treo (don't have an iPhone so please let me know if it has one of these items and I haven't read or heard about it) I would NEED:
- something to replace Splash ID & Splash Shopper
- some kind of database program (preferably sync-able with File Maker)
- Multimedia Messaging
- bluetooth sync
- multiple iCal calendar write support
- some kind of quick entry note pad with alarm functions (to replace BugMe!)
And I would LIKE:
- memory card expansion slot
- battery that can be swapped out with a charged one
- office document files (e.g. doc, xls) write support.
- video capture
- faster data speeds
- universal SIM card size & use.

[steviet]

Actually Rob, this isn't really the way to voice "constructive criticism" to get apples attention.
The correct place to give constructive feedback to apple is at:
http://www.apple.com...ack/iphone.html
This public whining is overboard and in some cases is selfish, to be honest.
Steve

[griffman]

To be honest, I already used that page, thank you very much for asking. However, sharing my opinions with others helps me figure out if it's just me, or if others have similar thoughts. I'll also use the Developer Bug Reporting page to report actual bugs -- so trust me, I don't just post here and consider it done.
Feel free to disagree, of course, but if Apple's going to pitch this thing as the greatest smart phone ever, there's room for improvement. That doesn't mean I hate it -- I actually think it's a pretty incredible device. But a full-fledged smart phone? Not in version 1.0, though I have confidence that will change with updates.
Besides, if I didn't write such an article, we wouldn't have seen all these other neat ideas for add-on apps, right?
-rob.

[whitedog]

Steve, why don't you walk a mile in Rob's shoes before calling him names. The exercise might do you good. He has a bully pulpit and would be a fool not to use it. For those who get their knickers in a twist every time someone makes suggestions or voices criticism of the iPhone (and other Apple products) I humbly suggest they take a deep breath - and get a life. This petty sniping and hypersensitivity is unbecoming, to put it mildly.
Apple is hyping the iPhone to the stars. As great as the iPhone is, by calling so much attention to it Apple has made it fair game for those who may be unsatisfied with what it offers. One can sit on one's hands and hope that Apple adds the missing functions and optimizations to the iPhone, or one can take the time to suggest in public forums like this the features and improvements they would like to see. By speaking out they add to the pressure on Apple to respond to customers' and would-be customers' requests and desires.
If, on the other hand, the iPhone cannot stand up to this kind of public scrutiny, then it's not half as great as Steve Jobs says it is. In the end it will rise or fall on its own merits, whatever the hype or criticism associated with it. The market will decide.

[steviet]

Rob,
Your comments seemed to indicate that you were ONLY using your article to air your dislikes/suggestions and because you didn't include the feedback link, which I think would have been appropriate to do, how are other people that agree with you supposed to support your ideas?
BTW, I don't disagree with you, there are major short comings, but we all know if battery life decreases by a significant amount based on 3rd party apps runnning on the iphone, we'll be reading articles about that next. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Steve

[steviet]

whitedog,
"Steve, why don't you walk a mile in Rob's shoes before calling him names. The exercise might do you good. He has a bully pulpit and would be a fool not to use it. For those who get their knickers in a twist every time someone makes suggestions or voices criticism of the iPhone (and other Apple products) I humbly suggest they take a deep breath - and get a life. This petty sniping and hypersensitivity is unbecoming, to put it mildly."
Does practice what you preach sound fair? I returned my iphone 2 days later because of some of it's limitations that I wasn't sure, and wouldn't take a $2200 chance, would get fixed in software updates. So if you think I am an apple fan boy you are mistaken.
"Apple is hyping the iPhone to the stars. As great as the iPhone is, by calling so much attention to it Apple has made it fair game for those who may be unsatisfied with what it offers. One can sit on one's hands and hope that Apple adds the missing functions and optimizations to the iPhone, or one can take the time to suggest in public forums like this the features and improvements they would like to see. By speaking out they add to the pressure on Apple to respond to customers' and would-be customers' requests and desires."
Actually, is apple really hyping this phone to the stars or was the media hyping the iphone to the stars? And no, this won't add pressure to apple to allow 3rd part apps to the phone, or add them themselves. If it is at a cost of battery life, performance, or security of the software on the phone nothing may ever make a difference.
Steve

[griffman]

The mere presence of such apps will have no affect on battery life. Some, of course, will have a modest impact -- but none that I listed will have a full interface that's always present, so the only thing running would be a background daemon waiting for a certain gesture.
My Treo had such things running all the time, and battery life was never an issue for me on that device.
-rob.

[whitedog]

Does practice what you preach sound fair?
Apples and oranges. You were sniping at Rob for having the effrontery to point out the iPhone's limitations. It was the process of critiquing the iPhone that seemed to be the subject of your original remarks.
So if you think I am an apple fan boy you are mistaken.
I had only the content and tone of your first remarks to go by, but, whatever I thought, I didn't call you a "fan boy."
Actually, is apple really hyping this phone to the stars or was the media hyping the iphone to the stars?
Did you see Steve Jobs' presentation at WWDC? Have you watched any of the iPhone ads on TV? I have no doubt Apple is spending more promoting the iPhone than on any pervious product release. So, yes, Apple is doing it's best to pump up the hype. All the other media buzz is just gravy. And, frankly, I think it's the cumulative hype that is pushing others to throw brickbats. Though some of that is excessive and poorly thought out, it doesn't mean the iPhone isn't due some legitimate criticism.
...this won't add pressure to apple to allow 3rd part apps....
What Rob said was, "...please, Apple, if youre not going to do some of these things yourself, let third parties provide real solutions!" Apple could do any or all of these apps and more. After all, who knows better than they how to write for the iPhone? The primary point of the article is the missing applications, not their provenance. If Apple doesn't want to let third parties design these things then it behooves them to do it themselves. If you think Apple doesn't know a good idea when they see one, look what they've done with Cover Flow. It went from a little known third party iTunes utility to an integral part of the new OS in less than a year.

[steviet]

Anything that takes CPU cycles beyond what it does now will take away from the length of the battery life. To your point, it may be negligible in some cases.But some of the daemons that you are talking about, at least in one case, is a multi-touch driver that takes the place of or sits in between apples driver and the iphone applications. That would seem to me to be exactly what apple wouldn't want people to do right now. That seems beyond risky for a company to open up to a 3rd party developer on their first generation platform and a first of a kind platform for a company in it's first week into the game. Seems like they have bigger issues to deal with, like cut, copy, and paste for starters.